2014 At a Glance

January: Becky came for a visit! I chopped off my hair (can't wait for it to grow back)

February: Grady was born. Zander was blessed.

April: Family outing at the Tulip Festival. Made a family trip to Zion National Park with a five month old.

May: Spent a weekend in Elba, took a hike to Cable Rock, and City of Rocks. My first Mother's Day!

June:Stephen's first Father's Day. I took Zander back to Elba for a weekend for a horse ride and a dusty ride in the razor. Watson family reunion in Boise.

July: Stockdale family reunion in Franklin. Becky came for another visit! Zander's first time in a swimming pool. Redid the dining room.

August: Stephen went back to FLETC for most of the month to become a firearms instructor. Stephen got a big raise! Went to Bear lake with the Washburns! Stephen broke the toilet seat for the second time. Zander was taken to the ER from having the flu.

September: We covered half of our dirt patch with grass! Zander's first plane ride. Mom and I went to visit Becky in Washington!

October: Family trip to Silver Lake.

November: Zander found out he's going to be a big brother! Zander turned one year old!

December: Basement flooded again. Zander cut his hand. I went to the hospital on Christmas day. I won the pot!

It has been a fulfilling year; lots of family trips and reunions. The best part of this year was finding out we are going to have our second baby. It's been so fun watching Zander grow up and learn new things everyday and to see his fun personality come through. He sure keeps us on our toes and laughing. I loved getting to go to Spokane to visit Becky for a week; one of my favorite trips. I hope we can go again soon. I love my family and feel so blessed to be a part of their lives.

Zander

Last weekend Zander cut his hand pretty good on the food processor blade. How did he get a hold of it you ask? Why wasn't anyone watching him? Good questions. It was my fault, but he's doing much better now. His cut was about an inch long, and he managed to get blood everywhere including all over me and Stephen while we wrestled with him to get it bandaged up. We didn't have any medical tape or gauze so we used a band aid and some masking tape until we could go uptown to get some.

 He has really been into climbing on things lately, and it's been so fun and terrifying to see what he tries to climb. He's becoming quite the dare devil. So he took all my laundry out of the basket and turned it upside down to conquer it. It took him a while to get the courage to stand all the way up but he did it, and boy was he proud! He's also been daring enough to start climbing down the stairs. I'm not too thrilled with that, but I've seen him do it at grandma's house just fine, but our stairs are a lot narrower and steeper. He's been trying to go head first or he starts out just fine but then turns around mid-stair so I'm still trying to teach him. I'll be glad when we can take the gate off the stairs for a few months until baby two starts crawling, but until then its staying.

Isn't he just the cutest?!

Christmas 2014

The week of christmas was busy. It was hard, sad, happy, and fun all at the same time--basically an emotional roller coaster. I was really excited for it because we had all of our family parties that week starting with the Washburns Monday night. We went up to Loren's for a turkey dinner and to see Santa clause. Zander wasn't having a very fun time because he was super clingy and whiney the whole night. He didn't want me either, he only wanted dad to hold him. Santa showed up and shook Zander's hand before he sat down; it was so cute because Zander was not too sure of him. He would not, however, sit on his lap to get his present, so Stephen took him up there and helped him unwrap his gift. It was a fun night, we finally got home and put Zander to bed and that's when things went down hill.

We were planning on leaving for twin falls the next afternoon for a few days for my family's Christmas Eve party, but little did we know that we weren't going to sleep that night. I started bleeding pretty good; it was the scariest night of my life. I didn't know what to do; I told Stephen and we just sobbed on the bathroom floor. Zander woke up about four times that night on top of everything else. We went to see my midwife as soon as we could the next day. I held my breath the whole time I was in the office. They checked things out, but what really made me breathe again was hearing the heartbeat. Instant relief! I still had more tests and blood work to do to make sure the baby and I were safe. We were okayed to leave town for Christmas, but we had to come back Christmas Day so I could check into the hospital for more tests and blood work. I was put on bed rest for the week which wasn't too bad mostly because I wasn't feeling well anyway.

The Pettingill Christmas party was a lot of fun, as usual, there were only half of us there this year, but we made the best of it. Stephen cooked dinner and baked the birthday cake for me since I couldn't be on my feet too long, plus I had to run some errands with mom. Zander was a handful that whole week because of his molars. He wouldn't eat, sleep, or be happy for more than an hour at a time. I felt sick pretty much that whole day so I wasn't able to enjoy the party as much as I could have otherwise. On a brighter note, I won the pot! That was a highlight; Stephen's cake turned out really yummy, and we got spoiled with gifts again.

 We love bath time at Grandma's because we get to play in a real bathtub!

 And we love snuggles with Grandma afterwards.

