I never realized

How great the drive-thru is.
The other day Jared and I were out running errands and it occurred to me how truly great the idea of a drive-thru is! We went to the Library and dropped our books off courtesy of the drive-thru and then we went to Walgreen's to pick up a prescription also courtesy of the drive-thru. It makes life so much easier when you have a baby and a heavy carseat. It seems silly to get out the stroller when you just want to drop something off and it is quite awkward to carry books and a carseat. It just made me really appreciate the drive-thru.
I also dropped off my first item of hazardous waste courtesy of a drive-thru. When we got home from Egypt Mark really wanted a flat screen for our computer instead of the big bulky ones. So back in the fall of 2008 we found one and since then we have had the old computer monitor either in our apartment somewhere or in the trunk of the car, since we bought the highlander in October it has been sitting in the "trunk" area. Well since we are driving home today (any minute now I am waiting for Mark to call and say I am on my way lets go!) we needed the space and really did not feel like putting it in the apartment. So I did some googling and phone calling and went and dropped it off. It was sort of weird because you pull up to this garage area that is totally deserted and then magically, the garage door opens even though there is no one in sight. So you pull up and as you pull all the way in they close the door behind you so you are in a garage/warehouse sort of thing with a garage door behind you and in front of you. A man came up with a full body suit and gloves and asked what I had and then they took it out of the back and I had to sign a paper saying that I swore that the items I dropped off were from my household and not a business. It felt like I was in a movie dropping off some stolen goods or materials to make bombs. But they were very friendly and it was free and convenient, Jared didn't even know we had done all those errands, he slept right through it all. We hope he will sleep most of the way home too. We are stopping in Vegas tonight to stay at Mark's Aunt's house and then off to California Saturday! Hooray!

The good, sad, and bad news

Jared went in for his 2 month check up today and is doing really well. His weight is now 11 pounds 4 ounces (43%) and his height is 24 inches (86%) so basically he is a lot like his dad, tall and skinny. Although he really does have a little belly (Jared that is). At first I was concerned about his weight because the percent seems so low but the pediatrician said to not worry, that Jared was pretty average in his weight and looks great. The sad news is that his pediatrician is leaving the clinic to join the Peace Corps. He and his family are leaving for Senegal and then Morocco after the New Year. While this is very admirable and exciting for him and I am sure they will have a great experience I am bummed that he won't be Jared's doctor anymore, I really liked him. Oh well. I asked him if there was another doctor from this clinic that has similar views as him and he told me the doctor that his kids go to. I am sure it will be fine.
Jared did have to get his first round of shots today and he did awesome! The first one was sort of funny because it was an oral shot and the nurse would squeeze some into his mouth and Jared would swallow it and then his whole body would shake, the nurse said it was the sugar in the shot. Then he had one in his right leg that I don't even think he noticed and then he got the last one in his left leg and he was not okay with it. But after a few minutes of crying he got over it. What a tough guy. So far he hasn't seemed more fussy at all. But we will see.
The bad news is that my eye is still so dark! It has been about a week and I can't wait for it to go away. It is starting to turn a lovely shade of yellow on the edges but is still nice and purple/red right under my eye. Oh well. Sooner or later it will go away.
And the other good news is that we are most likely leaving for California on Friday! there is a 30% chance of snow over Vail, CO but Mark thinks we can make it. We will stay in Las Vegas Friday night with Mark's Aunt and then drive on to Turlock Saturday. I am looking forward to seeing our families, taking long walks in the sunshine with Jared and Mark, (well it really has been very sunny here just not so warm) and eating In N Out Burger and frozen yogurt!

And the Winner is...

The Door Frame

Yesterday morning I came up close and personal with the door frame. I had finished feeding Jared and was walking back to put him to bed when I tripped on the ottoman of the gliding rocker (it was dark in the room) stumbled for 2 or 3 steps and then fell head and face first into the bathroom door frame. Luckily nothing happened to Jared but I have an awful black eye and had the worst headache yesterday. I guess this is injury number one that I will receive while raising this kid. Mark was still in bed, (the sound of my head hitting the door frame woke him up) and I am so thankful that he was home so he could hold Jared (who was not even crying, wasn't really phased at all) for me while I cried and put ice on my face.

