Jura's First Baby!

Best friends holding our first babies. Such a special moment!

The baby shower was done, her maternity leave had started, and baby Juliette was a week over her due date. Jura went into the early stages of labor on Friday and the baby wasn't born until Monday afternoon. This little princess is going to be a stubborn one! I was so excited to be a part of everything. Jura and I have been best friends since we were ten years old and I feel like this amazing experience somehow made us even closer! She called me at 1:30am Monday morning because the contractions were starting to pick up and things were looking more serious. I stayed up that entire night with her, rubbing her back, arms, feet, and holding her hand through every contraction. Her husband and older sister took advantage of my presence and went to sleep. I wasn't annoyed or anything because that gave us some special time to just be alone and talk in between contractions. Her midwife had given her a sleeping pill so not everything she said was coherent and she was being brutally honest about some things that she doesn't remember saying now but I thought it was fun :).

I had to leave at 5:40am because Josh would be waking up soon and I had to be home for Austin when he headed off to work. I called Sadie and asked her to come babysit and after she showed up I headed back to Jura's house. Sadie didn't mention that due to her recent breast implant surgery she can't lift anything over 10 pounds so she called me while I was with Jura and informed me. That had me super stressed out because now I had to find someone to go help her if she couldn't lift him out of his crib and down the stairs! After I made a bunch of phone calls and finally got something set up, I called Sadie to tell her the plan and she told me she had already lifted him and everything was fine..... I was a little peeved at that moment. But I was grateful that she was helping me out so I couldn't freak out on her.

At this point, Jura was in the final stage of labor and it was pretty intense. She was having a home birth in a birthing tub which is like a mini swimming pool. I had never experienced birth outside of a hospital so this was all so new and so fascinating to me. I give home birth two thumbs up and would recommend it to anyone! It was a million times better than a hospital and the midwife was amazing. However, you don't get an epidural when you have your baby at home and I just don't think that is a commodity I could live without. But if you are looking to go the natural route, check out midwives and home births. I promise, it makes a world of difference. You don't have the pressure of the hospital constantly telling you that you aren't progressing fast enough and that you need Pitocin. You also have a warm, quiet, comfortable setting where you can labor in peace without a million doctors and nurses coming in and bothering you all the time. You aren't hooked up to monitors and your midwife actually sits there with you and coaches you! When do you ever hear of an OBGYN doing that? Umm, NEVER! But like I said, even though it was the perfect way to go, I don't ever plan on putting myself through that kind of pain again.

She pushed and pushed in that tub for what seemed like forever and then the time came when the midwife told her to reach down and pull her baby out! It was so amazing I started crying! I was in charge of pictures and I took a million of them. The whole experience was perfect. Jura was amazing and showed so much strength. Adrien (her husband) did a great job of being there for her and helping her through it all. And little Juliette was so tiny and perfect! There was almost a reverence about us as we watched the whole scene play out.

Pictures taken minutes after she was born. We all look super tired, but Jura looks so lovely after just having a baby!

My first time holding this sweet little angel

After we got Jura dried off and into bed with her little precious bundle in her arms, I left to go take care of my own little one. I couldn't wait to tell my sister everything, but at the same time, I was so tired I couldn't get the words to come out right. The next day I took Austin over to meet his new friend and to see how the new parents were getting along. Austin was all over the place (as usual) but he did stand still for a second to snap a few pictures with Juliette. I can't wait for them to grow up together! We are all going to have so much fun!

I could hold her all day.

Introducing Juliette to the A-man

He wasn't sure what to think about everything.

Austin's First Haircut

For the longest time we just couldn't do it! The poor little guy was sporting a mullet in the back and had wings on the side.... it was definitely time. It's so funny how you can literally love ever hair on your child's head. Becoming a parent makes you a little strange like that. We bought our own set of clippers and scissors because it seems ridiculous to pay $14 or more just to buzz a kid's head at a salon.

