Thanksgiving was great for us. We spent it with Heather & Dane Jackson and their family. It was nice to cook (even though it took me 3 trys to get the rolls right). We were so greatful to the Jacksons for putting up with us!
Cory is almost done with school for this semester. It has been really tough but we are looking forward to the break.
Rowan had his 6 month appointment and all is well. The doctor told us to keep an eye on his weight. She isn't worried but he isn't gaining as fast as she would like. So I have started taken supplements to put more calories in my milk and I am giving him more solids, which he loves! We should be getting his helmet after the first of year. The insurance company has been being dumb so we are waiting on them.
Today we took Rowan in to get pics for Christmas/ 6month old. I got a cute new outfit but when I got there and saw all the kids in their bright Christmas clothes I felt that Rowans wasn't cute enough, so we did more naked pics! I promise at his 9 month pics he will be clothed!!!!!

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!

So here is the video of Rowan rolling over today. I was playing with him, trying to get him to do it and I found that all I have to do is barely touch his head and than he will roll!!!!

Eating, "talking"....can he get any cuter?


So the first video is of Cory feeding Rowan. He thought I was talking a picture and so it looks like we are teasing Rowan and it is pretty funny!

The next video is of Rowan trying to sit up from lying down, than talking and than seeing the camera and stopping, than talking again...and if you listen closely he is saying "dadda" although we aren't counting it because he doesn't know what he is saying.

So I think this is the cutest picture ever! My dad took this and thanks to Ryan we got this gorgeous smile.
I also realized that I haven't been posting a lot of what has been going on here. Life is pretty boring for the most part. Cory is doing well in school and work. While I hang out with Rowan all day. He still isn't rolling over regularly, but today he did it twice and when I grabbed the camera to do a video, he stopped. He is also quite the chatter box (wonder where he gets that from). He is so much fun. We are still having insurance problems with regards to his helmet and it is too confusing to even try and explain it here.
For those who are interested in me I haven't been doing too much. I have been picking up flu shot clinics here and there. I fell victim to the Twilight series right after we moved here. I was not going to read them because they were too popular and I don't like to be part of fads. But when we got here and had nothing to do I gave in and bought the first book. I was hooked. I am not like a lot of people and think Edward is the greatest (he actually drives me nuts in some ways), but Cory and I saw a lot of us in the book and we loved them. So I too am a Twilight addict. Cory is trying to convince me to go with the ladies from our ward to go and see it. I am not sure I want to go. I should so I can get to know more people. I will let you know if I go and see it.
That is life for us so far. We miss Utah and are looking forward to trying to see as many people as possible when we come for Christmas.

Oregon and Halloween

Sorry the pictures are not in order. Rowan and I went to Oregon this last week to visit my parents. We didn't tell my dad so that we could surprise him. He didn't react like I would have liked but he was excited that we came. We weren't able to do a lot that we had planned because it rained every day but Friday (the day we left), but it made for some pretty skies and I enjoyed having something other than sunshine for weather. Rowan didn't seem to mind the cold either.

This is one of my parents trees that is covered in spider webs and with the morning dew looked beautiful.


We went out to eat and the restaurant didn't have a place to put Rowan's carseat so I tried the highchair (because he can sit up on his own now) He didn't mind it.

On Friday my mom and I went for a drive and she showed me this river that was so fun to watch. The colors were gorgeous! There were still a lot of the Fall colors that made me miss Utah (Arizona is too brown).

We also went to walk around my dads work and they have this pond with ducks and we were shocked to find 16 baby ducks here! I didn't think they would have babies this late in the season!

For Halloween we went to Foothills Dance Studio to dance and have fun. I was Goth, Cory was the Devil and Rowan was a Chip en Dale dancer (a lot of our friends were not too happy with us because they had to explain to their kids what a Chip en Dale was :) )






Rowan also learned a valuable lesson at the party..... Skimpy costume equals winner!! Rowan won for the skimpist costume and we got free dance lessons. (and for those who are wondering he is chewing on a fake dagger!)

