T H R E E months

I can't believe how big my little boy is getting! These 3 months have been the happiest months of our lives. We love our sweet boy. Cash is a super sweet and happy baby! He gets even cuter and chubbier by the day. 

Cash loves:

+Christmas lights

+grabbing everything, mostly my hair

+tummy time with his boppy

+his monkey minky

+sitting up in his bumbo

+the sound of my blow dryer

+watching dad brush his teeth, he is amazed by the electric toothbrush ;)

+watching mom's every move

+smiling in the mirror

+Christmas music, and mommy singing carols...at least I would like to think so

+holding his hands

+being talked to in funny voices

+watching the light projector on the ceiling at night

Cash dislikes:

+getting his nails cut

+being in the car at night, we have to turn the light on

+his binky falling out 

+baths at night, they wound him up so he's a daytime bather 

+being left alone

Mommy loves:

+the way you smell right after a bath

+patting your little tush

+reading you books

+taking pictures of you

+your sweet little pouty face

+your little personality

+spending all day with you

+squeezing your chubby thighs

Firsts:

+having a 9 hour sleeping stretch!

+sleeping in the pack and play

+seeing Christmas lights for the first time

+you roll from your side to your belly

+we see a bottom tooth going to come through soon!

Facts about you:

+you are a sleep fighter

+you raise your left eyebrow when you talk and make expressions

+you toot in your sleep

+you are the happiest baby when I change your diaper in the middle of the night

+you are all smiles when dad gets home

+you do a big stretch when we unwrap your swaddle, EVERY time

+to fall asleep you like having your forehead rubbed/touched

+you rub your face on my chest when you are tired

+we should call you 'Curious Cash' because you love looking around when you are in a new place

+you smile almost every time we say "who's a little baby?!"

Cash's blessing day

Cash received a sweet blessing from his daddy on Sunday, November 9th. We were both worried about what he would do during the blessing, hoping he wouldn't cry the whole time. He was asleep in my arms beforehand and when Scott carried him up to the front he immediately opened his eyes when Scott started blessing him. He didn't miss a word and was quiet during the whole thing. We were so happy. I'm so grateful for my husband who holds the priesthood and was able to bless our sweet boy. Cash is so lucky to have Scott as his daddy and example. He has such a sweet and special spirit and I am so happy and blessed to be his mama. Looking at Cash afterwards brought tears to our eyes, he is so perfect and innocent. He was able to wear the same blessing outfit that Scott wore when he was blessed as a baby, it was so wonderful to see him in it. We love our baby boy so much and are so grateful Heavenly Father sent him to us!  

T W O months

Cash has his two month appointment tomorrow and I think I am going to cry harder than him! I'm sooo nervous, I made sure to make his appointment so that Scott was able to come too...THANK GOODNESS, I know I wouldn't be able to do it alone. We are excited to hear his percentile in his weight and height :). At least there is one fun thing that I can look forward to at this appointment. Cash has changed so much in the past month, he is way more alert! He follows me around the room and really looks at me and Scott when we are talking to him. I love it. He grew out of all his newborn clothes at like one month and is now wearing 0-3. He wears size one diapers, I'm thinking in a couple more weeks he will be in size two. He is getting heavier and heavier, sometimes I pick him up and can't believe he is so heavy, I will admit my wrists and arms start to hurt by the end of the day from holding and bouncing him ;).

Cash loves:

+sleeping on his tummy

+being naked

+his gas medicine 

+kicking his legs 

+being rocked to sleep 

+minky blankets

+talking to mommy and daddy

+being held while he naps, which we need to fix ;) 

+smiling and laughing

+cooing

+being held upright
+being swaddled, huge change!
+sucking on his hands

Cash dislikes:

+getting out of the bath

+being out and about all day long 

+wearing hats

+his car seat :( was wishing this day would never come! 

+having poop in his diaper, who can blame him?
+I'm going to take a wild guess and say shots ;)
+bright lights when he is trying to sleep, which makes church pretty hard

Mommy loves:

+when you sleep on my chest 

+when you coo and giggle 

+your snoring with your mouth open 

+your milky breath 

+kissing your little nose, toes, and cheeks

+your 6-7 hour stretches at night, hoping to make them longer and more consistent

Firsts:
+having a 6&7 hour stretch
+sleeping in your moses basket
+you went to your first hockey game
+you were blessed by your daddy this month

Facts about you:
+you have meltdowns at night when we are out and about all day long
+you quiet down when we "shhh" loudly in your ear
+you are more calm in the car when you are holding mommy's hand
+you always smile and giggle in your sleep
+you sleep with your mouth open always unless you are sleeping on your back which is rare
+you never want to miss a thing which makes falling asleep in busy places hard for you
+in the morning I put you on your activity mat and you always kick so hard and smile...you are definitely a morning baby :)
+you have spit up in mom and dad's bed more times than I can count