This was my first time cutting a boy's hair and I was nervous. I used to cut my baby sister's hair all the time when she was little but that really wasn't so difficult. She sat perfectly still and all I had to do was cut a straight line. Austin on the other hand, is incapable of sitting still and fought me the entire time. We put him in his walker in our bathroom to restrain him and Josh tried his best to hold him still. The problem was he kept watching the clippers and wouldn't put his head down for me to begin! I NEVER let him play with my cell phone but at this moment I gave in because it was the only thing interesting enough to distract him from what was going on. My trick only worked short term though and pretty soon he was crying and freaking out. I finally decided he had been tortured long enough and what I had done so far would just have to do. The next day I used the scissors and perfected things. I'm sure the next time around it will look much better but I was pretty proud of my first time attempt, especially under the stressful circumstances.

It is amazing how much older he looks now. He is such a little stud! I kept having to do a double take when I would look at him because he looks like a different child! I am almost in awe of how handsome he is. We did good Josh!!!

The before picture.

Bye bye baby hair!

"Whoa, what are you going to do with that thing?"

He wouldn't let me touch his head! This is the point where the phone distraction came in.

And then the crying ensued.

Getting some loves from Dad after the traumatic event.

The after picture! Isn't he handsome?!

Taking a bath to wash all the hair off.

Why I Love Weekends

Okay, who doesn't love weekends? It's two days of freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want! What's interesting is how weekends change as we age. When I was in high school I filled my weekends with friends and more friends. That's basically all that mattered to me at that time. I know this because I wrote very intensely in my journal about my dramatic teenage life. Going back and reading this makes me laugh every time. I look back and think, "Oh how trivial my life was!" All that mattered was fun and if I wasn't having fun then my world was ending...

Then college began and with it came a job and homework. I had homework in high school too but it was nothing compared to the new version of the word. In college I spent my Saturdays working, Saturday nights dating, and Sundays were meant for church, laundry, and homework. It was a whole new version of fun and I loved every minute of it! I didn't sleep much in college but I didn't care. Who wants to sleep when you have boys calling, friends wanting to go dancing, and loads of tests to study for?! I sure didn't :).

Now I am a Mom and I long for the weekends because they bring Josh home. Austin and I do fun things when he isn't home, but we enjoy it so much more when he is! Our house is messy on the weekends because Josh turns our living room into his and Austin's fun room. He puts the love-sac in the middle of the room so he has the perfect angle and comfort to watch TV. He then surrounds the couch and love-sac with pillows of all kinds because Austin uses the love-sac to climb up on the couch and then proceeds to jump off without care as to how it's going to feel when he hits the ground. Cheerios litter the carpet and both Josh and Austin eat them off the ground whenever they feel hungry. And the toys...... oh the toys. They are everywhere! There are moments when I look around and feel the stress rising but then I have to stop and remind myself that my family is happy and a home should be a happy place, not just a beautiful place.

We try to do fun family things on the weekends. Right now it is 100+ degrees outside so our activities always involve water. This past weekend we took Dad to the splash pad for the first time. We went in the late morning before it got too hot which was perfect. We had a great time playing in the water, and when Austin started looking cold, we took a walk around the park to dry off in the sun. When hunger struck, we sat in the shady grass under a tree and ate pretzels. Austin is a big fan of pretzels.

Splashing around with Dad.

Big cheesy smile!

Brrrrrrr that water is cold!

"Come on Dad, let's go this way!"

This picture is my favorite because it shows the pure bliss of childhood.

LaFeber Life Lately

 

There's so much that I want to record on this blog about our day to day life, and the best way to do that is through pictures. Most of this has been posted to Facebook or Instagram, but I doubt in 20 years I will even use those. I need to be better at posting things onto this blog and the goal is to someday turn it all into a gigantic book of our life! Here's basically a slide show of what we've been up to lately!

 

Josh's Father's Day present came in the mail and Austin got to help open it!

 

"What do we do now, Dad?"

In case you were wondering, it's an expensive gel-filled memory foam pillow. Kinda lame, I know. But he really wanted it!

Austin was a huge ball of smiles this morning!

I don't know what he drank to make him so happy, but I want some!

He was also in the acrobatic mood.

headstands are his specialty!

Yesterday we had a splash pad play-date with some other kids in the neighborhood and their Mommies.

Austin thought it was great!

Our baby is getting so big!

I'm loving that he can walk now! It makes it easier to do fun things like this!



Not only was this his first experience at the splash pad, it was also his first time wearing shoes! He kicked one off right after I put them on and insisted on chewing on it the entire car ride to the park. I was worried that he wouldn't let me put it back on after that but he actually did just fine!

