Camping - Mormon Lake

 Vaughn went on his second camping trip and loved it! The whole trip up, he barely cried even though he was strapped into his car seat for over three hours. We did stop once to change his diaper and eat. It was quite the bumpy ride on the way up because we got a little (let's just say) lost. Dave decided to follow the GPS, which tried taking us on wild wild west, back in the pioneer days, horse and buggy trails. It wasn't so bad at first until we got to a point where we were surrounded by cattle mooing all around us and the dirt road literally turned into a dirt trail. We ended up turning around and making our way to the campsite in still good time. (and no, I didn't get any pictures...what was I thinking?)

We went camping with our friends, Lisa, Jason and Ryder. It was our first time as a family to camp out in the woods instead of a campground with hook ups or at least vault toilets. Jason and Lisa have a super nice big RV that we were able to use to heat Vaughn's food up, freeze Vaughn's food, give Vaughn a bath (with Ryder...way too fun), and of course, use the "facilities." In addition to the Gibbs' family, a few other of their friends camped with us as well.
 The fresh air and smell of pine had Vaughn in the greatest of moods. He was so excited to be FREE. He was just full of giggles and smiles even as the sun went down. Shortly after dinner, it was time to start getting ready for bed. There wasn't much room in our pop-up camper for the pack n' play so we decided to try having Vaughn sleep with us in our full size bed. I went to bed with Vaughn who fell asleep right away.

The first half of the first night went okay. I had a very hard time sleeping since I had my fragile little baby boy sleeping next to me in the open bed instead of caged all up in his crib. He didn't seem to mind it at all. Even when Dave came to bed, Vaughn remained completely asleep in between the two of us...until (I'm guessing) 4am. Then, it was play time. Dave and I were so exhausted and yet Vaughn wanted to play with mommy and daddy. We tried everything to get him back to sleep. I mean, the sun wasn't even up so we should'nt have been up either. Dave kept begging me to nurse him (although he used different words not cuss words, just different words that I'm not going to publish on the internet) to get him back to sleep. I was sore from nursing him so I didn't want to. Then Dave lifted his shirt in efforts to have Vaughn fall asleep. haha! Vaughn was really confused so he started to play with his nipple. Eventualy, Vaughn went back to bed and didn't wake until we could hear everyone else at camp.

Day two was very relaxing. Our day started off with amazing breakfast Lisa made - eggs, hashbrowns and bacon. Yum!

Then we went into the town of Mormon Lake to get showers. We didn't realize that there was motorcycle event going on until we were surrounded by hardcore bikers. There were bikes and people dressed in leather everywhere even the showers.  When we pulled up to the Shower/Laundry Room, there was a line for the ladies. But as we were getting our things together some ladies decided to go into the men's room so Dave actually had to wait while I got to get a shower immediately. The shower felt great as warm water always does while camping. Vaughn got to take a shower with daddy. Dave said Vaughn did great and absolutely loved it. After we were clean, it was time to go get dirty again back at our site. 

We were going to go hiking but didn't have room for Vaughn's carrier so we just hung out under the trees and in the gorgeous cool weather all day. Vaughn even ended up taking a two hour nap in his pack n' play inside Lisa and Jason's trailer. After Vaughn woke up, we set the pack n' play up in our camper on top of the table area in hopes of getting better sleep (for mommy and daddy). I almost forgot, we got to take a ride on the Rhino (one of Jason's toys) with Vaughn. He had a ball until he got a little cold. Once we got back, it did rain a little so we stayed inside until it let up. Vaughn loved listening to the rain. After dinner, Vaughn got to take a bath with Ryder, then he went right to sleep by himself in the pack n' play. Dave and I got to enjoy some campfire time before heading to bed.

Night two went a little better, but Vaughn woke up again. This time, we think it was because he was cold. I dressed him in a sleeper underneath a zip up wearable sleeping bag-like garment. I have no idea what it's called! It was fleece pj's without feet; but he had the pj's with feet on underneath. Let me see how much more I can ramble on about what he was wearing for bed! I'll spare you. Anyhoo, the clothes didn't keep him warm because he kept tossing and turning then cried a little until we rescued him. It was a little easier getting him back to sleep this time. We just warmed him up in between us with our body heat and he was out. I may have nursed him, too. I know what you may be thinking, but it worked, he was content, and we got some sleep.

