Valin's first time playing with his Cousins

Grandma Waite had the foresight to bring the walker to the Waite Reunion since Valin has had aspirations of walking. But the cool thing is that there was enough room for him to chase and play with his cousins. But by the time I got to him with the camera, Valin and the kids were starting to get bored. But it is still a cute video.

More Valin cutiness

They were taking a nap together. It is so nice having Patxi back


For some reason he likes to sleep on his knees. I would think that it was kind of uncomfortable.


he started doing this tongue thing when his teeth were coming in. An always available chew toy.



Having fun with his favorite toys -anything he can get his hands on.


Eating soild food fun.


I took this video when Valin started to sleep on his stomach.

I thought that I would share some more pictures of Valin

Valin started doing this nose wrinkling things -it's hilarious!


This is of Valin being a chatter box. It's cute too because there is a time where he tries to jump for the fish.

this is a video I found of Valin while he was in my stomach

Isn't it crazy cool! To think that he was that small! Yeah, and as you can tell, he was very active then too. But I wouldn't have it any other way. Oh, I love him!

The fastest legs in the West

Firday night, Patxi and I went on a Date night and so we asked if Josh and Brianne Waite could babysit for us. They were awesome and they also got this video on him. I have a strange feeling that as soon as Valin learns to walk, I'm going to be chasting him for the rest of my life.

Hudson...we have a tooth!

Well, two teeth actually. It was really around the last week Patxi was at drill when I saw that his gums had two bumps that I guessed where "tooth buds" even though I didn't realy know that they were. Then I think it was the day that he turned 6 months actually when I felt his first tooth. We were sitting in the waiting room for Merle's doctor appointment and I was letting Valin chew on my finger. When all of a sudden it hurt and something hard and pointy tried to break the skin of my finger. It was a very exciting moment. Now a second is on the way and he still loves to chew on everything.
I guess I was pretty lucky because Valin only seemed a little bit more winey while he was teethin, no excess crying or anything. Oh, my little baby is growing up! (dramaticaly wipe my cheeks) It is so much fun watching him discover and learn things. I love being a mother!

Waite Reunion

After a month of Patxi being gone for drill, we were all reunited on the 7th. I felt so wonderful, happy, and so full of joy. Patxi truly completes me. The best was seeing how much Patxi loves and missed our son. My cheeks were sore that night from smiling so much.

Then, the Monday following, the Waites had a reunion at Camp Elkcana. It was so much fun!

Patxi took Valin down the slip-and-slide. Valin would have like it if he didn't get wet. but the rest of us had a great time. Iused my with my nieces and nephews to mask my desire to go down agian and agian. It was so much fun!





Then we all went for a hike. It was great fun. Thanks Emily for letting us use your baby backpack!


Isn't he such a cutie!

Cabbage filled bra, a month without Patxi, and the taste of spit up

Yup, Patxi will be gone for a whole month and I'm somewhat daunted by the task of caring for Valin alone for that long. Well, mostly being able to shower it what worries me. I think I'll be fine but I really do miss him and really realize how much he helps out.

The thing about the cabbage...well, as you know I stopped pumping. With Patxi being gone, I would really struggle with pumping and attending to Valin's needs plus getting Mastitis was really the last straw. Well, Sunday my patience crumpbled and I was determined that the sooner I stopped pumping the sooner I would be dry. I was slowly takeing out pumping sessions but it wasn't until Sunday that I finally ended it. So I was in tons of pain by Monday morning and my WIC breastfeeding counselor called and said that placing cabbage leaves into my bra will help with the engorement. I didn't want to believe her but I was hurting so much so I tried it. At first it felt wonderful because the leaves were cold. But then that wore off after 20 mintues. But by Monday night, my pain was greatly redued, so smuch so that I could sleep on my side that night. I continued to fill my bra with cabbage and by Tuesday night I only felt pain if I got a straight shot, but the best was the fact that I could hold Valin. I'm still engored but it doen't hurt very much now. I've only stopped because they started to make me itch. But it was amazing and weird all at the same time. It's kind of crazy but I recommend it.

And lastly the taste of spit up. Well, I of course was planning with Valin, throwing him up in the air. Well, I'm sure you've guessed it, but he spit up on me when my mouth was open. Needless to say it was disgusting. I still feel a little queasy whenever smell his formula.

