5 months!

I think I say this every time, but I can't believe how fast timeis going by...my Lily is 5 months old already!! A lot has happened since the last time I wrote. We started introducing Lily to solid foods...so she had her first rice cereal a couple weeks ago! She definitely didn't like it the first day, but she has gotten more used to it as time goes by. Now she eats almost the whole tablespoon of cereal!

she made really funny faces as Daddy tried to feed her...it was not her favorite the first time around!

She has also really gotten the hang of this rolling over thing. It used to take her a long time to roll over, but not she does it almost as soon as I put her down on the floor. She only rolls on her left side, no matter what I try to get her to roll over the other way too (like put her toys on that side of her). One day I got out of the shower and she had rolled over and fallen asleep without making any noise. She really likes it, and I just know that when she discovers mobility, I'll never be able to stop her!

look, Mommy! I did it! She just loves to roll over. This was the sight I came out of the shower to. What a sweet sleeping baby!

A couple of weekends ago, BYU was hosting this Christmas activity for families, complete with activities, crafts (for older kids), entertainment and Santa! I really wanted Lily to have her first picture with Santa...we had bought her a cute Christmas outfit and the pictures were free. The event went from 9-12 which we thought was perfect since Lily usually wakes up around 9:30. Well, of course that particular morning she decided to sleep in so we didn't get up to campus until 11:15. We thought it was still ok because the event was going until 12; however, when we got to the area where Santa was, there was a sign and a young lady standing at the entrance prohibiting anyone from entering because the line for Santa was closed. Closed?? Seriously?? It was only 11:15!! Faiver asked why and she said it was because Santa was supposed to be gone at 12. Why didn't you say that on the card?? We would've been there sooner if theyhad said, "you need to be in line by ____ time if you want a picture with Santa." But no! I walked away because I was so angry. My baby's first opportunity to get a picture with Santa and they turn us away? Argh!! Faiver, however, being the wonderful person that he was, stayed and argued with the girl until she finally let us in. I have no idea what he said to her, but we got in!! We then stood in the line for almost an hour before reaching Santa. Of course, Lily got sleepy, so she took a 20 minute nap before her picture, which we woke her up to get. And Santa looked completely wiped! So, the pictures didn't turn out perfectly, but they were ok for Lily's first time. Maybe next year will be better, although she'll probably cry next year. We also took some pictures around a nice Christmas display they had...Christmas card? I think so!!

First picture with Santa!! Potential Christmas Card pic Lily likes the presents!!

We went up to Temple Square last Saturday to see the Christmas lights with our friends Brian and Cassie. Apparently it was the wrong weekend to go! There were two concerts going on, so it was packed!! It was like General Conference crowds! Still, the lights were beautiful, and it was fun to spend some time with our friends. Lily liked looking at all the lights, too!

Ah, the lights! It was so pretty!! It was quite cold...but Faiver likes to feel it (crazy guy!)

All in all, Lily is a sweet, happy baby. She's so cuddly and so lovable. We're so lucky to have her. She definitely keeps our life happy :)

Big, beautiful smiles!!

First snow and feet

Lily has discovered her feet! She loves to play with them and put them in her mouth. She is so stinkin' cute!

She also experienced her first snow. It didn't stay past the night, but we went out and let her feel the snow on her face. The next day we put some from a bush in her hand. She held it for a few seconds and then let go. The look on her face was priceless!

4 Months!

Holy cow! Where does the time go? I can't believe that my little girl is four months old!! She is such a blessing in our lives. We went to the doctor on the 14th and she's looking good. She weighs 13 pounds 10 ounces and is 25 incheslong. She's in the 50th percentile for her head and weight and the 75th percentile for her height. My mom asked me how in the world we got a tall baby because neither of us are very tall...maybeshe'll grow into it or maybe she got the recessive gene. I guess only time will tell :) Lily is a brave little girl...she only cried a little when the nurses gave her 3 shots all at once. As soon as I picked her up, she was fine. What a trooper!! She did get a bit of a fever, but it was gone in a day. She is growing more hair which makes me very happy and her smiles can just melt away all the bad stuff or stress of the day. She's our little angel.

Trying to bring her fever down...poor baby

She has come to like tummy time a lot more and is holding up her head much higher now. She's rolled over a couple times, but it's not consistent yet. She smiles and laughs a lot and talks up a storm! She's super wiggly and likes to stand on our laps (with lots of helpof course). She continues her amazing sleeping habits and is so stinkin' sweet that it makes it soooooo hard for me to want to go to class! I know it's all worth it though. She likes to put everything in her mouth and has a favorite toy, Señor Cintas, which she plays with much longer than any of her other toys. And when I say "play" I mean put in her mouth. She loves getting in the car and usually falls asleep depending on how long the trip is. She makes funny faces and just lights up our lives.

