Weight:  10.5 lbs
Length: 23 inches
Clothing Size: 0-3 Months
Sleep: Huge break through this month! You will sleep in your crib now! Once you are asleep we can put you in your crib and you will sleep for about an hour or 2 depending on when you fall asleep! Its amazing!
I Love...: Being swaddled. once we start wrapping you, you get  smile on your face. You also love your hands. You try to fit your entire fist in your hand all the time. We also put you in the convertible cars eat and you seem to enjoy it more. there is still crying, but not nearly as much. We will never use the infant car seat again.
I Hate...: Being sick- you have had an awful cough and then the rash. Waiting for food- you want food NOW, you hate waiting, also, you dont like getting left. You are ok with laying by yourself as long as you can see people, if you cant your upset.
Trips: We went to Seattle over Valentines day to visit the Grandmas and Grandpas. We had so much fun, Daddy showed up for the weekend.
It was funny when...:  Watching you try and put your entire fist in your mouth. You try hard to talk, so its fun to watch your facial expressions as you try to talk. You throw your head back and arch your back when you cry. Its very dramatic and we laugh at you every time. We can tell you are going to be a tantrum thrower, not just crying but you will put your entire body into it.
Firsts: Rolling over and Trip to ER
Other facts: You like to follow us around the room, and still want to be held a lot, but if you can at least see us where you are, you dont mind staying put.

SO- to say I am exhausted would be an understatement. We got back from Seattle on Monday, and hit the worst traffic on our way to Cheesecake Factory, every time we fly in to Milwaukee we stop in at Cheesecake. So like I said the WORST traffic, and I had planned on feeding Q at the restaurant but because the traffic was so bad we went passed his 2nd dinner time. He was LIVID. We couldn't calm him down and couldn't get off the freeway. Once we did however, we found a parking lot so I could geed the baby. Went to dinner after that no harm done.

Milwaukee is about an 1 hour and 45 minutes away from where we live. Since we had dinner, we figured traffic would have cleared up. It did- however we were unaware about the snow storm that was hitting Madison and Milwaukee. It was so bad, that we couldn't see the road, or the lines. We slowed down to 20 miles an hour at one point because it was so bad. Luckily Q was passed out in the back seat. We couldn't pull over anywhere because there wasn't a place to pull over without getting stuck in the snow. We could only keep driving, and PRAYING. Eventually Q woke up because it was time to eat again, however, we were no where near being home (like I planned we would be), and there wasn't anywhere to pull over! It was a huge blessing that I had put a bottle of already made formula in my purse. I dont usually carry formula since I breastfeed, but I figured there was nothing wrong with that. Blessing 2 was I had a nipple of the formula- something else I dont carry! Q didn't want to be in his carseat so i pulled out my phone and turned on Dragon Tales. Who would have thought a 3 month old would have like Dragon Tales.

After a lot of praying and deciding this was the 2nd worst drive home we had ever encountered, we made it! I had called earlier that day to take Q to the doctors because he had a rash on his body- I figured it was Eczema that just needed stronger medicine.

At ER- This was all over his body

At the ER

The Doctors appointment was at 10. Of course the doctor didn't show up till 11 grrrr. Then she couldn't figure out what the rash was. So she brought in 3 other doctors! Still couldn't figure it out. They did say whatever it was, it was infected. He was also losing weight and was super unhappy. So we were sent to the ER. I arrived at the ER at 12. The Doctor and Nurses at the ER were super nice- maybe that's because it was the Pediatric ER. They also couldn't figure out what was going on, so after taking pictures and sending it to other doctors and dermatologists they gave us some infection medicine, and steroid cream. I finally left at 330 PM. By the time i drove home and picked up the perscriptions it was time for Eric to come home! Did I mention that the only thing I had that day to eat was a SlimFast from breakfast?

After ER- just looks like Chicken Pox now

After ER

Wednesday we had a 1030 appointment with a pediatric dermatologist. They also showed up late. They looked at him and just said ya, just keep using the medicine the ER prescribed, and come back in 2 weeks. So that's what we have been doing, and the rash looks a TON better!

Its been quite a week. Especially since it has been storming here... Winter Storm Q. I thought Eric was kidding when he said that was the name of the storm. Since our Q has been sick he is stuck in doors which means I am stuck in doors. I am going crazy! Our little apartment is only so fun. Any ideas on things to do inside your house to keep from going crazy?

