Mother's Day

I feel sooo lucky to be this little man's Mommy.

PS. I am putting this picture everywhere because it's so cute I just can't stand it! It sums up my little Klein's personality perfectly. I just love that little face!

Happy Mothers Day to all of you!!

Tie courtesy of Babybystevie

March and April

Life lately has been a little crazy. I have been contemplating this post for a while, wondering what to use to break my blogging silence. Hmm. Well, I'll just start off with the facts. It was my 29th Birthday on April 6th and to celebrate during the day, we (me, Oma, Bailey and Kleiners) took it to the park with In N Out. Here is Klein in the swing. It was his first time to the park, and in the swing!

There is so much going on here. The park in the background, the In N Out, the blanket for our picnic, the bubbles that we brought for Klein that he got from the Easter Bunny.

Here shows my success at getting ALL the candles out. They were atop a sugar free cake that my wonderful husband tracked down for me. Whataguy.

Not a half bad picture of me. Lately, those are really really rare...

Which brings me to my next topic. Working out. I have had bouts with P90X, pilates, gym cardio machines, walks around the neighborhood/beach. The thing that I have recently taken to is dear Tracy Anderson. Now I know some mock her Method, but I happen to really enjoy it. I am her fan on Facebook and her follower on Twitter (before this kind of behavior might've triggered a fear response in some people, but now it's normal to be a follower of someone, okay?) I was doing her workouts (Mat and Dance Cardio) before I got preggers but then stopped during my pregnancy. Now, I am back at it with her new DVD's (which I happen to really love). We will see how it goes... Here I come "teeny, tiny".

In other news, I introduced Klein to Formula and since I got a plugged milk duct and other things, he has kinda taken to the formula so I am weaning him more or less. I am having a rough time with it. I feel so guilty about it. What do I do? I mean, I nursed him for over 5 months. Isn't that saying something? I know breastmilk is best for him, but he is starting in on solids and rice cereal. I don't know, he just doesn't seem like he's that into it, only nursing for like 5 minutes at a time, and I could really love being able to diet and get in shape without worrying about milk supply, etc. He's so healthy and happy. It's okay, right?!

Klein is sooo much fun these days. I think I love this 4-5 month stage. He is all smiles and loves to play. He is grabbing and reaching and putting everything near his mouth. He knows me and he likes me around. He can also entertain himself for a little while so that is nice for me to get my workouts done. I could just eat him up!

Okay, this post is way too long. I feel like I'm talking to an old friend who I haven't talked to in a while. There is just so much to update!

One more thing, Grant and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary. He got me the cutest leather key chain and wallet (3 year gift is leather). I got him a subscription to the Wall Street Journal, not leather, but we missed the Paper year (the 1st anniversary gift) so I figured it was fine. Grant was also called as our ward's EQP which is great. He's really thrilled about it.

Klein had his first Easter and General Conference and he got through them just fine. He even found 4 eggs. Right now, he is just laying on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. No pacifier, no toy, just laying with his hands above his head, his legs sprawled open. Totally just hanging out. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go eat him.

XXcited

I'm so excited about this band called The XX. I find myself really loving their sounds! Check out their song Islands for a starter.

Yay!!

I won! I won the giveaway on Tell Love Chocolate! And I won this adorable hat by Katarina Couture. I am so thrilled!

Now I will be stylin' in Chicago when we go out there for the Holidays!

Blessing Day

It was Klein's Blessing Day this last Sunday (Feb. 7th). We had a bunch of family in town and it was so fun seeing everyone and having them meet Klein. He was a hit.

Grant did such a beautiful job with the Blessing and wasn't even nervous. Klein was a good boy too. He stayed asleep the whole time and when Grant held him up at the end of the Blessing for the congregation, he was looking up at the lights in true Klein form. He looked so cute in his blessing outfit. I just loved sitting in church with so much of our family there for us. That hasn't ever happened for me before. Thanks to everyone who came!! For more pictures and details, check out Klein's blog.

In other news, later that day, Klein got to watch his first Super Bowl with his Daddy, Uncle Todd, Uncle Levi, and both of his Grandpas! There were other friends there too. I don't know that he will have that opportunity again. It was a good time!

Tradition

About a week ago, Grant surprised me with the news that we were going to see Kooza! I was so thrilled as I LOVE Cirque de Soliel and I die at the thought of going to any of their shows. They have a show in Irvine and Grant surprised me for Valentines Day and we took my mom too! Here are the festive Big Tops at nite.

Before the shows start, they usually have some sort of clowns or other types of characters walking around the audience and entertaining. It's fun, but those characters are probably my least favorite part. They are funny sometimes, but I'm just not that in to physical comedy which is what most of it is. It's fun while your waiting for the show to start though.

Here we are. So excited to get in there!

It was an amazing show! I caught myself screaming out loud more than once at the suspense and the tricks they were doing. I highly recommend it. They are almost done in Irvine but they are going to San Diego next, which isn't too far for the locals in this area. It would be well worth the drive. Usually we have to drive to Vegas to see a Cirque show.

