Thor's First "Real" Photographs

With Sabre, I took to have tons of professional photographs taken to document her infancy. Fast forward 16 years to the days of digital cameras--all the pictures I have since Thor's birth announcements (taken when he was 1 day old) are candid, quick snaps with my phone or aging camera. So when I saw the gorgeous, inspired photos taken by my cousin's wife, Mindy Pitcher, I contacted her and made an appointment for her to take Thor's while we were visiting Utah in December (more on that trip later). And boy am I glad I did! Even though most of you saw them on Facebook, I am going to re-post the entire album. Why? Humph, just take a look at these:

The simple joy of having a boy:

 He makes this face all the time! It's like his tongue is way too interesting to stay put in his mouth.

 My hands are literally right out of the camera shot (I'm actually not sure if Mindy photoshopped them out or not because I remember being a lot closer than it looks in this picture!)

 And this is going to be his headshot. Seriously. Who would not want that smile promoting their product?

 This one captured the color of his hair really well. His hair is just like mine (before I colored it). It has a chameleon quality so it can look blonde one moment and dark the next.

 I'm holding onto Thor's foot here so he can't roll over--we had a devil of a time getting him to stay on his tummy (as usual!)

And there he goes! Free at last!

 He has been able to sit really well for a while .

 This one is my favorite, I think. I know, I know, there are ones that show his personality better. But this one . . . because he's not smiling his dad's infamous, gorgeous grin, he looks E X A C T L Y like a picture I have of me at the same age. And I must be very vain, because seeing him look like me makes me much happier than I ever thought it would. It's like caring for a mini-me.

 Here's his best "what did you say?" look:

 In the middle of a laugh--I see this face hundreds of times a day.

 I love that Mindy caught him biting my chin--Thor's version of kisses. He has such a death grip on my face when he does that!

 And this one is Thor in a nutshell. Mindy captured his personality perfectly.

 See how patient he was with us?

 There's that tongue again. He definitely is orally fixated.

 My rolly polly bug.

 Believe it or not, he's not even unhappy with us. He's blowing a raspberry!

 Ah ha! We wore him down for 5 seconds (that and Mindy is really fast with her camera)

 I could just stare at this one forever.

 That's Stacy that he's looking at--glad we had her there. Thor was very interested in watching her.

 Just a happy, happy boy.

 He's being entertained pretty intensely by 3 loud adults here.

 This is his "mama, I'm done now" face. No crying--his face is so expressive, I know exactly what he means most of the time. When you have a face this expressive, crying has no purpose.

 Rescued by mom! I shouldn't be surprised by how heavy (ok, fat) I look in pictures right now. I'm so used to being skinny most of my life that I forget that I'm not anymore.

And those are the fabulous pictures that Mindy took. A GREAT BIG HUMUNGOUS THANK YOU to Mindy. I knew that she was a great photographer, but these turned out better than I ever imagined because she preserved his personality with her photos, not just what he looks like. We will be loyal customers for as long as she takes pictures!

Temple Lights

Last Friday night, Eddie and Marie Lynn called and asked if we wanted to go see the Mesa Temple lights with them. Sabre had stayed home with a cold that day and Gary wasn't feeling so hot either.  But baby Thor and I were a little sick of sick people. And we were bored. So we went.

Now there had just been a cold front move through the Valley that day. It could have gotten down to 45 degrees. So I had to find Thor's hat. And a  blanket. And put him in long sleeves and pants. Boy does the rest of the world take a long time to get dressed!

I tried to feed Thor before we left, but he kept spitting out the nipple. And then we waited for Eddie and ML to pick us up. (Eddie gave Maria Lynn the nickname "ML." I don't know why--maybe because it's faster to say. It is easier to type it.) They finally got there.

As soon as we got in their car, Thor started crying. Now, this child never cries unless something is gravely wrong. So I tried feeding him in his carseat--something I hate to do--but he still wasn't happy.  We thought he'd be happy when he was out of his carseat. He was "ok" in his stroller.

