Merry 6 Months!!

Vaughn is getting to be such a big boy. While I know all kids go through the same milestone and stages, I am still amazed at how awesome he is. I mean come on, he can (almost) sit up by himself, successfully throw things on the floor and have me lean him over to pick them up (rinse and repeat), his first tooth has come through, eating real food when it strikes his fancy, being able to manipulate himself in the jumper to turn and jump, and being in general the best and happiest  kid I could have ever asked for.

Vaughn went into his 6 month check up and he was such a trooper. As is common he got his measurements and the dreaded shots done.

Height 28"-96%tile

Weight 15lbs-11%tile

Head17"-79%tile

 Based on the numbers he is turning into to a regular string bean, or as the doctor said a lollipop since his head is so big.

 Jake was able to come with us since he had the day off. It was fun to have him there, since he hasn't had that opportunity. He had all kinds of questions about what they were doing and why. I love his curiosity, I hope Vaughn has that same desire to learn and find new things to explore. I forget that sometime since my days are often very rote.

 Anyway....

As is his MO the shots came and he screamed, but only long enough for me to put his pants back on and give him a quick cuddle. After that, he was fine for the duration of the afternoon, not putting up a fuss when we went to the mall to do a bit of last minute shopping.

This was also his first opportunity to meet Santa. Yes, at 6 months he has already sat on the Jolly Old Elf's lap. What was more amazing is that he didn't cry. We found this interesting since he cries when Grandpa Nichols is around. Due to his general awesomeness, we were able to get this cute photo.

 

 Jake and I are marveling at the fact that this time last year I had heard Vaughn's heartbeat for the first time and we were telling our parents that we were pregnant as our gift to them. Now we have a 6 month old boy that we get to love and adore.

Not much more I could say other than...

Life is grand.

Pictures!

Here are some recent pictures that we took and I've been too lazy to post sooner

 Oh the wonderful ball!

 King of the spit bubbles

These are from our trip to Zions

 "Help" he says, "They've trapped me in this contraption and I can't get out"

 The entrance to The Narrows

 Beanie buddies

He loves his bathtime

Trying to decide if he was liking the carrots

Egads!

Holy Geez!!

 My little man is 4 months old. Where did all that time go? Yes, I know I am going to be saying this from now until the day I die, but seriously! Jake and I were talking about it and we were trying to figure out how 4 months could have gone by and we didn't even notice it. I was looking at pictures of when he was as new as he could possibly be and ones I just taken and I was amazed at how much he has changed. Vaughn is the biggest little guy that I could possibly love. My gentle giant.

Jake and I are constantly blow away that we were blessed with such an even tempered baby. We have friends that have and are going through the same stages and their experiences are so different. People are shocked to hear that Vaughn has been sleeping (mostly) through the night from almost the beginning. He only wakes up to be fed and goes right back to sleep. I can visualize some of your eyes bugging out and not believing what I am says, but it is true.  Granted he doesn't always take the best naps, but I'm okay with that since he sleeps so well at night and putting him to bed isn't difficult.

I am also amazed at how adaptive my little man is. I am able to give to just about anyone and he is okay with it. When I first went back to work I was worried that he wouldn't respond to the babysitter very well. Wrong! He doesn't seem to mind her at all. I am hoping that this ability to handle me leaving for stretches of time will carry into his later years. Yeah, I know it might be a little early to say such things, but I can be hopeful. He also is willing to go to either Jake or I there isn't too much of a preference. It is such a relief to know that when I leave him with Jake I don't have to worry about him freaking out till I get there. Yes, there are times when I am the one who he wants and calms down once I have him, but it also goes the other way.

Vaughn is also a fantastic eater! I mean my goodness this kid can pack it away. It is great to see that all those calories that he is taking in are being put to good use by growing as big has he is.

So here are his current stats

Height: 26.5 inches-- 96%tile

Weight: 13.84lb--19%tile

Head: 16.8 inches-- 82.9%tile

 I love watching him grow and change into the person that he will be. I am proud to be his mom.