The last time I remember getting a black eye was back in high school. I went miniature golfing with some friends and right near the beginning of the course a very good friend smacked her ball and it bounced off the wall of one of the structures and got me right in the eye. The funny thing is we continued to play and finished the whole course. I know she bought me a cold water bottle to put on my eye but I don't think it helped a lot.
I hope that this black eye gets better before we go home for Christmas. We actually have a few activities planned for this weekend (Christmas concert and ward dinner and I am going visiting teaching tomorrow) but I am not so sure I want to go out in public with it. It gets old having to tell the story over and over. Oh and we also have interviews with the Stake President on Sunday to renew our recommends, great.... oh well.

If you're happy and you know it...

SMILE!!

Jared has been smiling for a little while now and it is so adorable. Yesterday I finally got a really good picture of it. He is so fun. It is next to impossible to only kiss him once!

We have been having lots of Christmas fun. We bought our tree and decorated it, went to a Creche exhibit, watched A Charlie Brown's Christmas, drank Peppermint Chocolate Chip Milkshakes and Egg Nog, went to a Christmas party, sent out Christmas cards and have made Christmas sugar cookies and there is lots more to do! We hope you are enjoying the holidays too!

Cousins and Sisters

While Susanna and Ryan were here Susanna and I got some cute pictures of Lisa, Lyra, and Jared. I think that it is so fun that Jared will have Lyra, who is only 28 days older than him as a cousin and Lisa who is just 4 years older. I always wanted cousins my age when I was growing up. I thought it would be the funnest thing. I hope that Jared will get to see all his cousins (Cade and Cameron in California too!) as often as possible.

I think that they are both making great facial expressions here.
Lisa kept saying again and again that "Jared was the cutest baby in the whole world!" Who can argue with that?"

A beautiful day

The Friday after Thanksgiving was a gorgeous day here. Amazing blue skies and mid 60's so we (Mark, Jared and I and Susanna,Ryan, Lisa and Lyra) headed over to the Garden of the Gods which are an awesome red rock formation here in Colorado Springs. We have known that they are here forever but haven't gone over and are so happy that we did. It was great to be outside in the sunshine and do some walking after our delicious Thanksgiving meal the day before.
Now, I took Geology at BYU Idaho and pretty much hated the class and found my head bobbing almost everyday in there but seeing formations like this is much more exciting. I wish that my Geology class could have had weekly field trips or at least bi-weekly then I might have actually cared. Because seeing geology is way cooler than reading it on a power point. It ended up that I didn't even need to take the class in the long run but oh well. Its done. As we walked around I couldn't help feeling that we had somehow ended up in Southern Utah where you see all the famous red rock pictures. I haven't spent much time there but would really like to. One of these days.
My sister Susanna was also incredibly patient well, really everybody was because I wanted to get a good family picture for our Christmas cards and I can pose for pictures again and again with only making slight adjustments like moving my head forward an inch so its not in shadows. Thanks to the Terry's and Mark for being so accommodating.

Kissing Camels Formation





The Trail





The Terry's!

Oh Christmas Tree!

On Saturday we went out to find the perfect Christmas tree. This tree is very likely our last "live" tree for awhile. We often go home for Christmas and are not able to enjoy our tree for a third of the month of December so while we love the fresh scent of a "real" tree, and the fun of picking it out we should probably be more practical. So after Christmas we are going to see if we can find a nice artificial one on sale. Maybe when we are done having kids and they are old enough to enjoy the experience we will start going up into the mountains as a family and cutting one down. Until then, we did find THE perfect tree this year. As we started walking around the lot the seller came up to us and said that we should pick out a tree and then talk to him if we needed a lower price. So we found the tree and got it for 10 dollars less. Not our hardest bargaining attempt but it made us happy. I think having a newborn baby with us may have softened the guy up, Jared is already earning his keep.*

Underneath are all the Christmas books I checked out from the library yesterday. We like to read one Children's Christmas story each night before we go to bed. We buy one new book each year. I love traditions.

Now all we need to do is make some Christmas treats and send out Christmas cards. We'll be home for Christmas in 19 days!

