Happy Gobble Gobble day to my little turkey...

It is Thanksgiving Eve and it is kinda crazy to think that it is already Thanksgiving and Christmas is just around the corner... this year has gone by so fast and has been by far the best year ever!

This year I have so much to be grateful for...

• A beautiful, amazing, happy little delight of a daughter that bring so much joy into my life... Baby Lusi is my everything I cannot imagine my life without her and am so blessed to have her as my daughter.
• A wonderful, loving, hardworking handsome husband who does so much for me and baby.  We've been married for a year and a half now and I still feel so lucky to call him mine... at times he annoys the crap out of me but I still could not live without him!  He is my other everything and I am so blessed to call him my eternal companion.  
• A supportive, helpful, and loving family who does so much for me.  Sisters who love Lusi so much and help out every day... especially Jenn who has been my baby sitter allowing me to work and know that baby is in good hands and being well taken care of.  Parents who still help us out and support us in so many ways, for giving Teki and I a place to live and helping us out with everything.  For in-laws that love us so much and do so much for us even though we don't get to see them all the time they still are willing to do anything to help us out.  And they have so much love for Baby Lusi!
• Great friends who are willing to be there for us no matter what.  And such loving people in our lives who have given so much to help out with baby Lusi.  It has been 7 months and we still haven't had to buy any diapers!  Not to mention the little girl has more clothes than I do!  I so grateful for loving friends and family who have given so much love and support. 
• Being able to have jobs in this economy.  Teki has been so blessed to be able to find a job when he moved up here after we got married, and was able to recently switch jobs without it affecting us financially.  I have been so blessed that my company decided not to move and I was able to go back to work and continue to help support our family.
• Having the gospel in my life.  I have always known what was right and have always tried to be the best I could, although at times I strayed I have always known where I want to be in life.  This year was so special because I was sealed to my Teki and Lusi in the temple.  I feel so lucky and blessed to know that we are an eternal family and that we will be together forever.  

Those are the biggest things that I am grateful for and I could go on and on about the little things, but I'll do it in less words: food, shelter, cars, a heater, money, washing machines, freedom, clothes, warm weather, sunshine, rainbows, fall leaves, health, good friends, scriptures, church callings, music, a warm bed, safety, entertainment, dish washers, my pump, phones, computers, happiness.... again I could go on and on but I will end there. 

Tonight is the first night that I will spend away from my Lusi. :(  She is spending the night with her daddy at her Grandma and Grandpa Nau's to spend Thanksgiving day with them while mommy works and then will come back and spend Thanksgiving afternoon and night with my family.  It is her first Thanksgiving and I cannot wait to spend it with my family(after I get off work).  And to stuff my face with all the food!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!  Count your many blessings and be grateful!

First Halloween...Quack Quack!

So I am a slacker at blogging but I just wanted to blog about Lusi's first Halloween.  So when we were trying to decide what Lusi would be for Halloween we had to choose between a monkey and a duck.  They were both super cute and we loved her as a monkey but we had to go with the lil duck... since Teki is the Duck we had to.  Plus the costume was so cute with the stripped tights!  After deciding on Lusi's costume we had to figure out what Teki and I would be.  So we wanted to keep the same theme going so I searched everywhere for a cow costume and found one finally at Saver's of all places.  Teki's costume was easy since he was going to be the farmer.  We were Old McDonald's farm family and it was so cute.

I was happy that Halloween was on a Monday since I have Monday's off so I got to spend the day with Lusi.  we decided we were going to go to the mall to go trick-or-treating and then go just around our block afterwards.  So we headed to the mall around 5, Jenn, Aj, Teki and I and we met up with our friend Laurie and her daughter Jada.  It was so much fun trick-or-treating at the mall just going from store to store.  I know Lusi didn't really understand what was going on but she had fun showing off how cute she it and getting candy for her mommy and daddy.  We made our rounds around the whole mall when we got kicked out because Jenn and Aj were mimes and apparently you cannot have full face paint in the mall.  Which is really stupid considering they didn't kick us out until we were already ready to leave.  Stupid mall cops.  Anyways on the way home we stopped to get some pizza and some candy to pass out to trick-or treaters.  By the time we got home Lusi was tried and hungry and ended up knocking out so we didn't make it around the block, but she did have a lot of fun at the mall and that was good enough for me.  It was such a fun day and I look forward to her getting older actually understanding the holidays and starting to share traditions as a family.

