Baby Update

So I feel like we're blogging like crazy this month. And we'll probably have another post sometime from now to New Years. But we have some info to update you with. First off we're due June 6th. Everything looks like its progressing normal, and going well. We got to hear the baby's heart beat at our last appointment (which was the second appointment). Now because Douglas works in Radiology, we went to his work to find out what we're having early. We found out that we are going to have another boy. Douglas is really excited for them to have similar interests as they grow up, but most especially for the day he can wrestle with both of them. We are both excited for the new boy. I know that many of you are wondering if we're going to wait to tell the name again like we did with Japheth, well we don't have a name pick out this time, so the answer is I don't know. After we find a name then we'll talk about if we're going to tell everyone or not.

An Overdue Request to Douglas

So a long time ago my sister in law posted around 10-12 things that people usually don't know about her. At the end she requested me to do the same. I've been meaning to for awhile and am finally fulfilling my part.

These are in no particular order.

1- I have a hard time sitting still. My life has been so busy for the last few years that I now feel guilty sitting around for too long, even on my day off. So my days off often are filled with working.

2- I secretly would love to be a real cowboy. During my mission I spent about 6 months around ranching communities. My weekly community service ended up being ranch work with just about anything you could think of. The cowboys up there were humble men made of strong toned muscles, calluses and very little to say unless it was friendly or important. Plus I like cowboy hats. (the tight pants might be a problem though)

3- The biggest fear I have is a home invasion. I'm obsessively locking doors and often think of what I would do to protect my family if the situation ever arose.

4- I love to watch children especially my son. The innocence that children have is one of my favorite things to see.

5- I don't tease Jill nearly as much as I would like. She would probably tell you that I tease her all the time, but that's not true! (YES IT IS!)-Jill

6- I love fish, swimming, and especially anything that combines the two, like snorkeling.

7- British comedies and sci-fi shows are some of my favorite shows to watch if I'm up late at night. I think my favorite is Red Dwarf. I also like the Red-Green show, which isn't British.

8- I really enjoy taking walks when it's really cold outside, especially if there's snow. Times like these the air is fresh and everyone else is inside. So the roads are all mine. I especially have fun when I have a friend who doesn't mind doing it as well.

9- Dispite my love of staying up late I've been forced to become a morning person. The last 5-6 years I've had to get up early every morning and now I get tired around 10:00. It's a sad, sad thing.

Well, I've thought and thought and that's all I can come up with. Thanks for reading!

Family Pictures

So we got new family pictures. It was a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. Japheth just kept wanting to run around the studio. Things are well, Japheth has discovered that some food sticks to his fingers, and he can pick it up without having to grab it. He thinks it's a lot of fun. He loves to play Giutar Hero World Tour with his Dada. And every time we go get the mail he HAS to ride his tonka truck.

We got the tree up, and Japheth thinks its fun too, after we got the lights on he kept saying "pretty!" over and over. Though he also thinks the ornaments are new toys to play with. Most are higher, so it's not too bad, but we went over to see his Grampa Rasmussen the other day and he wouldn't stop taking the ornaments off.

Halloween

So I know it's a little late, but I just wanted you guys to see our Halloween cotumes. We had a lot of fun, and I think they looked great! Thanks, mom, for helping me make mine and Japheth's.



Just kidding. Here we really are, but I think we did a pretty good job of looking like the picture above. Japheth had some blue shorts, but it was a little cold for them, still it was very nice weather. Just try to imagine a red block right above Douglas' hand in the first picture. Japheth had a lot of fun trick-or-treating. At first he didn't know what was going on, but after the first house gave him something, he was a little more excited. Then the second house gave him something and he thought this was the best thing ever! They could have been giving rocks and he still would have loved it. He also got excited when he saw other kids dressed up. We were really excited that he wore his hat, he wasn't liking it so much when we tried to put it on for our party. Happy Halloween!

Announcement

For everyone who saw Janna's blog, no we're not coppying her, there are no candy bars involved. This is just an announcement to let our friends and extended family know that we're going to have another baby. We're somewhere around 6 weeks, so that puts the baby due around May. That means that Japheth will be about 2 years 2-3 months older than the baby. We'll update you more along the way.