These videos are showing some of his new things. The first video is his squeel. I am trying to get him to do his growl without success. The second video shows him sucking on his bottom lip and about three-fourths into it he does his growl.

I need advice yet again. I am stressing out on a regular basis because Rowan is 5 months old and still is not rolling over yet. He just isn't interested. I can push him over and bring him back to his tummy (which most of the time he enjoys) but he won't even try on his own. Sometimes he will get up on his knees like he wants to do something but than he will stop. What do I do? I have tried to dangle his favorite toy, I have tried putting him on his side (sometimes works). I feel helpless and so frustrated.

DAY AT THE FAIR


So we went to the state fair this weekend. It was fun. I was amazed by how good Rowan was. He just chilled and let Cory and I have fun. Thanks Rowan!!! The biggest part of the fair was the midway with all the games and rides and stuff. I am used to Utah with more crafts and agriculture stuff. But what there was was cool. Our favorite display was probably all the rocks and fossils from Arizona. Sorry no pics, but they were cool.

This is Rowan in jail..this was right at the end and we could tell he had had enough

This is at the beginning and we saw the sleeping pigs and Rowan sleeping..too cute


This poor monkey...he owner was really rude and kept jerking his chain and the monkey just looked sad. He took money from your hand.



Cory and me being silly

The goats were so cute


Cory and the Giraffe

There was a cool free parking area where they provided charter buses and dropped you off at the front of the fair! It was great! So this is Rowan's first bus ride

Sorry its been so long since I posted. Rowan is doing good. Yesterday we had an appt. with the people who do the helmets for babies with mis-sharpened heads. He will need one but only for about 2 months. We find out today if insurance will cover it..if not I am not sure what we will do because these aren't cheap. When we first noticed the flat spot on the right side of his head we started laying him more on his left to try to fix the problem...Unfortunatlly it just made the other side flat too!! silly boy.
In other news Rowan is really close to rolling over. I am happy he is finally trying. He is also trying to put everything in his mouth. He is such a joy.
Cory finished his mid term this week. He thinks he did good on it. School is going ok for him, the hardest thing is he doesn't really get a break. We are looking forward to Christmas!!

This is Rowan's dragon from Jim & Tara

He was so tired this night he fell asleep during tummy time (which he has never done before)!!

He kept reaching for his spoon while I was feeding him and so I gave it to him and he was excited!!

He didn't want his binki and out of frustration/desperation I gave him his sock to chew on...he loved it!!

I am so happy that he doesn't have to be swaddled any more!! He just did it on his own. But he has to have a heavy blanket at night and a lighter one during the day or he wakes up screaming at me!

He loves these crocheted blankets....He will play with them with his toes. I love them because even when its warm they are cool enough and when its cold they are warm enough (because it really isn't cold here yet, although all the natives are in their winter clothes!!!)

This is the video of Rowan almost rolling over. He got a lot closer earlier that day but this works too.. The other video is of him just talking (sorry its sideways and dark).its also really short because he saw the camera and stopped!!

I saw this tag on a friends website and I really liked it so here it goes....
8 Things Tag...

8 Things I am PASSIONATE About...
1. Cory
2. Family
3. The Gospel
4. Dancing
5. Having fun
6. learning new things
7. Outdoors (which I don't get to do often enough)
8. Friends

8 "words" or "phrases" I say way to often...
1. "Heck"
2. "Shoot"
3. "What's for dinner tonight"
4. "mmm bye"
5. "I'm bored....entertain me!"
6. "Watcha wanna do?"
7. "Yes I have a headache and no I haven't taken anything for it yet!"
8. "I'm sorry"

8 Things I want to do before I die...
1. Ride a motorcycle across the country and see as much as possible
2. Go to Hawaii
3. Compete open in a dance competition
4. Go on a mission with Cory
5. Visit Japan
6. Have my kids tell me they forgive me for all the mistakes I have made (because heaven knows I will)
7. Go sky diving
8. Go scuba diving

8 Things I have learned From my past...
1. Preisthood blessings are real and are so powerful
2. You are responsible for your own actions and don't blame someone else for your hard times
3. Its never too late to say sorry
4. Hard work really does pay off
5. Parents are human too
6. Prayers are always answered
7. Don't regret anything, learn from your mistakes
8. Honesty is the only way!