This is the second Cirque show Grant and I have seen together (our first one was O in Vegas for our anniversary). I told Grant I wouldn't mind it becoming a tradition of ours. One Cirque show a year. I like it!

Lullaby

This morning I lulled Klein off to sleep with Aqueous Transmission from Incubus. It is such a great lullaby. Also, I've always LOVED Pale September by Fiona Apple as a lullaby. Both songs that I have fallen asleep to myself. I'm not just talking baby here. I am wondering what you all fall asleep to. I would love to get some good suggestions.

I Just Love...

watching the Food Network on a Sunday nite. Tonite it was battle mackerel. I wonder who will win.

In a Effort

In an effort to improve my photography skills and my artistic eye, I have commissioned my friend Sjauna who lives across the country and is also photography-minded to start a project with me just like this one.

It is called Jem Days and it is one picture every morning for a year. I hope to make it into a coffee table book.

Here is the link

http://jemdays.blogspot.com/

Check it out if you feel so inclined.

A Day in the LIfe

I know tons of you are dying to know what it's like to be Klein. Well, for those of you who are interested, I am starting a photo blog of Klein's first year. He's not quite 7 weeks so even though I missed a few days, I'll be on track to get most of it documented. Starting today, I will be posting at least 1 picture a day of the Meister or something having to do with being him.

Here is the address:

http://kleinmeister.blogspot.com/

Hope you all enjoy!

Summing it Up

This pretty much sums up our (mine and Klein's) life right now. This is an actual picture of my face. I haven't posted it in a while (and with good reason). See little Kleiners looking at his mommy. I wonder if he knows me yet.

I don't know why I love his little fussy face so much!

Such a sweet boy.

His eyes are really starting to lighten to a blue color instead of the slate color they were when he was born. He's looking more and more like Daddy every day.

At 6 weeks this little man...

• weights over 11 pounds
• loves to lift his head up and look around
  
• loves the ceiling fan
• loves his rattle toy with a black and white bullseye
• loves faces
• smiles back with the cutest dimples
• is cooing
• is in the 50th percentile for height, weight, and head circumference
• is a happy boy
• is loved so much by all (especially his mommy)
  

Perks

One of the perks of being up at 3 in the morning is moments like these...

But I can't think of any other perks about being up at 3 in the morning.

Just enjoying the view.

Klein 3 Ways

These were taken a while ago to send to the girl who got us this cute outfit and I just think they're so funny.

Picture 1: Mischievous
Picture 2: Prayerful
Picture 3: Skeptical

Broadway

When Anne and I were younger, and sometimes still today, we have a song. It goes like this:

"Broadwaaay, I'm on Broadwaay..."

That's it. That's all there is. And it's so funny. Because we sing it in a Broadway voice and we joke that it is our dream to be on Broadway.

This picture reminds me of our song.
In Chi-Town a year ago, there was a sighting of Anne's Broadway ghost in front of the Water Tower.

It made me laugh so hard.

Going through old pictures, I became depressed thinking about the vast expanse between the way I look now and the way I'd like to look. Although it has only been one month since having the baby, and I definitely look better now than I did when I was preggers, I still have a long way to go...

This Thursday I should hopefully get the okay from my doctor that working out is fine and I hope to be able to get myself in gear and make Klein proud and reassure Grant that his marriage choice was not a bait and switch.

PS. Klein is asleep in his swing and he keeps grunting and then I hear these baby fartinhos (that's Portuguese for little baby farts). It makes me laugh. He's really working hard over there. It's funny because his fartinhos sound like adult farts, only cute. Grant and I were talking about how everything he does is cute. His sneezes, his coughs, his grunts and squeaks, his burps, his farts and poops (well, maybe his poops aren't cute, but they aren't gross). We are enjoying the cute phase,

and the dream of being on Broadwaay.

Things

Things I didn't like so much surrounding Klein's birth:

• the tingling of the epidural
• the swelling of my body and face (even more than it was) resulting in me being the ugliest I have ever been in my life. period.
• waiting to dilate past a 4 for 17 hours
• the news that I would need a C-section
• the shaking due to labor/epidural
• wanting to sleep so bad but being so uncomfortable it was impossible
• throwing up from the medicine
• being told that Klein would have a cone head because I wasn't dilating and his head was just sinking further and further into a place that wasn't accommodating him (it really wasn't as bad as they thought, thank goodness)
  
• being the ugliest I have ever been in my life. period. (did I say that already?)
• the jello belly I had after he was born (I looked like Santa just in time for Christmas!)
  
