Trip Back Home (July 16th - 20th)

We usually get the opportunity to take a trip back east to Massachusetts about once a year. Our reason this year (which has been the reason the past two years) was for a friend's wedding (a separate entry devoted entirely to that wedding will be posted later). However, we also used the trip home as a chance to catch up with family and other friends. Fortunately, my sister, Elaine was also able to coincide her trip home with mine and our daughters had the chance to hang out again.

We stayed here, at my parents house:
My brother, Chris has been taking care of the house since my parents moved to Japan to take care of my grandfather. He's been doing a really good job, making improvements here and there (we were very thankful for the AC in our guest room). And all my mom's flower gardens don't look half bad either. If only we could do something about the color of the house...

When we arrived on Thursday night, Elaine had already been in town for a couple of days so she and Mike whipped up a delicious meal of black bean burgers, watermelon, corn on the cob, and grilled asparagus. It was a little overcast that day but the weather outside was delightful so we ate dinner on the deck.

Lucy enjoyed the time she had hanging out with her big cousin and DC Aunt and Uncle. Maya is so big compared to Lucy. I forget that she doesn't even fit in an infant car seat anymore - she's using a forward facing toddler seat. She loves to click buckles together and enjoyed doing that to Lucy. Thank goodness Elaine found an extra car seat on Craigslist to keep at my parents' house so we didn't have to lug our giant one to and from Utah and Mass.

Friday for us was pretty quiet (at least during the day) as Elaine & Mike were visiting his family all day and Chris was at work. But it was nice to have the day to rest up before the wedding and let Lucy get in some good naps before the chaos of night.

The next day, Saturday, we made a quick trip up to Maine with Chris and met Elaine, Mike , & Maya there for a visit with Grammie Erma, Aunt Deanne, and Uncle Tom. This was Lucy's first time meeting extended family on my dad's side (and first time in Maine which had beautiful summer weather).

Grammie got to meet her newest great-grandchild. I have no idea how many there are in the family now - 9? It was interesting talking to Grammie and hearing about why she formula-fed all five of her babies (there were so many visitors, she didn't want to bother with the hassle of nursing - it was easier to give a bottle). But perhaps then, they didn't have the rad nursing covers that we use now that makes it so much easier when people are around.


Aunt Deanne and Uncle Tom got in on the Lucy action as well. They are already grandparents several times over but that didn't stop them from enjoying their newest niece.

On the way home from Maine, I had Chris drop Brandon and I off at Laura's parent's home in Newcastle, NH. We've been there before but this time, the boys were fishing off the dock in the backyard which is up against the water and caught our dinner of these huge striper bass. Pictures were taken but I didn't get any. Laura's husband Lee cooked them up and they were delicious. There is nothing so satisfying as catching your dinner in your backyard within hours of eating it.

On Sunday, my best friend from UConn (for the short time that I went there), Kim and her husband Jonn stopped by on their way home to Connecticut from Maine. I missed their wedding this May due to the birth of Lucy so it was good to see them as newlyweds for the first time. We were having so much fun catching up, I didn't even bother to take pictures. I know that Kim did but they were mostly of Lucy (as if I don't have enough of those on this blog already). Kim is one of those friends that I'm lucky if I get to see her once a year but when we do get together, it's like we just start right back up where we left off. Actually, all my friends from back home are like that. But Kim may as well be an honorary Sturgis sister - even my dad gets her mixed up with me when she's around (she's half-Korean so we share a similar "look"). We headed over the the Qualters for a barbeque lunch and then Kim and Jonn headed back to Connecticut.

Monday was pretty mellow as we just hung out with Elaine and Maya and packed up to head back to Utah. Elaine had just purchased some fabulous Hello Kitty band-aids for Maya which she was eager to use...on Lucy:
Since the band-aid on Lucy's head was stuck to her hair, we just didn't even bother to take it off. We figured it would come off on its own...eventually.

We had a quick lunch at Chili's with Chris during his lunch break where he got to say goodbye to his newest niece:
Brandon got a huge kick out of this restaurant next to Chili's. Apparently, The Chateau has food as bad as its name.