My urban garden is growing beautifully! We've had lots of tomatoes lately. I'm the only one who likes them but I don't mind eating them all!

My adorable mini bell peppers! The plant just said "peppers" when I bought it so I had no idea what was actually going to grow. They might be small but they taste delicious!

I have been trying to eat more nutritious meals like the rest of my friends. Who can be the healthiest seems to be a growing trend around here. Sadly, like most of my meals, they usually sit for a few hours before I get around to eating them.

I made super yummy nutritious bran muffins that were pretty bomb! I'm a sucker for bran. My favorite cereal is raisin bran and I can devour a dozen bran muffins like its nothing. I tried not to do that though ;).

I've had my days when I want to feel pretty and get all dolled up.....

....and then I've had days where I am lucky to get through the day, let alone apply makeup and wear something other than yoga pants.

When days like the second occur, it's moments like these that save me. I LOVE nights like this when we cuddle, pig out on brownies, and watch stupid reality TV shows like the Bachelorette.

We had a house full of sickies over the past couple weeks and there were a few days when I really just had to get out! On this day I chose to head to the gym and then stopped by Einstein Bagels on the ride home while listening to Collective Soul. It's amazing what exercise, good food, and good music can do for your spirits!

Austin being a little goof ball in the back seat. He loves eating his feet when he's in his car seat..... I guess there's not much else to do back there.

My first purchase for the new baby came today! It's a Solly Baby Wrap and since I will have two kids under the age of two, I plan on using it often! It looks so comfy and convenient to have your baby strapped to your chest in it's little cocoon. I wish I would have known about it when I had Austin!

*As you might have noticed, there aren't a lot of pictures of Josh because he works during the week, so most of the time it's just me and the little man.

*My Mom stopped by today and I was sooooo happy! We were both feeling a little bored and lonely and quality time is the best cure for that! She brought a beach ball for Austin to play with and he thought that was just awesome! More pictures to come soon I'm sure! It worries me though because he likes to roll on the ball and fall off and I hope he doesn't end up hurting himself. He is such a boy! She also brought by a little stair vacuum for me to have so I can finally vacuum our stairs! We've lived here almost a year and I haven't vacuumed those stairs once! Then the neighbor and her little dog (Lulu) stopped by to chat and we had some fun with them. Austin is beginning to love dogs! He gets excited and screams whenever we pass by one on our walks. I take him to the pet store all the time so he can pet them, and he enjoys pestering my Parent's dogs whenever we visit. We went out for lunch to Applebee's and Austin got to sit on Grandma's lap like a big boy (instead of the high chair) and eat mozzarella sticks. He LOVED them! His favorite part was dipping them in the sauce. He's never had cheese before so I hope we don't pay for it later.... Then we walked over to the pet store and played with a little boxer puppy for a while, and then walked around Trader Joe's and Austin got to sample a turkey hot dog. It was a good day!

*Josh and I have been sleeping in the guest bedroom lately because the AC is much stronger in there and these Nevada summers are killing us! If I want to go for a walk with Austin, it has to be by 7am or it will be way too hot. I'm so glad we have a pool and a splash pad to play at or we would be stuck indoors all summer!

*We have been having fun planning for baby #2 and can't wait to find out if it's a boy or a girl. That's when the real planning begins!!!

*My best friend (Jura) should be having her baby any day now and I can't wait to get the call! She is having a home water birth and has asked me to be there with her. Of course I said yes!! I just hope it will be a convenient time for Austin..... as if babies ever do anything convenient ;).

*My Mom has started working for a Montessori Charter School in St. George and it has been so great for her! She was a Montessori teacher all throughout my life until she married Nathan which was a huge learning advantage for me because I got the expensive schooling for free! She has given me books to read so I can start teaching Austin via the Maria Montessori methods and I can't wait to start! My kids are going to be intelligent and successful if it kills me! Hopefully they cooperate ;).

*On my morning walk this morning we passed by our neighbor (Koi) from Taiwan. I told her my exciting news about being pregnant and she informed me that I look too thin. This made my day since I have already started gaining weight! The morning sickness hasn't kicked in yet so maybe my body is storing up fat to prepare? Or maybe it's just from not breastfeeding as much? Or perhaps it's from it being too dang hot outside to go do anything? Either way, I'm just hoping I don't gain weight this fast the whole pregnancy or I am going to be a blimp!