Here are some more pictures from a few other fun times we've had lately:

We were BYU fans for Halloween! Lily loves her Daddy!!

Fun in the fall leaves

One year older...and wiser too?

Saturday was my birthday!! I slept in, did a little cleaning and hung out with my cute daughter while my hubby was working. I had told him I wanted to have a nice dinner with him and Lily at home and just spend some time together. He surprised me with a party! It was so nice to eat yummy food and spend time with wonderful friends. Thanks for everything you do for me honey!! It was one of the best birthdays ever! (the Gunnells sang me a special rendition of "Happy Birthday"...thanks guys!! It was awesome)

Laughter really is the best medicine!

I remember the first time my daughter smiled at me on purpose. I was sitting on the couch in the living room, and she was propped against my knees facing me. I just started making funny faces at her and she got the biggest smile on her face! It was one of the best moments in my life. Joy simply washed over me, and I was ecstatic! Now Lily smiles so much, but it never gets old!

About a month or so ago, she started laughing. It is the best sound in the world, but she's not very consistent! Daddy can make her laugh easier than I can, but even when we find something that makes her laugh, she'll do it two or three times and then she won't laugh again...she'll smile really big, but she won't laugh. Frustrating!!

This is the part I really wanted to write about: last night she laughed the most, longest and hardest ever, and I was the one to make it happen! She was in the same position as the first time she smiled on purpose (propped against my knees). I was sitting up straight and then got gradually closer to her face while saying "my little bugaboo." Oh my goodness it was amazing!!! I have no idea why it was so funny, but she just laughed and laughed. I probably did it for 5 minutes and she just loved it! Every time I think about it, it makes me so happy. So that's why I say laughter, especially baby laughter, is the best medicine.

Wiggle Worm

Lily likes to move, she likes to wiggle, she's always in motion. The only time I can really see that she's still is when she's sleeping, and that's because she's wrapped up like a burrito. Well, yesterday morning that all changed in my mind. I know that she kicks her legs when she's waking up because her blanket is often kicked off when I go in to get her in the mornings. However, I'm pretty sure she's getting to the stage where I won't be able to just lay her anywhere and know she'll stay put. Exhibit A:

Now, this may just look like a normal picture to you, but look closely...notice that the blanket is at the top of her head. That's because when I put her in bed, she was facing the opposite way! She did a complete 180 degree turn in her sleep!!! I couldn't believe it when I went in to check on her...everyday she does something to surprise me! :)

Daddy's Girl

At three months old, Lily's personality is starting to really show! She's a pretty mellow baby but can be super stubborn if she wants to be. She loves people and prefers them to toys. She'll watch them for much longer than she'll focus on objects. A few weeks ago, I was watching Kayson, my cousin Katie's son, while she and her hubby went to the U of U game. Lily just wanted to watch Kayson play with his toys (when she wasn't sleeping). She was very content to watch him :) She likes to sit up, and she kicks her legs like crazy! We can get her to laugh a little, but mostly she just graces us with huge, beautiful smiles. I'll never get tired of those beautiful smiles!! She has spent some time in her Johnny Jump Up and tolerates it, but I'm sure she'll like it more when she actually bounces it :) But most of all, Lily LOVES her daddy...she loves to hear him talk...she coos at him more than at me...he can make her laugh much easier than I can. Every time she realizes he's around, she stops whatever she's doing (even if she's in the middle of eating) to look at Daddy. It is so wonderful to see how much she loves him. Faiver is a great father, and I can see a beautiful relationship between them!

Smiles!

Lily is such a happy baby!! We are so lucky to have such a wonderful little princess in our house. This is how she looks in the morning when I come in to get her....

