.:Mohawks:.

Josh has been wanting to take some mohawk pictures with Reece for awhile now. She was born with tons of hair, and is still holding on to quite a bit of it! We keep it in a mohawk all the time, so last nite we got some good pictures of both of theirs. Josh's doesn't hold a candle to Reece's! They are both pretty cute, though!

.:Bad Mommy Day:.

Some days I just feel like a bad mommy. Today is one of those days. Reece had her shots on Monday for her four month checkup. She was already on Prevacid for her reflux, and now has an antibiotic and a multi vitamin that she is taking. I don't know if it's the shots, the meds, or the combination of both, but she has been so OFF this week. She's just been so whiney and not content at all. I've barely been able to get a sincere smile out of her, or a real laugh. I find myself getting so frustrated with her, but then I feel completely guilty because she's just a baby, and she doesn't feel well - she's just communicating that the only way she knows how. I'm really hoping things will even out in the next couple of days. It makes me sad that she is so unhappy, and I just want my sweet baby back!

.:Reece's new trick:.

This is how I put Reece down on the floor before I went to the kitchen to get a drink.

This is how she was when I came back.

My baby can roll! Luckily, she performed three more times for me when I came back from the kitchen. Gone are the days of me leaving her on the couch by herself, or on the changing table by herself! I'm really surprised that she went tummy to back first. She's been making more movements that looked like she was going to go back to tummy when she finally rolled. Go figure!

.:Four Month Stats:.

Reece had her four month checkup today. Here are the stats:

- Weight: 12 pounds, 9 ounces - 27th percentile
- Height: 25.2 inches - 83rd percentile
- Head circumference: 14.3 inches - 51st percentile

Her weight percentile has gone down quite a bit since last time she was at the doctor (two month checkup) but her pediatrician did not seem worried.

Reece has severe excema and has some really bad spots on her shoulders, chest, and face. So bad that they are breaking open and oozing puss out. (Sorry, gross but so sad!) So he prescribed her an antibiotic to take twice daily, as well as a steroid cream to apply twice daily. If that doesn't work within ten days, then we will be going to the dermatologist to see what can be done. We'll see how it goes. He also recommended that she take a daily multi-vitamin. It is really nasty smelling stuff, and she was NOT happy when we gave it to her, so we'll see how that goes! We are about out of the prevacid for her reflux, so we're going to see how she does without when it runs out. I was so excited to start rice cereal with her this week, but he is recommending that we wait until she is six months old to start. He said with how sensitive her skin is, it makes her more prone to food allergies, so it is better to wait until she gets a little bit older. Disappointing (only for me though!) but it is what is best for her. He also said that the left side of her head is a little bit flatter than her right side, which is not surprising, because she seems to favor her left side (wonder if she'll end up a leftie!) but he said it wasn't a big deal. I'll definitely try to work on her using her right side a little more when she's lying down. But she is happy, healthy, and growing! Good news! She did get shots today. She is not taking them as well as last time, but she's still hanging in there. I just still can't believe that she is four months old!

And.....she rolled over last nite for the first time!!!! Of course, neither Josh or I saw it - I was at a fireside, and he wasn't in the room, but her Grandpa Andrus and Aunt Em saw it. I'm so excited for her to start doing it more!

.:You know it's bad when...:.

You pre-pay for a refill on your fountain drink as you are purchasing the drink.

I love my Diet Coke.

.:Four Months:.

My baby is four months today! I can't even believe it. Reece is just growing and changing so much every day. I love to see what new things she is going to learn each day. She is really coming into a fun age right now, and I am just loving every minute of being a mommy! She has her four month checkup tomorrow (shots - sad!) She also has excema on her cheek, chest, and shoulder really bad, so I'm hoping he'll give her something for that as well. It is getting bad, but it doesn't seem to bother her at least! We are still working on rolling over. She is starting to get the motion, and is getting momentum and can get up on her side. I think she'll do it soon! We are also probably starting rice cereal with her this week if her doctor gives us the okay. She is super interested in what we are eating, and makes movements with her mouth, so I think she is ready. She is such a sweet girl and I just love her more and more every day!