Adjusting

When we were planning on having a baby and all throughout my pregnancy the thought of not having a full nights rest for a long time never really occurred to me. Sleepless nights never crossed my mind. I was always just thinking about the cute perfect cuddly baby that would be in my arms one day. I never realized how much work a baby really is and how much patience you must have.
Cash was a little handful from day one, I remember our first night in the hospital he was up ALL night long. Scott and I were exhausted from not sleeping for over 48 hours. I remember our nurse came in to check on us and she could see that Scott and I were a little overwhelmed and frustrated. She then told us that crying is the only way our baby can communicate with us and that he is experiencing everything for the first time. Of course in a sense I knew this, but realizing it in that moment, that instead of getting frustrated I needed to try to understand. This made his crying more bearable. We were so confused as to why no one ever told us that babies DO NOT sleep. No one told us how hard having a baby was.
However, no one could have prepared us for how much love we feel for our baby boy and how much happiness he brings to us daily. He is the most precious, and I am obsessed with him. Every sleepless night, every baby tantrum, every crying episode, every spit up, every load of laundry, every diaper explosion, every late night feeding, every unproductive day, and all the worry is worth it.
All the sweet moments make the hard times easier. I long for a full nights rest, but the hours that I would be sleeping I now spend holding and comforting my sweet baby. I can't help but smile when Cash looks at me cooing and smiling at 4:00 AM while I'm changing his diaper, knowing he's not going to go back to sleep anytime soon. Cash likes to keep Scott and I on our toes. One night he will sleep amazing and the next night he will wake up evey hour. 5 hour stretches are far and few and oh so great. Scott and I wake up feeling like we've won the jackpot. I must say the most surprising thing I've found out about babies are they are NOISY sleepers. Whoever came up with the expression 'sleep like a baby' must have never slept in the same room with one. Cash wakes me up with all his little noises but I love seeing him laying next to me in his bassinet. In the moment I may say otherwise, but when Cash does wake up I am always eager and happy to see his sweet little face and to pick him up and comfort him. It's a little ironic that I always immediately miss him when he is sleeping. He will never be as little as he is right now, and he is growing way too fast!
Some days, I may lay in bed way longer than I should with Cash, hardly ever fix my hair, or get ready for the day. But I'm going to enjoy him while he lets me because I know one day he will just want to run around and be busy getting into everything ;). I always want to remember these simple moments laying in bed with my little one. I know one day he will stop needing me to rock him, to hold him, and cuddle him so for now I will hold him a little longer while he sleeps and not worry about the fact that I haven't showered and am still wearing sweats from the day before. Motherhood is the most fulfilling job and I LOVE it.

Pumpkin patch with our little pumpkin

I love everything about Fall, I love it even more now that we have a baby boy to share all the fun fall activities with.
Our first family outing (besides grocery shopping and doctor visits) was to a pumpkin patch this past Saturday. Cash had so much fun even though he slept most of the time in his wrap ;).

We went to a cute little place called Jim Dandy Farm.

It wasn't an actual pumpkin patch but instead there were lots of pumpkins already picked and scattered around a field. We picked out a big, medium, and small pumpkin, one for dad, mom, and baby. I still can't get over how cute Cash's little pumpkin is! Everything is so much cuter in baby size!
As we were leaving the sweet owner came out after us and gave us a tiny little white pumpkin for Cash for his first Halloween.
 I'm so excited for all of his first holidays.

O N E month

Happy one month Cash. You are such a joy to have in our family and we love you more and more everyday. We love watching you grow and seeing your little personality coming out.

Cash is now 10.8 lbs heavy and 21 3/4 in long

Cash loves:

+eating, they say feed them every 2-3 hours...HA Cash didn't get the memo, if he's not sleeping he's eating

+looking around at everything

+lifting his head up, he has one strong neck! Mom and dad laugh a little when he bobbles

+being worn

+kisses on the lips 

+making noises

+baths and getting lotion rubbed on him

+stretching after naps

+dreaming and smiling in his sleep

+listening to music

+pooping/peeing during a diaper change

+being held, patted, rocked, and bounced

+riding in the car, he usually falls asleep...I hope this lasts

+having his hands by his face

+laying on his left side

+sleeping and laying on mom and dad's bed

+being outside

Cash dislikes:

+waiting to eat

+having to toot/potty

+being swaddled

+hiccups

+bright lights

+being still 

+having his nails cut

Mommy loves:

+kissing you on the lips

+holding you when you sleep

+nursing you

+wearing you

+looking at you as you sleep

+dressing you up :)

+your sweet smile

+taking you on walks

+cuddling you

+your sweet breathing/snores 

+your scent

Firsts:

+bath

+smile

+giggle

Facts about you:

+when you are extra tired you sleep with your mouth open

+before falling asleep you have only one eye open

+you always find a way to get your scratch mittens off

+to check to see if you are really out mommy and daddy lift your arm or leg to see if it drops

+you are a wiggly worm

+you are very strong which makes it difficult to change your diapers and your clothes 

+you grunt a lot! 

+7-10pm is your fussy time 

+5 hours straight is your longest sleeping stretch
+Your newborn clothes are getting too tight!

Newborn photos

Before Cash was born I made the decision that I was going to take his newborn pictures myself. I figured I would save us money and I didn't want to have to find a newborn photographer that I would be pleased with. After having the experience of taking Cash's photos, I now know I will never have the desire to be a newborn photographer. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be, mostly because I was having to feed him, calm him down, AND take the pictures. He was a good little sport though, and only threw a few tantrums ;). Practice makes perfect, and I will never stop doing little photoshoots with him. (sorry Cash)

Here are some of my favorites...

and the bloopers...