Back in Wisconsin ( i'm in Seattle right now) our condo has no internet. Also my phone doesnt get great service (thanks midwest) So I have spent a lot of time texting Eric. (He has been thrilled... not) I dont understand hashtagging things (Is that 2 words? Should I have just put the pound sign?) As confused about this trend as I am, Eric cant stand it. I'm not sure he sees the humor in it. So while I had no internet I was texting Eric via hash tags- #mylifesuckswithoutinternet #imsobored #isthisgoingtobeforever #my3gsucks you get the picture. Well Eric responds by telling me to stop hashtagging- so i say #sorrynotsorry.

Yes I know that hashtagging doesnt work in texts, but i wont use it on facebook, twitter or instagram. I only use it to bother my husband. Like when we sit on the couch watching tv and he tells me he cant jump very high (in relation to basketball) my loving response? #whitepeopleproblems

Yes I think I am hilarious. I hashtag in normal conversations. Eric just stares at me and says "Really?" to which he gets #sorrynotsorry.

As you can see I have internet now- no one is more excited about this then Eric. I also got the Jumping Johnny out for the baby. He kinda liked it. It swallows him up though! #premieproblems

Maybe I have a problem

One of my Resolutions this year is to read more, especially doctrinal books. Since I am unable to go to Institute and Sunday School has turned into a joke with a baby that wants to be fed, I feel like I my spiritual bucket is not getting filled.

So my first book is "Life Lessons from the Book of Mormon". I found it in my parents library during the holidays, and felt impressed that this should be my first book. I was searching for a book, because while I am feeding the baby I get bored. 40 minutes of breastfeeding throughout the day is a long time, and there are only so many iphone games to keep me occupied (I have mastered all the Flow Bridges levels).

But back to the book. From the moment I opened it I couldn't put it down. I would recommend it to anyone wanting a good easy read doctrinal book. There have been so many different insights and teachings that I can not list all of them here. But I would like to share 2 that have stayed with me.

Overcoming Trials and Weakness
Awhile back, Eric and I were talking about our new little monster Q. I love him with all my heart, but recently I think he is more like Dr. Jekell and Mr. Hyde. He must be held all the time, he wont sleep in his own crib or bassinet and he likes to cry ALL THE TIME. He is my new trial. Who would have thought a baby could be a trial. I thought my trial was going to be getting pregnant and staying pregnant, which it was, but it now is Q.
Elder Henry D. Moyle stated that " We unquestionably knew before we elected to come to this earth the conditions under which we would here exist." Pres. Joseph F. Smith wrote "I believe that our Savior... possess a foreknowledge of all the vicissitudes through which he would have to pass in the mortal tabernacle... If Christ knew before hand, so did we. but it coming here, we forgot all, that our agency might be free indeed, to choose good or evil."  I thought back on all the trials I had in my life, and thought it interesting that i would have known about them before hand! I look at my current trials that I have and now apply these 2 quotes, I knew I would have a difficult baby, I knew I would be living in a State that I dont love, with a Body that breaks on my constantly! These quotes have totally changed how I will face this trial and all others in my life. I knew about them and still chose to come to earth. My favorite quote, and truly the one that has made the most impact on me, concerning my trials is from Neal A. Maxwell "God, who knows our capacity perfectly, placed us here to succeed. No one was foreordained to fail or to be wicked... Let us remember that we were measured before and we were found equal to our tasks; and therefore... when we feel overwhelmed, let us recall with assurance that God will not overprogram us; he will not press upon us more than we can bear." I have always been taught that you will not be given more then you can handle, but I love how Elder Maxwell puts it! How much more strength do I have now?! I can look at my adorable trial and say to myself, "I knew I was going to have a difficult baby, AND I know that I can handle this! I feel as if I have been given a little shot in the arm! Now when a new trial comes my way instead of saying "Why me!?" Or suffering through, I feel like I can now hit it head on, and say to myself, I picked this, and I can beat this, with the Lord on m side I can do anything!

I couldn't help posting this picture- I gave him a mohawk.