Some cute pictures -wow, he just turned 5 months!

Valin being cute and sucking on his bottom lip.

Eating some oatmeal cearel.

Trying on Patxi's army berret.

With his aunt Seren.

Valin in Grandma Waite's Jonny jump up. The Nelsons were to wonderful and bought us one so this is him at home.

Happy 4th of July!

Here mom Valin is in the outfit you bought him. Thanks!
We went to Independance, OR for awesome fireworks display. It was great. They lasted for a good half and hour.

That is it! I'm FINISHED!

Those were the words I was saying to my self as I sat on the couch in pain and shaking from having a fever of 101. My goal for pumping until he was six months was thrown out the window when I got Mastitis this last Sunday. Yes, that's an infection in my milk ducts (my left to be precise). It meant terrible pain, chills, pain, nausea, pain, exhasion, achiness, and more pain. I'm done pumping!

It started Saturday morning. Well I guess I hhave to say for background info that about two weeks ago I stopped pumping at night. I reasoned to my milk suppy that it would be as if he was sleeping through the night, but I would have to make sure that I was draining it totally in the morning. But for some reason I guess it didn't totally Saturday morning. I noticed that my left was sore (more than usual) but I pumped again and drained it and thought noting of it. But of course Saturday was the 4th, so I went way too long without pumping that night. When I finally did pump I notice that I didn't get much from my left. This should have been my tip off (the milk dust were clogged), but I still continued with my schedule (not pumping at night).

Then while I was leading the music in Sacrament Meeting Sunday morning, it really started to hurt, and I mean really hurt. I could feel it swelling and it hurt so much I couldn't fold my arms. I was on the brink of tears which means alot since I hate to cry in a public place. After Sacrament meeting I had a thought it could be Mastitis but I didn't have the symptoms of a fever that comes with it. Then halfway into Sunday School, I started to get the chills. I was cold and shaking like crazy -even though it was in the 70s. The crazy thing was that I couldn't go home because I had to teach in Relief Society. Oh man, did I pray that I could get through my lesson and that my hand writing would be legiable since I was shaking so much.
Finally I got home and tried to get a hold of someone to tell me what I needed to do. I was told to drain it which could take 24 hours because the duct were clogged and to start taking anitbiotics.

Well, I was suck to that terrible mechine for the next 5 hours with a fever of 101.6 shaking, achy, sweating, and in the most pain that I've been in since I had Valin. Yes, it hurt, but I could easily take it, but dealing with this fever was terrible. I also got a whole lip full of cold sores from that sinking fever.

But finally I got it drained. The milk was a sickly gray color and it had this dark green dregs toward the bottom and then when we washed the container there was a sick mucus residue. Oh, it was disgusting. I thought about taking a picture but thought that you might not want to lose your lunch. Here is a picture of what it looked like almost 24 hours after I got the infection.
The bottle on the left is there to show was normal breastmilk looks like.

Anyway, my fever broke around 6 Sunday evening after I got it drained, took a nap, and started taking antibiotics. I was ten times better after that. The soriness slowly stopped by Thursday which was also when my milk started to run white again. But I have an appointment next Tuesady to bring my pump back to WIC. So I'm finally going to be free from that machine! That calls for a celebration dance!

Preparing a house to sell and sucking on toes

First of all, I want to say sorry for not posting in a while, But things havebeen quite busy as of yet. Actually if anything happens to you it all to happens at the same time. So to start, The Nelsons are moving in Septmeber and put their house on the market last Friday, which means major de-clutering to get the house showable to persective buyers. In the Nelson's house, the cluter seems only to move from room to room and then end up on the back porch. It seems to also "magically" find it's way back inside (Wanda has a hard time letting go of things). Today we had two appiontments to show the house so it had to be spot-less. It was quite a job because last weekend we had over twenty people here to the Fourth of July and as well as relatives contining to stay in the house. Plus Wanda and Merle were both sick and couldn't really do anything. It was crazy and we were rusting out the job at five passed, but it got done.

Valin is in this phase were he will suck on almost anything. It's almost automatic -as soon as he gets something in his hand it goes straight to his mouth. Once while he was drinking from his bottle he grabbed my glasses and automatically brought them to his mouth even though he was busy eating. Well this also rings true for when he gets a hold of his toes. Here a picture -he is actually sucking on them!

valin's cuteness and playing with Daddy

This is Valin doing his two favorite things: playing with his daddy, and trying to taste everything he can get his hands on.