Well, usually she's still all the way inside her SwaddleMe, but you get the picture. I love her smiles and can't wait to hear her laugh!! I hope it comes soon :)

Two Months

Our darling Lily turned two months old on Tuesday. I went into her room to wake her up and she gave me the biggest smile! She is such a happy baby. We dropped Daddy off at work and went to the doctor's office. We got in pretty quickly. The nurse checked her weight, length and head...she weighs 11 pounds 5 ounces and is 23 inches long. Then the doctor came in to check her out, said she looked great (I know!) and we chatted a bit. Then the dreaded moment arrived...the nurse came back to give Lily her immunizations - 6 of them to be exact! 4 were shots and 2 were oral. She made a funny face with the oral ones...wonder what she thought (maybe, "hey, that's not Mommy's milk!!"). Then the nurses held her legs and I held her arms while they administered the shots - 2 in each leg. She was such a content little girl, just going with the flow, and then she got a surprised look on her face and started crying. Poor baby! I cuddled her and fed her and then she was ok. She's so brave!

She is such a joy in our lives. She "talks" to us a lot and gives us big smiles :) She has decided bath time is okay...no more crying in the bath! She sleeps through the night and stays awake for most of the day, except Sundays when she sleeps almost all day - she definitely understands "day of rest"!! She likes listening to music and sitting in her bouncy chair. She loves hearing Daddy's voice when he comes home from work. She has outgrown her newborn clothes but doesn't really fit into 0-3 month clothes yet (almost though). She makes funny faces and makes us laugh. We love you, Lily!!!

One Month

I can't believe it's been a month (well, more than a month now) since we brought home our precious little baby! It was great to have my mom here for five weeks and for the rest of my family, except Phillip and his family, visiting us for a week. I miss them all but it's nice to have my apartment back to normal :) Lily is doing great. She's a pretty mellow baby and a great sleeper, which Mommy appreciates A LOT! I love being a mom...getting to know her is the best! She is so cute! We blessed her while my family was here:

My mom and I made her dress...it turned out really good! Thanks for teaching me, Mom!

Lilia Laureen Gonzalez

It's been almost a week since the big day and I can't believe how time goes so slow and so fast at the same time! On Wednesday, July 13 at 4:41pm, Lilia Laureen came into the world. This came as a great surprise to us first because I thought I'd be late (my due date was July 18) and also because she's a girl! The ultrasound I had done at 20 weeks told us we were expecting a boy...interesting turn of events! Although it took a little getting used to emotionally, Faiver and I are both thrilled to have this beautiful, wonderful girl in our lives. She is such a joy to have around and I just want to stare at her all day. Faiver can hardly wait to get home from work so he can love on her and play with her. He's such a cute father!

I was in labor for 14 hours. I had decided long before that I would have a natural birth with no medication intervention. I had mentally prepared for this event and practiced my breathing through my Braxton-Hicks contractions. I had back labor, so I felt every contraction in my lower back and only tightening in my abdomen. This was so very painful!

I woke up around 2:00am with bad back pains. They were coming semi-regularly so I thought, "wow...I think I'm having back labor." I tried sleeping some more but it was impossible. At 4:00 I woke Faiver up and called my mom. She told me to call my doctor and then let her know what was going on. I wanted to time the contractions a little before calling the doctor, so Faiver timed them as I breathed through them. They were lasting 1-2 minutes about every 5 minutes. I called the doctor and she told me to go into the hospital to get checked. I didn't really think this was it though! I finished packing my suitcase and we headed for the hospital. I checked into the hospital at 6:00am. When I got there, I was checked and thenurses said I was at 5 centimeters and completely effaced. I thought, "hey, maybe this will gofaster than I thought." They set up the room for the delivery, hooked me up to the monitors and IV and said they'dcheck back soon. Faiver helped me breathe and stay calm as I had painful back contractions. He was so supportive and even cried with me a little! I was given pitocin to "improve"my contractions. That was not fun! At around 3:00, I was still at 5 1/2 centimeters. By use of an internal monitor, they could tell my contractions were strong enough, but for some reason I was stuck at 5 1/2 centimeters. The pain was more than I could take and I asked for an epidural. It seemed like an ETERNITY for the anesthesiologist to get to my room!! I was in the most pain I have ever been in in my life. As he was putting in the epidural, I suddenly got the urge to push. The nurse checked me and I was completely dilated! No wonder it hurt so bad...I dilated 5 centimeters in like 10 minutes!! I felt about 3 more bad contractions before the epidural kicked in. When it did, I was in heaven! It was nice because Icould feel enough pressure to know when I needed to push without having all that pain. I pushed for about an hour before our little miracle was delivered - relatively short time especially for a first pregnancy! Faiver was the first to notice she was a girl...we were all shocked!! However, she was healthy and strong which is what matters the most. She weighed 7lbs 13oz and was 20 inches long. She has some dark-brown hair and looks a lot like her father. She is beautiful! We are glad to be at home and to be parents. A new chapter of life has begun!

