Snowed In

We have been living in a blizzard the past two days. It snowed really hard yesterday and then today it is really windy. School for Jayson has been canceled the last two days.

This is what we woke up to this morning.

This is after our neighbor shoveled our walk-

otherwise we wouldn't have been able to get out!

She Did It!!!

The little squirt finally rolled over!

She did it several times and to both sides!

Go Cougars

P.S. The pants are pink not red

Late November

Happy Thanksgiving!! We had a great holiday weekend and loved having Jayson home from school for three days. We had Thanksgiving dinner with a few of our friends here and it was really fun. The food was delicious and the company great!

The feast.

We had tons of leftovers and are still enjoying them.

The adult table

The kid table

The babies

Just chillin

(notice her footrest)

Curly Cue

I thought for sure our baby would be bald and so it has been really fun to have a baby with hair. I love curling it into her little mohawk and it has gotten so long that I actually cut a little off the top the other day.

Momma and baby

Tiny Dancer

Turn your computer sideways-

I always forget that the video camera doesn't shoot vertical

Just Because

Just a few recent pictures...

10

The Little Miss slept for 10 straight hours last night!!!

She perhaps could have slept longer, but daddy couldn't wait any longer to hold her.

(he claims she was waking up as he went in there)

It is only 7 am but it's already going to be a great day!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween was extra fun this year because we got to dress little Savannah up like a ladybug.

The festivities started on Thursday with a Halloween parade at Creighton Dental School. It was a little crazy getting there (I have figured out that it is best to only do one outing a day or at least to have them separated by a few hours). I rushed from an earlier appointment to the parade and in the hurry Savannah's little underpiece for her costume didn't have time to dry (which of course it couldn't finish drying in the car when it was raining and freezing outside- duh), so I had to make a mad dash home to come up with a plan b. But no worries we made it to the parade and put a big smile on Jayson's face as he got to show her off to other students and professors. We had lunch together afterwards which was also really fun.

pooped after the big parade

Friday was our ward's trunk or treat which was another fun excuse to dress the babe up, but unfortunately it was freezing outside so we huddled in the back of our friend's van and only a select few got to see the princess in her costume (with the correct onesie underneath this time).

Saturday I had to rip Jayson away from his studies to take a walk with me and go to the gardens by our house that were hosting fun Halloween activities. Well, when we got there the festivities were over (apparently they were on Friday- oops!), but it was still nice to get outside on a glorious fall day. Jayson insisted on taking Savannah to at least a few houses to trick or treat (really just an excuse to show her off) and then we ended up at our friends for chili and caramel apples. Yum! Jayson and I didn't dress up (we are kind of scrooges that way) but maybe next year!

Saturday walk with her pumpkin beanie (not very feminine, but still cute)

Savannah with potential boyfriend Grey. We were over at our friends late Saturday night and both babes fell asleep, so why not let them snuggle?

Notice the size difference. Grey is two weeks younger than Savannah and probably outweighs her by 3-4 pounds.

Super Savannah

Our super Savannah is now two months old! We just love this little peanut to pieces. At her two-month check up here are her fat stats:

Weight: 10 lbs. 5 oz. (50%)

Height: 21 3/4 inches (25%)

This is Jayson playing "Super Savannah"

(now hum the Superman theme song and you get the idea)

She is such a healthy and happy baby. For the past week she has been sleeping in her big girl crib in her very own room. There were one too many nights in the bassinet where she was just a little chatty and not very sleepy, which made it hard for mom to sleep. She has made the transition very well and is now sleeping an average of 7-8 hours during the night, waking up to eat and then sleeping for another 2-3 hours. It is heaven! And both mom and baby are lots happier with more sleep.

She is very interactive and has been talking to us for the last few days. Saturday night Jayson and I talked to her for 10 minutes- we would say something to her and then wait and she would coo at us and then we would say something, etc. Her face was so expressive and she was so into the story she was telling us- it was darling! We have tried to get it on camera, but its not quite as good as it was the one night. Savannah has also been smiling for a few weeks, but these smiles are almost impossible to catch on camera. It is pretty funny to try to get her to smile at the silver box that is trying to take her picture. I'm sure we'll get some good ones once she is a little older.