And here we are at the end of our trip, departing our plane, bandaid intact. By the way, Lucy did great on the plane - she was mostly a little fussy cause it was hard for her to get comfortable to sleep for a nap. But for the most part, people commented on what a good baby she was. Let's hope it's the same for that 11 hour flight to Japan in a couple of weeks. This was just the practice run.

Happy 5-Year Anniversary!

I can't believe it was five years ago that this happened:
Five years ago today, Brandon and I were married here:

The Boston LDS Temple.

It was a beautiful, small wedding and it's hard to believe that I was just 20 years old. Since then, we have had many adventures together and it has culminated in the birth of our beautiful daughter, Lucy this year. And although it seems like Lucy is the center of our lives at this moment, I think that it is always important to remember that Brandon will always be my first love, and my first priority. Because Lucy (and subsequent children) will grow up and move out but Brandon will be with me forever.

So here is a little trip down memory lane in pictures of some of the fun times so far (and many hairstyles):
I am not sure what year this was - maybe spring of 2005. But that is us in front of the St. George LDS Temple on a visit to Grandma and Grandpa Thompson.


This was summer of 2005? on a hike down the Narrows at Zions National Park with Emily, Jared, and Chris. That was pretty awesome and exhausting. We'd like to do Subway someday...And I love that my husband looks hot in a beard (although it's intolerable to kiss).


This must be in winter of 2006/2007 because I had shaved my head the summer of 2006 and it was pretty short still. And Brandon totally loved my bald head as much as he loves my current flowing locks (which I am pretty tempted to chop off again).


Spring of 2007, we took an incredible family trip to Japan. It was Brandon's first time and I was more than happy to have someone to share one of my greatest passions with. We're looking forward to going again in just two weeks!

One of our many trips back to Mass for Laura's wedding in September of 2007. Brandon was really great in helping me to prepare for the song I had to sing there and we had so much fun dancing at this wedding. Dancing lessons is one of those things that is on our list of things to do so we can really cut a rug at the next wedding.


This was at a friend's wedding here in Utah in spring 2008, I think. I just love what a handsome husband I have.


This is one of the many hikes we've done together in spring 2008. I'm glad that I have a husband who is the same amount of active (and the same amount of lazy) as me. It works really well.


The above three pictures are from the spring of 2008, when we took the most relaxing trip to a spa in St. George and went on these incredible hikes every morning. This is the only vacation we have ever taken by ourselves (all the rest have been family vacations or visiting family). We're really hoping to do more vacations like this (with just us) in the future.


This is at another friend's wedding the summer of 2008. I was glad we could be somewhat color coordinated even though Brandon hates it when I intentionally try to match him to me.


Brandon was incredibly supportive of me when I played indoor soccer for my work the summer of 2008 and came to all my games (which we won the championship). I never even scored a goal but he always told me how awesome I was after every single game. By the last game, we had just found out I was pregnant with Lucy.


Yet another hike (which was pretty intense) in December of 2008 when I was 5 months pregnant. I was a big whiner but Brandon pushed me along and the view at the end was worth it.

I'm just really grateful that I have such a wonderful husband...that after fives years, we've grown closer together and not further apart. Our personalities are quite complimentary and he is a fabulous father to our daughter. I don't think I could have asked for anything more.

Milestones and Four Month Check-Up

I can't believe how much a little baby can grow and develop in a matter of a couple months. In the past couple weeks, Lucy has started to roll over, bat and grab at her toys, and laugh out loud when we kiss her neck. She is so social and loves people and we often hear people say, "She likes me!" because she is constantly smiling at them. We don't have the heart to tell those people that she does that to everyone, and it's not just a singular honor bestowed on them. But lucky Brandon and I get to experience the smiles, coos, and giggles everyday.

Here are the stats for her four-month check-up:
Height: 25 1/2 inches (85th percentile)
Weight: 11 lbs 14 oz (15th percentile)
Head Circumference: 40 3/4 cm (50th percentile)

Her height is a little above the curve she is following and her weight is a little below it but all in all, her pediatrician says she's moving right along where she should be. She also said that Lucy was ahead of the curve in terms of physical development because most 4-month old babies have not yet mastered turning over and Lucy has been doing it for a couple weeks now.