Half a year already!

Lusi turned 6 months yesterday!  I can't believe that it has actually been half a year, it is crazy how time flies by!  She is such a 'delight' (as Aunty Jenn likes to say) and brings so much joy and happiness into our home.  This past month Lusi has gone back into a bad sleeping pattern.  She was doing well sleeping through the night but the past few weeks she has been on her own schedule.  After going to bed around 9 or 10 she will randomly wake up at 1, 2, 3, or 4 depending on the night.  I should be grateful that she is only waking once but still I am missing my sleep!  We stopped her rice cereal about a week after her 5 months because her skin was kind of rough and pink and splotchy in some areas so we wanted  to see if it would clear up if we stopped the cereal and it did.  But we started back up about a week ago and the skin problems came back.  She has her 6 month check up tomorrow so we will have to check with the doctor and see what she says.  But she is doing just fine without the extra food, she loves the boob and she is pretty chunky just from the milk.  I want to keep breast feeding her until she turns 1.  I have got quite the stock of milk out in the freezer, so I may stop earlier and let her use up that supply till she's 1.  

The past week and a half have been exciting,  every day we are just waiting for her to crawl.  She gets up into the position and kind of rocks but she hasn't quite figured out what to do from there.  But she has that determined look on her face and I know it will be any day now that she starts crawling.  We should really start baby proofing the house because I know this little girl is going to be everywhere!  She already is such a wild child.  She cannot sit still she is constantly looking for something to grab or play with, she is also really nosy and always is trying to see what is going on everywhere!  When she gets excited she gets the biggest smile and it just melts my heart, she also will throw her hands down hitting herself in her thighs over and over, we call it her Haka.  She also will laugh and squeal in delight when shes happy or excited.  

Although she is not crawling she has found her ways to be mobile.  She started sitting unsupported the weekend after she turned 5 months.  Teki came back from a rugby tournament in Aspen and was surprised she was sitting on her own.  But she will start out sitting and then reach forward and somehow scoots or shimmies and rolls over ends up all over the place.  She had her first fall off the bed, under Aunty Jenn's care, :(  She was on the bed a safe distance from the edge, but decided to reach for the phone she saw near the edge.  She did her little shimmying and reached it but as she reached she started falling and unfortunately Aunty Jenn was about a second too late to catch her and she hit the ground.  Luckily she didn't fall face first off the bed but it was more of a side fall and her whole body hit at the same time.  She screamed but I think she was more just scared than hurt, because when I got home about 2 min later she was already done crying about it.  She is gonna be a tough lil girl!  Aunty Jenn felt really bad and almost started crying, I think she was more hurt than Lusi.  But there was nothing wrong with her and she is fine.

With all this moving around I have been waiting for her to roll over all the way and I don't know if she has done it before but today I witnessed it for the first time.  She has been able to roll from her back to her belly for awhile now but today she rolled from her belly to her back and at one point she did a full roll, belly to back then back to belly all at once.  I was a proud mommy!

She still loves to scream and talk and sing.  I love when she talks to me and all the little noises she makes.  I'm trying to teach her 'mama' before she says 'dada' but we'll see who wins that one.  Lol.

She has started to throw little fits if you take away something she is playing with or if you don't pick her up.  I don't want her to be a spoiled girl but I hate to hear her scream.  But I do try to distract her with other things so that she will forget about why she is screaming that way she isn't really getting her way.  But lets be honest... the girl is the Boss!  It is getting so fun to see her start developing her own personality and doing things on her own.  She is becoming such a big girl and it is just such a joy watching her grow.  

