Family Update

I thought I would do a little post to update you all on our family. Of course you know a little about Junior from the last post, but he's almost 6 months old now. He can roll over from back to tummy and tummy to back but he only rolls to his right side. So far the rolling has mostly been for fun, but now he's learning that he can roll to get closer to something and I fear for our home - it's time to start baby proofing. He can sit up with support. He had his first taste of solid food last Saturday - he didn't love it, he kept getting the gross shivers with every bite. But he's getting used to eating from a spoon and swallowing and all that, so we're going to start making our own baby food for him - so much cheaper! He loves music and will sometimes try to sing along with you when you sing to him, it's so cute. He has brown eyes, but I see a little green in there sometimes. He's getting better hand control, he's really good at holding onto something and dropping it. He doesn't have any teeth yet but he loves to chew on things - especially fingers and cloth items, things he can get his hands on easily. He loves his jumper saucer thing, as you saw from the last post, but now he can really jump high and he loves it. He's not the best sleeper, his naps are considered long if they last more than 30 minutes, and he usually wakes up at least once or twice in the night before his 5 AM feeding. At his last doctor appointment he weighed 17 pounds and was 25.5 inches tall, he goes again on March 1st so we'll see how he's progressing there. He's a pretty happy kid, he usually only cries or fusses when he's tired or hungry and even if he doesn't like something, like being put on the floor when he wants to he held, he usually only cries for a few seconds and then just gets used to it. He's so cute when he laughs and when he's tired you can really get him going laughing - it's so cute! He is a joy and brings such happiness in our lives, it's really hard to imagine life without him.

Jonathan is still, technically, employed in construction as a heavy equipment operator; although right now he is laid off until spring. So that means he's Mr. Mom right now while I work full time. He does a great job taking care of our son, he keeps Junior on a schedule and plays with him and keeps him happy. He is great at taking care of the house and usually has dinner on the table when I get home from work. He works really hard and I'm so glad that he's there to take care of our son if it can't be me doing it. He teaches the 10-11 year olds in Primary and really enjoys that. He is still looking for a new job that is not seasonal, the goal is for him to find something steady so I can work part time or quit all together and we can have a dozen more kids and live happily ever after. We're really relying on the Lord to help us find the right job since nothing we've found has worked out yet.

I am working full time at the job I've had for over 11 years. I really enjoy it most of the time and am really blessed to have something so dependable and steady. I work 4-10s and that makes for long days and not much time with Junior during the work week, but I love having the three day weekends with him. We recently discovered Book Babies at the Provo Library and will be going to that every Friday morning, as long as I can find the energy. I am the Cub Scout Committee Chair, a calling I've only had for 4 months and am still learning, but it's fun to see the boys and their pride and enthusiasm when they get an award. I have so many crafty things I'd like to do, but can never find the time. If I ever do find time for something I'll definitely blog about it.

Even though our life is a little backward right now we are SO blessed to have our little family and everything else we have. We're so thankful for our family and friends and home and the gospel and each and every tender mercy that the Lord sees fit to bless us with - and they come daily!

Loves,
Karen

Get Ready for Tons of Photos!

I haven't posted photos of my cute boy in a long time so here are lots of photos in chronological order so you can see how big he's getting and how cute he is. At least I think he's cute, but I'm a little biased. Also, our camera is not the best so some of the pictures are blurry, but I thought they were still cute so I posted them. You know how hard it is to get a good shot of a wiggly baby.

 Here's a nice profile picture.

 This was a rare tummy time when he wasn't crying. I love how he holds his feet up in the air when he lifts his head.

 He loves sucking on those fingers!

 Happy boy!

 Trying to eat his feet. I think this was before he realized he could actually get them in his mouth. Now he sucks on them all the time.

 I'm not sure if he was tired here, but pulling on his ears is a classic sign of sleepyness for him.

 He's getting better at sitting up here. So cute!

Here's a video I took today of Junior in his bouncer seat thing. He loves it, although he always stops playing when he sees the camera come out so he needed some prodding from daddy, but he's still cute.

He'll be five months on Tuesday and I can't believe it. He's getting so big so fast, I love it and hate it at the same time. I'm working on a post of Christmas so stay tuned.