So she's also ready to be introduced to other foods besides breastmilk so we have the okay on water, juice, (in very small amounts) and rice cereal for now. She still doesn't take the bottle very well but maybe she will with a little juice or maybe we'll skip straight to a sippy cup at 6 months. Either way, Brandon and I need to get out on a date.

In honor of the four month check-up, I thought I should also get Lucy's picture taken (but mostly cause I had a coupon to JC Penny's Portrait Studio from Parents magazine). So here she is, already 4 months old:

So this is the only picture I decided to order. I arrived at our appointment exactly on time but the portrait studio was running late. Lucy woke up from her nap right when her appointment was supposed to be and was giving me the biggest smiles ever but after 20 minutes of this, she got hungry and a little fussy so it was really hard to capture a good picture.

This one came in second place but I wasn't crazy with how her jumper was all scrunched up. I'm surprised that she didn't fall over in these ones. I think her hand placement is funny too - she did that herself.


I thought that this picture was hilarious cause it looks like she's giving the finger. I said that to the lady there and she's just like, "Wr can crop that out." And I was like, "No, that's what makes the picture so funny - a four-month old flippin the bird!"

This might have been the most frustrating pose - my arms were so tired and I think that it looks stupid to have just my hands in the picture. But her face is pretty adorable...


But as cute as these pictures are, it just doesn't match the real thing. I had two people stop me in the store and tell me, "She is beautiful! And she is such a good baby too!" A little too good because she gave her mom plenty of time to go shopping and spend a little too much money.

But I'll probably go every month just because it is so cheap with the coupons (free sitting fee, free 8x10, then $3.99 for each additional sheet) and convenient. It doesn't cover these fancy photoshopped pictures which I think are cheesy anyway (but also adorable at the same time). I spent the extra $4.99 to have access to these all digitally just so I could save them to my computer and post them on my blog (but they're too low resolution to print and you can't really see the words on the pictures below).


Sometime, I'll have to set up a photoshoot with Brandon's brother Damian for some family pictures cause I think that he could take better ones than a studio (meaning a little less posed and more natural), it would be cheaper, and we could really take our time. But for now, with everyone being so busy, these will do.

Vomit - Fever - Urgent Care

So last night, we had our first visit to Urgent Care for Lucy. Surprisingly, I wasn't stressed out about it at all. Probably because we were being pretty cautious and Lucy wasn't super sick - just sick enough for us to be concerned. Yesterday afternoon, Lucy was sleeping a lot and we assumed it was because she fell asleep in her infant bouncy seat and we had some classical music going. And you know, it seems like everyday, her patterns can change depending on the situation. But with her late afternoon and early evening feeding, she didn't seem to eat quite as much as she usually does and was pretty sleepy. She started to get a little fussy, so Brandon burped her and she did this giant spit up on his shoulder that leaked all the way down his collar (he wasn't using a burp cloth but probably won't make that mistake again). Lucy is not a big spit-upper but again, it didn't seem that out of the ordinary for babies in general. And then as I held her in my lap, with her sitting upright against my stomach and looking out, she did these two giant vomits, one right after another. I mean, the spit up was probably several tablespoons, but the vomit was several ounces - enough to soak the front of her onesie, a burp cloth, and a good portion of my pants and the couch underneath it. The vomit wasn't projectile but it was still very surprising. And then she started to get fussy - not her normal tired or hungry fussy. We assumed that this was her sick fussy and she just wanted to be held and was in and out of sleep. It's so sad seeing your baby sick! Then we took her temperature and it was around 101 degrees. We put a call in to the pediatrician and he said that we could probably bring her in to the emergency room if things didn't improve within half an hour. So just to be safe, we headed for Urgent Care.

Fortunately, no one was there so we were immediately seen. But funny thing is, as soon as we get there (which was timed right around her late evening feeding) she was all awake and alert and smiling and then started showing her hunger cues. So appetite and alertness came right back and it was as if nothing had happened at all. But hey, better to be safe than sorry. We figured it was better to go at 8:00 in the evening than midnight or later if things got worse. The doctor told us we should get a rectal thermometer instead of the armpit thermometer we were using for a more accurate reading and that we really didn't need to go to the emergency room until her temperature was 105 degrees. But all together, we were only out a $10 copay and an hour of our time - I think that's worth the peace of mind.