 Sporting the burp rag

 Vaughn I am. Crazy Daddy is

Here is an update on our lives thus far. It has been 10 weeks since my little man was born. I love just sitting and watching him. Jake and I find it hilarious how we get so excited over the smallest things. For example I am sitting there on the couch watching him wiggle and all the sudden he will make a new sound. He keeps wiggling as if nothing happened and I am the one that gets all excited and mimics the noise back. Vaughn will just look at like I'm nuts. Or I get excited if he passes a good amount of gas. Really? Who gets excited about a few escaping gas bubbles or a poopy diaper? This Mom does.

So we were at church last week and Vaughn was being fussy at the end of 3rd block (not surprising we start at 2 and he slept through his 3 o'clock feeding) and I was roaming the halls when I was stopped by the librarian by her look of utter surprise. She was flabbergasted that I had a baby. I was taken aback as well. How could she not know? I was a blimp and not that hard to miss. I am thinking that the bishopric didn't announce it over the pulpit like they usually do. I'll let that slide since they had only be called the week prior to Vaughn's birth. Oh wells. : P

My Awesome Offspring

I know almost every parent says this but I truly do have the best baby. Over this last weekend Jake and I helped Joel with the LoToJa. This is our third year doing and it is always a blast. When of the differences about this is that we have Vaughn now. Now, I am going to be honest and say that I was a little nervous going on a 12 hour drive with a 2 1/2 month old. This wouldn't have been to distressing by itself, but both Vaughn and I had been battling colds. I was exhausted from being sick and getting up more often because he was waking up at night and not sleeping well.

But you know what!?
Vaughn was the poster child for AWESOME!

While we were getting the last minute info about our trip we learned that they had changed the number of stops we make as a Support Crew. So instead of stopping in every 2 hours or so we were to do the 1st feed zone in Preston, the 4th feed zone in Afton, and then the 5th feed zone in Alpine. There was a roundabout route that we had to take and we were afraid it would take forever to get from Preston, ID to Afton, WY and it would cause major disruptions in Vaughn's schedule. Nope. It worked out beautifully. It took us the right amount of time to get from Preston to Afton. As we pulled in our dear son was waking up from his daily morning nap and was hungry, right on schedule. He was such a happy baby. I was able to sit in the back and keep him entertained and happy the entire time. This also was a repeat of the drive home. He only go fussy because we got stuck in a bajillion mile construction zone with nothing happening so it took longer than an I had planned to get to Brigham City. We had to stop in Tremonton to feed him and ourselves. This took longer than  we had planned because he was so upset. Thankfully he did eat and I was able to persuade him to fall asleep even though it was an hour before his regular bedtime. I am so glad he was able to go back to sleep after getting him ready for bed and sleep the rest of the night.

Vaughn is such a good and easy going personality. Jake and I are so grateful that we have been blessed with such a peaceful soul.

Happy 5th Anniversary!

So this is being made a day late, but that is okay.

Jake and I celebrated our 5th Anniversary yesterday! It is crazy to think that five years has passed since we said our "I Do's". Even though so much time has gone by it seems like the blink of an eye all at the same time. It is crazy to think back on all of the things that we've experienced together.

I've been thinking of all the things that we have done or had done to us and here are some memories that I've come up with. This list encompasses the good, the bad, and the ugly.
These are in no particular order

1. We've had only 2 real "fights", but thankfully we came to an understanding before too long and have learned how we work as a couple and individuals when it comes to disagreements and are willing to make concession and find the middle ground on matters.
2. Had both of our cars be incapacitated within a week of each other. Mine totaled in an accident and his having the fan belt basically rip the entire engine to pieces.
3. Dealing with a personal tragedy on top of ruined cars. September of 2011 was the darkest time of our marriage in terms of trials of faith, patience, emotional and physical endurance, and testing what we are truly made of as a couple. I am grateful we were able to weather that storm and grow closer together instead of apart.
4. Jake graduates April 2012!!
5. Jake gets his job at Zions Bank a week before graduating
6. We get kicked out of our dungeon apartment, but are able to move right into our current basement apartment.
7.  Waking up in the middle of  a February night to our bedroom under 4-6 inches of water and the rest of the apartment with 1-2 inches, causing us to have to take refuge at his parents for a couple of weeks while the basement is repaired
8. Jake sacrificing almost every weekend to work for four years so we can survive financially
9. Halloween 2012 finding out I'm pregnant!
10. June 25th 2013 the birth of our wonderful son Vaughn Kay Nichols!!! and adjusting to having such a fabulous miracle in our lives
11. Sleeping with otter pops to keep us cool our first summer married
12. Sleeping with all the blankets on the bed for 2 summers in the dungeon because it is so cold 
13. Having the A/C and fan blasting on me while Jake is huddled in all the blankets because I am pregnant and dieing of heat
14. Laughing so hard it puts me into labor
15. Being able to see our baby on the ultrasound for the first time and then telling family we are expecting
16. Going to St. George for a long weekend where we explored Zions, Snow Canyon and being rained out of Tuachan. It was still worth it!
17. Being with my best friend everyday and share all the laughter, tears, frustrations, joys, sadness, and adventures together.