* I had Jared weighed today and he is up to 10.74 pounds! I hadn't had him weighed for about 3 weeks and so the lady did the math and he had gained 19 ounces in 20 days which is basically perfect! He is supposed to be gaining an ounce a day and apparently he is. Such a super star. And he is an amazing sleeper! I don't know how he figured out that he should be sleeping for 7+ hours at night but he did and I think its awesome! He is so good to us! (I hope I didn't just jinx it...)

Happy Thanksgiving

Jared's first Thanksgiving!

We had a great Thanksgiving here. Lots of good food and good company. My sister Susanna came out with her family and we had fun visiting and eating. I cooked my first turkey ever and it turned out really well. Turkey bags are great! We had all the traditional foods and enjoyed our day.

The Turkey Before

And After

Our Feast

Lisa and the drumstick

I have so much to be thankful for!

*Mark = Love forever and then some!
*Jared
*Mark's job
*A nice home
*Strong Personal Testimony
*Nature
*Books
*Modern Conveniences
*Family and Friends
*Holidays

This list could go on and on and on!

I think that being grateful is one of the most important things in life to make you happy. I think its really important to express appreciation daily and to take time to think about all that we have. Its much nicer to think of what we do have then what we don't.

I AM THANKFUL!

To get you in the Holiday Spirit

One week till Christmas decorations! Stores are decorated and some radio stations are playing only Christmas carols and I am so excited. Over the summer Mark and I were shopping in a baby clothes store and Mark found this cute Christmas outfit. (Sometimes its so hard to walk by all the adorable little girl Christmas dresses!! But we will find the perfect outfit for Jared) He insisted that we buy it even though they only had it in a newborn size and it seems very unlikely that it will still fit Jared at Christmas time. So just to make sure it was documented we did a practice Christmas card photo shoot. We need to practice some more, we will see how long Mark can last having his picture taken in a similar pose over and over again.

"Dear Santa: I've been good all year! ask my mommy."

He has been so good all year. We got pregnant in January and my pregnancy was so easy and he has not disappointed us since getting here, he is such a sweetheart. We love him!

I think its great that Jared is sticking his tongue out and the outfit talks about him being good all year. What a great sense of humor this kid has.



Only 30 days till we'll be home for Christmas!
We tried a pajama picture but I don't like it enough to send out so we will try again, suggestions?

Look at that smile!

Last week Mark got his braces off! He got braces put on while we were in Egypt but waited a little too long to get them on so he still had them on when we came home. Once we got to Greeley he went to an orthodontist there and he took off the Egypt braces and put on new ones. Mark has had them on for about 27 months. Unfortunately in the process of taking off the cement and brackets the person taking them off chipped off some of the enamel on two of Mark's teeth so he has to go to the dentist and get it fixed. The orthodontist was very nice though and he called Mark personally and apologized and said that as soon as Mark got it corrected to please send him the bill and they would pay for it. So Mark's bottom teeth are a little sensitive but he is enjoying having his braces off, me too!!

Mark and Dr. Kloberdanz

One fabulous month later

October 14 2009

Its amazing that Jared has already been with us for one month. He is such a sweet baby and we are so glad that he is here in our family! I am really enjoying being a mom, it makes me so happy. I appreciate Mark working so hard so that I can stay home with Jared and I appreciate all of Mark's help with Jared when he is home. The first month has gone really well (and fast) and we look forward to all the ones to come. We are a happy family!

November 14 2009



Look at that tummy!



*I had Jared weighed on Tuesday and he was 9.4 pounds. He is growing so much! He is also becoming much more alert when he is awake. It's so fun.