Valin does this new thing where he sucks on his bottom lip. It is the cutiest thing!These are pictures of him sitting up somewhat by himself and sucking on that lip.



In this one I think he looks a little like Dee Ray (our friends Carly and Steven Cragun's first boy)


This is my favorite. He is sucking on his lip and starting to smile. Oh he is sooo adorable!

An Update

As you might notice, yes, it really is almost 2:00 in the morning. I usually have to pump once or twice at night, especailly now that Valin is eating more, so I can keep up my supply. Pumping is just umcomfortable enough that I can't sleep during it but also something that requires I do something instead of sitting there begging for the time to pass quickly by. I've tried reading which sadly gets my mind too awake so that it takes me an hour to get back to sleep. So I decided to update my blog -something I really need to do anyway- and hopefully it won't wake me up too much.

Anyway, to start off, everything is going great. Patxi has one final (on Tuesday)and, though he would never show it or express it -true to Patxi's style- he is worried about it. It's his anatomy one which is his difficult one and he spent over five hours studying for it today, but I'm just praying that he can remember all that he needs to. After this, Patxi is done with school until the fall. He had thought to take a summer class, but since his National Guard drill is three weeks long and in the middle of the summer this year, he decided that he missing three weeks would be a bad thing. He hopes to find a part-time or volunteer job with some fire station so he could get some experience as a paramedic. It would keep him busy and bring in some extra income, so I'm up for it.

Pumping-
It going. It just got some more Lanolin so feels a little less than a titty-twister everytime I pump now. But now since Valin is eating more I have to pump for longer times so I'm sore anyway. My goal is to keep my sanity for 2 more months. I have tons of frozen milk and by 6 months, Valin will be eating soilds, which will be offering more nutriation besides breastmilk. That's the plan at least. Sometimes I feel like a slave tied to that medcine, but I love giving my son the best thing for him. Luckily, formula is so good now a days that I feel okay with stopping to pump when he is six months old.

Valin-
Oh, he is such a cutie! Here is a video of Patxi making him laugh. It's the funniest thing!

He is four month this last Saturday. It's crazy to think that a little more than four months ago I still had him growing in my tummy! But he is so much fun! My heart just leaps everytime he smiles at me. He's now into squeelling and last Sunday he of course tested out his lungs during Sacrament Meeting and Relief Society. Before the meeting started, while I was waiting on the stand to lead the music, the organist leans over to me and asked, "Is that one yours?" But what do you do? cover his mouth? or spend all of Scarament meeting in the foyer for sproatic screaming? Luckily everyone enjoyed his noises in Relief Society, but I sure he was very distracting. This is someting I'm challenged with, knowing when to take him out. It's not an exact science.
But other than that everything is going great.

Sorry for not posting sooner!

Our internet now only work at night and life is getting even more tricky because Valin is at a stage were he doesn't like to be on his back for long, or on his stomach, so that leaves us holding him. We really need a jump-y-jump or something. But I happend to have an ingenious idea so I could get the dishes done tonight. I put him, sitting up in the stroller with pillows so there was on real chance of him falling out. I placed his toys on the tray and he was happy the whole time. It was great!
Anyways, here are a few of the little things he can do and a few pictures:




He is now rolling over whenever he gets the chance which is okay for a few minutes. But now he can push himself up with his hands and get on his knees, but not at the same time. Whenever he get to his knees his head falls down and the oppsites happens when he pushes up on his hands. So I think that it will be a few weeks before he's up and crawling. Crazy huh, and he's just 4 months!

He changes so much on a daily basis. He can now pull out his own binky and put it back in (though not very accuratly). Then in the bathtub today, he just had to sit up, grab everything, and try to taste it too. There are somehtings that just make me laugh out loud. Just the other day I was burping him just after his nap and his head was resting on my chest. All of a sudden, Valin pushes himself up with his hands and stares at me dead in the face. Then, with a huge grin on his face, he lets rip a big burp. I just couldn't contain myself. I laugh right out loud, with Valin smiling along with me. Man, I love being a mother! He is so fun!