At four months Reece likes:
- Smiling at Mom and Dad
- Laughing for Mom and Dad
- Laying on her changing table
- Being naked
- Baths
- Sucking on her hands
- Talking up a storm
- Watching T.V./Baby Einstein
- Watching the fish
- Sitting in the Bumbo chair
- Grabbing onto things (this is new - she is still figuring her hands out!)
- Laying on her playmat
- Standing in our laps
- Looking in the mirror

At four months, Reece doesn't like:
- Getting out of the bath (Brrr!)
- Being swaddled (We're working on weaning that right now!)
- The swing (I've given up on this)

She's our beautiful baby and we love her so much!

.:Ugh:.

I love our townhouse, but I absolutely HATE sharing walls. Our neighbors smoke, and it is so disgusting. Our bathrooms both smell like smoke all the time, and anytime you open up the bathroom cupboards or our laundry closet, you are hit with a wall of smoke smell. Just what you want to smell as you're doing laundry! Sometimes our living room and our bedroom smell, too. Luckily we've never smelled it in Reece's room, but it still irritates me to have secondhand smoke around our four month old baby. And there's no much we can do about it - they have a right to smoke in their house that they own, but don't we also have a right to NOT have to smell smoke in the house that we own? So frustrating....

.:Kissable:.

I love to kiss this mouth.

.:I like this:.

"There is not a liberal America and a conservative America - there is the United States of America . There is not a black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America - there's the United States of America ."

- Barack Obama, 2004 Democratic Convention

.:Inauguration:.

I have been watching the inauguration proceedings on t.v. all morning. It seems like there is such a spirit of hope among Americans right now. I like how Obama has been saying all along that we need to work in a spirit of bi-partisanship, and I hope that he really continues to work for that. Our nation is so divided right now between parties, and I'm so tired of everyone blaming everything on everybody else. It seems like if people would learn how to work together, instead of against each other, we could make a lot more progress. That being said, I'm a bit worried about how much everyone seems to be putting Obama up on a pedastal. The expectations seem super high for him, and I'm not sure he can live up to them - I'm not sure anyone could! Our country is such a mess right now, and it seems like people are expecting him to be able to change things so quickly, and I think it's going to take much more than that.

It is a historic day, though, and I have loved hearing about all of the traditions that the incoming and outgoing presidents have. It's neat to learn about the history of this event. While many people are so quick to criticize President Bush, I still believe that he is a good man. Sure, he made mistakes - don't we all! It's not like he was the only one that any decisions had to go through! But I think that he had the country's best interests at heart, and did what he thought was right at the time. I think he did a lot to keep our country safe after 9/11, and that's definitely not an easy position to be in.

Hopefully Obama will be able to bring the country back together, and start us working towards improvements that our country is in need of. It's a special day, and however sappy this may sound, it brings tears to my eyes as I watch everything on t.v. and realize what a great country we live in, and how blessed we truly are. I'm proud to be an American!

.:Poor Baby:.

Yesterday was such a rough day with Reece. She was crying/screaming for a good part of the day. I was so worn out and so frustrated with her. But I ended up feeling really guilty for feeling that way. Turns out the poor girl had a stomach ache. She was just straining to go to the bathroom, and I could tell that it was hurting her because the consistency was different. It was the worst scream I've ever head from her. It was much different - just urgent and painful - and she was just looking at me with tears running down her cheeks. It made me want to cry right alongside her! It is awful to feel so helpless when she is so obviously in need of comfort that I couldn't give her. She was finally able to calm down later in the evening, and we just loved on her extra, hoping it would help. She actually slept great last nite, and seems much happier today, so I'm hoping it has passed. Poor girl!

.:Boggle:.

Josh got Boggle for Christmas, and we have been playing it lately. I am horrible at word games (I always lose at Scrabble too!) but it is so fun! I almost beat Josh last nite - one point away from victory! Oh and well.... I guess I have to let him win some things. :)

.:Good Quote:.

The most important thing she’d learned over the years was that there was no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one.
— Jill Churchill

.:One of many reasons....:.