Trip to Snowbird

So Janna was a bit faster than me at getting pictures of Snowbird up, but here ya go. It was a lot of fun. Douglas had a lot of fun with the kids in the pool while I took pictures, then the pool had fun in his eyes the rest of the night. So he slept while Janna, Josh and I went swimming and hot tubbing later that evening. Japheth had a great time, everytime he got into the hallway he started yelling. He loved exploring a new place. And like always, he's still a bit afraid of the water. He clings to you whenever you go in, even if he can stand in it he'd rather be held. At the park Japheth had fun, but the most interesting thing to him was Montana's scooter. Go figure!

Montana was great at the pool. Janna would tell her to jump with a twist and she'd do it, then Janna would say do a toe touch, and she would. She even did a bunch of cannon balls, but when it came to going in head first, well that's a different matter. So I got the pictures of Janna pushing Montana in. Oh yah, when we got back we had a new roof! It was exciting to come home to, and to have it done. Especially since it rained a lot right after. They did a good job and did it really fast!

Politics

So I was looking at everyone's blogs, and on my friend's blog (Mickelle) there was a post with some video on it. Well I decided to see what was said about politics by this guy Moyer, and I have to say he's pretty much on the mark. It's a long video, so give yourself plenty of time (aprox. 1 hr), but you can also puase if needed. It's pretty good, and I think most of you will like it, especially since it isn't a republican vs. demorat thing!

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/12142007/watch.html

18 Months

Well, it's been a bit later than a week. But I finally got some pictures to put with the post. At Japheth's check-up everything went well. He is 31 inches tall and 22 lbs 8 oz. Which means that we've finally broken out of the 10th %, he's now in the 15th %. Between all the signs, noises and words he says, the doctor said he's at a 2 year old level in that area. So he's doing great, and there are no current worries about how he's progressing. He get's cuter every day, he loves to ride his Tonka Truck, running around, and getting into the movies. He's always all over the place, he loves to read books, but his favorite thing to play is "eating." Yes, I said eating. He goes to the drawer and get's out one of his spoons/forks, and then get's a toy that somewhat resembles a bowl. He'll then walk around or sit or whatever, and pretend to eat what is "inside," he'll even try to "feed" me.

On other news, Douglas has a mountain of homework, but is doing well with it so far. We're getting our home re-roofed, because it needs to be, and we thought about doing it ourselves. Well when Douglas got up there it was a bit steeper than most homes, not too bad about 45 degrees. So we decided to just see how much it would be to have some one do it for us, and it was pretty much the amount we already had set aside. I am very excited to tell you that I got to up-grade my camera. It's a very nice Canon, we decided to give the Pentax to Janna & Josh so they wouldn't have to deal with the stupid delay thier camera gave them. Now they can get the pictures they take, instead of the picture right after.

5 Years

Sorry it's been so long. With everything that has been happening lately (family in town, moving in, trying to paint and fix up, Douglas starting school again) the blog hasn't exactly been at the top of the list. Everything has been going well though. The painting is coming very slowly right now, but it'll all get done eventually, and hopefully look good. Douglas is excited to now be in school for Cardiac Ultrasound, but isn't excited about the homework. His schedual at work has been a bit crazy lately because of others taking time off, and the time he took off for our 5th anniversary. I know! Can you believe it? So hopefully this next month will be a bit less crazy.

We had a lot of fun for our anniversary. Douglas and I went to the Hotel Park City for a night, and then had our friends bring Japheth with them and we all spent the night at the Handley cabin. It was a lot of fun, and Japheth had a great first time at the cabin.

Japheth is doing really well. He loves to play and get into EVERYTHING! He has his 1 1/2 yr check-up next week, so we'll post more then. He enjoys reading his books, and some he has enjoyed a bit too much. Goodnight Moon is in, I think, 5 pieces right now. He says "dada" a lot more now, and sometimes prefers it to signing dada. He signs a lot, his favorite is airplane, which comes with a sound effect. When we're out crossing he'll sign it over and over as if I can make them fly over us. Though he does get to see quite a few since we're under some routs.

A New Home

So, we are very excited to say that we have officially bought our first house! We'll be moved in by June 26th. It's not spectacular, but we think it's pretty nice. It's a multi-level with 4 bedrooms, 3 up and 1 down. It has a nice size kitchen and 1 1/2 baths. And Douglas' favorite part- a 2 car garage! He's never had a garage or even a carport so he's very excited about that. And of course owning a home comes with a few extra expenses, like a lawn mower. We decided to get a push mower (the old kind you would see on Leave it to Beaver), we thought $4/gal was too much to pay to cut grass. But it'll give a good workout.

