First Day Back to Work

Okay so today was my first day back to work...I need to set my alarm for an earlier time, or I will never make it on time. It was one big hot mess!

I woke up, got dress, started feeding Elliot and thinking to myself...this is not going to be so bad! I can do this! I called the day care provider, confirmed that we were coming today, and I was just finishing feeding Elliot then I'd be on my way. Well, once I finish feeding him, I decide I better pump because he didn't eat very long and now the stuff is like gold because I won't always be there to feed him on demand. After pumping I decide I had better eat myself otherwise I will be too hungry and you all know how important food is for milk production!

So, I get some breakfast and start packing up. I get the diaper bag put together, which I thought I was so cleaver because I did that the night before. I get the pump ready to take to work. I go to get the bottles out of the fridge to take the day care and realize I had written the dates on all the bottles with a dry erase marker...which I always intended on buying a real sharpie and writing over those dates. Except I forgot, and now all the lettering is wearing off! I rush around the house to try to find a marker, or tape or something to put the dates on it. I spend way too long trying to figure it out and finally just pack them up anyway. I have no idea how much he'll need so I through them all in.

Now I am hurrying thinking I am going to never make to work...I pick up Elliot just in time for him to have a massive explosion in his pants, this can not wait...I change him. I pass up packing a lunch because at this point I am much later than I want to be. I put Elliot in his car seat and he starts to scream, adding to my stress. I get my boots on and realize I left the lights on...take the boots off rush to turn off all the lights. Get my boots, coat and gloves on, pick up the pump, the lunch bag with Elliot's milk, the diaper bag, my purse, the extra pack of diapers to leave at the day care and finally pick up his car seat.

At this point Diane Keaton pops into my mind, you know Baby Boom...the one where she inherits a baby and tries to balance her successful business career and a baby. There is one particular scene where she is carrying all this baby stuff and trying to get a cab...that is what I feel like.

Well, once I get all this stuff in my arms, I manage to get through the door and lock it behind me. I take two steps and realize that the warm weather has turned our stairs in to an ice skating rink and it is incredibly slippery! I rush back inside to get my ice cleats--still trying to balance almost everything...until I realize that is impossible I drop everything, get my cleats on and finally get out the door again. I get to the car and realize that I don't have the address...I have been there a few times, I am just hoping I can make it with out any problems. I do.

We get inside and immediately all the kids go wild because there is a new baby and person who they can show off too. I am trying to explain what I have in the diaper bag to meet his needs, and then explain about the bottles with the lack of dates and name. Ms. N is so sweet to try and help get it figured out and we start to do the label machine to label them...until it runs out of 'sticker stuff'--meanwhile the other kids are going crazy and it's getting violent. Poor Elliot is now in Ms. N's arms and wide eyed with a look of desperation on his face. I don't think there is anything in this world that could have prepared him for what was about to happen! Finally after 25 minutes there we decide we've done all we can and I need to leave so Ms N can get things under control again. I left sweating from stress and so sad that I left Elliot---I would dread staying there...I was dreading staying as long as I had to! Heaven bless the day care providers I don't know how they do it!

Once I got to work it felt like I was never gone...it was such an odd feeling. I didn't get much done, except a zombie discussion about the walking dead. I got caught up with all my co-workers and the latest office drama about the new girl. I went to get lunch with my co-workers, talked about valentine's day, babies, weddings and school. I pumped a few times and felt incredibly awkward even though no one was around...it is just weird. Overall, the day went quickly.

I rushed to go get Elliot and discovered that he was amazing for Ms N--all day he was good and only fussed a little bit, he smiled a lot an loved watching all of the kids play. He did soooo good right up until she handed him to me and immediately he cried and didn't stop until we go home and I could feed him. I don't know if I should be flattered by that or saddened that maybe he liked Ms N's place more than me.

But I survived the first day of being a working mom

....I am exhausted.

Elliot's Blessing

My great grandfather, James E. Harvey, was born in 1886. His mother hand crocheted a Christening gown for him by candle light in a dug out in Iowa. The christening gown was put into storage until my mother had her first baby and the gown was given to her. My grandmother helped my mom replace the damaged material in the exact replica of the original gown, saving all the original lace. This christening gown was then used to bless everyone of my siblings including my brother Heath. It is now a cherished family tradition. All but one of my neices and nephews were also blessed in the dress. Many of my cousin's and their children have also been blessed in it.

The christening gown is now 126 years old and has a lot of history to it. Many people initially question why a boy is wearing a dress to be blessed but it is such a fun family tradition that I hope Elliot will one day feel honored to have been a part of.

This is 3 generations, Elliot, Jed, his mother and grandfather.

I love the under slip almost more than the actual dress itself! The lace is so beautiful!

I was so worried for years watching my sister's bless their children in the dress...I got really possessive of the dress and wanted them to change their babies out of it the SECOND they were done being blessed...because I wanted to make sure that my children had the opportunity to be blessed in it.

Now I feel really bad because it was so fun to see Elliot in it that I wish I wouldn't have been so critical of them and I would have let them have their moment in the dress...Sorry you guys, especially Hilary!
Above Elliot is sitting in a little rocking chair that my grandmother gave me. It was her oldest sister's rocking chair who passed away as a young child. It is great to see Elliot surrounded by family history!
Jed was so great with Elliot and did a great job blessing him. I am very grateful to have a husband that has the priesthood, and he was able to perform that ordinance.

Trip to Utah

Things have been so busy around here that I haven't had time to blog! So for documentation purposes I will be doing three blogs posts tonight and I hope you go back and read all of them and get caught up!

Jed and I decided before Elliot was born that we would go home to Utah to introduce Elliot to the family and to bless him there. The trip was so great! It was so fun to see family and to see how excited everyone was to meet Elliot. Everyone was so excited to see him and hold him, he was spoiled rotten.

Aunt Hilary who particularly loves to spoil Elliot by sending him all sorts of fun blankets, outfits, hats and someday I really hope when he is 13 that she will send him a pink bunny outfit for christmas...which I will make him wear!

This is Elliot and his oldest cousin on the 'Hayward' side Jewell...she was so excited to see him she schedule two weeks in advance a time so she didn't have to fight anyone to hold him.

But the greatest part of all was just being home.
I love home...there is nothing more true that the phrase "There's no place like home"....I love the above picture, I love my mom's kitchen--the smell of the well water, looking out the window across the pastor of young lambs running, the sounds...I love it too much and I get really home sick when I think about it.

Below is mix of my two favorite things my mom in her kitchen! I love my mom she is the sweetest lady I know...and the best grandma! She was so great when she was able to come up here and help when Elliot was born.

above...a brand new baby lamb was born while we were there and it was fun to go out to the barn and see it, my parents still had my old rubber boots. In high school I spent a lot of time with the sheep and a lot of time in those boots, so much that I actually started to wear them out! Those are great memories! My dream is to again live on a small farm, but rather than sheep I want Alpacas!

Jed is such a good dad...here he is giving Elliot a bath at my mom's house.

While we were there Elliot really mastered his smile! He had a lot of people to show off to so he had a lot of opportunities to practice.
Above is Aunt Heather and my mom...you can see how happy and proud my mom looks!

Below is Jed's mom...she was soooo excited to see Elliot! She hasn't had a grand baby for almost 12 years! She was so cute with Elliot and loved spending time with him, she even got to baby sit him while we went to my big movie premiere!

There is nothing like proud grandparents

We had such a good time and there were many family members and pictures taken, but I can't post them all...so check them out on Facebook!