There are many reasons why I love Josh, but I have to share this one because it just goes to show how well my husband knows me.

I had two hours of meetings after church on Sunday, which meant he first of all, had to take Reece home and take care of her. That in itself would have been enough work for me! But not only did he do that, when I got home two hours later, he had an appetizer and a mug of Diet Coke waiting for me.

That's true love.

.:Bumbo:.

As I've said before, Reece has a strong back and neck! We borrowed Millie's Bumbo chair to have her practice sitting. This is her in it for the first time today! I think she did pretty awesome! She's so cute!

.:Marley & Me:.

Josh and I had a date nite last nite, and went to the movies. We saw Marley & Me. I actually ended up liking this more than I thought I would. I could relate to a lot of the things that the couple went through in the movie: miscarriage, the joy of becoming a parent, the frustrations of becoming a parent, and having to put a pet to sleep. But what I was most surprised about is how quickly the miscarriage scene stirred up my feelings from when we had the miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy. It will be two years ago in March for the miscarriage, and two years ago in May for the ectopic pregnancy. While those were two of the most difficult things I've been through in my life, I also can realize now that they were such a small thing in the grand scheme of things. It felt like forever when we were going through them, but now, looking back, it seems to have gone more quickly than it felt. We have an almost four month old now! Those experiences, while extremely difficult, have definitely led me to be a more compassionate and caring person. I've learned a lot from what we've been through, and I can't say that I'm glad we went through it, but I am glad that we were able to learn from it. And I would go through it a hundred more times if that was how we had to do it to get Reece! She is SO worth it!

Another part of the movie that struck home for me was when they were going through some frustrations of being a parent, and they were talking about how they felt they had kind of lost the people that they used to be. I find that on my mind lately. I can hardly remember what Josh and I's life was like before I was pregnant or before I had Reece. I don't mean that negatively at all! We love Reece and are so happy to have her in our lives. But it is just interesting how your focus in life shifts when you have a child. Mostly in a good way, but you also have to remember to make time for not only yourself, but for your spouse as well. It's a balance that you have to achieve, and I need to work on that more!

.:Josh and I:.

I've seen this floating around the blogging world, and thought it would be fun to do it for Josh and I.

1. Where did you meet?
On a group date with a bunch of his friends and my friends. We actually didn't talk much that first nite, and I went home early because I was sick. (He still gives me a bad time about that!) We all went out again the next weekend, and we have been together just about every nite since!
2. What was the first thought that went through your head when you met?
I thought he was super cute, and didn't think that he would really be that into me.
3. Do you remember what he/she was wearing?
I don't remember, but I imagine jeans and a button up shirt.
4. Where was the first time you kissed this person?
At my friend's apartment that I was staying at.
5. Where did you go for your first date?
We had been out a bunch with friends, bowling and hanging out, but the first time we actually went out totally alone, we went to Chili's.
6. How long did you know this person before you became a couple?
I'm not sure when we defined ourselves as a couple, but we started spending every nite together after the first week!
7. How did he/she ask you out?
Oh, I don't know. We probably just talked on the phone. He didn't have a cell phone at the time, so I would have to call and leave messages on his answering machine at home for him to check later and call me back!
8. Has this person ever proposed to you?
Yes he has! He climbed the balcony at my apartment (with a bum knee I might add) and broke into my apartment to cover the floor in my room with rose petals, left me a dozen roses with my ring. 9. Do you and this person have kids together?
One so far - our sweet daughter Reece. Can't wait to add more!
10. Have you ever broken the law with this person?
Yes, if you count speeding! He is an agressive driver sometimes! I'm always trying to micromanage his driving!
11. When was the first time you realized that you liked this person?
I think it was right from the start, from the first nite that we started talking and hanging out. It just grew and grew, and about a month after we started dating, I had a moment when I was driving and I just KNEW that we were going to get married. Who knew I was going to have to wait for over a year and a half for that to happen! :)
12. Do you trust this person?
YES
13. Do you see her/him as your partner in your future?
Eternally!
14. What is the best gift she/he gave you?
I love anything he gets for me, but I am a girl, and just love to get flowers! One day he snuck into my classroom when I was taking my kids to lunch, and left roses petals all over the floor, roses on my desk, and Cafe Rio for my lunch. He knows the way to a girls heart!
15. What is one thing He/She does that gets on your nerves?
I'll only put this since he knows it drives me crazy (and the worst part is that he can't even help it!) - SNORING!
16. Where do you see each other 15 years from now?
In a real home, out of school, and a few more kids - enjoying everything our kids will be involved in!
17. What causes the most arguments?
Probably my moodiness! :)
18. How long have you been together?
Since February of 2004 - so almost five years!
19. Are you Married?
Yes! For three years and a few months!

