Summer Fun

This summer has been so much fun.  Mike has had semester off from school, and so we've been partying as much as we can and soaking it in until the business kicks in again come September.  We've had a blast.  Here are some recent photos:

My baby brother Alex graduated from BYU, and baby James was an angel at all of the graduation festivities.

Mike's brother Adam and his family moved back to Utah this past month, and so James got to meet some of his cousins for the first time!  They were adorable with him.  He wasn't quite used to getting handled by kids since he basically lives in an adult world.

Pretty sure James is the happiest baby boy that has ever lived.

He smiles and laughs all day long.  I love it so much.

Bennett and Mike showed up looking like twins at Alex's graduation luncheon.  

James had fun cuddling in 'the pretty room' with his great grandma Hymas.

Here's the token picture with all of the BYU alumni in my family.  I can't believe it's been five years since I graduated!  So much has happened since then, and I'm so grateful for where life has taken me.  

Baby James at 2 Months

I have to be honest.  Before I had my own baby, I always thought it was a little lame when people went on about their children's stats on their blog and made lists detailing what they loved about them at their different ages.  I mean, it was sweet and all, but I didn't really care to read it.  

Now I'm one of those mom's!  While I am completely smitten and obsessed with my boy, I am not going to be so audacious as to think that the whole world loves him as much as I do (another pet peeve of mine).  So, if you're like I used to be and get bored reading about the fact that someone else's baby smiled or cooed for the first time, you might want to skip this post:)

Just warning you.  This is for journaling purposes.  

Now that my mother is probably the only one still reading.....

This little monkey had his two month old checkup last week!

Here were his stats:

Weight: 11 lb. 13 oz. (up 5 whole pounds from his lowest weight!) (60th percentile)

Length: 23.5 in. (60th percentile)

Head: 15.5 in. (30th percentile)

Things we love about James at 2.5 months:

- He is the happiest baby alive.  He smiles, coos, laughs, and tries to talk all day long.  This boy has so much to say- I wish I could understand him!

- He is so alert!  He is very interested in the world around him, and loves taking it all in.  He can focus on one person, and he'll track you across the room.  He especially loves staring at bright patterns and people's faces.

- He is the busiest, most wiggly baby I've ever seen!  He is constantly kicking his legs (especially his right one), and he is very strong.  He can stand up with our help, and loves his tummy time.  He rolled for the first time at four weeks, but hasn't rolled since (I think he's getting a big tummy which is making it harder to roll over).  

- He is the best sleeper ever.  He was sleeping 5-6 hour stretches at about a month, but lately he's been sleeping 8-9 hours through the night.  It's amazing!

- He LOVES his swing.  It's his happy place.  He smiles and watches the mobile above it, and would be super content to swing all day long if I let him.

- He loves the bathtub!  He gets so excited and splashes all over the place.  The kitchen sink has been the perfect fit so far, but we're going to have to move to the regular tub soon for safety reasons.  He loves to push off the side of the sink with his legs, and he does it so hard that we have to hold his head so that he doesn't smack it on the other side of the sink.  After his bath, we spray him off with the kitchen sink, and he doesn't mind at all (even when the water gets in his face).  He just smiles.  He also likes the shower too, and when water gets on his face he just tries to lick it off.  It's really funny!

- This boy loves to eat!  For the first two weeks of his life he refused to breastfeed and I pumped around the clock.  He caught on eventually, and hasn't looked back!  He is a great nurser, and is getting fatter every day!  We love all of the rolls on his legs and arms, his fat tummy, and all of his double chins!  Fat babies are the best!

- He loves to cuddle with is mama, and loves when I sing to him.  When he needs to go down for a nap, all I have to do is hold him for a minute and start singing and he's a goner.  

- He still loves to be swaddled.  He can be crying and the second that you swaddle him he's happy.  We are going to have to start weaning him off being swaddled though, because he always manages to break free.  (I'm semi-paranoid about loose blankets in his crib).