8 Places I would love to see...
1. Japan
2. Hawaii
3. East Coast (yes all of it)
4. England
5. Ireland
6. Scotland
7. Nauvoo
8. The ocean all around me

8 Things I Currently Need or Want...
1. To get my house cleaned.
2. a new vacuum
3. Dancing lessons
4. a new house
5. To be completely out of debt and have enough in savings
6. Motorcycles
7. To not be on the 3rd floor
8. Cheap flights to Utah

8 More People I Tag! (I'm not sure who has done this & who hasn't so, if you have already don't worry about it.)
1. Heather
2. Betsy
3. Morgan
4. Jimmy & Holly
5. Allison
6. Theresa
7. Timber
8. Marquesas

Di just sent me these awesome pics of when Cory and I were first dating. Really great memories! And for those of you wondering, yes we still dance in the rain!

As many of you know, Rowan is famous for always having his tongue sticking out. The past week he has realized that he can stick it in his mouth and with this has come new sounds and him playing with his mouth. It is so cute! We tried to take him swimming but the water was too cold. We were told to wait until he was 4 months and I wanted to wait for the weather to cool down and it all happened too quickly. On a side note; I have been exercising with a friend for the past 2 months. I have lost 4 lbs and I now fit into some pants that I haven't fit into for 2 years!!! Yeah!!!!






Here are some pics of Rowan in his first swim diaper. I hate that I am in my swimsuit in these pics, but Rowan is cute enough that I had to post the pics

Doctors Appointment

Well, Rowan had his 4 month check up today. He is not handling his shots as well as he did at his 2 month check up. He is a lot more fussy but I know it will pass. He is 13lbs 6ozs and 25.5 inches long. The MD said that he is in the 25th percentile for weight (which is fine) and the top percentile in height. So anyone who knows his daddy is not surprised that Rowan is tall and skinny!
The only bad thing that came from the appointment was that the MD said he has a misshapened head because he sleeps on his back and so it is flatter on his right side. She really wants us to get a helmet to reshape his head, but I am going to get a second opinion and we are going to spend a lot more time making sure his head is on his left side (which since he is a very relaxed and calm baby) has not been a problem today. I would much rather do something that didn't required a helmet. But only time will tell.
One other thing that came up was him rolling over. I found that a lot of babies will roll over because when they are on their tummies they get fussy and flail about and end up throwing themselves to their back. Well...Rowan, of course, has to be different and when he gets fussy he lets his arms fall to the side and sits their crying. He doesn't flail or move he just lays their!! I will have to get a video because he looks like a fish that has just given up! Its really funny! But we are still working on him. He does love to stand and sit up right now.
It is crazy to see how much he is growing. I will get some pics on here soon for comparison

Quirks!

Quirks!

I've Been Tagged! The Rules are....tell about 7 quirks of yours & then Tag 7 fellow bloggers to do the same, be sure to leave a comment to let them know.

1- When cleaning the kitchen I have to do all or nothing. Too often it ends up not done or half way and it drives me nuts!
2- I hate talking on the phone, there are only a few people I can talk to for more than 2 minutes
3- I love the smell of dirt and grass (also they are my favorite Bertie Botts every flavor bean)
4- I have to dunk my cookies in milk. I just can't eat them without milk
5- I love to sit in a bath and read a book...I can't just sit in a bath. I have to have a book to read.
6- When reading a book I will let everything else stop and spend all my time reading
7- I can't watch a show or movie with medical parts in it without commenting on whether or not they did the part right.