Packing up went okay. It always seems like packing up takes so much longer then setting up. Vaughn just hung out in his stroller staring at the trees above him. We got everything packed in the trailer and car and were off to Pine for some brunch.

Vaughn must have been able to tell we were heading home to the heat or he was just a little overtired because he cried quite a bit on the ride back to Surprise. We both did get a little nap, though, before having to stop when Rocco got sick (YUCK!). It was so HOT outside when we stopped. We all were missing that nice cool air up in the pines.

Overall, the camping trip went very well. Thank you, Jason, Lisa and Ryder for having us!!! Vaughn had a great time. It's only going to get more fun and probably dirtier with him as he grows. We are so excited about all the memories we are going to create with our family...camping!

Dairy Dilemma

Since Vaughn's second week of life, we have had a major dairy dilemma. Neither of us could have any. Technically, I could've eaten it as long as I wasn't breast feeding but I am obviously a huge advocate of breastfeeding and wanted to give Vaughn breast milk for as long as I could. I didn't realize how much of a burden I would become. Giving up cheese, milk, sour cream, cream cheese, goat cheese, butter, ice cream, and all the other delicious dairy items, was not nearly as hard as feeling like a burden to people or not being able to find anything to eat at restaurants and stores.

At Vaughn's last doctor's appointment, she gave us the go-ahead to try dairy. I bought yo-baby organic baby yogurt for Vaughn and gave it to him on Sunday, July 11, which didn't go so well. He seemd to have a slight reaction in his diaper. I then tried to have dairy (pizza....oh, how I missed pizza!) on Saturday, July 17. Vaughn seemed to have NO REACTION. Then, all this week, he's had some yogurt every day with again, READ: No Reaction! He does have a little runny nose and occasional watery eyes, but I think it's from teething.

Vaughn LOVES yogurt. He likes it so much that I have to hide it until after he eats his fruits and/or vegetables. As soon as I pull it out, Vaughn shakes with excitement. He eats the entire cup. If I let him or if he knew how to do it, I bet he would lick it clean. I am very thankful that Vaughn likes dairy (well, for now just yogurt). I am thankful that he is able to eat dairy. And I am super thankful I can eat everything again. The funny thing is though, instead of shoving my face fully of dairy products, I have slowly had one thing a day. It's almost as I'm afraid of dairy. Yeah, me afraid of my favorite food group. I guess that's what happens after something is non-existent in your life for almost a year.

Next food for Vaughn to try: cheese!

precious. moment...in the car waiting for daddy

We are going camping this weekend! So in preparation for our trip, we had to run to the grocery store to get some yummy camping food and supplies. As we were leaving, Rocco was acting like he had to go out so I pulled the car out into the driveway while Dave let the dog out.

Vaughn and I sat in the back seat waiting. I kept the door open since it was cool(er) out with a storm was rolling in. With the dark clouds came some nice wind. Vaughn was intrigued by the blowing trees. He sat on my lap with both of his legs on either side of my legs with his chest touching mine. He laid on my chest while turning his heard toward the trees.

Feeling his heart beating next to mine as we listened to the silence but yet loud swishing outside I couldn't have felt more loved. What a precious. moment.

precious. moment...in bed

One thing about Vaughn being my only child that I take advantage of is spending lots of time with him in our bed in the morning. Right after he wakes up, I change him then bring him to bed to nurse him. After he's done, we often just stare at each other and play. If Dave's still in bed, Vaughn will finish eating then leap over to Dave with the biggest smile ever.

This morning, instead of crawling on Dave, Vaughn saw that he was still sleeping so he reached up, carressed his back, then grabbed his fingers. Seeing his tiny fingers wrapped around his daddy's fingers was such a precious. moment.

precious. moment...by the pool

I have so many "precious moments" with my little man that I've decided to start posting short posts every time (well, I don't think I have time for that...but for the most memorable ones) we share a precious. moment.

Today, Vaughn and I went to our community pool since we didn't have any other plans and must get out of the house. Often at the pool, he likes to sit by the fountains to splash or stand on the steps and splash some more. If neither of those work for him, I just walk around the deep end with him clung to my chest like the little monkey he is. Today, all he wanted to do was be as close to me as possible. Our pool has a "beach" entry where it gradually gets deeper. I laid down in the shallowist part while Vaughn snuggled on top of me with his head perfectly in between my collar bone and neck. He didn't care that there were other kids or people in the pool. My little Vaughny Poo just wanted to be with me. That is one precious. moment. I will hold it in my heart forever.