Loves,
Karen

Gratitude

I totally skipped over Thanksgiving without posting and now it's nearly Christmas. I wanted to make sure I posted at least once more before the year ended.

Do you read this magazine?

A couple years ago I decided I would try to read this magazine every month. I also started reading the Friend magazine every month because I used to be in the Primary Presidency, now I read it because I have a baby boy. Anyway, reading the Ensign every month has been a real blessing for me. I came to find that no matter what I was struggling with, there was an article in there that helped me, gave me direction, or gave me peace. It is a wonderful thing that our church provides and I recommend getting a subscription, and then actually reading it when it comes - and not just the Presidency or Visiting Teaching message. I make it a point to read this magazine first, before I browse other magazines I receive.

In this month's issue the Presidency Message was about choosing to be grateful and was written by Henry B. Eyring. One quote I liked:

"It is a challenge to count our blessings because we have a tendency to take good things for granted. When we lose a roof over our heads, food to eat, or the warmth of friends and family, we realize how grateful we should have been when we had them."

I am so guilty of this. I am not grateful enough for the things I have. I am constantly looking for something else to make me happy instead of being happy with the things I have now. I tell myself things like, "I'll be happy when I lose the baby weight." or "I'll be happy when Jonathan finds a better job." or "I'll be happy when Junior starts sleeping for ten hours straight" (does that ever happen?!)

I am never saying to myself "I'm happy right now." This means that I am rarely truly happy and satisfied. That's not to say that I sit around being grumpy all the time, but I just find myself constantly thinking about things I want instead of just being happy with what I have. I remember times when I have felt that kind of happiness, but for some reason the older I get the less satisfied I am with my life. Why is that? I'm working on figuring that out and I'm working on being more grateful for the things I have. So, as part of the battle I'm going to talk about a couple of things that make me truly happy and that I am grateful for.

1. My Savior - Jesus Christ

I couldn't do a post about gratitude without including Jesus Christ. I love this time of year because I'm reminded of Christ in almost everything. I love listening to music that talks about his birth. I love hearing stories of Christ and reflecting on his life and his atonement. I am truly thankful for his miraculous birth and his perfect example. I would be nothing without his atonement. I am thankful for his love for me, for his willingness to give his life to save mine.

2. My husband - Jonathan.

He is wonderful. I'm so thankful to be his eternal companion. I'm thankful that, even though I have to go to work four days a week, he is home with our son taking care of him and being a great dad. It makes me so happy to hear him talk to our son in the morning. And to see Junior smiling huge for his daddy. It makes me so happy to see how happy Jonathan is to be a dad, he really loves our son and he's just wonderful with him. And I'm thankful that he can cook and clean and be a great support for me.

3. My son - Junior

He's such a good baby. He's super happy and smiley. He sleeps pretty good, about 6-7 hours a night at a time, then another 2-3 after being fed. He makes me so happy and it's hard to leave him and go to work, but it's wonderful to come home to such a sweet boy. After waiting so long to have a baby I feel like I hit the jackpot with him and I feel so lucky to be his mom. It's fun to watch him grow and develop and I can't wait to see what kind of a person he turns out to be.

There are many, many more things I am grateful for, but I know that as I focus on these three things I will have no want for anything else.

Since I'm not that great at posting, I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Loves!
Karen

The New Me

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything. I've been going through a transformation of sorts; like a caterpillar that transforms into a butterfly. At least I hope this transformation means that I become something better than I was. In the last 12 weeks I've gone from pregnant wife to mother of one. It's a pretty profound transformation.

The lyrics from a Sheryl Crow song says it well, "No one said it would be easy, but no one said it'd be this hard." I knew that motherhood wasn't easy, but I really didn't expect it to be as hard as it was for me the first few weeks. I had been warned that the hormonal changes after giving birth can be hard, but I figured I would be able to handle things okay if I was prepared for it. But I know now that there's no way to prepare for all the emotions that go through you when you get your baby home and realize that you have no idea what you're doing, but you better do it right because this helpless little human is counting on you.