She loves her bath and "nakey time" after she gets a diaper change. She kicks her legs and arms like crazy and is starting to be able to grab things (mainly my hair) that are within her reach.

Jayson is still doing great in dental school- both on his tests and in the clinic. And I am trying to figure out how to make this jelly belly of mine return to its former glory- I guess I need to exercise instead of eating peanut m&ms all day... :)

We are all looking forward to Halloween- with the highlight of course being able to dress up Savannah like a ladybug...

Talk Time

the beginning
almost there...

smiles

Savannah's battle wounds after her two month check up. She was braver than her mom. When the nurse gave her a second shot she let out a high pitched cry that made my eyes water. She got over it quickly, but it took a while for my eyes to dry out.

Bath Time

Her favorite surprised look

Fall Break

Jayson had a few days off of school last week and so we headed to our favorite vacation destination... Utah! We decided that our families shouldn't have to wait until Christmas to meet Miss Savannah. We were able to spend time with both families, visit with extended family and friends, eat lots of yummy food (including a Cafe Rio pork salad, yum), watch a few soccer games, a football game, and mainly just relax.

Savannah and daddy snuggling in the favorite bed at the Clark Hotel

Our little snow bunny. It was a little cold in Utah so we bought Savannah this cuddly pink outfit. It reminds Jayson of the Christmas Story...

Cheetah girls

Savannah and her cousin Serelle (6 months)

Savannah meeting Great Grandma and Grandpa Hawks

Me, Grandma Hawks, Savannah, Grandpa Hawks, Serelle, Jen, Liliahna

We also blessed Savannah while we were in Utah. Jayson did a wonderful job and I am so grateful that he is a worthy priesthood holder. I just love him more and more watching him be Savannah's daddy, she is a lucky girl.

We just can't get enough of this little Miss!

Family

Jayson attended a meeting last week for all the church leaders in our area and the topic of the meeting was the importance of families. They talked about the fact that the most important thing that parents can teach their children is to love and respect the organization of the family. It is important to teach them the principles of the gospel, like faith, repentance, testimony, etc but it is just as important to teach them about families. They said any organization/idea that is anti-family is also anti-Christ. I thought that was quite a powerful statement, but I see the truth in it. Anything that is tearing down the family is not the work of our Father in Heaven. Jayson and I have talked about this a lot lately and how important it is for a child to be born into a family with a loving mother and father who love one another and are devoted to the child's happiness and success.

I am so grateful for my family, for my parents who taught me by example how important the family is. I am glad that my mom and dad had us sit down at the table to eat dinner together most evenings. I am glad that they tried to have family prayer and scripture study. When I was in high school (although it was annoying at the time) I am glad they didn't let me or my siblings hang out with friends both nights of the weekend. We could hang out one night but then the other night we had to stay home and be with the family. I am so grateful for my own little family- for Jayson and the amazing husband/father he is and little baby Savannah and how much joy she has brought into our home in the past 6 weeks.

I loved listening to General Conference last weekend and hearing all of the inspiring talks. I am so grateful to have a prophet and apostles on the earth to lead and guide us. I loved President Monson's talk about all of the children's acts of service for his birthday- so cute.

p.s. These amazing pictures were taken by my super talented friend Carissa (capturedbycarissa.blogspot.com).

4 weeks

It is crazy that Savannah has been with us for 4 weeks now! I swear the last 4 weeks of my pregnancy felt more like 4 months, so why is it that now that she is here time has flown by?

Well the visitors have come and gone and we are now officially on our own. There have been a lot of highs and perhaps a few lows to this new thing called parenting. I guess it all comes with being an emotional new mom, right?

The lows- At Savannah's two week checkup she had actually lost weight instead of gaining back her birth weight. Of course I had a melt down and knew that our daughter was anorexic and was headed for the NICU. After talking to a few people (mostly my sister, thanks Jen) I was able to calm down and realize that a 7 lb 14 oz baby is not that small and will most likely be just fine. The doctor (whom I love, but is perhaps a bit granola) told me to buy a sling and let Savannah be "at the breast" all day. Yeah right. Perhaps that works for some, but I was not up to that. So for a week or so I was the nursing machine. We would go on a walk in the morning and then sit on the couch and nurse all day until Jayson got home. I took Savannah in at 3 weeks to do a weight check and she was up to 8 lbs. 1 oz. almost there... Then I took her in yesterday for her 4 week weight check and she is a whopping 8 lbs. 12 oz. so, (sigh of relief) I think we are doing alright. I now feel like we can run errands, clean the house, and perhaps make dinner. It is so funny how much I stress about her weight, her breathing, her eating, her pooping, etc, etc. I guess I will just be a worry wart for the rest of my life.