He did at least smile once or twice when we took pictures of him:

But then, my perfect angel baby, screamed his head off while we walked around the temple grounds. Now, there were not a lot of people there--did I mention that it was 45 degrees?--but I did not want to spoil everyone's tranquil time. So I carried him while ML pushed the stroller. And he gave everybody this look:

And then he started crying harder. I checked his diaper, checked him all over for pokey things, tried feeding him, bounced him, talked to him--nothing seemed to help. So we walked around the grounds faster. We left after about 20 minutes because we couldn't get him to stop crying. Oh, well! Sorry Eddie and ML! We heard a few carols and there's always next year.

The only thing I can think of is that he didn't like the cold. Did I mention that it was in the mid-40s? If that's the case, he's got a rude awakening coming in about a week! I just saw the weather forecast for Ogden and did you people know that your HIGH is in the low 30s??? I'm glad he has lots of cute hats.



Thor's Kisses

Thor likes to give kisses. Big, wet, lickery kisses (like on Goonies).  If he's doing it half-hearted, he will just give you an open mouth lick on the cheek.  When he really gets into it, though, he bites your chin with his gums! It feels so weird. I should probably discourage him now from doing it before he gets any teeth. That will probably hurt. But it's so funny, all I can do is laugh.  Jenn caught him in action the otehr night. He looks like a vampire.

 After his kisses he looks at you with so much love and fun in his eyes. I can't tell him not to do it. At least until it really does hurt.

He thinks he's just one of the big kids.  His translation of kisses makes me wonder about his experiences.  Do other people's kisses really look like that to him? Is he just excited?  He sure is cute.

Christmas tree

I promised Gary I would not buy any more ornaments this year.  I have enough anyway.  Instead, I did 2 things differently.  First, I used 3 inch thick wire ribbon in gold and red that I looped in 8-10 inch loops and secured to the tree with wire ties and looped the ribbon in a scattered pattern all over the tree and let the ends randomly curl everywhere.  It looks really, really, cool.  Second, I "clustered" bulbs. I took all the plain colored bulbs and put 3-4 of them in different sizes on the same hook before putting them on the tree. My tree looks updated.

I taught Thor the "Christmas tree OUCH" game that I started when Sabre was a baby. It's pretty simple. I coo, laugh, smile, and point at the pretty Christmas ornaments and when my hand gets close enough to touch it, I jump and yell "OUCH!" really loud and frown. Then I hold Thor close to the tree while we talk and coo and when he reaches for it, I jump and shout "OUCH!" The game ends when we don't touch the tree anymore. Sounds stupid, but I'm telling you that my kids (and my dogs) don't touch my Christmas tree. Instead, we play at the base of it and stare and smile at it forever. And Sabre turned out fine--no hangups about Christmas trees.

Thor is 6 months old!

Ok, so I am about a week late in reporting that Thor hit the 6 month mark. I took him in for his 6 month shots and flu shot last Thursday. He only screamed after the 3rd shot. I thought that was pretty good.

Side note--I really think it should be illegal not to give your child vaccines. This happens to be one of the only parenting choices I think the government should make and I despise paternalistic laws, but vaccines I think are different. Most times, your choices affect your child the most. An unvaccinated child affects others in a direct, physical, sometimes horrible way. If a parent's choice not to vaccinate only affected their child--i.e. only their child had a chance of dying--I can't say that I would care very much.  If that parent wants to risk losing their child, well that's their problem.  An unvaccinated child, however, is more like a suicide bomber.  If he's going, he's going to take out the rest of the people around him as well.  And that's where I have the problem.  If I were in charge of the world, I would criminally charge parents whose unvaccinated children infected someone else.  It's exactly as if those parents let their 2 year old walk around with a handgun saying "oh, it's alright, the safety is on"--a little too dangerous to others in the vicinity.  Anywho...