Japheth continues to grow and explore. He is FINALLY getting another tooth on the bottom, and it's a molar! He is continuing to learn to climb up more things. The other day he was in the kitchen and very quiet for a few minutes, so I decided to check on him. He had climbed up onto a chair and was eating some raisons that were left on the table. We have to watch him with his climbing because sometimes he'll try to climb over the back of the couch or up onto the table. We don't know how he'll do with the move, but we hope he adjusts well.

15 Months

Well everything has been going well for us. Japheth gets bigger everyday, and wants to do more things like mom and dad. He was very intent on helping Douglas with homework, even though there weren't any pictures.
He has found out how to get his binky on his own, and when he's tired or cranky will get the binky, a blanket and his teddybear and walk around the apartment. Sometimes he'll even lay down on the floor for a few seconds. He also likes to come grab our finger and take us around the apartment, and he gets very mad if you don't go with him right away!
We went to the Doctor's on the 11th for Japheth's 15 month check-up. While we waited he was fine, he kept taking Douglas' finger and going to the door, as if to say "Okay Dad, this room is boring, let's go!" When the doctor came in he was very shy, and cuddled right up to Douglas. But as soon as the stethascope hit his skin it was all crying until we left. He currently has 8 teeth, still only 2 of which are on the bottom, and 2 of which are molars. He weighs 19 lbs 12 oz, and is 29 1/2 in tall. That puts him average size for a 12 month old. So he's still short, but his weight is good for his height.

Updates

Hey everyone! Just thought I'd give you all an update. Douglas took his Boards on Tuesday, the 6th. Which means he got the necessary homework and things done. To pass you need at least 75% and Douglas got well above that. So now we just have to wait for them to send us the info, 1-4 weeks, then we can purchase his licence and he'll be a full tech! Also we just found out that Douglas got all A's for Spring Semester! Yea!

Also Japheth is doing well, he and Douglas got sick for a few days last week, but both recovered well. During that time Japheth seemed more fussy than just his being sick, and as he got better the fussiness didn't, then we discovered that he is getting a molar! His teeth coming in have started to skip around. He still only has 2 on the bottom, his 2 front top, 1 of the ones next to the front top, 1 k-9 on the opposite side, and the molar is in the second place, not the first. So it'll be interesting to see which comes next!

Japheth has also learned to kiss, very open mouthed! And has started to kiss Douglas and I at random times, before it was only when we asked. He has also kissed some random little kids. It's very cute. He loves to play, walk, sqeel and yell. Sometimes when we're out crossing he yells at the kids as they pass. It's not angry yelling or sqeeling, he just likes to be loud sometimes. He is doing well with some signing. He says please, more, daddy, mommy, and milk. Though sometimes he get's a little confused at which one to say, we're still working on saying words out loud.

A Slight Change of Career

Well, we just found out the very good news that Douglas has been accepted into the Cardiac Ultrasound Program, and that they have a good clinical site in the valley for him to do his student hours. It's nice to finally know for sure, and that he won't have to go far for student hours. I know he'll do just as well with Cardiac as he is doing with X-ray. He'll start the program this Fall, which means no space between X-ray and Cardiac. But it also means he'll be done that much sooner. The program will run through Fall of 09, so he'll graduate in Dec. 09.

Birthdays Galore!

Hey everyone. Sorry it took so long, but it's been a very busy month. Between 2 birthdays and helping Douglas with school and other misc. stuff, like Jenn and Neil coming out to visit, it's been hard to get to the blog. At Japheth's 1 year check-up he weighed 18 lbs and was 28 inches tall. He's been walking for a while, and has gotten to the point that he wants to walk more than crawl. It's a lot of fun to see some one so small walking around. He's not running yet, but occationally tries to go a little faster with the result of getting to know the ground a little better. His 6th tooth has finally popped through, we've waited about 2 months, and he's been more fussy with this one than with the others. But I think it's one of k-9s intead of the one right next to the 2 front tops, and I've heard kids are more fussy with those.

Douglas and Japheth both had great birthdays! Douglas got mostly things to help him with workouts, and we left Japheth at home with Grandma and Grandpa Tanner and went out to a nice dinner. Douglas is trying to get all of his homework for the semester done a bit early so he can start on the summer semester. His goal is to take his Boards early, and to do so he has to be done with all student hours, which he pretty much is, and be signed up for his last semester and have half the tests done, which also means a lot of studying. But I'm sure he'll do great!

