January - June 2013

Wow. Where do I even begin with catching up on my blog.

Let's see if my mom brain can give a half decent recap of 2013...

January:

In January I was in my second month of maternity leave. Maternity leave is the best thing ever. I've never felt so relaxed, content and happy in my whole life. I loved that I got 8 weeks to just enjoy my new baby and not have to worry about 40 hours of work each week as well. I had all these plans to do projects around the house and get stuff done while I was on my leave, but none of that happened. I was too busy enjoying brand new baby Reese. I am so glad I spent that time holding her, napping with her and just savoring every second. I know that the next time I am on maternity leave, it will be a whole new ball game because I will have a new baby and a toddler to take care of. (No, this is not an announcement!) Also the fact that it was winter made it easy to just stay home all nice and cozy with my baby girl.

 One dumb thing I did in January was schedule Reese's 2 month appointment the same day I went back to work. Not a good combo. I think I cried more over her shots than she did. Seeing giant needles go into tiny baby legs is so sad. BUT-I know it's for the better. Luckily Josh took that day off so he could be with Reese while I was working in my office.

February:

February seems like a blur...I was just back to work and while I was gone, they had switched some of the deadlines, policies and the programs we use to keep track of our students. I felt like I was starting a whole new job! It was very overwhelming to say the least. I am so grateful for a wonderful mom and mother in law who have so willingly helped with Reese while I work. It made it a little easier knowing she was in good hands and with people who love her almost as much as I do.

On Sunday, February 3, 2013, sweet little Reese was blessed. Josh gave her an amazing blessing and she was on her best behavior during the blessing. I loved her blessing dress! I bought it at Swiss Days while I was pregnant and it was long and white with beautiful smocking across the front, with just a touch of pink. Perfect for my daughter!

We celebrated Valentine's Day with our cutest little Valentine. Reese also started laughing a lot on a regular basis in February. It doesn't get any better than baby laughs!

Our little Valentine...With spit-up down her shirt. 

In February we also said goodbye to my cute Grandma Bringhurst. She was such a sweet woman and I miss her. My dad lost his mom when he was 23 and my grandpa remarried shortly thereafter. She always treated me like one of her own grandchildren, even though I was technically her step-granddaughter. She was amazing at sewing and quilting and made me several dresses when I was young and would make a matching dress for my doll. I remember talking to her on the phone on Mother's Day last year and she told me several times how much she loved me and how proud she was of me. It made my day. She was a wonderful lady.

Reese also hit her 3 month mark at the end of February. Her pictures from her 3 month photo shoot turned out so dang cute!

I love them all, but these next two are probably my favorite!

March: 

I always love when March hits. Mostly because it means the cold, yucky months of winter are behind us and we are getting closer to spring and summer. (even though it can still be cold and snowy in May and June sometimes!) There's just something about making it to March that makes me feel relieved. I am not a winter person. March is also my birthday month, so that is probably part of the reason why I enjoy it. 

In early March I applied and interviewed for a new position at my work. I was fine in my current position, but knew there were other opportunities within the university that would give me more flexibility with my schedule. More flexibility would mean more time with Reese! I applied to be a transcript specialist, which is basically a transcript evaluator. At my interview, the manager said he would let me know by the end of the next week...well the end of the next week rolls around and I never heard back from the manager. I figured I didn't get the job. 

Also in March, I turned 29. My birthday fell on a Saturday, which was nice. I went and got a pedicure and then Josh and I went to my favorite restaurant, Baja Cantina, up in Park City. His mom offered to watch Reese, so we had fun just the two of us, even though we spent most of the dinner talking about her and stopped at the outlets to shop for her! It was a perfect day and so fun to have my baby girl to celebrate with. She was exactly what I had wished for my past two birthdays, and really what I have wished for my whole life. 

I promise she loves me 

April:

At the beginning of April, I finally heard back on the job that I had applied and interviewed for at the beginning of March. I got an IM from the manager letting me know he was just working on my paperwork with HR to get me moved over to the transcripts department. I was so excited!! I really feel so blessed with the timing of this job. In my previous position, I was an enrollment counselor for some of the teaching programs and I was going to be transcript evaluation for the teachers college. It definitely made my transition to the new position easier. 

In April we also said goodbye to my sweet grandpa. He passed away just three days shy of his 93rd birthday. We were able to have his funeral on his birthday and it was a good day to remember and honor him. I miss him so dang much, but I am glad he is happy, healthy and with my cute grandma again.  

The last week of April I finally started my new position at work. I had to train in the office for three months, but luckily those three months flew by. I am forever grateful for my mom, mother in law and Josh's sweet cousin Ashley for helping out with Reese during that time. It was hard being away from her so much, but I was so relieved knowing that she was in good hands everyday. Moving to this new department and new position has totally been worth those three months of working and pumping in the office everyday!

What I took out the door with me everyday for 3 months...

laptop, diaper bag, breast pump, purse, lunch and the cutest baby ever. 

We also started Reese on baby cereal in April. It definitely took a few weeks for her to adjust, but watching her eat it was very entertaining. And messy!

May:

May was pretty uneventful. My training was in full swing and it was going very well. I also got to celebrate my first official Mother's Day! I guess you could say the year before was my first since I was around 12 weeks pregnant, but this was my first Mother's Day with my baby girl. Josh got me a jogging stroller and that whole day I felt so grateful for my precious baby. I always knew I would love being a mother, but it has exceeded my expectations. It is the most wonderful thing I have ever experienced.

She wasn't sure what to think of our first run!

At the end of May, Reese hit her 6 month mark. Everyone always says how fast time goes when you have a baby, but I never realized just how true that statement was until I experienced it for myself. Every stage is so fun and every stage has it's challenges. I love it all!

 A few of my favorites from her 6 month photo shoot

June: 

June was pretty low key for us. I was in my second month of training, and Josh was busy working full time during the week and mowing lawns all day every Saturday. I have such a love/hate relationship with his little yardcare business. The extra money sure is nice, but I hate that he is gone on Saturdays since it is our only day off of the week together to play, do projects in the yard/house and spend time together.

Anyway, in June we celebrated Josh's birthday and also his first official Father's Day. It really is the best thing in the world seeing him melt over our baby girl. He is such an alpha male, and doesn't show much emotion or his sensitive side very often, but Reese sure can bring that out in him. Having a baby girl first is the best thing that could happen for our family.

For Father's Day, I surprised Josh with a Peyton Manning shirt (his man crush) and informed him that in the fall, he would be attending a Broncos game in Denver with my uncle and cousin. He was so excited! Unfortunately, he had to go out of town for work the same week as the game he was going to go to, so our trip was canceled. We've got to make it happen this year before Peyton retires. He's getting up there!

Stay tuned for the rest of the year!