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Two Months

6.25.2010

Mom and Baby

My baby is two months old today! Can you believe it? Where has the time gone? Jed isn’t the same the baby I brought home from the hospital; he’s grown so much! He’s a little chunker. I’m proud to have contributed to the creases on his fat thighs. We retired all of his 0-3 month clothes when he was just four weeks old. He was just too long. Not only has Jed grown physically bigger this month, he has become much more alert and is awake for longer periods of time. That makes it a lot more fun for me! We play together on the floor several times a day. Jed is such a happy kid! He’s cutest in the mornings. He coos and talks to his toys and with me. We even get a conversation of vowel sounds going sometimes. Plus, he makes my heart melt every time he grins. I never get to finish everything I would like to get cleaned or done on my list in a day, but that’s okay. Jed is a good distraction.

Not only can Jed tell me what he likes now, I’ve found that he has a mind of his own already. He loves to stare at his Poky Little Puppy Book. One day I thought he was getting bored with a picture so I flipped it to the next page. Jed promptly let out a howl; he wasn’t done with it yet! So I flipped it back and he settled right down. It’s his favorite page. Apparently even a six week old child can have an opinion.

I started a bedtime routine with Jed when he was just six weeks old. I think I was the one ready for the routine. I was hoping to finally get some more sleep! Although I haven’t been very consistent with the time, bedtime begins with a bath. Jed loves soaking in the tub! In fact, it relaxes him so much he poops in it more often than not! The little stinker. We’ll keep working on that. Then we go upstairs where it’s dark and quiet to nurse. I sing him a song and wait until he’s sufficiently sleepy before putting him down in his crib. He seems to know the routine now and goes right to sleep… for an hour... or three or four!

I am FINALLY getting more sleep these days. Wahoo! Jed is certainly big enough. He’s a little piggy. Bron says that if Jed were a calf, he’d classify as having nutritional scours. For weeks I nursed Jed about every two hours around the clock. That was rough. Now, however, I arouse Jed to “top him off” before I go to bed and usually get a wonderful undisturbed four hour stretch of sleep. After that, however, I might be up every two hours again. One night I was really lucky and got to sleep another four hours. Heaven on earth.

Jedediah has wriggled his way into our hearts. After he was first born, it felt strange to have another person—albeit little person—in our home. Now, however, Jed is a fully fledged participating member of our family. I am so grateful to know that he belongs to me--forever. It’s hard to imagine a life without him now. I have become obsessed with this tiny person. I wait on his every need and react to his every cry, but somehow find a deep self-fulfilling satisfaction. I love Jed more than words can possibly describe. And it’s a different kind of love than I have ever experienced before. This love feels almost desperate and painful; my heart strings are tender and there is so much joy. The title of mother has taken on a whole new meaning. Mothering has become a part of my being, it’s a part of who I am now. It’s skill, patience, talent, and love. Above all, a mother is love. I know I have lots to look forward to and a ton to learn, but there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than at home with this baby in my arms. I absolutely love being Jed’s mother.

So now, after much ado, I shall grace the internet with pictures of my son from his second month of life.

My favorite smile.  Jed loves his flying bugs on a mobile!

Getting stronger!  Tummy Time isn't so bad after all.

Snoozing away in the carrier--from Dad's point of view.
Exhausted in Montreal.  It's all about the hair and those lips!

Soaking in his world

Cascade Mountain

6.20.2010

Bron had a rare Saturday off, so we decided to do something fun together. We determined to hike Cascade Mountain, one of the 46 high peaks of the Adirondacks. The trail was like one giant staircase all the way to the top! My thighs felt like jelly. But we made it! In good time too because Bron takes on a hike like it’s an objective. A mountain is just a challenge to be conquered. When hiking, Bron and I don’t stop to take in our surroundings as often as we probably should. Instead, we charge right on up the trail! We figure a little pain just means we’re getting a good workout.

Almost there!

The peak was one giant rock. It was exceptionally windy, but the view was markedly beautiful!




It was Jed’s very first hike. Everyone on the trail stopped to fuss over him. Jed was the luckiest body of us all; he got the ultimate free ride to the top. Jed rode in the front carrier attached to Bron. The swinging motion kept our baby asleep almost the entire afternoon. And even though he wore a hat, Jed got more sun than I thought he would. Ooops!

Jed's very first hike

On long days like this when Bron and I have a lot of time to talk and just be together, we find our conversations turning to the same topic: our dreams for the future. Like Bron said, if we aren’t dreaming together then why in the world would we be together? I think I agree.

Bron and I have some steep hopes for the future. For instance, we would love to spend a summer in Europe or sail the Mediterranean Sea. Just us. In order for many of our dreams to come to fruition, we figure we need three things: 1. Money 2. Time and 3. Health. Well, we have the most important of the three: our health. We may be lucky enough to acquire one other part in our lifetimes, but to have all three might be just short of a miracle. Still, we dream anyway because we just could make it all happen. Who knows though, maybe our dreams will change with time.

