Saturday Sunshine

It's cheesy, but this is my new attempt at a weekly 'good news' post! So we shall see how it goes.

• I worked my last day at the salon yesterday. It was a great day to be there. Some of my favorite people came in and I got to say goodbye. Feels good to be done for now!

• I stayed in my pajamas until well past noon today (Probably the result of my 'celebration' of being done with work. This post is the beginning of me whipping myself into shape so that this day isn't a complete waste!). I have NOT done this since right after Olivia was born. Even in those early days of no sleep, I still got up and got ready every day. Saved my sanity. But today...I didn't. And it was great!

• Olivia took a two hour morning nap today! That NEVER happens while I'm home. And she is asleep again now for her afternoon nap. Hope it lasts that long!

• I'm expecting my new swimsuit in the mail any day now. But I am NOT looking forward to putting it on that first time. Scary.

• I've been doing the elliptical after Olivia goes to sleep on the nights that Ryan works late (3 or 4 nights a week). It has been so awesome for me! I don't dread Ryan working late so much because I have something worthwhile to do with myself PLUS I feel so much better when I exercise.

• Besides giving me more time with my baby girl, I'm hoping that not working will help heal my hand eczema. It has gotten pretty bad lately with all the hand washing I do at home, combined with all the shampooing at work. Crossing my fingers :).

• Next week we are heading to Salt Lake for Ty's graduation. He is giving a speech, playing the piano for the walking of the graduates and also performing a piano solo for the program. Can't wait to go.

Mmmmmm...nanners

Olivia's 2nd sucessful attempt at rice cereal with bananas. She kept trying to suck her thumb in between spoonfuls. Momma doesn't know about this...it's much messier than the bottle! :)

My Pretty

Here

There's a place I'd been looking for

That took me in and out of buildings behind windows walls and doors.

And I thought I found it;

Couple times even settled down.

Then I'd hang around just long enough to find my way back out.

I know now

The place that I was trying to reach was you right here in front of me

And I wouldn't change a thing.

I'd walk right back through the rain.

Back to every broken heart on the day that it was breaking.

And I'd relive all the years and be thankful for the tears

I've cried with every stumbled step that led to you and got me

Here

It's amazing what I let my heart go through

To get me where it got me in this moment here with you.

And it passed me by

God knows how many times.

I was so caught up in holding what I never thought I'd find

I know now

There's a million roads I had to take to get me in your arms this way

And I wouldn't change a thing.

I'd walk right back through the rain.

Back to every broken heart on the day that it was breaking.

And I'd relive all the years and be thankful for the tears.

I've cried with every stumbled step that led to you and got me

Here

In a love I never thought I'd get to get to

Here

And if that's the road God made me take to be with you

Then I wouldn't change a thing.

I'd walk right back through the rain.

Back to every broken heart on the day that it was breaking.

And I'd relive all the years and be thankful for the tears

I've cried with every stumbled step that led to you, and got me

Here

My favorite Rascal Flatts song. Ryan and I started dating 4 years ago this week. He is my 'Here'. He saved me in so many ways. I was finally myself again after this gentleman came along. I am impatient with a little side of red-hot temper. But he continually forgives me. As I got to know him, the past faded quickly. I still hold on tightly to the lessons that I learned through those hard days, but he helped me to let go of all the other crappy stuff!

We got set up. His neighbor worked with my mom. One day my mom said, "There's this nice boy with a nice car and Patrice wants to give him your number." I said, "No."

So she did (I forgive her).

Ryan called me while I was visiting my family in Canada. I couldn't call him back until I was back in the states, because I didn't want to charge long distance to my grandparent's phone line and I couldn't use my cell internationally. Longest wait EVER. When you haven't been on a date in five months and a boy just calls you up out of the blue, you definitely want to call him back ASAP. LOL. I remember driving through Montana and seeing my cell service switch back from 'roaming', but I couldn't very well call him back with my dad and brother in the car with me! Awkward.

I called him that night when we got home. He was at work and called me back on his break. I vividly remember pacing around my bedroom, wearing a hole in the carpet while Ryan told me all about his car (at the time I had no idea what he was talking about) and we said we'd talk again later and set up a date. The next week, I came home one night from hair school to find out that Brian and some of his friends were going to the Joseph Smith movie in SLC, so I thought to myself, 'What a great opportunity to get to know this mysterious, Home Depot boy in a group setting." Brilliant plan, Jayelle. What was I thinking??? My brother's friends are crazy to begin with. Lovely, but crazy. They started jumping in the elevator and I was sure we were all going to die. I was so embarassed! So we dropped him off at the end of that 'date' and I told the others in the car that I was pretty sure I woudn't be getting a call back from that one. Oh well. There'd be someone else.