She is such a little chunk!  I'm not sure how much she weighs now but she is a lil fatty!  She has so many rolls and is so squishy!  I love her chunkyness!  She is so big I feel like she is like half of me, she definitely gives me a work out carrying her around!  

Teki had the opportunity to stay home with her for a couple weeks while he was transition between jobs.  He got to wake up with her and take care of her through out the day.  I was so glad he got this time to bond with her because he didn't get to stay home with her for 12 weeks like I did, he was back to work the 3 days after she was born.  He is such a good daddy and does such a good job with her.  He helps out a lot and lets me get rest when I need it.  He always takes her on walks and is the best at getting her to fall asleep, must be those big arms he has that she just can fall asleep so easily.  I am so grateful that he is such an amazing daddy and husband! 

I still can't believe it has been 6 months!  It has been a lot of work but again I wouldn't change a thing!  She is the sweetest thing and brings so much love into our family!

Update...

So rewind like 6 months and I was kind of freaking out about my job... the company was planning on relocating about an hour away.  Not only that it was coming at a really bad time, during my maternity leave.  Well the plan was for the company to move July 18th or somewhere around that date.  My maternity leave ended July 6th.  My plan was I was just going to go back for the two weeks get in some hours and then just stay home with Lusi.  Well we were getting ready to leave to Montana for our 4th of July vacation and my sister Mele who works there also, came home from work and told me that they had a meeting and announced they wouldn't be moving until October 1st.  So it was a happy/sad moment.  I was getting excited that I was going to be a stay at home mom, but I also knew that if I could work that I should.  So I decided that I would go back even if it would just be for a few months.  Then around the end of July, another meeting, another announcement... They were no longer moving at all!  I was happy that I had my job security back and I didn't have to worry anymore about what we were going to do or how we were going to pay our bills, and most importantly we were going to keep our health insurance for lil Lusi.  It was very emotional and a lot of stress worrying about what we were going to do when I first got the news, I was so overwhelmed with how everything was going to work out... and now it has and I feel so blessed that I am able to work and that my wonderful husband is able to work and we both can provide for our family. 

In other news Teki has made some job changes,  he quit his job at SkyChef and has gotten hired on at Delta!  He starts up in a couple weeks and he has also started at my job, Youth Care.  So we are excited for these changes and new opportunities.  But I think I am most excited for flight benefits!!!  I'm so ready to do some traveling!

5 months!...

Today is Lusi's 5 month birthday!  I can't believe how fast these months have gone by.  I never believed when people would say, "enjoy it cause they grow up so fast"... but really they grow up soo fast!  I can't believe how big my little Lusi is and how much she is learning.  She now weighs around 16lbs and is 29in long.  She is learning to sit up on her own and will sit for a little bit before she throws her balance off and falls over... but sometimes she catches herself with an arm and can steady herself before face planting it.  She's been able to roll over from her back to her belly for over a month now but we are still working on getting her to roll back, from belly to back.  She is such a fast learner, and strong.  She is working on using her arms more in tummy time and after about 2 days of practicing she was able to lift her chest off the ground.  She now gets into the crawling position but doesn't know what to do from there.  She does a little squirming around and can go backwards and around in a circle.

 

Her legs are very strong and has been able to stand supported since she was a new born.  She loves to be held standing in your lap or on the floor and has even practiced walking... with help of course.  She has such chunky little legs, and lots of rolls, and squishy little cheeks!  Her hair is getting so long and the other day we did her first pony tail.

 

  

She loves outside and going for walks, she goes on daily walks, plus it helps her fall asleep.  We've taken her on a few hikes and she seems to enjoy all the different things to look at.  She hates taking naps and has pretty much since the first month.  She will only nap in her stroller, on someone, and occasionally will actually put herself to sleep after playing.  She usually takes a bunch of short naps through out the day rather than a big one, which does make it hard sometimes for us watching her to get anything done.

She started eating baby cereal on her 4 month birthday and continues to like it.  She has gotten really good with eating using a spoon, we are now getting her used to drinking from a cup.  She loves bananas!  But they did cause a little bit of a rash so we are gonna wait a while longer before we start that up again.