• the first couple weeks of breastfeeding (2 lactation consultations later, even though one of the consultants came in and saw Klein eating and exclaimed, "he has a text book latch, text book...")
• not showering for 3 days
• not having a room with an ocean view... :(
• Klein losing 10% of his body weight and freaking me out half to death (because I wasn't having rational thoughts)
• my irrational thoughts freaking me out half to death (he'll die if my milk doesn't come in... he's sleeping too much, etc)
• having to wake Klein up to eat every 2 hours, and keep him awake to "eat"
  
• Being separated from Klein for his circumcision (and thinking how much pain he was in as they brought him back in to my room with a little pacifier next to him that had been used to comfort him during the procedure)
• Levi and Bailey not being able to come meet Klein because of flu season (hospital policy)
  

Things I rather liked surrounding Klein's birth:

• Aunt Annie driving through the nite from Utah, making it into town just in time to see me labor and hear the nurse decide a C-section would be best
• the fact that Grant and I were at Claim Jumper eating a chocolate chip calzone when I decided that I was in labor
  
• Grant making brownies at 1 in the morning for the nurses (a Hypnobabies suggestion) while I was upstairs listening to my hypnobabies cd waiting to go in to the hospital (the nurses were obsessed with him for the brownies that were amazing)
• the nurse that took care of me and all the staff at Hoag
• the fact that I had gone into labor on my own
• having Klein on his due date
• Having friends and family come visit and meet Klein
• the flowers that Grant's parents and my brother John sent to us
  
• the pain meds that made breastfeeding and moving possible
• the sponge bath that the nurse gave me (seriously)
• finally being able to take a shower and do my hair
• the electronic adjustable bed
• the tv
• the meals that were brought in
• getting Klein dressed to go home in his outfit that we bought him when we found out he was a boy
  
• Grant staying with me 24/7 in the hospital and afterwards

Things I loved surrounding Klein's birth:

• watching Klein be born (the anesthesiologist convinced me to watch Klein come out during the C-section stating that it wasn't going to be "that bad" and that I wouldn't see myself cut open, just the baby. I first saw his dark hair and then they pulled his little body out and held him up to the mirror so I could see him. I saw his little face for the first time as he was crying like crazy and I immediately fell in love and started crying out of joy. Probably the second time in my life I have cried out of joy. That moment was probably the best moment of my life.
• Hearing Grant say, "he looks like you! He's a Bench." about Klein right after he was born
• Hearing everyone else say he looked just like Grant, including my own mother
  
• Seeing Grant hold Klein as he brought him over to me while they were stitching me up. I just saw the back of Grant's head as he was enamored by Klein, rocking him and trying to hold him as close to me as possible so I could get a good look at him
• The doctors and Grant's reassurance that Klein's ballistic crying after he was born was really good, and Grant looking at him and telling me, "he's turning pink really quick"
• Hearing the nurse refer to me as Mommy to Klein for the first time right before she put him in my arms
• Having the moment with my mom when she came back to see Klein and I was holding him and feeding him (he rooted the second he was on me so I started to feed him right away) and she said, "Callie!" and put her hand to her mouth and we both started crying
• Anne coming back to meet Klein in the recovery room
• All the nurses and doctors telling us how beautiful the baby was and how he didn't "look like a newborn" and saying that "most the time, newborns aren't this cute"
• having him room in with me and holding him constantly
  
• Noticing Klein's dimples
• Our first moments together as a family
  
• Grant reassuring me that everything was going to be perfect while I was having my meltdowns and being there for Klein and I without fail 24/7
• the drive home from the hospital where I was sitting in back with Klein and Grant was driving and noticing Grant tear up as he was talking about looking at "that little face"
  

All in all, it was such a great experience that Grant and I will treasure forever.

Guess what Santa forgot at our house...

and when he found out, he had a hissy fit.

then Oma talked to him and he calmed down a bit.

she showed him the gift that Santa left for him.

Daddy talked to him and after much consideration...

He decided to stay.

Tubby Time

Klein got his first tubby last nite. It was fun and he seemed to like it. The picture on the top left is him right when he got in. He's deciding what he thinks about the whole bath thing. It was fun as Grant held his head straight and I cleaned him. We tried to quickly dry him off so he wouldn't get cold. It was a fun Family Home Evening activity.

It seems that when I gave birth, I entered into the Twilight Zone. Nothing is normal yet and taking care of the little man has proved to be a taxing task. Although, I really love it. There are so many wonderful things about being a new mom, but so many difficult things as well. The hardest part, you guessed it, the lack of sleep in the night. In the hospital, we had to wake him up to eat, but now, he has certainly mastered the task of waking me up to eat. Grant takes the first shift in the nite, from 10 to 3, and then I take over after that.

I am just so grateful for a patient partner, who does so much to help, who has really embraced his role as a father, but hasn't forgotten about being a husband.

Nothing to complain about, just a lot of things to get used to. Klein is such a good baby and makes the funniest faces to entertain me during the day. And I love his squeaks. And when he straightens his legs right out when I change him. Also, when he goes cross-eyed and sticks his lips out like a fish. He is a fun little guy. He will be three weeks on Tuesday and we are the happiest family living in the Twilight Zone.

Check It Out Klein

Check out a glimpse of Klein's first professional photo shoot here at Danielle Locken's Photography Blog. Danielle is such a talented photographer. I'm so glad she was able to do these. They are just perfect, same as my little man. If any of you want yours or your little one's photos taken, call her! She's amazing.