St. George Vacation

With moving coming close, we decided to take a trip with our friends Matt & Sierra to St. George to stay in Grandma and Grandpa Kynaston's Condo. We had such a blast! We really needed to get out and have a break and it was exactly what we needed.

We swam with Tai for the first time. My little pasty gangsta had to have tons of sunscreen, plus a swimming shirt, plus a floatie with a cover. So funny. He totally loved it though.

We had tons of fun BBQ-ing and just getting out of Cedar!!

His Pool Float.

Oversized Swim Diapers!

Cute Suit!

Swimming with mom.

Pool Time With Dad (Colton went to this pool when he was a baby too!)

Laying out, trying not to be so pasty! Haha.

Sophie The Giraffe

When we first had Tai, I really wanted to get him a couple of things that were just from US. I feel like when you are a new parent with not a lot of money, you feel like your child is missing out on all the nicer things. This might not be necessarily true, and we had a lot of help from people who gave us amazing stuff. However, I think that it is SO important to get your child a few things that you just love-even if they aren't necessities. 

For us, this was a Tapout sweatsuit ($30.00 for a baby outift? Yikes!) and Sofie the Giraffe (About 22.00 at baby stores.) These were definitely WAY more than I would ever pay for an outfit (even for myself) or for a toy-but it made me happy to have a couple special "things" that we could give him. And okay. I'm still cheap and used coupons and discounts off of those prices, haha.

I was first introduced to Sophie when my cousin's baby Olive was playing with this handheld teether-and loving it. It was the weirdest feeling rubber ever-and no adult could keep their hands off of it-I knew we had to get Tai one.

When we went to buy her (at BUY BUY Baby) there were all sorts of Sophie toys, all overpriced. They were floor to ceiling-for the bath, sleep and crib, you name it.There was even a blanket gift set that was like 130 bucks or something-Colton said "that blanket better be made of gold." I mean $22 bucks for a rubber toy? Dog toy's are like $2. No my child is not a dog, i'm just saying.

They also had non-Sophie toys made out of the same stuff from the same company for the unique parent-like this super creepy mushroom thing:

(They call it a Chan Pie Gnon?-Like I said, not English. It is advertised on the box as "We are the Chan Pie Gnon's." Totally creepy.)

Anyways, Sophie the Giraffe, if you haven't heard of her, is like this giant  rubber, basically-a-dog-toy, OBNOXIOUSLY squeeky giraffe. "The Worlds Best Teething Toy. She (you have to call her SHE) is made of some unique material (aka rubber), I wouldn't know because all the information about her was in French. (That whole, "i'm big in Europe" thing=Sophie.)

She's one of those toy's all the celebrities have. (Pictured  is Nicole Richie-Madden, and her daughter Harlow. I only add this because I am completely obsessed with her husband Joel. Moving on.)

Anyways: In doing some research on Sophie tonight, out of pure boredom, I discovered: you can actually buy Sophie a LEASH. So if baby drops it, it doesn't get dirty. I mean, sure, the leash is weird and takes up half the Giraffe's body-but it's an option... I like options.

They also offer a giant creepy glowing Giraffe head. Ahem.

She also has a play house (yes, she now replaces Barbie dolls,) a learning cube, a discovery blanket..the overprices list goes on...and on. I shouldn't be talking though, I did buy one after all.

Pro's & Con's

Pros: I think babies like it because it's fairly large and has lots of legs/limbs/neck that they can manipulate and wrap their little hands around. The legs are long so they can use them to teeth in the back of their mouth. The rubber is really unique-you honestly want to put it in your mouth because it does feel cool-and you can understand why they love it so much. Also it advertised advantages are: BPA Free, non-toxic, hand-painted (uh?) and optional English translation. Yes, guys, this is an ADVANTAGE.