That's about all I can think of for now.....

Josh's First (official) Father's Day

We had a lot of fun celebrating Father's Day with the greatest father we know! Basically I told Josh that it was his day, and even though I wasn't feeling good (dang head cold), we would do whatever he wanted.

His first request that morning was to go to the gym and get his hair cut. Like I said, I wasn't feeling good so he got to go do that all by himself. He probably preferred it that way anyway. There's a lot less stress when you don't have the little man around. Before he left I made us all yummy green/fruit smoothies! This was my favorite part of the whole day because Austin was being so cute with Josh! Josh was holding Austin and they were taking turns drinking the smoothie. Then Austin decided to take the reigns by grabbing the straw and physically shoving it into his dad's mouth. Then, when he felt his dad had drank enough, he pulled it away from him and put it into his own mouth. We were laughing because he gave himself much longer sips before he felt it was time to share again :). When the smoothie started getting towards the bottom, it became harder to suck up out of the straw so Josh started stirring it. Being the little smarty pants that he is, Austin watched his dad do that and again took charge! This time he started stirring the smoothie with the straw before he gave it to his dad EVERY TIME! Then he would pull it away and stir it again before he took his own sip! Such a fun moment :).

"this is fun!"

Dad's turn

"Now it's my turn Dad!"

When Josh got back, we all got ready for the day and took some pictures to announce the new baby coming in February! We had debated on the right day to let the world know and concluded that Father's Day was the perfect day! We also took some of just Dad and Bubba being that it was Father's Day and all. Austin didn't cooperate very well and for some reason he kept wanting to do back-bends and look up at the ceiling. He's a crazy kid, that's all I have to say about that.

Such a good Daddy :).

Austin doing his back-bends

This was the only picture we got of Austin actually looking at the camera!

Then we headed off to the Fiesta Buffet per Dad's request for his Father's Day lunch! The food was really good and Austin was such a good boy the entire time. I think I learned the trick to keeping him happy. I filled up a little soup bowl with cucumbers and put ranch on them and then let him go to town. He loves munching on veggies dipped in ranch. Probably not the healthiest Mommy choice but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to keep the kid happy and quiet.

Josh in his happy place. We ate a LOT of food!

Austin also in his happy place chewing on his cucumbers.

We came home feeling like we would never eat again and put Austin down for his afternoon nap. Then Josh and I kicked back for a while and watched Mad Men, our new favorite show on Netflix.
Austin didn't sleep as long as we had hoped so our relaxation time was cut short. He is sleeping throughout the night now so his naps are getting shorter. You win some and you lose some.

Being the amazing man that he is, Josh decided to spend the next part of his Father's Day cleaning all three of our bathrooms for me! He felt bad that I was sick and now that I'm pregnant I can't be around chemical cleaners anymore. So he took on the huge task with a smile and a surprisingly good attitude! I was so in love at that moment. I married a keeper!

We finished the day with a walk around the neighborhood and then talked about how good God has been to us while we put the baby to bed together. The perfect end to a wonderful day :).

Josh is the greatest Dad. From the second he walks in the door, he has eyes only for Austin, and Austin only for him. He is so attentive and careful. Sometimes it's a good thing because he has caught Austin right as he was diving off the couch more than once. Sometimes it's slightly annoying because it takes him forever to change a poopy diaper since he wants to make sure he "got it all" and is careful not to hurt the little guy. He is great at keeping me calm when I am feeling totally overwhelmed with parenthood. He is so helpful and is always doing sweet things for me (like cleaning the bathrooms) to make my life easier. I love watching him play with Austin, and it makes me smile when I can hear Austin in the other room giggling uncontrollably because his Dad is throwing him up in the air. I could go on and on about all the reasons why I would nominate Josh as the World's Greatest Dad but that would take all day.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY JOSH!!! I hope you know how much we love and appreciate you!