It's kinda fun to read about other people's quirks and know that I am not the only freak in the world. .
I tag Betsy, Timber, Tasanee, Tara, Roberta, Allison, and Diana

So I know its been awhile since I posted. Things have been busy. Cory is doing much better after his episode with gout. Now he is having to deal with school. Working and going to school is really hard for him (and anyone who has done it knows how hard it is) so he changed plans and is only taking 1 class this semester. That will put him graduating in the summer if they offer his class than or next December (which still isn't bad).
Rowan is growing so quickly. I still get everyone commenting on how small he is but he is eating and is happy so what more could I want. He has his 4 month appointment on Monday so we get to see if this doctor is concerned with his size. I was not at all impressed with the last doctor we went to. I will save the details but I am trying a new one this time and I hope she will be good.
This week has been tough because I got an infection called mastitis. It is an infected milk duct that gives flu like symptoms. So when I first got sick I thought I was just getting the flu. It was very hard to take care of a newborn and be that sick. I am on antibiotics now and getting better.
On a happier note here are some pics of the little boy...they are not in any order

His new thing is sucking his thumb. Cory was holding him the other night trying to get him ready for bed and Rowan pushed his binki to one side and stuck his thumb in the other!!

This is a cute new hate that we bought him to keep his head from getting sun burned. (He outgrew it 2 weeks after we bought it!)


He is also chewing on his rings. He did this on his own one night

I have been trying fun new recipes (I am addicted to Good Eats) and this is a shrimp cocktail that I tried. It was really good

I had Cory hold Rowan for me because I was tired and needed a break. Cory was looking at his email and we looked down and he was asleep!!!


So that is all that is new in our lives right now

I stole this list from a friends blog (Thanks Diana) I was laughing so hard I had to share it. And for my friends who aren't nurses, yes most of these apply to me!
This list has been passed around a lot. Some of you have seen it a million times. For those of you who want to know more about the nursing profession, this will be a great help to you.

I have experienced a good amount of the list below. I laughed out loud while reading a few of these. I will italicize some of my personal favorites :)

You know you are a nurse when....

1) The front of your scrubs reads "Nurses...Here to save your a**, not kiss it!"

2) You occasionally park in the space with the "Physicians only" sign...and knock it over.

3) You believe some patients are alive only because it's illegal to kill them.

4) You recognize that you can't cure stupid.

5) You own at least three pens with the names of prescription medications on them.

6) You believe there's a special place for the inventor of the call light.

7) You believe that saying "it can't get any worse" causes it to get worse just to show you it can.

8) You wash your hands BEFORE you go to the bathroom.

9) You believe that any job where you can drive to work in your pajamas is a cool one.

10) You consider a tongue depressor an eating utensil.

11) Eating microwave popcorn out of a clean bedpan is perfectly natural.

12) You've been exposed to so many x-rays that you consider it a form of birth control.

13) You've ever heard a patient with a nose ring, a brow ring, and twelve earrings say "I'm afraid of shots."

14) You've ever placed a bet on someone's blood alcohol level or urine drug screen... and you were right!

15) You've told a confused patient that your name is that of a coworker and to call it out if they need help.

16) Your bladder can expand to the size of a Winnebago's water tank.

17) You have seen more penises than any prostitute could dream of.

18) You believe that not all patients are annoying. Some are unconscious.

19) Your family and friends refuse to watch medical sitcoms with you because you spend the whole time correcting everyone and pointing out upside down x-rays.

20) You don't get excited about blood, unless it’s your own.

21) You've sworn to have "do not resuscitate" tattooed on your chest. Soon!

22) Discussing dismemberment over a gourmet meal is perfectly normal to you.

23) Your idea of fine dining is anywhere you can sit down to eat.