Cons: It get's dirty really easy-because it's made of rubber and the wetness+baby hands+dirt+NO adult can leave the damn thing alone because the rubber feels cool. Also, my child constantly smells like rubber.  Yummy. I've also heard babies gag themselves with the legs, Tai hasn't done that yet. I would also call the obnoxious squeeking a CON. When kids are gnawing and it is screeching over and over you want to throw  the thing. I can also promise you the man in your life will find a way to make the noise more annoying by shaking/flicking/obsessively smacking it.***UPDATE: Don't put Sophie in water, it's impossible to get out and she will sound like an dying animal before she completely stops making sounds all together. Maybe that's a Pro. I would say this is bad craftsmanship on their part as it gets so dirty you need to wash the thing.

Despite all of this, my 3 month old is obsessed. Sleeps with it at night obsessed.

Enjoy.

Breastfeeding Panic!

We went up to my parents this weekends to tie up a few loose ends (more to come on that.) We were so incredibly busy, it was insane. Colton personally goes nuts in Heber- we walk around and I know EVERYBODY and he just thinks its crazy. It baffles him that I can run into so many people I know in one place.

(Big city peeps-who needs em!)

Anyways-when we packed up
my breast pump up, somehow a part broke. In THREE places. What the?!? I don't know if it was the temperature of the car and the plastic was brittle or what, but it was DESTROYED.

I discovered this first thing this morning. The Tube adapter Is a tiny plastic piece that holds the tubes in, and it's smaller than a penny-yet the whole thing is useless without it. So I had a major panic. I'm to the point where I pump every 12 hours and pump enough to last the whole day. The upside is less pumping. The downside is that if something goes wrong-like what happened this morning-I'm so engorged that I'm basically screwed. Tai can't eat that much and so I'm in pain.

So I was calling hospitals and stores and everyone in between trying to find a part. Sure, Ameda, the pump maker, can send you one in a week, but meanwhile my child:

A. Starves
B. Screams his head odd refusing to
latch.
C. Starts formula, for a dumb reason.
D. I lose my milk.

Gahhhhhhh.

While I was making these calls, trying to stay away from Tai who was laying in his Boppy pillow screaming his head off. He got so angry that he wiggled off his pillow, kicked it off the couch and then flung himself off.

I walked in to him on the floor PISSED. No tears, just screaming bloody murder.

Suicidal baby alert.

Before you criticize me, I was on the phone for 26 seconds. Tai cannot roll nor has he ever even moved an inch of a flat surface. He pulled a freaking Houdini.

Regardless I felt horrible. We sat and fought each other over latching and the nipple guard, I called my mother in law panicked, and I was ten minutes away from making Colton come home and take me to the store to buy a new pump. $300 bucks, goodbye.

(This was tempting. I use it 2-4 times a day, 25 times a week, 100 times a month and at least 500 times since he was born. They have some amazing small portable ones that I drool over. Aka: the Medela Freestyle. I totalIy go Napolean Dynamite with that thing. In other words. " I want that.")

Pump envy. It's a disease.

ANYWAYS. This all didn't happen because Tai latched after he got too hungry to fight me, my mother in law found that dang little piece at a specialized baby store, and it is now on its way to Cedar City. Good heck.

So I am dependent on a machine. Whatever.

You may now view the culprit of my panic, and also, my dream pump.

PLEASE HELP US WIN!

You Guys!

We are running against 15 couples to win a great wedding package!

When I Say Great I Mean It's Worth Over 3 Grand.

We NEED your help, your mom's help, your sister's help: HELP.

It is sooooooooo easy.

All you have to do is like the AK Studio & Design Page.

(You HAVE to like it or your vote doesn't count.)

Then click on the Big Red "W"

And then BOOM=Click on the pretty little words
"Mary & Colton"

(And don't those words go nicely together?)

We think so!

That's why we're getting maaaaaaarrrrrriiiiiiieeeeeeeeeedddddddd.

Click ME! Help Us Tie The KNOT.

If you are new to our story our journey started here :)

Contests And Such!

I Know That Facebook Contests Get Totally Annoying :)

BUT.

Colton and I are finalists to win a photography package!
A package that is worth over $2300 dollars.

 And  we could really use your help! If we win, it will mean we can afford to have our wedding in just 3 SHORT MONTHS.


Which, if you have been following us, you know is a HUGE deal. Massive.