Baby Steps *8 Months Old*

I love him...I love him...I love him.

Oh my! I can't even explain in words the feelings I have for this little boy. He has such a BIG personality and loves to be with mommy and daddy. Vaughn has also become very curious about his little world. With his new-found mobility, he likes to scoot towards any item that looks like a cord or is shiny. Also, Vaughn has discovered his own voice. He still doesn't say any words, but he sure can squeal, yell, and sing to his own little tune. One other big trait he developed during eight months is becoming "strange" to people other than me. At this age, Vaughn is definitely a momma's boy. He can just hang and cling on me all day long and be a happy little boy. As he gets older and as I take him to the child care centers at the gym and church, and as he's around more familiar people, he's not as upset to go to someone without me. There are certain people, though, who he gravitates to more than others.

While Vaughn was eight months, he got two more teeth, moved to a new house in Surprise, AZ, got sick for the first time, spent many days with his Grammy, hung out with his very first baby cousin minutes after she was born, and got to experience his first very hot Arizona summer (he seems to be adjusting better than me). Oh, and his eyes are still blue as ever! Here are some of his milestones and "firsts" he experienced at eight months old. Have you ever heard a parent talk about how fast their child is growing? I didn't think so, so I thought I should mention how incredibly fast Vaughn is growing up and changing. :)

6/16/10: We went to the Children's Museum for the first time today. Vaughn got to hang out with his friends Christine and Jayce for a few hours. Even though he's not walking yet, there were many fun things for him to do and look at. The part he loved the most was probably all the mirrors.

6/17/10: I spotted them! Two more teeth are coming in. They have broken the skin but probably have some time before they make their way into the world. Teething is not a favorable thing for Vaughn or me. Poor baby!

(If you look really close, you can see his top two teeth coming through)

6/19/10: During bath time, Vaughn farted in the water. He made lots of bubbles that startled him. It was funny. He then kept looking in the water for the bubbles. Where did they go???

6/22/10:
Vaughn's top right tooth (left when I'm looking at him) is through the skin. The other one is slowly getting there. His poor butt is so raw from his yucky teething poop. And his nose is running like crazy. Hopefully that all clears up soon. At least he was happy today!

Tonight was hilarious! After Vaughn's bath, he was super hyper and ready to play although my agenda said he needed to be getting ready for sleep. He figured out how to play peek-a-boo all on his own. It was so cute, I wish I had the video camera. He would pull the towel over his face, then kick his legs and squeal while pulling the towel down. He thought it was the funniest thing ever. So did I!

6/23/10: ...and the laughter continues! Vaughn made himself laugh so hard tonight. I, on the other hand, didn't think it was as funny because he made a mess. We were getting in the car after making a quick stop at Subway. As we were getting in the car, Vaughn found my straw in the drink I was holding and thought the sound it made was funny. He kept moving the straw up and down giggling up a storm. I was trying to get the straw out of his hands so that he wouldn't take it out and get root beer everywhere, but I was too late. Result: Root beer all over my legs, a little on the car, and a giggling baby. Don't worry Dave, I cleaned it all up off the car.

6/25/10: Vaughn napped in his new house for the first time today for a total of three hours! He also slept through the night for the first time in the house where he's going to make his first memories. We are so excited to live in a house that fits our family so perfectly. Vaughn already enjoys the ceramic tile floors as he army crawls/frog crawls every where.

6/26/10: We attempted giving Vaughn a bath in the "big people tub" tonight. Since his bathroom still needed cleaned, we've been bathing him in our bathroom which has a huge Roman soaking tub. Needless to say, the bath started out very well. He was sitting there like such a big boy smiling up a storm. Right after Dave took his picture, the little guy's butt was so slippery he fell in face forward. I was right there to pick him up but he got startled and wanted me to hold him. I thought the little bumps in the tub would be enough to keep him from slipping, but I need to get a no-slip mat or something to help him from flailing about. He can still (barely) fit in his infant tub, so we'll continue to bathe him in that for now.

6/29/10: Vaughn is sick for the very first time in his life. He has a little cold in addition to those two top teeth still trying to bust all the way through. He's doing pretty well, just not eating a lot of solids and wanting to just cuddle with me. I'm not complaining about the cuddle part!