But for today, I’m very happy where I am. Many of my dreams--like marrying the love of my life and becoming a mommy--have come true just recently. It’s definitely good enough for now.

We had a great day on the mountain.
The Bath

The Bath

6.15.2010

So I’ve been trying to establish a bedtime routine for Jed. It begins with a bath.

Jed loves his baths. I love giving them. The warm water makes him quiet and alert, but also excited as he scoots and kicks. Best of all, the bath always ends with rewarding coos and smiles when I dry him in his big fluffy towel.

Well, Jed has outgrown the kitchen sink because he likes to use his legs and I’m waiting for the bathtub plug to be fixed upstairs. In the meantime, Jed has graduated to a stainless steel tub that I set on top of the kitchen counter. Yes, it’s the type used for livestock, but I bought it to use as decoration for our barn themed wedding reception. It looks very rustic, but it works great.

Sunday night as I was about to wash the suds from Jed’s hair, I suddenly saw some bubbles followed by a cloud of mustardy yellow. He pooped! Now if you know much about little baby poop at all you’d know that it’s runny, seedy, stringy, and yellow. It doesn’t float around as one consolidated blob. Instead, it spreads like fog. With one more blow from Jed, the entire bath was saturated in that mustardy yellow color.

“Help!” I called with a laugh. “I need an extra hand!”

Bron came in to see what was the matter and laughed too. Our solution was to lift Jed up out of the tub while Bron sprayed him down with the kitchen spray-hose. There. Crisis averted.

Last night it was bath time again and Bron was at a meeting. I had barely begun to wipe Jed down when I saw some bubbles followed by the tale-tell yellow cloud that spread like a plague.

“Ahhh! Not again!” I thought. “Note to self, don’t give Jed a bath between 8:00 and 8:30. Maybe that will help.”

I let Jed finish his business before I wrapped him in a towel and began emptying and filling his tub all over again.

Once again, I set Jed into the warm tub. I continued washing down his little body and had the soapy wash cloth on his back when I heard the bubbles. Again! And again there was that yellow cloud! And once again it spread throughout the entire tub! Was there any way to win this war on poop?

I couldn’t do anything but laugh. It was too funny. It seems that both the doctor’s office (whole other story) and baths work as a laxative for my little boy. At least his little system works well; I know he’s getting enough of momma’s milk. And as a bonus, we just saved a diaper!

Needless to say, I finished his bath in the kitchen sink. Wish us luck tonight!

The Painted Pony Rodeo

6.14.2010

A Family Picture

Saturday evening we headed on over to Highgate, Vermont for a real rodeo!  It's not often we get a little taste of home out here.  So we all dressed in our country best: pearly snap plaid shirts (including Jed!) and cowboy boots.

The Bulls and a Buckin' Bronco

It wasn't the most impressive rodeo we've ever attended, but I think it was definitely worth the tickets.  The rodeo had all the standard events from muttin' bustin' to bareback riding to calf roping and last but not least, bull riding!  Plus, the dj's played the best variety of country music we've heard in a long time.  It was a fun evening out!

Dad and Jed
Jed got a little "overstimulated" and sacked out!

Folks, we have a true, full-blown, 100% Nelson on our hands.  I caught Jed with his thumb in his pocket.  It's a Nelson genetic trait for the males to stick their hands in their pockets and then strut.  It'll be some time, but we'll be watching for the strut on Jed next summer.


One of Jed's favorite toys is this cow.  Yes, he's a cowboy!
Weak

Weak

6.10.2010

It's time to lose the chub!  I had a wonderful excuse to let my exercise routine and eating habits slip while I was pregnant--and I thoroughly enjoyed it--but now it's time to get this booty back into shape!

Because Jed is six weeks old now and my body has had sufficient time to recover from the trauma of childbirth, I have begun an exercise routine.  I'm anxious to lose these extra 14 pounds I'm carrying around.  (That's two dress sizes in case you're wondering.)  I'm ready to pull my old clothes out of the closet.  I want to feel like a sexy woman again.

Have you ever tried to do a sit-up after having your stomach muscles stretched and pulled apart like barbequed pork?  I have.  It's HARD!  The first morning I simply couldn't do one without gripping under the couch with my toes and thrusting my arms forward in an effort to swing myself up.  I don't want to imagine what I looked like.  One word: PATHETIC.  Bron just happened to be home for a few minutes and I was his entertainment.  At least someone had a good laugh! 

And today, the first day I'm determined to go running, it rains.  It pours all night long.  So I'm resigned to using the treadmill.  The treadmill told me just exactly how pitiable I am.  The numbers spoke for themselves.  Running just one measly mile took over 10 minutes!  Ten!  And running two miles left me ready for a nap.  That's as far as I got.