So if you have it in your heart to vote for us, and maybe even encourage a few friends to vote for us too (you know, the best friends who will do anything to help you and are sitting on Facebook and have two seconds on their hands.) PLEASE DO IT.

This literally will change our lives, and it is just two clicks.


Please, Please, Please, Please, Please!

And

Thank you :)

The link is on the newest post! Sorry the contest hadn't officially begun when I wrote this!

Housekeeping and Baby Updates

It's 8:30 on a Wednesday night. The house is spotless, laundry is done and sink is clean. I sent Colton off to work with a full stomach-mashed potatoes and chicken fried steak.

MaTai is in his swing fast asleep about two feet away from me, And I am enjoying a hot relaxing bath with my iPhone. If you are judging me, you are obviously not the mother of an infant. So I don't care.

Our house has been a lot more organized lately. The house stays spotless, which I love. Colton comes home and does his chore list before going to the gym-and having a spotless kitchen motivates me to cook. So it's been working out really well.

Part of the reason is we invested in a 4 bag laundry sorter. So when clothes are dirty they go directly into their color pile. Any clean clothes go into a fifth basket-which keeps them off the floor/bed/couch/wherever Colton sheds them. It also motivates him to wear clothes longer-since it's just as convenient to put them in a clean basket as a dirty one. Every two days his job is to hang them up. It's been amazingly clean and less laundry. Plus when I see a basket is full of say, darks, I send it down with him and don't have to worry about if there is enough for a load or his sorting abilities. That way we don't end up with 8 loads at once because it piles up. Im lovin it.

Tai also has a spray and wash station-I keep the spray by his changing station so all Colton has to do is spray and throw it in Tai's laundry basket. Life simplified.

Tai is 3 months old and has become really fun lately. He responds to my voice and will look directly at me if I call him. He sucks on his hands viciously-and is constantly covered in drool. He is learning to grab his own bottle-and recognizes it when I put it in front of him. He is even at the point where he tries lifting his body to sit. He is becoming very vocal, and will make noises when I talk to him-or at least mimic my mouth movements. He is starting to enjoy toys, like his play gym and his jumper. He is a clinger. If he is napping he has to hold my hand or be against me, and then he is perfectly content.

We love him and are loving every new stage (even if I miss the limp cuddly stage.) :(

A few pictures of our mad house :)

Falling asleep in moms laundry.

The drooling has started,,,and he is getting so big!

The classic pouty lip.

Officially asleep in the warm laundry.

Starting to hold his own bottle.

Mom and Tai snuggling.

Money money money

Colton and I went ring shopping today after work. It was completely depressing. I want a ring sooo badly for my birthday, but it is really not in the budget. The frustrating thing is, I would be fine with a small diamond and a small band. Super tiny and easy.

Well we will find a ring, and then by the time we get it sized and priced it goes up 400 dollars. My 900 dollar ring was 1530 after sizing. Ugh.

Apparently gold is so expensive and my hobbit fingers are so wide, that it costs hundreds extra to put a ring on it.

We have finally decided on a date, and I am so so excited, but that won't be announced until we are "officially" engaged-which won't happen until we can afford a ring.

We both are ready to get married, but again, it's all about budget constraints. Since we are "out on our own," I don't think it's traditional for parents to help with wedding costs. So that makes things even harder, but I'm trying the best I can.

Every time we get extra money, it seems like it immediately disappears.

I got our auto insurance lowered by a hundred dollars, and then Colton got a ticket 5 hours later.

I cried. I literally couldn't look at him for hours after that.

That was 2 years of a perfect record down the drain for going 5 miles over. I was so furious with him-especially since right before he left I said "DO NOT SPEED, it is the end of the month and cops are out!" We were one month away from having our policy drop another $500.00

Its a full time job making our budget stretch.

I know I could work, and I have applied in several places, but I would worry about how much attention Tai was getting. I would never leave him in daycare. I just can't sacrifice my babies upbringing to have more "things."

Obviously I get frustrated. But I love him dearly and I know he does the best he can. Even if I just want to shake him.

They are so alike...haha.