Update

I suppose I should do an update. I'm still not feeling well so I don't leave the house if I can help it, therefore, nothing too exciting has happened. I am trying to welcome my second trimester, but I'm still nauseous so it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm really hoping by the new year I'll  feel and look like a new pregnant women. It's still hard to be really excited about this pregnancy, even though I am, but I'm pretty sure it's because I'm feeling sick. Anyway, I did go to Twin last weekend for craft day. It was a lot of fun to see everyone and spend some time with mom. When we got there Zander wasn't too sure of grandma at first. He was really shy and clingy for a while. Then grandpa came home and Zander just cried. He really wasn't too sure of him. When he did warm up to grandma, he really liked her, dare I say, more than me? It sure seemed liked it, but it was nice to have mom help take care of him while I rested.

I had my first appointment with my midwife this week. I was excited and anxious to hear the heartbeat. Everything went well until it was time to listen for the heartbeat. She tried for, what seemed like an hour, to find it but no dice. I wasn't really worried about it, so much as disappointed. I am only allowed one ultrasound during my pregnancy and they usually save that for 20 weeks when we find out the gender, but they had a really old, ghetto ultrasound machine in the office they used on me because they felt bad they were unable to find its heartbeat. So that was even more exciting for me to get to see our tiny baby. At first there was just a blob and we couldn't really make out what we were looking at, but then we distinguished the head from the body and saw the heart pounding. We still didn't get to hear it, but we saw it, and then the arms and legs stretched out, and it wiggled a bit, which was my favorite part, and then a second later it tucked it's limbs in its body--curled into a ball and didn't move the rest of the time we were looking at it. I told Stephen it's taking after its mama already! Anyway, so that was really exciting to see everything is going well for our little one.

I was just the thinking the other day that it is so nice that Zander hasn't been sick for quite a while. I'm used to him getting sick every other week with a cold, ear infection, or just teething, but it's been at least a month and he's been happy and healthy......until two nights ago. He has had a high fever and extreme fatigue. He's sleeping all day and up all night, so it's been really rough on me and Stephen. I've never had to deal with a high fever with him before, so I'm not sure what do except give him Tylenol and lots of loves. There are no other symptoms, so I have no idea what it is he has, but I hope he starts to feel better this weekend. We're just a bunch of sick bums around here!

Also, Zander managed to lock himself in the bathroom yesterday, and I don't mean he locked the door. Our bathroom door opens into the bathroom; it's a small room with hardly any extra space. Zander wandered upstairs for a minute and when I went to go get him I found him in the bathroom because that's his favorite place to play-- in all the drawers. Why don't you keep the door closed you ask? The lock, not to mention the latch, does not work, so all you have to do is push on the door hard enough and it'll open. So Zander, inside the bathroom, closed the door behind him, because he's so mischievous, and opened the drawer that's right in front of the door. In doing so, the door only opens about an inch and I couldn't get Zander to understand that he had to close the drawer so I could get in. He was starting to cry at this point and Stephen just showed up from work. We were trying to come up with ideas of tools to use that could fit through that tiny crack and close the drawer. I ran to get a spatula and by that time Zander had closed the drawer just enough that the door would open. Whew! I was about to panick and have Stephen chop the door down. I guess we're going to have to fix the latch on the door so Zander can't get in there!

The Secret Is Out!

Finally!!! I can spill the beans on here. At Zander's birthday party I read his birthday card out loud for everyone to hear. At the end I mentioned that we love Zander so much that we are promoting him to big brother! That's right, I'm pregnant! Baby number two is on his or her way. We are very excited and nervous at the same time, like, I'm sure, everyone else is when they have another baby.

I hate being pregnant though; it's the worst. The morning sickness came waaaaay sooner this time around--almost right away. I've been nauseous, throwing up, headaches, and side pains, you name it, I've got it. I always feel bad for Zander because I can't play with him like I used to. I'm either huddled on the bathroom floor or on the couch. Stephen seems to be pretty excited about it, more so than I thought he would at first. He has been SO good to me and Zander. He takes care of everything--cooking, cleaning, errands, playing with Zander, feeding him and putting him to bed....He's an amazing husband and I love him!

I waited until five weeks to tell Stephen the good news. He went out of town for a few days last month, so I made Zander a shirt to wear when Stephen got home because Stephen always notices when he has a new outfit on and he always reads the front of his shirts.

I'm due in June!

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!

We celebrated Zander's first birthday last Saturday. We invited the Washburns over to help us make it  a good birthday for Zander so he'd have cousins to play with. Thank you for everyone that came and brought a gift for Zander! He got really spoiled; so much that he lost interest in opening his gifts after a while.

Happy Birthday Mr. Zan Man! Mom and Dad love you very much!!!