Announcing Baby #2

 

Dear baby,

We've only known for sure of your teeny tiny growing body for about two weeks now, but we have felt your presence for much longer than that. We didn't plan on  you, but we knew you were coming. How did we know?? Well, Mom just kept getting that feeling. I kept telling your Dad that I think I am pregnant even though there were no signs or symptoms. I just felt you. I don't know how to describe it any better than that. I found myself thinking up baby names while I was at the gym and thinking about whether we should give you and your brother your own rooms or make you share and keep the spare room as a guest room for our constant company. I even talked to my aesthetician about whether or not it is safe to continue with the laser skin treatments I have been doing (thanks to your brother) to clear up the scarring from my first pregnancy. Sadly, she said if I were pregnant I would have to stop.... it's just not worth the risk. As for your Dad, he knew you were coming because of the dreams he kept having. I'm not kidding, he had three dreams over the past month that had you in them! Needless to say, we were super excited to find out your little presence is on its way, but we weren't surprised. In fact, it was more of an, "I knew it!" moment.

Discovering this pregnancy wasn't as ceremonious as it was the first time. First off, I wasn't even at home! I was in Logandale spending time with my Mom and sisters. My Mom had just gotten home from Florida and we all got together to have some fun girl time. I was in the middle of cutting up veggies for a salad I was making for dinner on the first night we were there and suddenly I got really dizzy and had to sit down. It continued to happen throughout the night and my sisters were teasing me about being pregnant. Once I told them that I already thought I was, we all rushed down to the grocery store to get a pregnancy test. Now Logandale is a really small town and everyone knows everyone. Oh and they also keep all their pregnancy tests behind the pharmacy counter because apparently people kept stealing them.... and of course I knew the girl behind the counter. I was mortified. Don't ask me why, I just didn't want to have to ask someone from high school if I could have a pregnancy test. Yes, I'm a weirdo. Anyways, to avoid this awkward moment, I talked my Mom into buying it for me! Then I made everyone wait because those tests are the most accurate if you take them first thing in the morning.

6:00am rolled around and I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. I was so excited and so nervous! I waited the appropriate amount of time, not allowing myself to look over even a minute sooner. There it was! The symbol affirming our suspicion. WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER BABY!!!

I couldn't wait, I had to tell someone! The only other person awake this early was my sister Briana who was up getting ready for school. I ran into her bathroom and showed her the pregnancy test. She just happened to be using the toilet at the moment but neither of us cared, we are close like that. Plus, this is exciting news and you don't wait for that kind of stuff!

Next, I called your Dad. I debated on whether I should tell him over the phone or not but I didn't feel like waiting until I went back home to Henderson. He was on his way into work when I called and broke the news. Like me, he wasn't surprised but he was excited! We talked for about 45 minutes until he had to go into work. Then he called on his lunch break and we talked some more! There's nothing like finding out you are going to have a baby to spark a sudden outburst of excited chatter. It's the best! He told me I had made his morning and he was going to have a great day at work now that he has something so exciting to think about and look forward to :).

I told everyone else as they all started to wake up. It was a wonderful morning :). As I was nursing your brother and telling him the exciting news, I couldn't help but cry. I know I have a huge job ahead of me and it's not going to be easy. But I can't help but feel like this is Heavenly Father's plan and that gives me comfort and a feeling of peace and gratitude that God has trusted me with another one of his precious spirits.

When we finally made it home from our vacation, we still couldn't celebrate with your Dad because the missionaries were coming over.... yes, I was a little irritated. I just wanted to jump into your Dad's arms and spend the rest of the night as a family, basking in our new found excitement. Instead I was stressing about making dinner, keeping your brother happy, cleaning the house, unpacking the car, and entertaining company. When your Dad walked in the house, we didn't even get a chance to hug hello let alone do the run and jump thing :(. But as soon as the missionaries left and dinner was all cleared up, we were able to celebrate properly. So as I said, it wasn't as ceremonious as the first time, but we were just as excited nonetheless.

Close friends and family have known for a couple weeks now, and we decided Father's Day (yesterday) was the perfect day to let the rest of the world know. We took pictures in the morning with a little onesie like we did with your brother to use as a visual for the announcement. Our little family tradition :).

Your brother has no idea what's coming but I think you two are going to be great friends. Hopefully.....

We kept trying to get Austin to look at us but he was too interested in the flashing light from the camera.