The doctor did pay Lucy a nice compliment though. When he walked in the room, he said, "Well, she's about STUNNING." It was really funny because he said it so straight at first and we thought he was going to say something like, "She's about [fill in the blank with something inconsequential like age, weight, etc.]" We really try hard not to brag about our little one because we are obviously biased as her parents. But we have received some really lovely compliments about her. A friend from church came to visit and was talking about how cute she is. I tried to play down the compliment by responding that all babies are cute. In response she said, "Yeah, all babies are cute but not all babies are take-your-breath-away gorgeous like yours." I think I blushed on behalf of both of us.

But back to last night - when we got home, Lucy was not up for bed yet with all her extra rest she got during the day. But instead of stressing about getting her into bed, we just enjoyed our little one and the fact that she had recovered so quickly. Who knows why she got sick in the first place - if it was something that I ate or something that she touched and got in her mouth. But here are some pics of her that probably don't do any justice for how cute she really is (or people say she is) or what a better mood she was in:I don't know where she got these pajamas (Maya's hand-me-downs, Elaine?) but they are absolutely adorable. Lucy has just started to fit into her 3-month clothes the past week (she is 3 months today!) so it's time to put away the newborn onesies. It's amazing how fast they grow!

Utah Symphony Under the Stars

Last night, we attended Let's Dance Under the Stars, an outdoor concert by the Utah Symphony at Thanksgiving Point. Emily scored some free tickets from her work so she invited Brandon and I (and Lucy of course) to come along with her and Jared. We expected it to be pretty informal since it was outdoors and we could just bring blankets to lay out on the grass. We were also hoping to picnic but were bummed when we realized that there was no outside food or drink allowed inside. And on our way there, the traffic was horrible! Thanksgiving Point, or at least the area around the Waterfall Amphitheater, is horribly laid out in terms of parking. So we were a little late. And had pretty bad seats cause it was first come, first seated. But we didn't really need to see anything, just hear the music. There were a ton of people there but it was a beautiful night and it was fun to just chat with the background music. And although Lucy had been a little fussy on the way there, it seemed that once she was outside, she just enjoyed the fresh air and classical music.

Lucy looking very stern - she had just pooped her diaper and was waiting for a change...


And here is Mom at work. I tried to convince Uncle Jared to do it because he has never changed a diaper in his life (he claims because he is the youngest in his familyt). He thinks he'll have plenty of opportunity for that in the future so he respectfully declined.


I just caved in and let Brandon purchase an iPhone which also required us to switch from our previous carrier, Sprint to AT&T. So for those who have AT&T, our calls are free now. I really needed a new phone anyway but I didn't get an iPhone. But here are the guys geeking out with their phones and comparing apps. It was really funny too because the elderly couple sitting right behind them were playing with their iPhones all night. It's great to see old people embrace technology.

Lucy is a much happier baby with a clean diaper. I think that she also really enjoyed the music and fresh air.

And here is Auntie Emily, getting her weekly fill of Lucy. Lucy can't seem to get enough of her Auntie - or rather, we were just trying to get a picture of her actually looking at the camera and smiling (and of course, Emily didn't want to look fat).

It was a nice night out but by the end of it, the bugs were intolerable. I was getting worried about Lucy being bitten, but I may have attracted her share and Brandon's as well. He thinks he's immune but I just reminded him that he has a wife with sweeter blood than his. Traffic was a nightmare on the way out - took us about an hour just to get to the freeway. But at least when we got home, Lucy went down without a problem because it was so late.

Hair!

So Lucy magically sprouted all this hair over night. We decided to try out some different hairstyles with her. Here are the results.

"I think this one makes me look a little plain Jane - what do you think?"

"This could definitely be improved with some highlights."

"Ummm - I don't really think that this is my style..."


"Yeah, I look totally hot with this one."

"Channeling Audrey Hepburn!"

"Mom - get this hair out of my face!"

"Okay, enough is enough - this is ridiculous!"