Weight:  9.5 lbs (0 percentile)
Length: 22.5 inches (6% percentile)
Clothing Size: Newborn fits best but you are starting to wear 0-3
Nicknames: Q, The Baby, Monster
Food: Milk
Sleep: You now will stay asleep for like 30 minutes if we put you in your crib. You wont fall asleep in your crib, but you now dont scream the minute we put you down!
I Love...: You love smiling and when people smile at you and talk to you. You are trying SO hard to talk and laugh. You also love the whit noise app on mom and dads phones, it is the only way to calm you down when you are screaming and how to get you asleep
I Hate...: Still hate the carseat but if someone will sit back there and talk to you you wont scream the entire time... just some of it.
Trips: Flew to Utah! Mom had to go to Utah to work and daddy had to get back to Madison, so we made our first solo flight. You rode in moms purse. Talk about first class flying
It was funny when...:  when you are half asleep you smile and sort of laugh.
Firsts: Flight to Utah, 2 month shots, 
Other facts: While in Utah you did great and everyone at work loved you, you also rolled over while on your tummy. we were at the hotel in utah so we had to facetime Daddy so he could see.

We were so excited to get away from the 15 inches of snow! This year was Eric's family on year for Christmas. We try the best we can to divide the time we are there evenly between both families since they are only 45 minutes apart. Our flight was delayed leaving Milwaukee and then we sat on the tarmat for 45 minutes once we landed. So we didnt get to Eric's house until 3 am :( After that little hick up we had a great vacation! On Sunday we blessed Eric in my home ward.

Yes he fits inside his stocking :)

We had so much fun in Seattle! The countdown is on until we move there! 6 Months and 2 weeks!

So here is some other fun things about you at 2 month:
Weight:  8 lbs
Length: 20 in.
Clothing Size: NEWBORN!
Nicknames: Q, Squid, Baby
Food: Milk. You are SO much better at eating! We no longer have to supplement you with more milk, which is super nice! Once you are done eating you like to stay up for about an hour before you are ready for another nap.
Sleep: Still only will sleep if you are being held, but at night you will go sometimes 4-5 hours without waking up hungry, which I appreciate. It lets me sleep in! Dad gets up at your 3 am feeding and gives you a bottle which helps me get more sleep so I am a little happier the next day.
I Love...: Being held is still top on your list. You also love looking out the window at the trees. You also love looking at the photos on the wall and at the Piano- I hope this means you are going to be a great pianist. We also started giving you baths when you are fussy and it totally calms you down. You just hang out in the bath and are totally content! 
I Hate...: Your carseat and the car. We haven't figure out why you dont like it, but you dont. Also you dont like being left alone in a room and only can tolerate not being held for about 10 minutes. You jump anytime there is a sharp noise. Like when mom closes the fridge door, or when someone makes a noise with their mouth in front of you. I guess you dont hate it, but it surprises you and you look concerned
Trips: Flew to Seattle for Christmas!
It was funny when...: You have started smiling at us, and following us around, may not be funny, but we love trying to get you to smile. You still look super cute when you cry, because you stick out your lower lip. You have this fake cry that we all laugh at, I'm sure we have a video of it just so we can embarrass you later.
Firsts: First Christmas, First Trip to Seattle, First Blizzard- it snowed 15 inches in Madison!  You were blessed in mom's home ward- more on that later :)
Other facts: You had your first minor fever, it was only 99.8, but it was still sad to see you not feeling well. You met Aunt Chelsea, Aunt Brianna, Aunt Emma and Uncle Donald for the first time with our trip to Seattle. Which you slept the entire time! You seem to be a very thoughtful baby, usually you just look around and take in everything that is going on. You are trying to make noises, you try really hard but nothing other then a little squeak comes out.
When we take you to the mall or out to dinner people are still asking how many days or weeks you are. They are all surprised when I saw 2 months! 

We love you so much! And could spend hours just playing with you- that is as long as you are happy :) 

Can you guess where we will be next fall?!

Big Yawn

I was waiting to post this to get more family pictures from my Uncle, but I know if i dont post it now, I will never post it.

My Dads Family was meeting in St. George for Thanksgiving this year. This side of the family hasn't had a get together in a LONG time. It was going to be interesting for sure. We didn't think we would be going since Q was suppose to be born Monday the 19th. Since he was early my dad took pity on me (I had many tears about spending thanksgiving alone.) So he flew us to St. George. I am SOOO grateful for him! Eric still had to work, since he took some of his paternity leave the week Q was born, so we flew out Wednesday afternoon. I wasn't worried about flying with a newborn, I knew that Q was going to do great- namely because it meant that he was being held the entire time by either me or Eric, and Q is an angel when he is being held. I was worried about breastfeeding in public. The last month I have feed him before we left the house so I didn't worry about covering up, however, with this flight I was going to need to feed him 3 or 4 times outside of my home. I'm not a shy person, so I wasn't worried that people would see more then I wanted them to see. I was worried THEY would see more then they wanted to see, because I hadn't mastered covering up.