What a happy family!

a beautiful girl!

We pinked up her room a bit!

When routines get the better of us

Because of our work schedules, I usually give Faiver a ride to work and then pick him up at the end of the day. This routine has been going on since the beginning of May and it works out pretty well for us. Well, last Saturday, Faiver had to work (he works every other Saturday) but I didn't need to go anywhere, so he took the car and I stayed at home. On Saturdays, the bank closes at 3:00; it takes about 10-15 minutes for them to go through their closing procedures, so I expected him to be home around 3:20. Around 3:25, he still wasn't home...weird, but not too bad because sometimes he just has a busy day and it takes a little longer. Well, around 3:30 I got a phone call from him. He asked me why I hadn't come to pick him up...he had started walking home. I said, "honey, you have the car today." He had totally forgotten and walked 4 blocks!! We had a good laugh as he walked back to get the car. It was great! I love my wonderful hubby! :)

First Motherhood Scare

This kid isn't even out of me yet and he's already making me worry!! On Tuesday, he decided not to move as much as usual. I was nervous because I have heard that this is not a good sign. Faiver and I decided to give it one more day and see if he picked up his activity. Wednesday was only a little better, so I called my doctor's office. The nurse, after returning my phone call, told me to drink something sweet, lay on my left side and count movements. I should feel 10-15 in the next 30 minutes. She told me if not, then I should call her back. I did as she instructed and felt him move, but it wasn't as often as she said. I called back and left another message. While waiting, I laid down again and he moved more the 2nd half hour. She called back and said my doctor wanted me to go into Labor and Delivery at the hospital for some tests, just to make sure everything was ok. I was freaking out!! I went to get Faiver from work and we headed over to get me checked in. I was so scared!

We got there and the nurse took me into the room. I got changed and got into the bed to wait. As soon as I laid down, my sweet son decided it was time to move like crazy!! Argh!!! The nurse came in and I told her everything. She then informed me that I should be able to feel 6-10 movements in an hour! Big difference from what I was told earlier!! Oh, well. I was there and they hooked me up to the monitor that would check his heart rate and track his movements. Faiver and I waited for an hour before the nurse came back in. She said everything looked great and that the doctor said I could go home. Peace of mind is great, but I did not enjoy the moment of PANIC before receiving it! What a stinker :) but I love him anyway.

A finished room

Aiden's room is finally finished!! A special thanks to Carlos, Paola and my wonderful husband for making it look AMAZING!! Faiver and I put the finishing touches on it yesterday. We know Aiden won't be able to appreciate it for years to come, but we love it!

the taping process took them a long time

working on the tree that Paola designed

the finished product!

they even painted the dresser (it was blue and white)

I stuck the leaves to the wall - that was my contribution!

32 Weeks...plus updates

So, I don't often feel like I have that much to blog about. Work is good, my students drive me crazy sometimes, I'm still pregnant, life is pretty normal. I'm sure there are more details I can include, but that's my reasoning for why there is so much time between blog posts. I'm sure this is just an excuse, and the real reason is laziness :) So, I'm gonna write about a few things that have happened lately. Get excited!

On Saturday evening, my nephew Toby came to say with Faiver and me for the night. Nathaniel brought him over and visited for a bit before leaving. We had some friends over (see below as to why) and Toby had a great time entertaining himself and others for the rest of the evening. His favorite thing, for some odd reason, is when Faiver yells "bah" at him. He laughs and laughs and wants Faiver to do it over and over again. When it was time to get into bed, he wanted a bedtime story. He asked for the one about the Three Little Pigs, so I told it to him. Then he wanted the one about the ant. Well, I didn't know that story so he tried to tell it to me instead. This wasn't successful. We decided to leave it at that for the stories. I tucked him in and gave him a kiss and he fell right to sleep. He slept until 7:30 the next morning! When I went in to wake him up, he sat straight up in bed and said, "after breakfast we're going to church and then I'm going to see Grandma Di and Nana." He was in a great mood and I was relieved! Because there were three of us to get ready, Faiver helped by giving Toby a bath while I got ready. It was so cute! He asked me about every step of bath time. Great practice, huh? :) As we were getting ready to walk out the door to head to church, Toby started to say "I'm tired" which surprised me 'cause he had just slept for almost 12 hours! Then he proceeded to say, "My knee hurts. Which knee? My elbow hurts and I have to go to the bathroom." Hilarious! Out of the blue! (for those of you who have not seen "UP", I'm sorry and go watch it). He's a cute, smart, ornery kid and I love him to pieces!!