Zander Update

I was going to wait for his birthday in two weeks to do this, but I'm lucky it's getting done at all. First of all, I am having the hardest time getting him not to bite. I don't know where it came from, but he's been doing it from a really early age; like around four months. He usually only bites me, but will bite Dad once in a while too. He bites when he's playing, but he'll also bite whenever he gets mad. I have NO idea where it all came from, but I've had it with the biting. My arms have tiny bruises all over them, but he just doesn't seem to get the idea that it hurts. He's made me bleed twice in one week; and I've tried everything, so if you have any suggestions for me, pleeeeeease let me know for my arms' sake!

Zander is a little explorer. He gets into everything he can get his hands on, just like every little boy, he'll put it in his mouth to see what it's all about. Like this morning, he decided to dig through the kitchen trash and eat raw egg shells. I guess we need to find a trash can with a lid on it.

He still loves playing with the electronics when he gets his hands on them. Including the TV remote, cell phones, iPad, chargers, computer keyboard, etc....

He's walking! After just two weeks of practice this little boy is always on the go. I'd say he picked it up pretty fast in those two weeks.

He's starting to watch a little bit of TV here and there when it's on. He'll watch about 10-15 minutes of it at a time, and I usually will have Sesame Street or Curious George playing for him.


He loves being outside. whether or not its cold. We've just stopped walking this month, with our friends since it's getting a little too chilly outside.

He got his 8th tooth this week and has his first molar coming quickly behind, so he's been a little grouchy the past week.

He's starting to become a picky eater. I'll have food all ready for him and before I sit down he's already whining, shaking his head no, and sticking his arms out in the air like "Don't bring that plate near me!" So he lives mainly off of PB&Js, fruit, scrambled eggs, and toast. (I'm hoping its just because of his molar coming in).

He still loves to torture the cat, and I actually found him eating Toby's food one day. (Like mother like son I guess)?

He is still a screecher and a screamer.

He loves to climb! Anything and everything. He'll sit on boxes or speakers or really, anything he can balance himself on.

I'm glad he still takes two good naps a day. I need that time to pick up the house, relax, and enjoy some quiet.

I have come to hate daylight savings time after having a baby. It throws their whole sleeping schedule out the window! And it takes forever for them to get into a new schedule.

One of his new things he likes to do is walk laps around the kitchen and living room while Stephen and I are cooking dinner.

He's only gained one pound in the last two months. He's super skinny and tiny.

We've been having problems with his ears lately. He gets ear infections easily and often, so we have to make sure he is not around any sick people because he picks up germs very easily. If he gets one more infection this year he'll have to have tubes put in.

He is our favorite little boy! He is so much fun and full of curiosity that I love watching him throughout the day to see what new things he learns. We love him very much!

Halloween 2014

 Look at my cute little rain cloud!

 We had fun at our ward party! I was excited I got Stephen to dress up this year.

 This cracked me up! Have you ever seen those videos where people dress up there cats and all the cat does is flop over and not move? That was Zander! Haha, I put his costume on and immediately he would just stand still and try not to move. If he lost his balance, he'd fall over stiff as a board and try not to move. It was hilarious to watch him in his costume. Stephen took him to a few of the neighbor's houses on Halloween while I manned our own door. Doesn't he make a cute, little rain cloud?!

Random Pictures

I went to Twin last week for a couple days to make apple sauce with mom, get my vacuum fixed, and go to Devin's baptism. It was a fast trip, but worth it. Mom and I were up until midnight finishing the apple sauce. I loved this picture of me and Zander because we were matching in our football shirts and I didn't even realize it! 

 Zander loves playing under the furniture. Lately it's been the dining room table and dad's nightstand.

 This morning I spent an hour cleaning, sorting, folding, and piling all the clothes Zander has outgrown. Only to be destroyed in a matter of seconds. Literally, I blinked and this is what I saw next. How are they so quick to destroy?! It's a really good thing he's cute because I wasn't too happy to have to re-sort, fold, and pile all those clothes.

Silver Lake

I love Columbus Day. Mainly because Stephen gets it off work every year, so I have taken that day and made it a family day. I plan an activity or two for us to do as a family and take pictures. This year we visited Silver Lake in Big Cottonwood Canyon and went for a picnic. After that we went to the pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkins. We had so much fun! We were exhausted by the time we got home, but it was a good day. I love my family....and the mountains....and taking pictures.

 We found Mater in the pumpkin patch!

 Ok, so we could not get Zander to look at the camera to get a good family picture. I finally gave him an ear of corn to play with, but of course, he tried eating it and we just laughed.

What Are You Looking At?

Zander had his first meltdown in a store the other day. It was SO embarrassing! He can throw a fit with the best of them. He'll scream at the top of his lungs--one long burst followed by two or three short ones, then continue with it until he gets what he wants. What happened?! He was such a quiet, peaceful newborn; I had to put a monitor in his room even though his bedroom is literally six feet down the hall from mine because his cries were so quiet I simply couldn't hear him. But now that he's entering the toddler stage look out!