It's so discouraging.  It's kind of sad when the beginner pilates video makes your muscles ache for days.  You see, last summer I could run five miles in well under forty minutes.  I used to do a load of sit-ups and pushups without a problem.  I was fit!  I felt good.  I loved it.

This new body of mine is going to take some getting used to.  I feel like I just survived puberty again. My hips are wider and I'm just not quite sure how to handle these nursing tetons. I had to wear two sports bras on my run.  Is it possible to regain some semblance of my former self?  Can I feel like that again, look like that again?  I think I might.  Slowly, but surely, I'm improving.  I will try to faithfully stick to the routine. 

Now if I can just lay off the ice cream...

Like Father Like Son

6.05.2010

The Nelsons Came to Visit

6.04.2010

The Nelsons came to visit us all the way from Idaho! They stayed a week and the time flew much too fast. Bron’s parents came to see Jed for the first time and to experience a little of what our little corner of the East Coast has to offer. It was so good to see them and have them both here. We really miss family. Jed got to meet his name-sake and his grandma cuddled him. It was relaxing to have Mom here. She did ALL the dishes and gladly helped with the baby. What a nice break for me! Having her here also helped me realize that I can simply be me; I can mother my baby just the way that comes naturally to me. Momma Nelson loves Jed just as equally as my own mother, but they both interact quite differently with him, and neither way is better. I think they’d both agree that caring for the people we love is the very best job anyone could ever have!

Jedediah Flint with Flint and Jed enjoying some attention from Grandma

We did quite a bit of sight-seeing while our family was here. Jed has been a lot of places for someone so little. Too bad he won’t remember any of it!

Thursday I took our guests on a tour of the Miner Institute Farm and to the museum exhibit. Because I only know the cliff noted version about what is going on on the farm, Bron went back through the farm after work with his Dad and explained everything in much more detail. Whew. You see, Dad is a dairy farmer too. I think he gets a kick out of seeing other farms.

On Friday Jed took his first trip to a “foreign” country: Canada! We took the folks to visit Montreal. We spent the day touring many of the Catholic cathedrals and walking around Old Town. The best part of our day was actually towards the end of it when a street performer picked Dad out of the crowd (because of his Indiana Jones hat) and coaxed him to “roar” like a lion and dance. It was a riot!

Performing in the street

A few peeks at Montreal

We spent our Saturday in Vermont. We ate lunch at the Skinny Pancake in Burlington for some amazing variations on crepes. Then we toured the Ben and Jerry’s Museum. Dad never went a day without his ice cream. On this visit, we got to tour the Dead Flavors Graveyard too since the last time we visited there was snow on the ground.

A family picture because we loove ice cream!

Lastly, we made it to Sharon, VT to visit the site of the birthplace of the prophet Joseph Smith. The site had such a special spirit. There was a recording of the Tabernacle Choir playing from some speakers on the grounds. As a kid I had always associated the choir with General Conference, and back then, General Conference meant two long days of extensive talks and boredom. Now, however, I find myself enjoying Conference and the messages offered. I also love seeing our leaders and pictures of Temple Square. It’s reassuring to me, amid our awful circus of a branch here, that the Church is still true and that it’s thriving. Hearing the music brought such peace to me. Anyhow, a sister missionary took us on a golf cart ride to see the Mack homes, some awesomely old trees, and Camp Joseph. (I’m our district camp director!) Then we toured the grounds and monument and watched a Church movie about Joseph Smith. It all sounds so simple, but our trip to this site was my favorite of our week. It was an experience; and the experience reaffirmed to me what I already knew to be true.

Rocking Jed in a chair built by Joseph Smith over the same hearthstone the prophet was rocked.  Very cool.

Sunday Bron blessed our baby in church. Jed looked so handsome all dressed up in his little white suit! He was blessed with everything a mother would want for her boy.


Monday and Tuesday were slower days. We went to the lake and out to eat. Very relaxing.

Wednesday was the day we had to say goodbye and part on our separate ways, but not before we saw some more historical sites! We hit up Fort Ticonderoga (French-Indian and Revolutionary wars) and Fort William Henry (French-Indian war). Yes, the same infamous fort portrayed in the movie, The Last of the Mohicans. After a tearful goodbye at the airport, Bron and I decided to visit the Saratoga Battle Field (Revolutionary war) as well. It’s a beautiful area, and I, not a history buff, learned a ton! But alas I’ll forget most of it soon.

Fort Ticonderoga

Inside Fort William Henry

Don't worry, we didn't leave her there!
Jed checking out a cannon, thinking he could possibly fit as the cannon ball

View from a Saratoga Battle Field

It was a fun and busy week. I truly love all of my family. We miss you already! 

Good thing more will be visiting soon!

P.S.

The Look of Concentration

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