I have enjoyed the ride so far and I look forward to what the future has in store for us. There is no fear for me because I know that we have to ability and capacity to handle it. I anticipate frustration as we work together to raise our son and future children and all the challenges that come with it.

What a blessing it is to know that I have chosen a man that I can trust with my deepest worries and dreams. A man who I can laugh with and who will hold and cry with me during the more challenging times. I truly am blessed to have Jake as my husband that loves me for me and doesn't ask me to do the impossible of changing my core self. He loves me for me and I love him flaws and all. We make a great match. I am grateful everyday I was able to meet him on a houseboat on Lake Powell all those years ago and we could endure the 4 years it took for him to take me to the alter. He is an stellar husband and an excellent father.

The Son Cometh

Alright, it has been almost 3 weeks since Baby Boy Nichols was born. I think it is time to write about the whole experience thus far.

SO!

The whole adventure started out on a typical Monday night. Jake and I were all ready for bed, the lights were out, prayer was said, and I was positioning and then repositioning on my Pillow Fort. Jake was exiled to the other side of the bed bundling up in his mountain of blankets trying to stay warm in the igloo that I created with our A/C and fan on full blast. As I was squirming to make myself comfortable we were just talking when there was an unexpected silence from the other side of the bed. Concerned that something was wrong I asked Jake what was going on he responded..."I don't want to tell you.. You'll only laugh at me". This of course made me even more curious as to what had happened. So..I pestered him till he told me....he had tried to pull up a blanket farther up to cover his head against the frigidness of the A/C and fan. Sadly for him the blanket as caught on his feet and when he pulled his hand slipped and subsequently punched himself in the face.

True to Jake's words I found this to be uproariously hilarious. I am not joking when I say that I laughed for 20 minutes straight. Tears where running down my face as I gasped for air. Even though the laughing was causing my overly large belly to hurt I couldn't stop myself. Personally I'm going to blame being very fatigued from the heat and my day to it being so funny. (yet I still find it hilarious for some reason)

Anyway....

I calmed down and Jake gathered up his hurt pride and we went to sleep at this point it is about 10pm.

 Jump to 1:15am.

Waking up in the middle of the night by this point in the pregnancy is just "Old Hat" and I just figure it is time for the first of many nightly pee breaks. I turtle myself out of bed and waddle to the bathroom. As I step into the bathroom I suddenly feel a gush of fluid travel down my leg and pool on the linoleum. My half awake brain flicks on into hyper-alert mode. Did just wet myself or did my water just break? These are just one of many things that start to race through my mind. It took another moment of internal examination to determine that I still had to pee. So I did. Rid of the need to pee another small gush of water comes. This time thankfully it is in the toilet and not on the floor.

It takes me about 45 minutes to get my brain and thoughts in order. I wake Jake up and we proceed to go to the hospital. You know like you do. As we are driving my contractions are a little worse than normal but not unbearable or too frequent. I might have had like 2 in the 15-20 minute drive to the hospital, but my water keeps coming out. 3 times to be exact. The seat is soaked!!

By this point it is about 2-2:30am once we get to the hospital. Jake drops me off at the entrance as he parks the car. Remember I can still walk without a problem. As I walk into the lobby the security guard takes one look at me and her eyes pop out a little as she takes in my soaked bottom half. I can't help but say "I think my water broke" with a big grin and a chuckle. However, that little snicker causes another flood to happen and I am leaving puddles on the tile floor as I walk up to the elevators. A wheelchair is procured from me and Jake wheels me up.