Josh is my best friend, and I feel so blessed to be his wife! He is a wonderful husband, and a great dad, and I wouldn't be with anyone else!

.:January so far:.

Just a few random pictures of the babe. She is so much fun right now! I am loving this new stage she is going into. Reece is really strong - her neck and back have always been pretty strong, and now she is able to bear her weight on her legs for long periods of time. Her new favorite thing is to 'stand' in Josh or I's lap. She loves her hands, and is constantly sucking on them. She's turned into quite the drool monster! She can grab on to toys, but doesn't really have control over what she does with the toys, and doesn't seem to realize that she's actually holding them! We are going to keep working on that. I've been bad at tummy time lately, and need to start doing better with that so that she can start working on rolling over. I'm not stressed about her reaching any milestones, but I do need to make sure that I give her opportunities to do it on her own! She's just turned into a much happier baby, and loves to talk and smile. She's also loving the mirror right now. She's just such a sweetheart!

.:Christmas 2008:.

Christmas this year was spent in Oregon. Reece and I flew up there a few days before Josh got there. Reece was so great on the plane! She did great at the airport, going through security, and then ended up sleeping in my arms the whole flight! I was so proud of her.

Once we got there, we spent time running errands and waiting for everyone else to get there! We had the whole family there this year! There was lots of Christmas fun, as well as wedding prep for Alli's wedding. The boys spent a lot of time playing MarioCart on the Wii, and a few people spent tons of time doing puzzles. The boys were also the official snow removers, and spent a lot of time outside shoveling and snow blowing the driveway. It snowed every day while we were there!

Christmas Eve was spent with two sets of missionaries, as well as my grandparents from Arizona! We had our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of ham, potatoes, rolls, durkey beans, and chocolate pies! Josh and I also made our peppermint cheesecake dessert, which was a hit! After dinner, we did the nativity, as we've done for so many years. It's turned into a reader's theater, with songs in between, and I think this is the first time in years we haven't all lost it laughing at some point during it! After that, we were graced with my grandpa's rendition of the Grinch! We've heard about it for years, but never been able to experience it. It was wonderful! The missionaries shared a message with us before they left, and then it was time to open our Christmas pj's and gift exchange gifts. Here is our little family on Christmas Eve.

Reece loves Santa!
All the girls got robes for our Christmas pj's this year. They are so cozy!

All the grandkids in their matching pj's! So cute!


The Grinch!

Christmas morning we woke up to see what Santa had left for all of us. As usual,. he was very good to us all! We took turns opening presents one by one - we did a couple of rounds before our traditional Christmas Day breakfast of bran muffins, peppered bacon, oranges, and juice. Delicious as usual! It took us a good amount of time to get through it all! There were 19 people opening presents!


Gramzee and PSTEW having a moment with Reece and Andi.


Reece with her stocking. Doesn't she look excited? :)


Daddy and Reece.


All of the stockings for the whole fam!


All of Santa's loot!


Carter and Gray having fun with all of their new toys!


Yep, I'm related to both of them. My handsome husband, and brother!


Cal, Andi, Carter, and Gray enjoying Christmas muffins!


Once Christmas was over, it was time for Alli and Nic's wedding! On Friday nite, we headed over to Medford to have a dinner with all of our family and all of Nic's family. It was a nice evening with good food!