7/01/10:
When Aunt Nay Nay was here yesterday, she was telling us how cute Ella is waving her hands by opening and closing them. Well, I think Vaughn was jealous because out of nowhere,he started doing that all day today. It is so cute!

Grammy is here! Tonight we were sitting in Vaughn's new room (which he is the LOVES so much at night) after he got done playing a ton with a paper towel. Grammy was taking pictures while Vaughn was holding onto my hands standing up. He let go and just stood there! Grammy and I were totally abashed. We could not believe it!  He probably stood there for 5-10 seconds, then he lifted his foot as if he were going to walk to Grammy. Our jaws were to the FLOOR! Instead, he fell back into my arms like an 8 month should. He really gave us a scare. I hope to have at least another three to four months before he starts running around like a wild man.

7/07/10: While swimming with daddy at Uncle Dusty and Aunt Jamie's house today, Vaughn went completely under the water...not planned. Dave was holding him moving backwards not realizing the drop to the deep end was so close. Since it's a dramatic drop, Dave lost his footing and did everything he could to hold Vaughn up out of the water as he started to slide down into the deep end. I was drying off and realized what was going on so I dove in after Vaughn to catch him right as he was going under the water. Okay, I did not DIVE, but I jumped in to get to Vaughn as quickly as possible. Instinctively, he held his breath and closed his eyes. He didn't even cry. I was extremely startled though as my heart dropped into my stomach. Vaughn loves the water, but since it can be dangerous, we are definitely getting him into swim lessons and will continue them until he can swim like Michael Phelps :).

7/08/10: Vaughn has a cousin! Molly Ann Thompson was born tonight at 9:02pm, weighing 9lbs., 13oz., measuring 22 inches long and has a 14 inch head. She is such a beautiful baby girl!

7/10/10: Vaughn took a bath in his bathroom in the big boy bath tub. That's a lot of "b's"! He did very well because I got a bath mat to fit in the tub. Since the tub is textured, the mat doesn't quite stick so it floats all around him. It doesn't seem to bother him as he likes to splash splash splash on the mat! 

I had to post another picture of my little man clung to me like a monkey. This represents Vaughn at eight months old:

Molly's first day

Vaughn and I visited the newest Thompson in the hospital today. She was all cleaned up and so comfortable on her mommy. Vaughn sat on Dusty's "bed" and ate puffs almost the whole time we were there. I always feel like he's so small especially since all of Vaughn's friends are older. Now that Molly is here, Vaughn seems like a giant in size and so developmentally advanced. It has made me realize how fast he went from being so tiny and dependable to becoming his own person. Soon, Molly will catch up to Vaughn (most definitely in size and weight) and they will laugh, play, fight and have each other to do many things together. We are so thankful for Molly and for our ever growing family!

9 Month Well Baby Appointment

It is that time again.

Vaughn's 9 month well baby appointment was scheduled for Tuesday, the 13th, but because of daddy's new job, we needed to squeeze it in before he quit his last job. Because of the change, we had to go see Dr. Prentice instead of Dr. Shepherd. Vaughn didn't seem to mind.

In the waiting room, Vaughn was the epitome of himself at this age...a total ham. His new thing is smiling while tilting his head back. He also loves staring at people until they look at him and blow with both of his lips causing him to spit and making a noise (so hard to type and describe). While we were waiting to be called, a teenager came in with his dad. Vaughn would not stop staring at them. As soon as they would pay attention to him, he would spit and make lots of noises. It was hilarious and oh, so Vaughn! After waiting for about five minutes, we were called back so the Medical Assistant could measure and weigh him.

Here are the stats:
Weight: 17.11 pounds; 10th percentile!!!
Length: 29 inches; 75th percentile
***Long and Chubby*** (well, a little more meat on him than ever before)
Head Circumference: 19 inches; 50th percentile
Physical Strength and Development: Right on target!

The doctor talked about giving Vaughn everything to eat but honey. I'm still going to wait to introduce things like peanut butter and citrus, but she said to try dairy. I was very excited but also nervous about this since he was so senstive to it. We'll see! She also checked his eyes, ears, strength, teeth and asked about his general development. I asked about his diaper rash that seems to never go away so she said most of it was actually dry skin with a little yeast infection. She prescribed him some cream for his "down there."

