{seven}

So, Jensen you are officially 7 months old! Boy, where has the time gone? I must say that you keep the days entertaining and they are never a bore.

Here is a quick 7 month update:
You have two teeth
You love the song Itsy Bitsy Spider (with hand actions) and have since you were born
You love food- especially bananas, cereal, pears, and cinnamon
You can offically crawl and you do not scoot on your belly anymore
You can walk across furniture (but only once in a while)
You sleep well and typically only wake up once a night
You babble a lot and get incredibly excited over absolutely nothing
You get so excited that you screech and flap your arms like a bird
You moved into size 3 diapers today, but still wear size 6-9 month clothes
You are still exclusively breastfeed and seem to love it!
You still haven't been sick which we are beyond thankful for
You love being outside and if you are crying you instantly stop when you feel fresh air
You love to pull mamas hair, daddas hair, and Dakota's hair... and not let go
You crawl only for things you shouldn't have like remote controls, power cords, and Dakota's dishes
You absolutely love bath time and bath toys - good thing this is part of the bedtime routine!
You do much better in mamas car than in daddys because you love seeing out the window
You love playing with your cousin Rylee 3x a week and having her wear you out
You have your mama and daddy wrapped around your tiny fingers and we wouldn't trade it for a thing

Tooth #2 and a baby on the move

Holy moly! Jensen would not sleep last night and I am BEYOND exhausted. He only went down for an hour or two before waking up again (right when I was trying to fall asleep) and was up for an hour. Finally got him back down and he got up again at 3. I nursed twice, changed his diaper, etc and he would not go back down. Corey finally grabbed him at 4:30 this morning and put him back down (not sure what time). Corey told me today that his second tooth popped through on the bottom and sure enough  - you can see it and feel it. Poor little man and his teeth! This is his second tooth and the first one came through on 4/21 and today is 5/2! 2 teeth in less than two weeks - I am sure I would freak out!

Another update?!?! He is crawling! He doesn't make it far, but he has the motion down now of moving his arms and his legs! Corey and I caught it on video but only for about two seconds and then he got what he was going after and we couldn't get him to do it again. Never force a baby to do something when it is bed time... it turns ugly! Better start looking into baby gates for the house!

A {decent sized} update

It has been over a week so I figured I better get on it! Not much new to report....
Life has been busy and stressful as usual. I feel like I am neglecting my friends and family for school and work, but it will all settle down soon I am sure.

Work is going really good, but very busy. I can't complain about being busy though (as I always say) and I am so happy that I have a job that I love and want to go to every day. There is going to be a new position opening up that is literally my dream job/career choice. I already submitted my resume for it, so hopefully when it posts I will be able to interview and hopefully get it.

School is going pretty well. I am more than half way done with these courses. The class I thought I would struggle in I am actually doing really well and have 100% through week 5 (out of 9 weeks). My other class I have a B+ and hope to get it to an A by the time my classes are over. I will only have two more classes/one more block before I graduate! As long as nothing crazy happens between now and than I am still set to graduate on July 29th!

Jensen is doing awesome and is going to be 7 months in just five days! I can't believe how fast these months have just flown by. I am so happy and proud to be his mama. He has his first tooth, love foods, is trying to crawl (so funny to watch him rock back and forth and grunt) and rolls to what he wants. He is such a happy baby and loves his family. I am still exclusively breast feeding and I am so happy I have stuck with it. Many of my friends have leaned on me for guidance and support and I love that they feel comfortable coming to me. I am also happy to say that while it hasn't been an easy 7 months, they have been well worth it. I have to take herbal supplements (2 different kinds) at least twice a day just to produce enough and I have to hand pump at work (because my body stopped responding to an electric pump), but it is worth it for his growth and health. He hasn't been sick yet and I haven't either! It is good for the both of us! I love that we can bond over it too and that if I am wound up from my day, that is one thing that calms me down. I will be glad when I am done nursing to get a lot of time and my body back, but I know I will miss it. It is the special time that only he and I have.