Mail

I love getting mail! Having gone without real mail service for 2 1/2 years once upon a time in my life I really appreciate The United States Postal Office. I don't even mind the long lines that are often there or the fact that stamps increase in price every year it feels like. (Maybe I do mind that a little are they trying to make those of us who still try to send real mail stop?) Since Jared has joined our family we have been getting lots of fun cards and packages which makes me like the mail system even more. Well yesterday Jared and I went on a little walk (in the beautiful 60 degree sunny fall weather) and stopped to get the mail and we got the funniest letter in the mail. As you may recall about 6 weeks ago we got a letter in the mail from a local Toyota dealership expressing interest in our 2007 Corolla because they had a shortage on their lot. Well yesterday we got a letter in the mail from the same dealership expressing interest in our Toyota Highlander because they had a shortage on the lot and if we were interested we could bring it in and trade it in for a 2008 or 2009 model. I read it over and just burst out laughing and then shook my head at the ridiculousness of the letter. Hmmm, yes I would like to trade in the car that everyone wanted and that we just bought a month ago. Silly Silly Silly, that was a waste of a 44 cent stamp if you ask me. But it did give Mark and I a good laugh so that was nice.
Jared also got his first official piece of mail addressed to himself yesterday, his social security card came. It also made me laugh to see an envelope addressed to my 3 week old from an official government agency. So now we have 3 copies of his birth certificate and his Social Security Card so he is perfectly legit should anyone question him.

So again I love the mail it makes me happy, and sometimes it even makes me laugh.



And this made me laugh too, it looks like he is trying to scare us, BOO!



Just because he's adorable!

The weekend

On Friday I took Jared to his 2 week appointment and got the great and reassuring news that Jared is doing so good. He is up to 8.2 pounds and is 21 inches long. He did have an "accident" on the scale when the nurse asked me to take off his diaper to weigh him but other then that it was an uneventful appointment. I really like our pediatrician he is great. I was a little nervous about the drive over there because we had 2 snow days this week so the roads were pretty yucky Friday morning when I took him in. (Note to self, never schedule an appointment before 10:00 again! although we did get there 5 minutes early, yay for us!) It made me really happy that we had traded in the Corolla I just have very little bad road condition experience, growing up in California and all, I felt much more confident in our Highlander. It was fun to go to to the appointment and hear the Jared is doing so well. The Doctor said that since Jared showed no problem gaining weight to go ahead and let him sleep as long as he wants at night. So far he is a very regular 3- 3 1/2 hour kid but maybe he will go a little longer every now and then. Its just nice to know if he wants to sleep it won't be a problem. If I asked any lactation specialist she would never allow that!
What has been nice this week is that we had those 2 really cold snowy days and then Friday was sunny and 55 and all the snow melted! I am told this is the norm here and am really looking forward to the winter, Saturday was the most perfect fall day. We went to the store and got a stroller for Jared and went on our first family walk. Next week is supposed to be beautiful also so I hope to put the stroller to good use before it gets too cold. We were were going to wait to get one in the Spring but I think we will get some good use out of it before then. I do have to remind myself to take it easy though because going on the walk did make me a little sore and pretty tired but it was so nice to be outside and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. I think it was good for Jared too.

I just love the fall!!

We only got 2 trick or treaters last night but we also went over to some friends house to play games so who knows if more came. It was our first "night out" with Jared and it went well. It is strange to be the one who has to take a break in a game to feed their baby. I am glad we went out. I need to get out and just figure out how to do it. My mom got this cute outfit for Jared that had these cute little dinosaur feet so we put it on Jared yesterday as his costume.

2 weeks already!

Jared has been with us now for 2 weeks! Often it feels much longer and I have to remind myself that he is still so young. So far he has been such an easy baby. (well not that I have anything to compare him to but everything seems to be going really well) I often find myself worrying that one day I will wake up and my sweet good natured little boy will be a totally different kid but fortunately he seems pretty content. He rarely cries, mostly just when we are changing his diaper and easily sleeps for 3 hours at a time. I have to wake him up for every feeding and he could sleep much longer if I let him! Which sometimes I am tempted to do but I want to make sure he is eating enough. We really appreciate his thoughtfulness! The last 2 days have been extra nice because Mark's school has been canceled (I love snow days!!) so we have gotten to spend time cuddling and loving our little boy. I went to a breastfeeding support group the other day and had Jared weighed and he is up to 7.15 pounds. (Its so nice to be able to drive myself places again) I have been feeling pretty well. Still just trying to rest a lot and enjoy this time with Jared. Tomorrow he has his 2 week appointment with the pediatrician. I find myself really looking forward to his appointments so I can hear that he is doing well.
Here are some pictures of the little cutie! It turns out that taking good pictures of newborns is rather difficult!