For those of you that didn't see Thor's cute 6 month picture, here you go:

You can't see it, but he has a Crayola green skeleton on his shirt-it's one of my favorite shirts of his. Now that he's a little older (and it's winter so he needs more layers) I am having a great time dressing him! He is so patient with it, too. We "play" for an hour just dressing him in different outfits. He thinks it's a great game. So do I.

As you can see, he also sits up very well by himself. Last night we sat on his playmat in front of the Christmas tree all evening playing with different rattles. He loved that he could chew on all the toys hanging from the arch overhead that he could only bat at when he was laying on the mat.

He has a head cold--really just a snotty nose and a cough that won't go away. No fever. I have to bring an extra jacket to work everyday because he inevitably sneezes all over me before we make it to the car in the mornings. Poor baby.  Thinking I was pretty smart, I don't dress until the last minute in the mornings. I just wear my PJs so if he sneezes or burps up I can change, no big deal. Then last week I picked him up after doing my hair and my make-up and he threw up in my hair. Back to the shower. . .

Thor's Development

Thor has learned to sit up by himself this month. Now he sits in his baby bath and splashes the water as high as he can. The whole kitchen is covered in water when he's done! He rolls from his tummy to his back pretty quickly, but he's never rolled back to tummy. He is almost starting to push up all the way onto his hands and knees. He doesn't seem too interested in moving around yet. I've never been able to put a baby up on a bed still at his age, but he still just sits there while I get ready.

Thor talks and laughs all the time. He is very social and he loves being held. Some nights he sleeps through the night, but when he is congested (like last night) he can be up every hour or so. He lets me play dress-up with him. He laughs and laughs while I change his little outfits and never gets frustrated with it. I bought him two new hats yesterday--I'll have to post pictures of him with them on. He is adorable!

He still isn't interested in eating cereal. He doesn't understand it's food. He spits it out for 5-6 spoonfuls and then just screams if we try to put anymore in his mouth. Oh, well. He is chubby and healthy. We will keep trying once a week or so.

I enjoy him so much.

Eddie's Wedding

Our good friend Eddie and his beautiful fiance Maria Lynn were married November 12. Gary was Eddies best man, and Eddie couldn't have picked a better one.

Gary and I went on Eddie and Maria Lynn's first date. We went bowling. I can't bowl. It was entertaining to say the least. We've met a lot of the girls Eddie dates. I haven't liked any of them for Eddie until we met Maria Lynn. She is one of a kind. We weren't surprised when he asked her to marry him. And we were glad she said yes!

This is the first wedding for both of them (no kids either) and they are both in their late 30's. We have heard about the wedding plans for about 9 months now. I love the updates from them both--1) it's always amusing to hear crazy family stories as long as they are not your own family and 2) the two of them are so excited to finally have found each other that it rubs off on you. Well, it was beautiful! (Gary is standing behind Eddie in this picture)

 Thor watching intently:

 Eddie calls this picture "jumping for joy"

Before the wedding, I took pictures of my own family-it's rare that we are all dressed up at the same time and just happen to match.

Sabre was such a big help that day. the photographer got a few really cute pictures of my kids.

Plus some of Gary

There was dancing at the reception (it is Eddie after all) and Thor got to dance with ML.

We stayed there until 11pm--Thor was really, really good. We sat at a table with some staff from ASU and they just passed him around. He even fell asleep in people's arms and took a nap. We had a fun time and were so glad to get to celebrate with Eddie and Maria Lynn. Congratulations you guys!

Thank You

I have not been able to upload pictures at home to post with any blogs in the last couple weeks. I hope that the long weekend will give me time to catch up. In the mean time, I am going to take this opportunity to tell some of the people in my life how much I appreciate them.