This was my very first time taking Vaughn to get shots all by myself. I warned the nurse about my phobia so I held Vaughn next to me so I could look away. After the first one, he looked up and started to cry really hard. I told him that we would both get through this together. He was probably thinking, "Mommy! You aren't going through this pain like I am. What do you mean, WE are going to get through this. I would say I am the one enduring this horrible, horrible pain..." Then, before I could finish my thoughts about what Vaughn was thinking, it was all done. The MA came back with his iron level results which came out normal. I nursed him in the car then we were on our way to Uncle Dusty's and Aunt Jamie's to spend time with Grammy before heading to the hospital.

Vaughn's next appointment will be when he turns 1! In only three months, Vaughn will be 1. Wow!

First cousin

Vaughn has a cousin! Her name is Molly Ann Thompson.

This past weekend, we spent Fourth of July and July 7th at Uncle Dusty and Aunt Jamie's house. Aunt Jamie was very large (with baby Molly in her tummy at 40 weeks gestation) and was ready to meet Miss Molly. The baby in her belly had another agenda, wanting to stay nice and comfy for a few more days. We had a great time with the soon-to-be parents, Jamie's sister, Shawna, and Grammy, mostly swimming in their pool. Vaughn, at one point, even thought Aunt Jamie's popped-out belly button was a nipple and tried to nurse....don't worry we caught that one on tape! We had great family time, but we could tell Aunt Jamie was really wanting to meet her little girl.

Today, Vaughn and I had a play date with Michelle and Christine, Lisa and Ryder, and Liz and Bella at Estrella Mountain Ranch Star pool. It was amazing! There's an entire fun "splash"ground perfect for the babies. While we were having fun in the water, Vaughn took a break to eat a peach so I got my phone to call daddy when I saw a message from Grammy that read, "Jamie's in labor. We're heading to the hospital." Aunt Jamie was in labor! Miss Molly is coming soon. I was so excited, I started to cry. I don't normally get emotional over things like this, but Molly will be my first niece and Vaughn's play buddy and friend for life. And my hormones are out of wack, so I was sobbing like a baby. Ha! Get it, like a baby...we were going to meet a baby. Okay, I'll stop! With all the excitement, we packed up our pool things and headed home (after calling Daddy first to tell him the good news).

Vaughn slept the whole way home in the car and was ready to sleep in his crib by the time we got home. I okayed it with Grammy to put Vaughn down for a nap before heading to North Scottsdale as she predicted it would be a while. Vaughn slept his normal two hours, I got a shower, packed up some snacks, toys, extra clothes and food, got Vaughn ready when he woke up, fed him and we all headed to the hospital.

Vaughn did quite well on the ride there. It was almost as he knew we were going somewhere exciting. He could feel it in the air! When we got to the hospital, Grammy came out to tell us Jamie was 5cm dilated and had a long while to go. Since she was having a natural birth, we stayed out in the waiting room so we weren't a distraction. We went down to the cafeteria and had dinner. Vaughn ate some frozen peaches. After we were done, all four of us went back upstairs anxiously waiting for Molly's arrival.

As it got later, Vaughn became more and more ENERGIZED. I was amazed. I was expecting him to fall asleep in my arms until we were able to go in or at least get super fussy. Instead, he was crazy baby. Either it was all the sugar in the peaches or he was just excited to have a cousin. Whichever it was, Vaughn was a squealing, laughing, climbing, happy, playing, wide-awake machine! There was another baby named Kai who was a few months older that he was squealing with. Kai was waiting for a baby cousin to be born, too.

At 9:05pm, Dave got a text from Grammy that said, Molly was born at 9:02pm. We were so excited to go see the new parents, and of course, the brand new beautiful baby girl.

About 45 minutes later, we got to go see Molly, Uncle Dusty and Aunt Jamie. They all looked so good. Aunt Jamie looked tired but the most beautiful she's ever looked. Dusty was beaming with pride and love for his baby girl. It was so amazing for us to be apart of their new family.

The stats: 9 pounds 13 ounces, 22 inches long, 14 inch head...GORGEOUS healthy baby girl with dark black hair, and chubby cheeks and thighs.

Vaughn was very interested in the crying baby. He kept trying to grab her. Somehow he was still awake and wasn't too fussy. We could tell that his eyes were very tired but his brain was telling him that he needed to be awake for something very important.

After spending a little time with our new family, we were ready to go home! Any other time, Vaughn would scream in the car from being over-tired. Instead, he did not cry one bit. We strapped him in his car seat and he was zonked out the entire way home.

We HEART Miss Molly Ann Thompson. What an amazing blessing!