Carlos and Paola, some really good friends, were at our apartment a lot last week to help Faiver finish painting the baby's room. Carlos and Faiver did the painting, Paola did the designing, and I did the supervising :) It was loads of fun and seeing Faiver so excited has been a blast. They finally got it all finished on Saturday evening (pictures to come) and it looks phenomenal! I love it so much and I hope Aiden loves it one day too. We took lots of pictures so he can always see how much work Daddy and Carlos put into making his room look awesome. We're lucky we have landlords that let us paint!!

As for me, pregnancy is going well. I had another appointment today (every two weeks now) and my doctor says everything looks great! The baby's heartbeat sounded good, my weight gain is "better than great" (words from the doctor's mouth), and my uterus is measuring perfectly. I feel him moving so much now; it's an awesome feeling. Just started 32 weeks!! I can't believe how fast time has passed by. Faiver and I are so excited and a little overwhelmed as we get ready to welcome our baby boy into the world...as I'm sure every new parent is. Yay!

Holy Cow!! 6 months!!

Despite the long pauses between blog posts, I do enjoy blogging. Time just gets away from me.

In hubby news, Faiver is visiting his mission companion, Russell, in Texas for a few days. He calls me daily to tell me about the great fun that they are having. It's such a great time for him! I can't wait to see all the pictures he's been taking :) It's weird to be alone in my apartment, but I'm surviving ;) Sleep is good!! Also, Faiver applied for the lead teller position at the branch where he's working (Wells Fargo)....and he got it!! It's basically the same job, but with more responsibility, power and, of course, money. He's really excited about it, and I'm very proud of him.

In baby news, everything is going great! He's growing well and moving more strongly every day. It's such a weird thing to see my stomach moving because that little bundle of joy is doing whatever he wants in there! I'm now at 25 weeks, the very beginning of my 6th month. I'm feeling great and everyday we get more excited about meeting our little guy. The other night, before Faiver left for Texas, we were sitting on the couch talking about the coming week. Although very excited for his trip, my loving husband expressed how much he would miss me and the baby. He hugged me low (so his head was on my belly), laid there for a while and said, "ah, my family." It was the sweetest thing! He's so excited to be a dad.

With the end of the semester coming and our wedding anniversary coming up, it looks to be a great month!

my most recent picture

A Coconut

Apparently, my baby is the size of a coconut this week! I had a doctor's appointment on Monday and everything looks normal. She talked to me a bit about my ultrasound (more on that in a second) and what to expect during the time between appointments. My official due date is July 18 (I've been telling people the 16th, oops!). At the ultrasound appointment a week earlier, my husband and I were please to learn that we are having a BOY!! And as soon as we moved to our apartment, Faiver set up the crib. How cute! He's so excited, as am I!

So breath-taking to see this person growing inside me!

15 Weeks

Pregnancy...it has definitely gotten better now that I'm in my second trimester. Thankfully, I have the blessing of having a relatively easy time thanks to my mom. She was nauseous but never threw up and after the first trimester, had no other sickness. So far, me too!! I am tired a lot, but it's better now. It's still too early to determine the sex and I can't feel the baby moving yet, but I look forward to experiencing that in the next few weeks. Now that the yucky feelings are over I'm really excited to find out if we're having a boy or a girl. Faiver is convinced that it's a boy, mostly because that's what he wants. It's not surprising, though. I think most new fathers want their first to be a boy. I always said that's what I wanted, too, but now that I'm facing it, I just want the baby to be healthy. Some women have told me they could tell what they were having by week 12...is it weird that I have no clue?? I don't think we find out for another 4 weeks, but I'll ask the doctor about that on Monday. It's an exciting and scary time as my body and mind go through lots of interesting changes (I'm losing my memory!!). As promised, I'll do my best to keep my blog updated...starting with some pictures:

Baby Gonzalez!

P.S. Buying maternity clothes is fun!!

A Heartbeat!

On Monday, Faiver and I went to the OB-GYN for my second appointment. We waited for about an hour and a half before the doctor actually saw me because she was at the hospital delivering someone else's baby. When she did arrive, she told me everything looked normal (yay!) and then we heard the most beautiful sound in the world....our baby's heartbeat! It was so amazing, just this little, fast beating sound. You know, I've been feeling the effects of being pregnant, but it was just amazing to hear something from the little person growing inside me. I very much look forward to the day we can see him or her on an ultrasound!