She is such a little talker, and she is loud!  She likes to scream, not just when she's mad but when she is really excited and even just in normal talking.  She is such a happy baby and has the sweetest smile.  I love all her little faces and just watching her personality develop.

I will admit it hasn't always been easy and fun, but it has definitely worth it!  Lusi is our world and I wouldn't change anything... in fact I don't know how we lived without her!  She has brought Teki and I so much closer as a couple and family.  I am so grateful that we have had this opportunity to be parents and I just love my little eternal family so much!

Happy 5 Month Birthday Lusi!  We Love You!!

My Model Husband...

Sitting at work the other day and I get a picture text...

I'm a model! Lol

 

 

I just sat and laughed to myself... then responded... "Dang I'm lucky!" 
I know it was all just kind of funny but really I feel so lucky to have such a "Model" husband.  He is such a hard worker, he's talented, handsome, he loves me and baby unconditionally, he make me so happy and is everything I ever wanted.   Thank you husband for all you do for me and our little family!  I couldn't ask for anything more!  I love you!

Summer Time...

So it has been so long since my last blog, I feel like such a slacker, but it is hard to get around to it with work and baby and everything else going on.  So here will be a big long update of everything we've been up to since baby Lusi came along.

Lusi is now 3 1/2 months!  I cannot believe how fast these past months have gone by and how big our baby has gotten.

She is growing so fast and changing so much every day!  She has brought so much joy and happiness to our lives I don't know how we ever lived without her!
Lusi's first holiday was Easter, we didn't really do anything and since she was only 9 days old she was really too little for anything, so we just went to church for the first time as a family and that was good enough for me.

Next was my very first Mother's Day!  It was so nice to celebrate a Mother's day where I didn't have to do anything!  I finally got to be spoiled!

 

 My sisters both decided to move home in May when Lusi was 1 month old.  They were so excited to finally meet baby and baby was happy to finally get to meet her aunties! 

Lusi was blessed on June 5th.  Teki did such a good job with her blessing and I was so happy that I have a worthy husband who was able to bless her.  Lots of family was able to come for the blessing and we had a small eating at the house after church.

The next weekend on June 11th was Teki and I's 1 year anniversary.  What better way to celebrate than by making our marriage and family eternal!  We were sealed for all time and eternity in the Mount Timpanogos Temple.  The best part was being sealed to our little angel!  It was the most amazing experience and we got to share it with our families!

We had a family reunion for the Salakielu side on June 16-18.  It was kind of small but it was still nice to see some of the family that we don't always get to see.  And Lusi loved meeting her aunties and cousins.  On June 22 Lusi had her 2 month doctor appointment.  She weighed in at 12 lbs 4 oz!  She also had to get 3 shots, 2 in one leg and one in the other... this is her crying about it.  Later that night she had her first Girls Night In.  We all had a fun time and Lusi loved meeting all her new friends.  She also got her very first pedicure that night!  We gave her little monster yellow and green because she is a little monster!

On July 1st we took a road trip up to Choteau, Montana to visit my grandparents for the Forth of July.  This was Lusi's first road trip, and she did not enjoy it at all!  It was about an 8 hr drive and she screamed most of the time!  But we made it and she got to meet even more new aunties, uncles and cousins.  Best of all she got to meet her Great Grandma and Grandpa Nordhagen.  This was also Teki's first time visiting Montana and we all had a great time celebrating the 4th and spending time together on our first family vacation. 

Once we got back from Montana, I had to go back to work the next day.  I wasn't too happy about this and was really sad to have to leave my princess.  But I knew she would be in good hands with Aunty Jenn, who has become Lusi's new babysitter.  She watches her everyday that I work, I feel so lucky that I am able to have someone that I trust watch Lusi. 

I can't believe it is already August and Lusi is almost 4 months old.  I swear this has been the fastest four months ever! If only the last 4 months of my pregnancy felt like it went by this quick!  I will start to get better with my blogs and try to stay up to date with everything going on in our crazy lives.  Until next time...