JANUARY 2009....

[Yes....it's been SIX MONTHS since I last published a blog entry! I can't believe it's been so long! But I do have a good excuse...a baby with digestive problems that couldn't sleep for the first six months of his life! It took us literally six months, about 100 doctor visits, and trying seven different formulas to finally figure out that Dean has a problem digesting proteins found in cow's milk, dairy products and other common foods. He has had such a hard time his first six months, crying almost constantly and not sleeping. And that means that I haven't slept either! Dean spent his first four months of life napping for no more than 15 to 20 minutes at a time, and only doing that from two to six times a day (that means every period of 24 hours)! He was literally sleeping at most only two hours a day!!! I honestly don't know how he's been able to grow at all!

Over the last two months Dean has slowly begun to sleep more as we have been able to get him on a formula he can digest. And now at 7 months, Dean can sleep between two to four hours at a time, but usually sleeps about two to three hours at a time. It has been a very trying experience to say the least. I don't know how we've all survived it! But, I think we've finally gotten Dean on the right track, and things are beginning to look up. Towards the beginning of December there was a night where I actually slept for four hours straight! I couldn't believe it! So that's why I've neglected my blog. I just haven't been able to do anything but take care of the kids! Hopefully as Dean continues to grow, his cute little digestive system will mature, and he will sleep better, which will give me more opportunities to update the blog! And speaking of the blog, I'd better get cracking before that cute little boy wakes up again.....!]

GREAT GRANDMA OVIATT'S VISIT, and
TIME WITH MOMMA ISIS AND AUNT LAURA
July 6th - July 19th, 2008

On Sunday, July 6th, we were VERY HAPPY to have Great Grandma Oviatt come down for a visit. It was quite a special occasion for two reasons...first was that Grandma got to see Vaughn, and second was that Grandma had made the trip down to see us. We were so grateful!
Here's Grandma, Dean and me enjoying some time together.

Dean was totally loving be held by Grandma. You can see him stretched out, and Grandma just making him all the more comfortable by wrapping the blankets around him!

Another cute shot of Grandma and Dean...

Grandma was very thoughtful to also make Vaughn feel special during her visit. She had brought a very cute outfit for Dean, and she also brought a special gift for Vaughn! Here's Vaughn opening it!

Grandma had gotten Vaughn a truck!....The PERFECT gift! It also had a little car to tow around. Vaughn went to playing with it immediately. I really enjoyed Grandma's visit because we got to talk for quite a while. We just sat there while she held Dean and had the most relaxing time together. Then I took Grandma out to the garden to show her how well it was growing. It was a very special afternoon for me, and one I will always cherish. I love you Grandma!

A few days later, Momma was over just visiting with me, and she pointed out to me the ADORABLE position Dean was in on the couch. Momma has a very good eye for photo opportunities, and of course I couldn't pass this one up! He was just this tiny ball of cuteness!

Momma had her hands on Dean in this picture, which showed just how small little Dean was! It's amazing how tiny babies are when they're born. I'm grateful though, because it's pretty tough to get a small one out! I can't imagine trying to push out a toddler-sized baby! Yikes!
About this picture....I just have to say Anne Geddes anyone?

On July 12th, which happened to be Momma and Poopa's anniversary, Momma and Laura were over for a little while. I thought it was pretty sweet of Momma and Poopa to sacrifice spending their anniversary together so that Momma could be in Utah for a visit. It really meant a lot to me to have Momma there to spend time with us. Back to Momma and Laura coming over....
Our pea plants had really been producing pretty well, and Laura saw the big mound of them and offered to shell them for me. I was SO GRATEFUL!!! It's exciting to shell your first few pea harvests, but after a while it gets a little old. So having Laura help me was so nice!!! Thanks Laura!

Here's Laura hard at work shelling the peas. With that ARMY shirt on, Laura looks like she's in boot camp and I've punished her with shelling peas instead of the usual peeling potatoes. But she looks happy enough!!! By the way, I LOVE Laura's smile. It's just so perfect!

While Laura and I shelled peas and talked, Momma enjoyed spending the time holding Dean.

Momma said how great it is to be a grandparent because you get to do all the fun stuff. You get to hold the babies and play with them and spoil them, and then when they start to cry you can just hand them over to their parents! I definitely think she and Poopa have earned that right! Momma has "the special touch." Dean was in pure heaven!

For some reason I have a full week's gap in between photos here, so I'll just skip ahead a week. Here's Laura with Dean at our home a week later. She looks so happy in this picture! Laura has been so great with Dean. She also has "the special touch." I don't know how she does it, but she can get Dean to fall asleep within about a minute. He just seems to melt into a ball of goo when he's in her arms. He is so relaxed! I know how he feels though. Laura likes to play with my hair sometimes, and the second she touches my head, my whole body instantly relaxes. I think Laura might have some magical powers she's not telling me about.

This has to be the one for the road.......! (Are you seeing the same double chin I'm seeing?!)

Love, Lisa