But he called. And we went on our first 'real' date a few days later. We went to Stoneground in Salt Lake for dinner. Italian food. And I ordered pasta. All over my face about two minutes into the meal. I was really on a roll. Then we went to see X-Men 3. I fell asleep. Charming, once again. And yet...Ryan proposed to me two months later on the beach at Bear Lake. Another story for another day. :)

On a Roll

This is a little old. Baby girl rolled over for the first time on May 7th and it was just so exciting! Sorry to facebook friends who have already seen this one. I am such a proud momma!

Olivia also turned 5 months this past Friday. Her 5-month Favorites:

• Rolling over...mostly from back to tummy, and from tummy to back once or twice so far.
• Laughing when we tickle under her chin (thanks to Laura for finding this ticklish spot! LOL). She just giggles and giggles!
• Reading books in the bathtub.
• Playing in the excer-saucer.
• Watching the cute baby in the mirror.
• Being outside or looking out the windows.
• Basketball. We rarely watch basketball, but a few times we've had it on and Olivia is just mesmerized by the games! Who knew?
• Our good friend and Olivia's babysitter, Brittney, told me that Olivia loves to watch Elmo. I turned him on the other day and she just stared. She was smitten. Her first love.

Our little sunshine is growing more than ever. And changing in so many ways. We love her more and more all the time!

Ahhh....Sleep...

Olivia is nearly five months! Yay! And I am enjoying her ten times more today than I did four months ago. A terrible thing for a mommy to say? Probably. But those first months were HARD for me! Mainly because I didn't sleep for much longer than an hour at a time most nights, between pumping, feeding, changing diapers and then getting baby back to sleep. Oh, how I am so grateful now for the predictable bedtime and the hours of rest! Guess sleep is like other things in life...sometimes you don't appreciate it appropriately until it's taken away from you! Olivia doesn't sleep through the night, but most nights I don't mind being woken up every 3 hours for a quick bottle. Even though I don't mind, it would be heavenly if I could get her sleeping longer at a time, so any advice is more than welcome! Our sleeping routine goes like this:

7:30- bathtime

8:00- bottle and bedtime

11:30- bottle

2:30- bottle

5:30- bottle

8:00- rise and shine!

I've tried giving Olivia more to eat at a time, but just end up wasting formula because she'll only take about 4 ounces. She's still sleeping in our bedroom because I can't bring myself to go up and down the stairs to her room 4+ times a night. And I'll let her fuss usually for about 2 minutes to see if she'll go back to sleep before I give in and feed her.

Maybe she'll just keep improving on her own, but it seems like everyone else has babies who sleep and it makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong! And that seems to be the number one question from my clients. "Is she sleeping through the night?" "No." Cue sympathetic look directed towards the mommy who doesn't know how to make her baby sleep. LOL

Ma Momma

It's simple. My mom made me who I am today. She still loves me (I think) after all I've put her through. After all the times I didn't show an ounce of gratitude after she had worked so hard. After lovingly dragging me along as a needy child when I'm sure she just wanted some 'me time' because I wanted so desperately to go do 'grown up' things with her. I can actually NEVER remember a time when she has criticized a decision I have made, even when it made for bad consequences. She's never said "I told you so." She's never said, "Jayelle, why are you wearing church socks over top of your tights?" She's never said, "Jayelle, why are you wearing pants underneath your skirt?" She's never said, "Jayelle, why are you wearing your hair in a ponytail on TOP of your head?" You get the idea. Her acceptance has given me confidence. I always felt like I was her ONLY child. She taught me to work first and play after. And when it was time to play, she played WITH us. She taught us songs. I grumbled. I still know more hymns than the average church-goer because of her efforts. She's never too busy for me, although she is ALWAYS busy. She may think I don't notice because I am completely awkward when telling someone how much I care for them, but I hope she knows how amazing I think she is. She's my superhero.

Blessed!

Happy Family

With Omi and Opa (pre-temper tantrum)
With Grandma and Grandpa and Uncles Chris and Ty
(Olivia speaking: "Get this dress off of me and put me to bed!"


With Uncle Adam, Aunt Cindy, Grandma Daniela and Grandpa Brad

(I'm not sure what I was trying to accomplish by holding Olivia's hand in every picture. It was obviously making her real happy, right?)

Her precious little shoes. I took this picture during church...it was too perfect with her little feetsies against Ryan's suit pants!

With handsome Daddy

Happier times...the morning of the blessing BEFORE we put the dress on! This picture is an especially flattering angle of my thighs, and yes, that's what my hair looks like before the flat iron gets to it. Love the fuzz.

We had a wonderful weekend in Tooele with all of our family and friends that came to celebrate Olivia's baby blessing! Ryan and I were both so nervous about how everything would go, and it is definitely a relief to have it in the past. Huge thanks to everyone who helped with yummy food and creating such a fantastic day for us to remember.

Olivia looked so beautiful in her dress, but I didn't get a really good shot of just her in the pretty thing. I intended to put it back on her and take a few shots today, but our entire household's Sunday wardrobe has beome the most recent casualty of my post-baby mushy brain, and is still in the closet at my in-law's. Oh well!