My Mom got this outfit for him. I love it!
He is for sure the cutest pumpkin in the patch to us!

"He's Perfect"

So says the pediatrician we took Jared to this morning for his newborn checkup. He said Jared has great lungs and his heart sounds great. His weight is back up to 7.1 pounds; he was 6.13 when we left the hospital, and somehow his head is now 14 inches instead of 13.5 and he is 20.5 inches long instead of 20.

As we were leaving the hospital they gave us a little diaper bag that had all kinds of coupons and pamphlets in it. Inside one pamphlet there were horoscopes for the babies. Here is Jared's first horoscope.

LIBRA: September 24 - October 23

Baby Libra is a sweet and gentle, go-with-the-flow type of child who might even need waking when its time to eat. This born diplomat loves to communicate. From day one, he'll charm you and everyone else around- expect him to do well in baby groups and classes from early on. Try to surround your little Libra with vibrant colors. He's an artist who loves observing nature's beauty and listening to music. Enjoy your refined baby!

We thought this was a pretty good model pose with his hand behind his head.

He has been such a sweet, good natured baby. I love looking at him and realizing how perfect he is. While we were waiting to see the Doctor, Mark was holding Jared and I looked over at him and thought, "Oh my goodness! That is our baby, he is not holding someone else's child!" We are so happy that Jared is here with us.

*This oh so cute quilt is one that my sister made for Jared. She's so good! Thanks Susanna we love it!

25 hours later, Two became Three

He's here and he's adorable!

Jared Hyrum Spencer was born Wednesday, October 14 at 9:12 pm.
7 pounds 5 ounces, 20 inches long

Look at those feet! He totally got them from Mark.

As mentioned I went to the doctor Tuesday afternoon and she was worried that Preeclapsimia was setting in so she decided to induce me that night since he was supposed to be due on Friday. So we set out to the hospital and checked in at 8:00 Tuesday night. When I checked in all the nurses kept asking why I was being induced because the symptons were so slim so it seems like the doctor was just trying to prevent the onset of it which was A-OK by Mark and I because we just wanted him to come.

That night they started me on some medication to soften the cervix, then in the morning around 5:30 they started me on Pitocin and at 7:00 I got my epidural. (The new anestheseologist came on at 7:00 and since I knew I wanted one I was his first patient of the day) So I spent all of Wednesday laying in bed enjoying the relief of the epidural but not progressing much. I got to a 7 around 1:00 and then a 9 around 3:30 and then it all stopped. Finally around 5:30 I was basically a 10 so they decided to have me start pushing. As they were checking me it turned out that Jared was head down but he was OP or face up instead of face down which meant my chances of delivering him were pretty slim. They said I could keep pushing until it had been 3 hours but then they should start prepping me for a C- section. So I kept pushing but he wouldn't turn. Around 7:30 they turned off the Epidural to see if I could feel the contractions more and be able to push harder. Duh, of course I could feel them more but they only kept if off for like 30 minutes, and I was still fairly numb. Around 8:15 the Doctor came back and asked if I wanted to push for another 15 minutes to see if he moved or just start prepping for the C-section. We decided to start prepping because it seemed quite unlikely he would turn and honestly, I was a little bit tired.

So they wheeled me into the operating room to where I was suddenly listening to Kelly Clakrson (My Life Would Suck Without You, fitting) on the radio and feeling very far away. The extra medicine they put in you for a C section is really strong! So Jared was delivered at 9:12 and was nice and healthy. It appears everything went well and we are so happy that he is here.

I feel like I experienced all types of pregnancy/delivery options with Jared: inducing, contractions, (even at a 4 they are pretty strong) epidural, pushing, having the epidural turned off, and a C Section. Pretty inclusive. The 2 hour immediate recovery from a C Section is awful! I felt so out of control. But now three days later Jared is doing great and I am feeling almost human again. Mark was a big help and I am so thankful that he is so supportive. He and Jared seem to be getting along just fine. Jared and I are so lucky to have Mark with us.

Marmee, (my mom) arrived from California Friday. We are so happy she is here to help us for the next week.

THE SPENCER'S