The highs- I just love her more and more each day. I thought I loved her when she was born, but every day I fall more and more in love. Watching Jayson be a dad. Hearing him talk to her in his high pitched baby voice. He puts his nose close to her mouth and tells me he likes her baby breath. Watching her grow- her eyes are open more and more and she makes the best faces. It is fun to have a little buddy during the day to talk to and play with. It is amazing how little I get done during the day, because I end up holding her and watching her sleep. She is such a good baby and is doing a great job eating and sleeping (which makes a happy mom, thank you Savannah!)

My favorite face. Pursed lips and a raised eyebrow.

Trying to wake a sleepy baby to eat... so hard

Grammy Clark came for 4 glorious days and it was so nice to have help, company during the day and someone to hold and love baby Savannah while I slept, showered, etc.

Last Saturday Jayson and I went to Costco and hurried home to feed, change and get Savannah ready to go to our friend's house for the BYU game. Well, right after we put her in her BYU jersey Jayson heard a little squirt and this is the result....

Her first blow out...

I guess she was trying to tell us how BYU was going to play against Florida State. Then to really drive home her point, I was wearing a BYU sweatshirt and she spit up all over it.

A Week in the Life...

I am sitting on the couch watching my precious little baby sleep. There is something about the way that she raises her hands above her head and puckers her tiny mouth that is just so mesmerizing. It is almost 1 in the afternoon and I have yet to do anything productive.
My wonderful mother left this morning and I think I am still in a little bit of shock. She came last Friday and was with us for 9 glorious days. She cooked, cleaned, rocked the baby, made my bed, did the laundry, etc. etc. It was so nice to have her here to tell me that I am doing the right things and give me the confidence I need to be a good mother to this baby girl. She helped us through a few sleepless nights and kept encouraging all of us the whole time. What a saint!
We weren't very active, as I was not feeling up to doing much of anything. But we had a good time sitting on the couch watching movies or chatting about everything. We did venture out a few times to go on a walk or a trip to the grocery store (although I stayed in the car with the babe). Everyday when we got Savannah dressed and ready for the day we took pictures. I think we have a million pictures of this girl and she isn't even two weeks old!
Some of the things I want to remember about the first few weeks are...

- her hairy ears. She is the cutest monkey baby I have ever seen
- her perfectly swirled hair
- her rolly eyes when she is in and out of sleep
- her surprised look, where she raises her eyebrows and opens her big eyes
- her mouth and the way it puckers and makes the funniest expressions
- her incredibly kissable chubby cheeks and wrinkly neck
- the beginnings of a smile (when asleep) and the hinting of her daddy's dimples

We had a few sleepless nights right after we got home from the hospital and the advice we got to help baby sleep through the night is to teach her the difference between day and night. Taking her outside in the sunshine during the day and keeping it dark during nighttime feedings and changings. Jayson has also taken it upon himself to be her personal trainer. Every night he has Savannah do exercises- mostly consisting of tummy time where he encourages her to move her head from one side to the other and then he stretches her arms and legs. I don't know what has been the difference, but this girl is now going to bed at 9-9:30 pm and waking up at 3:30 to eat and then again at 6. She is eating and sleeping like a champ and we hope this is a continuing trend.




Nightly exercises with Dad


Love those cheeks


Cuddling with dad


Melt your heart..


Big yawn


So relaxed


1st walk. The weather was a little chilly (70s) so we bundled poor Savannah up like it was winter. She slept the whole time and I am not sure she even knew we were outside.


1st bath. She wasn't crazy about being naked and wet, but she did like the hair washing once she was bundled in a dry towel.


Savannah with Grandma Hawks


Our little green diva


Sunday naps






My favorite surprised expression.