So back to Target. I just needed to grab three things for my activity days craft, but I made the mistake of going down the toy isles to see what they had on clearance since his birthday is next month. BIG. MISTAKE. Or might I say rookie mistake? He was happy as could be as I tested out some of the toys, but as soon as we left the isle he screamed and screamed and screamed for like five minutes I swear. All eyes were on me from whoever was within earshot of him; which seemed like the entire store.

I took Zander to the doctor today for the third time in six weeks. We suspected another ear infection. Sure enough, there it was in both ears. We just took him off his meds from the last one, so this infection is just holding on and won't completely heal. This is his fourth ear infection this year and three of them have been within the last six weeks. He seems to get sick about every other week, and we are so tired of it! My doctor told me if he gets another one, which seems to be very likely since cold and flu season are just beginning, that he'll have to have tubes put in. I'm crossing my fingers it won't come to that, but the infection is why he's been so cranky and sick all the time, so at least I have an answer for his constant screaming, crying, and whining. Poor boy.

Caught Ya!

Yesterday morning I was in my bedroom getting ready for the day, and I noticed it was a little too quiet in the house. I snuck out to the living room to see what Zander was up to...

Caught him red-handed! Eating and throwing the dirt on the floor. I came up behind him and asked him what he was doing. He about jumped out of his skin; not sure what to do. 

 So he stared at me for a minute, then offered me some dirt too.

Spokane Trip

Mom, Zander, and I got to go to Washington for a week last week to visit Becky. I was so excited to go, but really nervous about how Zander would do on the air plane. It was the perfect flight for a 10 month old's first plane ride because it was only an hour and 15 minutes long. Zander did great! Both to and from Spokane. The ride there he fussed and screamed a bit before take off because he didn't want to sit on my lap, but he had to until we got in the air. He played and slept both times.

When we got to Becky's house that morning we waited around the house for them to return home from Boise. We chatted with her friend, took a nap, went for a walk, and made dinner. Meanwhile, Zander was exploring the living room and found a big decorative rock slab on the fireplace. He tipped it over resulting in a smashed hand. There was some bruising, little bit of bleeding, and lots of crying. It scabbed over real nicely the next day, and was gone by the end of the week.

The rest of the week was full of shopping, sight seeing, and playing with cousins. We wore the kids out pretty good, but they were all very patient and willing to go where ever we wanted with little complaint or fussiness.

It was amazing to see little Cora's progress throughout the week. We got to meet two of her therapists and watch how they interacted with Cora. She's rolling over, sitting up, and picking up cheerios all by herself! And also getting on her hands and knees. She's even eating bread, Cheetos,and ice cream.  She's such an amazing little girl! (and it helps that she has an amazing mama too)!

The first place we went to was a cute little toy shop called the White Elephant. I could've spent all my money and time there that day. It was so fun! I got some birthday and Christmas gifts for Zander. Here's Kimball riding the white elephant outside the store. Is he cute or what?!

 Zander was tired and fussy while we were shopping so Becky told me to give him a toy to play with. We were looking at stuffed animals, so I grabbed this sheep and he immediately hugged it followed by coos and sounds of excitement. It was the cutest thing to watch him with it. Becky took it from him for a minute to play with him, but as soon as she did he screamed, so she gave it back and he went back to cooing and squealing.

 Playing with cousins.

One day we took a drive to the countryside where there were dozens of beautiful farms and fields. We stopped at a few of them to buy apples and peaches and play around. The first one we stopped at we looked through their gift shop and had some ice cream. The second we came to had a gift shop and lots of things to do outside. Half of it was closed down, but we got to feed the sheep, and play in the peabox, and take turns going down a big slide.

 Ok. This was really neat. Instead of having a sandbox, they filled it with dried peas instead. The kids loved it! Zander just started popping them in his mouth right away, but after giving in and letting him do whatever, he stopped and started playing. This was really cool and fun for the kids.

Here's the slide. Becky and Kimball were the brave ones to go first.

Next, we went to Riverfront Park downtown for an afternoon. Lance had half the week off work, so he got to do a lot of this stuff with us. First, we took a ride on the carousel, then fed the goat dead leaves off the ground. This goat "eats" people's garbage. You just put your garbage in front of its mouth and it sucks it up into the garbage can! then we fed the ducks and geese.

Next, we went on another big slide, and to the playground for a little bit.

 We had a picnic with a few of Becky's friends. These kids sure do love their grandma!

Zander took his first steps with a walker while we were there. He thought he was hot stuff.

 Love my mom! Thanks for making this trip possible.