We close on our home in one week from today! We were hoping to close tomorrow, but we have to wait on the bank to get a few things done first and approved before we can sign papers. I think we should close by the 8th and have keys within 24 hours after that. Corey and I have discussed redoing the main bathroom before we move in and I am so excited for our first big project that we can do together as husband and wife in OUR own home! Now I just need to prepare myself for being poor for the rest of my life!

Rylee turned 3 today! Her birthday party was on Saturday at a gym and it was so much fun. Jensen even enjoyed bouncing around with me holding him. All the kids loved it and so did the adults. Glad everyone had such a good time celebrating with her. Jensen and I were both so tired when we left that we slept all the way home! Now that is a good way to tell if you had fun or not if you ask me!

This week I am doing little things to focus on myself. I feel like in order to take care of everyone else I need to focus on me every once in a while. I finally went to Ken and got a massage today. Jenn is cutting and coloring my hair on Thursday and my nails are on Sunday. I bought a pair of Toms on Sunday so I got a little shopping in their too (and it wasn't for the house or Jensen). May is going to be fun and busy with a lot of work events (Employee Apprecation Week) and two sets of family photos. I am so excited to get pictures done with my family and then to get updated photos of my little family through DMC. I can't wait. I can't believe how much Jensen has changed since he was a newborn and it will be fun to have her take updated photos of us. I just can't decide what to wear and whether or not to do them inside or outside. I better figure it out soon!

Okay, I should be doing homework and it is getting VERY late for me. Off I go!

{tooth} ache

Super quick announcement (while taking a mini break from my homework) to announce that Jensen cut his first tooth on Saturday 4/21! Our little man sure is growing up!

I love you Bubs!

{Missing} my daddy

Not a single day goes by where I don't think of my dad, how much I miss him and wish he was here to experience all of the things in my life along with me. I also don't have a day that goes by that I don't think about his last day on Earth and how he suffered. I literally still get sick thinking about it, and try to let it go, but I can't (not yet).

The last time I saw my dad was when we went out to dinner for my brother's birthday (which was yesterday by the way) and than I talked to him a lot after that. I didn't see him after because I went to Colorado for Dakota's heart surgery. I talked to my dad a lot during that time because he paid for Dakota's surgery (and yes I still owe them the money for it) and I was pregnant, sick, and not wanting to be there. He kept me calm during that time. I talked to my dad when we got back, but it was Sunday and I had to be to work the next day so I didn't go over there on the weekend like usual.

I talked to my dad on 4/19 (the day he passed away) and the conversation and that day will live forever in my mind and my heart. I will never forget telling him that he sounded like sh*t and that he should go lay down because he was sick and he wasn't sleeping well. He told me that he would probably go lay down that afternoon and try to get some rest before my mom got home. I told him I loved him and to get better soon. The next thing I know, it is just after 6pm and Corey and I are leaving Walmart (grocery shopping for the week) and my mom is on the phone in tears saying that my dad isn't breathing and it isn't good and I need to go to Alta View Hospital. She said not to rush that it was okay to go home and put groceries away. I told my mom that it would be okay and I would be there soon. I cried hysterically all the way home, threw the food in the fridge as fast as I could and Corey and I got to the hospital. When I finally saw my mom and my dad, I could tell that my dad had already passed away. My mom was in hysterics and holding onto him. I continued crying hysterically and gripping onto my dads shirt and sitting on the floor of the ER. I guess they tried to revive him, but it was too late. Thinking that my dad suffered since he couldn't breath on his back is the worst part. Also, knowing that he got rid of his medical alert watch makes me angry. I also am still angry that he was able to call 911 and they showed up at the house, went through the backyard, and never tried to get inside. I am angry and sad still and I don't know how long it will take until I don't feel this way.

The only positive is that he is no longer in pain and that I know he is watching out for me. I know that he kept Jensen and I safe during my pregnancy and he kept Jensen safe during my c-section. I know that he watches out for my entire family so nothing bad will happen. I know that when I pass a class with an A that he is smiling down on me and would be telling me how proud of me he is for going back to school and not giving up no matter what - and getting good grades while doing it. My dad was also such a good reinforcer and was always there as my sound board and person I could go to for advice, especially financially. He wanted to make sure I had a plan and I wasn't in debt. He would do everything he could to help me have a good future. I know my dad would be beyond proud to know that we are making decisions and buying our first house as a family.