Thankfully I had to foresight the week before to Pre-register so it was a breeze get admitted into Labor and Delivery.  I proceeded to create another puddle as I was changing into my hospital gown. Yeah I am just that talented. (If you are keeping track we are up to 5 water breakages in about an hour and half and not just trickles)

So they hook me up to the machines and I can now see my contractions and the baby's heart rate. It is amazing that technology is advanced so we can see those things. I loved watching the heart rate, knowing that my little boy was really there and getting ready to come out.

My contractions gradually got stronger (Holy Shiznits!). Poor Jake was exhausted and tried to sleep on the futon, but would jump up whenever I would start to breath heavy, shift, and groan in pain.
When they came to check how far I was dilated for the first time I have to say it is one of the worst positions and very painful to be in while in labor.

Seriously! make me be flat on my back, lift my hips? And you are going to shove your fingers HOW far? I respectfully decline your request.

You would think they would devise a way that would NOT add to a woman's discomfort. I was at 4 cm by this point. Sweet, right? Not. I was able to watch the sun rise over the mountains as my discomfort increased. I made it to about 6am before I gave in and got an epidural.

Here is another instance when you would think they would make the process less painful. I had to wait as the anesthesiologist was doing another lady, so they gave me a shot of something that was supposed to take the "edge" off. Ummmm...no. It didn't start to take affect until the monstrous epidural was started. I've decided that contractions endured by pitocin (my contractions decided to take a lengthy break sometime before and the baby was not responding well to that) + needles in the back x having to curl into a little ball at the same time = agony and torture. To say the least by the time the whole procedure was done I was very loopy. I had two pain management drugs in my body and I couldn't focus straight. It made the nurses a little concerned till they realized why I couldn't track or focus. This caused them to chuckled as I looked at them like a drunkard. Thankfully it didn't last long and I was blissfully numb. I took the advice that I was given and took as many dozing naps as I could. They were conveniently timed with the wearing off of the medication.

I give major props to women who are able to do childbirth the natural way, but my goodness it is painful.

Many hours later and several dilation checks later (which I couldn't feel!!! : D) it is about time to push. The doctor came and checked me and said I had about an hour before I was completely dilated and effaced. It was at this point that the baby decided to be a punk and be face up instead of down. This meant I had to be flipped and flopped to get him into the correct position for delivery, this took between an hour to 1 hour 1/2 . He made it about half way before I had to start pushing. The doctor was back at the office and we started to push (it is about 1:30pm).

After an hour of pretty continuous pushing there he was crowning and no doctor to be found. I had to lay there (with my epideral almost gone). It took the doctor about 10 minutes to get back to the hospital.

This is one of the longest 10 minutes of my life. My body is wanting to push so badly, but the nurses are telling me to not to. I seriously consider ignoring them and doing it anyway, since this is what my body is wanting to do. Once the doctor is there it seems like an eternity until the doctor is ready to "catch" the baby. In the end it is a good thing that I didn't push like I wanted to because the baby wasn't fully rotated, he was facing the left and he had to be turned more manually. A couple hard pushes later my darling baby enters the world and I was able to feel it all and I wouldn't trade that for anything. While I couldn't deal with the contractions the actual pushing wasn't all that bad.

 I would do it all the same again. I loved being able to feel him those last 30 minutes move down the canal and eventually enter the world. I could do without the pain of the stitching, but that is of such minor consequence it is almost not worth mentioning as I watched Jake beam with that look of sheer joy and hearing my baby boy cry as they worked on him.

It took them a bit of time to finally get him to me. They were making sure he was okay since I had spiked a very mild fever just before he was born. But! Once they put him on my chest I was filled with such a feeling of joy that I forgot (just like people said I would) all of the pain and discomfort it took to get him here. While it is still in my memory it has been all dulled as I held him for the first time. 

I am still amazed at the amount of instant love that I am capable of. It is astounding that it is possible to love so unconditionally. Before Vaughn was born I would just smile and nod when other mothers would describe that feeling, I had no idea what they meant. Now I do and can't deny it.

 Vaughn Kay Nichols  

June 25, 2013

7lb 4oz and 20 inches long

 

Baby Boy Nichols

Seriously Delayed post...Sorry

It is official! Baby Nichols

16 weeks (above) 21 weeks (below)

is a Baby Boy Nichols!