I had also been warned that the third day was the hardest. I can now testify that that is the gospel truth. My third day coincided with my milk coming in, my not having caught on with the whole nursing thing, my son having not eaten or had a messy diaper for about 12 hours and a doctor appointment to check his bilirubin level. I began crying as I started to get ready for the doctor appointment and I didn't stop until I was all cried out at the end of the night. I cried when we were driving to the doctor's office. I cried as I called the clinic to find out his bilirubin count. I cried when they told me his bilirubin count. I cried as I checked in with the receptionist at the doctor's office. I cried as I tried to fill out paperwork in the doctor's office. I cried as we stood in the exam room at the doctor's office (I had to stand because the chairs were wood and it hurt to sit). I cried through the whole exam as the doctor told us that his bilirubin was so high that he needed to be put on lights immediately and that I needed to make sure he ate every two hours no matter what. I cried because I should have already known that he needed to eat every 2-3 hours - even if he'd rather sleep. I cried when the nurse came to tell us that a light table would be delivered to our home in the next few hours. I cried when the nurse gave me a hug and told me things would be okay. I cried because I knew things would be okay, but I couldn't get myself to stop crying. I cried when we left the doctor's office because I couldn't decide where we should go to get a quick lunch. I cried when we got home and I tried to nurse my son and he just wouldn't latch on. I cried when I had to figure out how to use my breast pump. I cried while my son was given a blessing. I cried when my mom called me. I cried when my sister called me. I cried when they both came over to see if I was okay. By the end of the night I didn't have any tears left and my eyes were so puffy I looked like I had some kind of allergic reaction to something. The next few days got slowly easier. I had better control of my emotions and my son's health improved. He was able to be taken off the lights after two days and he started nursing shortly after that.

It took a few weeks to get on a schedule and figure out my new life. My son is thriving and I love to spend time with him. Even as I type this he's cooing and talking and is as happy as can be. He's so chubby now it's hard to remember how little he used to be. I've gone back to work part time until the rest of my FMLA leave runs out. And my new life is good.

I guess what I really want to say is that I have a whole new appreciation for all those mothers out there. You make it look so easy. And I just pray everyday that I can be the best mom I can be for my son. The transformation will continue, I'm still learning.

Now, for the important part - cute pictures of my little boy!

These are pictures from the baby blessing, he was about one month old.

 Pictures of him at 2 months old. He's a lot more smiley now - so cute!

Meet Jonathan Jr.

He's here!!! Our little Jonathan Pili Saluone, Jr. arrived at 7:34 a.m. on Wednesday, August 24th. He weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. He is adorable! We are so happy to have him in our lives.

Here he is in the nursery getting checked out. He loves to have his hands by his face.

 Here he is at about 1 day old, what a sweet angel :)

 He's home!

 His mommy loves him!

 He loves his binky.

 He was a little jaundice so he had to be on the lights for a couple of days, but he's all better now.

 Here he is at one week old. We sure love this little guy!

 Go Utah Utes!

Today's My Due Date!

Today's my due date and no baby - so far. I have been in a fair amount of pain today - more than ever before - but I don't think it's bad enough to be REAL labor pain. I'm just waiting patiently for our little boy to arrive. Hopefully he comes sooner rather than later. I'll keep you posted...

Another Baby Update

No, I haven't had the baby yet. I just thought that I should give an update since this baby is coming soon and I probably won't be posting a ton afterward.

So, I am now 38 weeks and 1 day pregnant. Technically the baby could come any day and he would be fine, which is a relief. I really feel like I will still be pregnant on my due date and who knows how long after that. But I am feeling okay, relatively speaking. I am huge (still haven't posted pictures of my belly, maybe one day...), I have swollen ankles and feet, I use the bathroom about every 2 hours, and I'm tired all the time. But other than that I feel great. The crib is set up and the baby's room is pretty much ready to be lived in so if I had Baby J tonight, it would be all right.

The rest of our house is coming along. The cabinets are installed, the new flooring is in and the walls are painted. We still have some finishing touches in the kitchen and some things to take to DI, but hopefully by this weekend it will all be taken care of and I can post pictures of our newly remodeled home. Of course, you know how great I am at posting pictures...

In other news, Savannah had a baby boy on July 7th. He's adorable and I can't wait for our boys to be best cousin-friends.

Jonathan is still looking for a better job in the construction field, so if you know of any in Utah County, let me know. Also, prayers on our behalf are much appreciated!