24) Your idea of a good time is a cardiac arrest at shift change.

25) You believe in the aerial spraying of Prozac.

26) You believe that "shallow gene pool" should be a recognized diagnosis.

27) You believe that the government should require permits to reproduce.

28) You believe that unspeakable evils will befall anyone who utters the phrase "Wow, it's really quiet, isn't it?"

29) You have ever wanted to write a book entitled, "Suicide: getting it right the first time."

30) You have ever had a patient look you straight in the eye and say, "I have no idea how that got stuck in there."

31) You've had to leave a patient's room before you begin to laugh uncontrollably.

32) Full body CT-scans would be very beneficial for all patients.

33) You believe it should become a law for only one complaint per visit.

34) You often find yourself checking out arm veins on customers in grocery lines.
35) You can almost SEE the germs on doorknobs and telephones.

I love the Gospel!!!

This weekend has been hard. I have been frustrated with the demands of motherhood yet again and feeling all the emotions that come from that. This Sunday morning Cory was going to put on a show that we like to watch that he had found for free on itunes. Well that wasn't working and he put on this last Aprils conference. It went right to Elder Ballards talk on Daughters of God. I needed everything in that talk. Here is the link if anyone wants to read it. http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=9694558fcc599110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1
I love the way the Lord answers prayers!

Life has been crazy. Last week Cory's foot started hurting and we weren't sure why. It got really bad the past 3 days and so he took yesterday off work and we took him to the doctors. He has gout and it was acting up again. For those who don't know, gout is a type of arthritis where uric acid crystals form in the joint and it is extremely painful. Today Cory is doing a lot better.
Rowan is getting so big. An outfit that didn't fit him 2 weeks ago fits him great. He is looking at his hands and trying to figure out what they are and who they belong to. He has also learned that his thumb fits in his mouth and is great to suck! We are trying to discourage that one. He also stopped the sleeping way too long thing. I should have enjoyed that the 2 days it happened!
I have applied at a few jobs that will just let me work weekends and/or just do flu shots this season. It would be perfect to get us enough money to visit family for the holidays so wish us luck!

Two nights ago we started feeding the baby rice cereal at night. Well, lasr night he had milk at 9 and a little cereal at 10. At 530 I decided to wake him up to eat. So I was wondering if he got too full and I should feed him less or just let him sleep that long?l

I love my little boy so much! He is so much fun. He likes to play with his daddy (which is the video) and than he will stand if you hold him up. so Cory wanted to pose him. I also had him fall asleep on the boppy while I was holding him and I had to take a pic.
Cory starts school this week. He will be done in Spring with his Masters in Electrical Engineering. The next 2 semesters won't be fun but it'll be worth it.

Life has been treating us good this week. The weather has finally started to get cooler in the evenings. Sometimes it hits low 80's early in the mornings. The evenings have gotten nice enough to go swimming. We will take turns swimming and holding the baby. Sometimes he will fall asleep and so we will put him in his carrier and swim.
He has started trying to sit up, which is really funny to watch because his body won't cooperate. So he sits there chin to chest for a while. We try to reposition him but he goes right back to it!
He has also started to hold his head up really good while he is on his tummy, which is wonderful because he likes tummy time more.
Cory starts grad school this week. If everything goes well he will graduate in the spring with his masters...YEAH!!


This is a carrier that Cory's brother sent us from Africa. It's still a little too big but Rowan likes it.

Rowan holding his head up. You can also see his funny hair. He has the bald spot in back from looking around. And it's long in back and short up front....mullet!! OH NO!!

This is him in a cute outfit. It is still to big but I had fun putting him it.


This is a video of us playing with Rowan.

So I found these pics on a friends website and was able to copy them...YEAH!!
This is Cory and me and some dance


This is Kris and Dan


This is Halloween 2004


This is our game group Chuck, Nate, Ron, Dan, Kris, Cory and me