Then Saturday morning was the wedding! Alli looked beautiful, of course! She is the last of us five kids to be married, and it was so neat to have all of us and our spouses in the sealing room with her. My grandpa sealed her and Nic - he has done all of us kids. It's such an incredibly neat thing to have our grandpa seal all of us. It was definitely a proud moment for our family.



Then it was back to Klamath to get things ready for the reception. We had it at our house, and were really worried about the turnout. My parents live on top of a mountain, and it was snowing like crazy! But people really surprised us, and we had an awesome turnout. It was fun to see people, and to just have the party part of their marriage. The house looked beautiful and the food was great. What more could you ask for?

The original Stewart five!


The whole fam!

Reece and Mommy. She looked so cute!


Gray and Carter - Handsome boys!


Sweet Reece. She was such a trooper with all of the madness around her!


Jefferson, Andi, Josh and Cal


Me and my hubby


The Stewart women (and Andrus, Phair, and Harmon! :) )


All the sibs with their spouses.


Daddy and Reece


It was a great trip, and we are so blessed to have such wonderful families to spend our time with. We are not sure when the next time is that we'll all be together, but hopefully it's not too long!

.:New Years Goals:.

I am definitely slacking in posting about our trip to Oregon for Christmas, and Nic and Alli's wedding, but that is going to take awhile, and I don't have time to do that right now!

But I wanted to get down some of the goals that I have for myself, as well as our family, for this upcoming year. There are always things that we can be working on to be better, but I seem to have put those all by the wayside with the excuse of being too tired from being a new mom. Well, Reece is almost four months old, so no more excuses!

* Lose the baby weight and then some! I got some new workout dvd's for Christmas, and have started getting up at 6:00 a.m., before Reece is up, to do them. It's only been a couple of days, but I am feeling so much better about myself. I'm also keeping a food journal to help myself stop all of the unnecessary snacking that I do. My sweets are going to be limited to the weekends - in moderation - and I'm just going to try to eat healthier all around. I use this website, calorieking.com, to keep track of how many calories I'm consuming. It feels good to be proactive about this. I've been disgusted with the way I look and feel lately, and I'm glad I finally got off my lazy bum and started doing something about it!

* Family prayer & scriptures EVERY DAY! We are usually pretty decent about saying our prayers, but we've definitely fallen off the wagon with our scripture study. I know we'll feel closer to each other, and closer to the Lord, as we work on this.

* Date nights! I need to be better about being a wife, and not just a mom. I feel like I've kind of neglected Josh with my focus on Reece, and that isn't right! We need to make time for each other - even if it's not in the form of a date night - and keep fostering our marriage. He's my best friend, and I'm so lucky to be married to him. I love him so much!

* Be good parents! We are still figuring this parenting thing out, but I think we're getting the hang of it. I imagine this will always be a goal in progress - there's always things we'll be learning about how to be a good parent to Reece and our future children.

* Do my calling willingly! I am getting better about this, but I could certainly stand some improvement. I have received a lot of blessing from serving in young women's, and I need to have a better attitude about the time committment. I love the ladies that I serve with, and I love the girls! I need to be a good example to them, and can always be learning from them as well.

Those are just some of the main things I want to work on for this year. Josh and I are so blessed with our home, the ability for me to stay home with Reece, with our marriage, our families, our friends, and our beautiful daughter. 2008 was good to us, and hopefully 2009 will be even better!

.:My Baby:.

After I gave Reece her bottle tonite, and was rocking her for a minute, I just had the feeling that I was falling in love with her all over again. She is almost four months old now, and her little personality is starting to shine through so much. I realized that she's not going to want me to be holding her a ton for much longer, and while I'm anxious for her to reach new milestones, I'm kind of sad to be leaving some of the little baby stuff behind. She is such a sweet girl, and is getting to a really fun stage right now. She loves to look in the mirror - at herself, and at whoever is holding her. Her newest thing is 'standing' on your lap while you hold her. She has strong legs! Her neck and back are so strong, and she's going to be sitting on her own before we know it. I'm so grateful for her, and the joy she's brought to Josh and I. She is such a blessing in our lives. We love you Reece!