Japheth got a lot of clothes and toys. Douglas and I got him a little wagon to put all his toys in. Sometimes he get's a bit frustrated if the pull handle isn't were he would like. He had fun at his party, which was construction themed, but was a bit shy since there were a lot of people there all staring at him. When it came time for cake, well let's just say it wasn't like most 1st birthdays. Just to give some background- he doesn't like bread! So we were very curious to see if he would like cake since they're very similar textures. Well, see for yourself.

1 Year Ago/1 Year Old

1 year ago I woke up in the middle of the night to roll over and my water broke. That was the begining of all the crazy fun that has followed. 1 year ago we received a new baby in our lives, and nothing has been the same since. We have had the pleasure of watching him and guiding him for the 1st year of his life, and though some things have been a bit of a struggle along the way, we most definately look forward to helping, teaching, and playing with him for all the years to come.

It's wierd to think that it's been a whole year. It doesn't seem that long, yet it seems he's always been with us. It's even wierder to think that WE have a 1 year old. 1 year ago he was learning to open his eyes, to eat, and to sleep. Now he has 5 teeth with a 6th coming soon. He can crawl very fast, and is learning to trust himself with walking, which he can and does sometimes. He is still learning to talk and notices a good many things around him.

1 year ago he was just barely born. 1 year old today, he get's to experience his first birthday, his first cake (which is also his first sugar besides fruit), and it's still only the begining of what he will get to experience and what will come for all of us. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAPHETH!

I'm a Crossing Guard Too!

Since Japheth has changed his schedual he doesn't sleep during my morning shift any more. So we've had to find something else to do. Sometimes the Burge's (the people who let me park in their driveway) take him in to play. But this is what we do in the mornings now since it's still too cold to just have him in the stroller.

The Duck Pucker!

Well he doesn't do it as much as he used to, but here it is. He usually does it now when I tell him to leave something alone! Like the movie he's holding that he's not suppose to get into.

11 Months

Well we're getting close to 1 year! It's wierd, it doesn't really feel that long, yet it seems like we've always had him. Japheth can stand really well on his own now, and with the aid of any object, can get up on his own. He's still not walking yet, but has taken a VERY small step here or there by himself. He has 5 teeth and is working on his 6th. He gets excited about seeing other little kids, and very excited when daddy gets home from work. He also likes to pucker his lips a lot, like a little duck. It's really cute, especially when he talks at the same time (no he's not saying real words yet).

Things I Love About Jill (for Valentine's)

In no particular order
1. Her laughter.
2. Her surprises.
3.The kind of mother she is with rules, guidance, patience, and love.
4. That she makes me play video games when I've had a bad day.
5. How beautiful she is.
6. Her gentle nature.
7. How the corners of her mouth curl up when she smiles and talks at the same time.
8. The way she's probably getting embarrased reading this, (and now I'm in trouble for mentioning it).
9. Her photography.
10. That she's not as dramatic as other women.
11. Her long, thick hair, especially when she decides to get creative with it.
12. Her love for Japheth and I.

I love you so much Jill. Life wouldn't be very fulfilling without you in it!

10 Months

This month's photo shoot was a bit frustrating and diffucult as you can see.
But I think we got a few good ones.
Japheth has gotten sick a few times this past month, infact he got his first ear infection, but he has really done well with all of it. He was a little more fussy at times, but really not much. He got his first hair cut right before Christmas, and cried as soon as his hair was sprayed until it was over. He has started to let go of things to switch what hand the toy is in. So he's standing without any help, but only for a few seconds at a time. We've been working with him on only holding 1 hand when he walks with us instead of both. So it won't be long before he gets the hang of things. He loves to get into everything, and has been opening drawers for a little while now. But he's learning "No" and to obey, though that process is slow. He babbles "mamamama" and "dadadada" though he doesn't quite know what they mean yet, and it's always with his toung out. It's really cute.

Finally Christmas

Yes, all the sqeels are from Japheth!

Merry Christmas eveyone. I know it's past, but here it is anyway. We all had a lot of fun, and we all got some great stuff. Japtheth really likes all his toys he got, but I think his 2 favorites are the hammer that makes fun noises when you bang it, and Leap the Frog that sings the alphabet song. My favorite thing would probably have to be Lego Starwars for the Wii. And I think Douglas' favorite is Bang! a card game, followed closely by the new Wii paddles he got, or the leather jacket.