Life has been fabulous since we found out we are having a boy. Granted it would also be fabulous if we were having a girl. It truly wouldn't matter since both would be a wonderful and welcome addition to our family. Since the news was announced my boy has been a real gymnast. I just love feeling him squirm, bounce, roll, and yes, even kick and punch. It is such a comfort to feel him move. I panic a little when he is too calm for too long. However, I do think that this boy will have calm disposition, hopefully he takes after his dad and will remain that way....

Crash course on 2012

 So it has been almost a year since I last posted...anything. It has been an eventful year.

1) Jake completed his last semester of college and was able to graduate with not one but TWO degrees, one in finance and one in accounting.

2) Through some help from Joel, Jake was able to land a fantastic job up at Zion's HQ in Salt Lake a week before he graduated. It was a HUGE blessing to be able to jump from one career into another in a seamless motion. I am so glad that we have family who is willing to use their connections to help another.

3) We also moved....again. It was a bitter sweet deal. Being told you had to be out in a month, against our will, was to say the least stressful. BUT we have wonderful people who love us and wanted to keep us so we moved two blocks into another basement. How wonderful it is to be in a great apartment that doesn't smell and the general feeling and looks have improved as well. We get to have a dog without all of the work. This is because the dog is our landlords.

4) The Summer Olympics happened and we were able to watch and enjoy women's gymnastics and the swimming competitions.

5) I taught summer school for the first time at Reagan. It was a welcome break from the solitary confinement that is summer break. It was also fun to jump start some young minds.

6) My student entered 5th Grade and after a worrisome first week got into the groove and things have been great. He is maturing and becoming more independent (which is our ultimate goal!). I am amazed at the growth that he has had in the 2 1/5 years I've been with him.While sad I look forward to a time he doesn't need me anymore. That means I have done my job correctly.

                                                                                                                                           Jake laying down with Molly after a rousing game of fetch

7) Jake continues to be a wiz kid at work and is trying to work his way up the ranks and find ways to improve himself.

8) For the second time we were Joel's support crew for the LOTOJA in September. Not only that we had to wonderful opportunity to take one of his dad's puppies with us to Jackson. Since we knew what to expect we were more relaxed and really enjoyed it. The puppy wasn't too terrible. Mostly she slept at my feet and stole all of the air conditioning (since I put in on the floor setting since she was really hot curled around my feet all day). Joel did amazing! It is always great to share in something like that. We hope to help again in the years to come.

 

This is "Freckles" trying in vane to get away from the hot sun on our way to Jackson. Soon after this she crawled through the opening between the passenger and drivers side and curled under the gas and brake peddle. We had to coast to a stop for fear of crushing her head!

 9) For the first time since our honeymoon we were able to take a real vacation that didn't involve any family obligations. We went down to St. George in October during my Fall Break and enjoyed a few days at my uncle's home there. There were many hikes. Our journeys took us to Snow Canyon, Zions National Park, Tuachan, and Las Vegas.
 While we had tickets to Aladdin we were unfortunately rained out.  On the bright side we got a rain-check for next year plus two sets of tickets for other shows that have gone to good use. We were also able to go to Las Vegas and visit with Joel, Brooke, and the kids. It was fantastic to be able to see them one on one. We could get to know them in a different way then we have been able to in the past.

This deer literally walked right in front of us as we were on our way up to Emerald Pools in Zions. She just stood there for a few moments as if saying "Well? Aren't you going to take my picture?" Then slowly meandered away once we took a few pictures.

 This is a "Prehistoric Trilobite" we found in a pond in Snow Canyon. We only found it because Jake decided to throw a rock in and a bunch of these little guys swam to the surface


10) Christmas was a fantastic time for us. My parents were able to come to Utah and my whole family was together for the holiday season. Also due to Jake's new job and his grandparent's generosity we were able to have a very posh Christmas. Normally we are very frugal and have a budget for gifts and such not. Not this year. We went a little crazy. This year we felt very blessed to be able to indulge in the more commercial aspect of Christmas. Don't take this as bragging, we are just grateful we were able to do this for ourselves. 

11) Not only were we able to be blessed with a little extra $$ we were also able to confirm that I was pregnant! On the December 21, 2012 I was able to go to the doctor and he confirmed that I was going to be having a baby in July. Being able to hear my baby's heartbeat for the first time was the best gift anyone could have ever given me. Both Jake and I cried when I told him when he got home that day. It was such a precious moment that I am going to cherish for
 all time.

                      Wow-zaa! That's a lot of presents