Daddy -  I am sorry I don't visit you, but I don't believe you are there. I believe that you are in my heart and always with me where ever I go. I love days when the sun is shining - I feel it is you telling me that you are happy and doing okay. Let the sun shine, Dad! I miss you and love you very much!

Our first {home} as three + Dakota

Looks like we are going to be home owners very very very soon!

Corey and I have been looking for a home for our little family for about a month now. We have an amazing realtor {Amie Jensen - fab last name haha} and I got her by a referral from an old neighbor who is also a co-worker. He got his short-sale house through her and just loved working with her. We have only had great things to say about her now too. She works really hard to find you everything you want and pays attention to the must-haves vs the want-haves (haha)! Corey and I put an offer in on a house in Sandy right across from Alta View Hospital (the backyard is 1300 E) on March 27th I believe and expected to hear back in 48 hours. We didn't hear anything come Thursday night so Amie said Friday. Friday came and went and she said they are waiting to hear from the bank so it will probably be Monday. Needless to say, the waiting was killing me. Plus, knowing their was multiple offers in was a bit overwhelming and not knowing if our offer of just $500 over the asking price would be enough. Monday night (last night) came and I thought it was going to go... until Amie called! I texted her at 7 saying I was feeling a little discouraged and wondering if this was normal and she called at 7:19 saying we got the house! We started some paper work tonight and hopefully everything goes smoothly from here on out. Next up is an inspection I believe.

The house is in a great neighborhood that seems really well-kept. The home (OUR home!) has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms and is about 1850 square feet. The location is BEYOND ideal and the view is the best part about it. Plus, we are only going to be a block from my mom which is great since Marissa still watches Jensen 3x a week. The area is exactly where I grew up and what I am familiar with. I have ALWAY wanted to live in Sandy near my childhood home and now we get to. I feel so fortunate and grateful to be getting this house and living in Sandy. Jensen is going to grow up in a great area just like I did. Lucky kid! Lucky US!

Going B-A-N-A-N-A-S

Jensen finally got to start eating food other than his rice cereal. I had made homemade baby food (squash) and tried it for the first three days, as suggested, but he hated it! I tried it warm, with breast milk, etc and he still wouldn't eat more than three bits. I gave up...well, moved on. I bought some applesauce and some bananas today. I put a piece of banana in his cereal tonight and he scarfed it down! He loved it like I thought he would!

My mom bought Jensen an awesome bouncer that he got to use for the first time today and he LOVED it! I took some really cute video of him jumping like a crazy boy. I think it really wore him out too which was good for us!

Corey and I are looking for a house again. We are sick of renting here and our rent is going up $80 a month when our lease is up! Nuts! I can't believe how much it has raised since we first moved in here. We decided it was time to start house hunting again. We looked over the weekend at 5 houses but didn't see anything good. Our realtor Amie is awesome and is working really hard to find us a good home. She has shown us a lot of home that are *not* short sales and that is pretty excited since we could close and move fast if we wanted/needed. In the meantime we will probably just keep looking and when our lease is up we will do month-to-month. House hunting is hard and not very fun, but I am eager to find us something great. All the time spending looking and all the preapproval paperwork is a drag though! Hopefully it pays off... and soon!

Both of my classes that I thought were going to kill me are officially over! My economics class just wrapped up yesterday. I started one new class today (business information systems) and I start another class next Monday that I believe is business ethics or something like that. I think I am going to like both of these a lot more and I'm hoping they aren't as time consuming as the last two. Those math tests took me forever! In math I wrapped up with an B- which I won't complain about and I am not sure about econ but I will know by Sunday.

This week is Ava's first birthday and I can't believe it! I remember Anja telling me she was pregnant at my bachelorette party! Ava is now walking (although she frequently tips over still) and it is just so fun watching her progress as a little one! I can't believe how this past year flew by. I love that we have friends with kids that aren't too far apart from Jensen. Now... we just need to find time to hang out more!

Okay... off to work on my homework. The story of my life haha