Once we got to the Airport I had to feed him, so we found a corner, aparently we made a Grandma uncomfrotable because she had been sitting 15 chairs away and she got up and stood far away until I was done. I almost felt bad. almost. On the plane I gave him a bottle I had pumped so his ears wouldn't pop, but then I feed him on the way down. Luckily the guy that sat on the other side of Eric was talking to the guy across the aisle the entire time, so he didnt get more then he wanted. Getting our luggage and the rental car took FOREVER, so I had to feed him  while Eric waited in line at the Rental place. At this point it was like 8 pm and I just wanted to be in the car on our way to St. George, luckily it was Vegas and so people got a show at the airport before they hit the strip. Lucky them.

We got to St. George and headed to my parents house. My mom was waiting for us outside. She was SUPER excited to see the baby again, and I was super excited to have my night time baby holder back!  We had so much fun while we were there. My mom and Aunt Cyndy did a FABULOUS job on Thanksgiving dinner. My moms homemade rolls were fantastic and totally worth the 10 hours it took to get there.

Erics Grandpa Southwick and his wife Vel live in St. George so we headed over to their house so they could meet the little guy.

On Friday, the girls in the family headed down to Vegas for our Black Friday Shopping. Q tagged along since I had the food. The boys went ATVing. I was excited that Q came because it meant I got to take my new stroller. It has been WAY to cold to use it in Wisconsin, but Vegas was SUPER nice!

Saturday was a chill day, my mom made her famous Cinnamon Rolls! Then Eric and I went Golfing at Sand Hollow with my Uncle Jon and cousin J. We had a lot of fun, and I definitely enjoyed the sunny weather.

Sunday we headed back to Wisconsin. It was super sad. Q didn't do that well on the plane, but thats because we didnt time his feedings as well as we had on the way to Vegas. Oh well, flying home for Christmas will be better. I also bought myself a new computer. Its the 13" MacBook Pro Retina Display. I LOVE it! It is so pretty and SO fast!

I know everyone says this but, I cant believe it has already been a month! It has been a pretty eventful month so that could be why we went so fast.

So here is some other fun things about you at 1 month:
Weight:  6 lb 8 oz. (Still smaller then me when I was born!)
Length: 18 in.
Clothing Size: Preemie size up to 7 pounds
Nicknames: Q, Squid, Baby
Food: Milk- You eat everyone 3 hours. You are pretty demanding too. If you get too hungry you get ravenous and shake your head when we try to feed you. Since you were a Preemie, the doctors told us not to give you a bottle. So we finger feed you. We have you suck on our finger and then we have a cool syringe that we fill with milk. You have gone from needing 3 syringes to only needing 1! Thats because you are breastfeeding better so we dont need to supplement you.
Sleep: You only fall asleep being held, and when we put you down in your bassinet you will wake up pretty soon. You sleep for about 1.5 hours, and then wake up hungry.
I Love...: Being held! You are not happy unless you are being held. If you are not being held you are crying which leads to screaming. It makes is SUPER difficult for me to sleep and work. I think I am going to go out and buy a Moby Wrap though- that way I can hold you and have both of my hands free. Hopefully that will help
I Hate...: Your carseat and the car. Anytime we put you in your carseat you scream, and you are inconsolable. You will cry/scream the entire car ride until we take you out of your seat.
Trips: Flew to St. George for Thanksgiving
It was funny when...: You make the funniest face when you cry. It looks like the Scream Ghost. You put both of your hands by your face and pull down. We feel bad that you are crying, but it is the funniest face so we do laugh at it. We have tried many times to get this as a picture. So far we have come close but are not quite there yet. Hopefully soon.
Firsts: You had your first Halloween- you were a pumpkin. Celebrated your first Thanksgiving, first airplane ride, and first time to Vegas and St. George! 
Other facts: You only smile when you are done eating or falling asleep. You are starting to see Mom and Dad, and can start to follow ups, but we haven't been able to get you to smile AT us. We cant wait for that to happen! You can also hold your head up and push off of us. You have actually been able to do this since you were born. The nurses couldn't believe you could already hold your head up.