First, thank you, Mom. I have not always been the easiest child you've had. I'm headstrong and determined and it may seem that I rarely listen to anyone else's advice. But actually, I have caught snippets of what you've told me over the years. Some of it needs to percolate for a while, but eventually I get what you've been saying. You are a great comfort to me as I get older (and wiser). But it's your example that I remember the most. Your attitude reminds me to be patient with myself and with others. I look back on my childhood and realilze more and more just what a great mother you were. You lived what you believed. We had fun. You loved me. And I love you for all the sacrifices you made for me.

Dad, thanks for showing me what a good man is. You love my mother and that truly is one of the greatest gifts I could have. You have worked very hard for your family all of your life. Thank you.

Gary, I don't doubt there was a preexistence because I know beyond anything else that I knew you before this world. I recognized you. Thanks for just going along with my hairbrained schemes until I figured out they were bad ideas. Thanks for never telling me "no" unless there's a real reason. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Because you never talk to anyone about how you feel, your sharing makes me feel special. Thank you the most for being a fabulous father to Sabre and Thor. You really are top notch.

Jenn and John, words can't express how grateful I am for everything you do for my family. Thanks for being there and sharing life's ups and downs with us. Your friendship is rare and beautiful. I could not accomplish all of the things I do now without your help. Especially thank you for being there for Sabre. She loves your family so much.

And Sabre, thank you for making me a mother. Thank you for being you. Since you were born, you have kept my feet grounded in reality when my head was in the clouds. I could not have made it through college without you. Thank you for helping with a smile and making me laugh.

JoAnn, thank you for being my soul sister. I am grateful for your advice and your ability to tell me frankly what I need to hear. I never tire of talking to you and sharing our lives. You are a true friend and a fabulous person!

Chris, thank you. You were there for me when it was hard for anyone else to be there. Thank you for your strength and your insights into my choices. Thank you for being a fabulous granny to Sabre. You made getting through school possible. Without you, I could not have made it here today.

To my siblings as a whole, I love you more than you know. I am the oldest, and I am sorry for you that you will never have the joy of being the oldest child. I watched each of you come home from the hospital, and remember each and every one of you the first time I saw you. I remember trying to teach you to talk. I remember carrying you around with me. I remember changing your diapers. I remember protecting you. I remember your laughs. I watched each of your personalities emerge, and I have to tell you, you may think you have changed, but you have not. (Ok, maybe Bekkie is nicer.) I still see those same personalities, no matter what life has done or what choices you have made. And I love you. Thank you for making me the big sister.

Bekkie, thanks for the memories. And thanks for always knowing how to make my animals better at 2 am!

Allan, thanks for letting me crash at your house a couple times a year. Thanks for sharing Stacy and your life. Thanks for being a great dad. Stacy, thanks for putting up with my moods!

Amber, thanks for texting me to remind me of all the dates I should remember myself. And thanks for showing me how to never give up. Thanks for blogging in such a funny, sarcastic way. You make my day.

Richard, thanks for sharing your talents with me. I have your pottery and your drawings displayed in my office and they cheer me everday. I have rocks that you painted for me as a child displayed at home--you create beauty in my life. And Abby, thanks for blogging! I love admiring your guys' talents and sharing in your life.

Katie, thanks for showing me true love and courage. You patience surpasses mom's.

Chantelle, thanks for the pure joy of life you bring. Thanks for staying up late watching moveis with me!

James, thank you for being a good example for your little nephews and for us all. Thank you for loving Sabre.

Christina, thanks for keeping the faith and trying to keep Sabre safe.

And Mindy, thanks for your blogs. You make me laugh daily at your girls' antics. Thanks for sharing.

There are many, many more people that I should say thank you to, but I'm running out of space! Thank you to the rest of you for being in my life. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

Snatches of Tummy-Time

We managed to grab about 5 minutes of tummy time this week. Thor hates sitting on my lap while I'm at the computer. I haven't figured out why--it's one of the only things he really dislikes. So it's hard to grab time to do this blog on Sunday mornings. It says something that he would rather be doing tummy time than sitting on my lap while I type. I just had to throw in these pictures in from last week while I was updating the blog because he's so cute!