Happy Easter!

Holidays are so much fun with a little one in the house!

I heard from a pretty reliable source that the Easter Bunny had a blast preparing what Baby A would find in his basket. Ironically enough, the Easter Bunny chose to give him a book of fairy tales... and he also got several new outfits, including an Easter shirt which he seems to like:

We had a fun holiday complete with baskets full of way too much chocolate, new clothes for each of us, a lovely time at church, a nice dinner, and {most importantly} lots of time to spend together. Just the way holidays should be.

Baby A at 3 Months

I love this kid so much! He is full of personality and constantly cracks us up!

Our attempts to measure him at home never seem as accurate as the doctors but, as far as we can tell, these are his stats:

• Weight: 12 lbs.
• Height: 23 inches
• Diaper Size: He finally upgraded to Size 1 a couple of weeks ago!
• Clothing Size: He now fits into his 0-3 Months clothing!
• Likes: Food, bathtime, smiling, the TV, his reflection in the mirror, driving in the car or riding in his stroller, being held and getting to sit on his parents' laps so he can see the world around him.
• Dislikes: Having to take naps, anytime mom isn't paying attention to him.

He has started grabbing things with his hands and it is fun to see him understanding the world around him even better. He especially loves grabbing mom's shirt and dad's arm hair.

It seems like he continues to smile more and more each day. Sometimes he'll be completely exhausted and falling asleep but notices you looking at him and a huge grin bursts across his face. It's adorable and makes even the most tiring 3 AM feedings worth it. His laugh is also continuing to happen more frequently and comfortably. It was almost as if it surprised/scared him when it first started happening, but he seems to enjoy bursting into giggles now that he's laughing more regularly.

As the weather has finally started warming up, we've been going for walks each day and Baby A loves the movement of his stroller. Usually by the end of a walk, he's fallen sound asleep in his seat and is the most peaceful way we can get him to take a nap. Getting him to fall asleep and stay asleep still poses a challenge sometimes but we are working on trying to make it consistent. The other magic option when we are getting desperate is the vacuum. Baby A loves the sound and somehow it lulls him off into dreamland.

He is such a happy baby most of the time and is so much fun! Despite all his smiling and giggling, it is a true challenge to capture it on camera because as soon as our phones or the camera come out, he is immediately mesmerized by the device and stops smiling because he is focusing so intently on it. The videos and photos we've been able to catch have to be done stealthily without him noticing! He's such a silly boy!

He is definitely the best thing and we are so grateful to have him in our lives!

Meema's 50th!

Baby A's Meema is a little bit obsessed with him. She loves being a grandma. And this weekend, she turned 50!

A is only 2½ months and has never been in the car for more than 30 minutes at a time. And Meema is a whole 3½ hours away in Idaho. Trying to take a baby on a long drive like that was why we wouldn't be able to be there to celebrate with my family... or at least that's what we told Meema!

The rest of my family was in on the little secret and we planned the drive time to coincide with A's naps. He slept like an angel for most of the drive and woke up right when we got to my parents' house, which was perfect because he's always the happiest right after a nap. My dad helped us get into the house unnoticed through a side door and M put A into his Meema's arms before she really had time to register what was happening.

It was incredibly fun to surprise her like that!

Unfortunately, we failed to get any photos of the birthday girl with the baby but here are a few we did snap over the weekend:

Baby A loving on his Auntie Amy

Huge smiles in his carseat on the way to see his Meema

Reenacting when Daddy helped him surprise his Meema

It was so fun taking Baby A to Idaho. I'd really missed going there over the past six months. Definitely a perfect weekend.

My Obsession with Babies

Three beautiful babies were born this week to three of my fantastic friends. And hearing the news that each baby had made their appearance into the world got me so excited because it meant those friends of mine had officially become mommies and daddies.

Over the past several months, quite a few of my friends have welcomed babies into their families. Each one has seems to have made me progressively thrilled for my friends... which has me thinking...

I'm obsessed with babies. I should probably start going to BA meetings... "Hi, my name is K and I'm addicted to babies!!" {Have you ever thought about the irony that the A in these meetings stands for anonymous and yet the most common thing we all associate with these meetings is introducing yourself... not so anonymous... but hey, that's a different topic for a different day.}

Babies. Babies. Babies.

People were so excited for us when we first found out that I was pregnant. And I logically interpreted their excitement as simply regarding the fact babies are cute and these people were going to be grandparents or aunts and uncles or have a new friend for their own baby's playgroup. It made sense and I appreciated the enthusiasm and support.

As my pregnancy progressed and I felt Baby A starting to wiggle and kick, I started to realize that maybe people were excited for us, not just because babies are cute, but also because they understood how I would start to fall in love with my little guy. It made sense because that was exactly what was happening.

Finally, the day came that he was born. And it was then that I truly began to understand why people had been so excited for us. That day, M and I met our baby and officially became his mom and dad. Words can't even describe that experience. Especially watching the man I married become a daddy, complete with cooing and cuddling the new and amazing addition to our family. And it began to make even more sense why everyone had been excited for us - they understood how this baby would strengthen our little family.

But it didn't stop there. The love I felt for M and Baby A that day was mind blowing. I didn't know it was possible to feel that much overwhelming love all at once. And it's continued to grow. I love my boys even more now than I did that day in the hospital delivery room.

Being a mom and wife is the greatest {even though it is also sometimes the hardest} thing I have ever done. That is why I get excited for my friends - the same way that others had been so excited for us. I am finally beginning to understand the awesomeness of parenthood even though my understanding of the depth of the love I feel for my boys is only beginning to scratch the surface.

And that is why I am obsessed with babies.

Baby A's Blessing Weekend

This weekend was Baby A's blessing at our church. It turned out to be such a lovely day!

M gave Baby A his blessing and it was absolutely perfect. I am so grateful to be married to a man who is worthy and takes his priesthood responsibilities seriously. He set aside time this weekend to ponder and focus to be prepared to give the blessing. He is such a good example to me and to our son!

We were able to share the day with both of our families as well as extended family members, some of which travelled for hours just to be with us for the weekend.

In preparation for having the masses over to our house last Sunday, I started working on some of the projects I've been wanting to do ever since we moved in to the house.

Baby A at 2 Months

I love Baby A! He is more and more fun every day.

We had his two-month pediatrician appointment today. These are his stats right now:

• Weight: 10.4 lbs.
• Height: 22 inches
• Diaper Size: Newborn diapers are still working for him but we will be switching to Size 1 probably next week {as soon as we finish off our last newborn package}.
• Clothing Size: Newborn but they are starting to be a bit snug even though 0-3 Months is still baggy on him.
• Likes: Eating, bathtime, smiling at mommy and daddy, music, and having people hold him.
• Dislikes: Having to take naps, not being held, and loud noises.

He got 4 vaccines as an awful way to celebrate his two-month birthday. Even though the nurse did it as quickly as she could, it is heartbreaking to watch your baby get needles stabbed in his cute, chunky thighs! I've never heard him cry like that. And he keeps crying that sad, in-pain cry now that we are home and he has a fever.

His personality continues to develop and there are some really cute things that he is starting to do. One of these things is that, as he's getting tired, he lays there and raises his right first in the air and stares at it until he falls asleep.

And my very favorite - I am convinced that he is starting to attempt laughing. There have been a few times while he has been smiley that he suddenly starts making a noise that sounds like a throaty giggle. It's absolutely adorable!