- He still sleeps in the bassinet in the annex of our bedroom.  He could totally start sleeping in his nursery (especially since he sleeps through the night), but I have attachment issues.  His nursery seems SO far down the hall from our bedroom, and I just feel so much safer having him close by.  Mike is kind to appease me.  

- He loves all people!  He is happy to be held by anyone, and loves the attention that his aunts, uncles, parents and grandparents show him.  Just for the record, his grandma Alison can get him to smile more than anyone else on this planet. 

Mike and I are convinced that being parents is the best thing ever.  Every day we love our little peanut more and more.  

A Name and a Blessing

Today was a very special occasion for our little family.  One that we will always remember.   Mr. James Cleveland Bergeson was given a name and a Priesthood blessing at church this afternoon by his father.  Mike gave baby James one of the most beautiful, tender blessings I've ever witnessed, and little James was promised so many incredible gifts of the spirit to help him throughout this life.  I can't wait to see what life brings for this little boy; he is such a special, strong spirit and I know God has so much in store for him.  In his two short months of life he has already brought so much love, joy and goodness to this world.  James of course was his calm, quiet, contented self throughout the entire blessing.

After church we had a luncheon at our home with all of our family members who were able to attend.  I am so grateful to have such wonderful parents, in-laws, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles & cousins that love and support us.  James is very lucky to have SO many people that love and adore him in his life.  We are so grateful to be parents to this perfect little boy.  

James with Grandma and Grandpa Child & Grandma and Grandpa Hymas

Sun Valley 2012

 Every summer for the past 27 years of my life, I've gone on vacation to Sun Valley with all of my cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents. Some of my very fondest memories are of summers spent in Sun Valley, and memories made there with the people I love most. When I got married, I couldn't wait for Mike to fall in love with Sun Valley too! After three years of participating in the Sun Valley festivities, I think it's safe to say Mike loves our annual Sun Valley vacation just as much as I do.

This was James' first year at Sun Valley, and he was a champ! We carted him around EVERYWHERE with us, and he was an absolute angel. I don't think he got a normal nap all week long, but he happily slept wherever, whenever. Such a perfect, flexible little guy.

 We crammed a TON into just five days. Some of our favorite activities from the week included: The Child Family 2012 Olympic games, the annual putt putt golf tournament (I took 2nd place in the women's division!), the annual cookout and Child Family song (James made the song this year!), the annual cherry spitting contest, synchronized swimming noodle team dancing competition, bongo ball and a home run derby, staying up until 2am playing games with cousins, eating at our favorite delicious restaurants, visiting the Sun Valley candy shop, swimming, bowling, biking down Mt. Baldy and golfing (Mike and the boys), girl's cousin lunch, going to the hot pots, lunch with my grandparents, etc. It was absolutely AMAZING. I LOVE my family so much. Can't wait until next year!!

Summer Lovin

  The past two months have been absolutely incredible! Mike and I are LOVING sweet baby James and the amazing spirit he has brought into our home. James is known as "the perfect baby" and "angel baby" by all of my extended family members because he is such a DREAM. He came to this earth with such a calm, happy, and sweet disposition. Thanks to his easy going, happy temperament, this transition to parenthood has gone incredibly smooth for both Mike and I.

 For a while my dad was worried something was wrong with him because he hadn't ever heard him cry (rest assured, he does know how to cry, but only when he's hungry, and it's a cute cry at that). That's how incredible he is! He can sleep whenever, wherever, and is just thriving! We feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to be parents to this amazing little soul. He has made our lives so much better!

I cannot believe how quickly James is growing! This past week he hit his 2 month mark! He is such a strong baby, and every milestone is so exciting for us. I have literally taken thousands of pictures of him already. He was holding up his head when he was two days old, rolled for the first time at four weeks old, started sleeping 6-7 hour stretches at two weeks, and started smiling at five weeks. Lately he is becoming so interactive. He recognizes voices and people, and loves smiling at his mama, daddy, and his grandma Alison. This morning he laughed for the first time and I thought my heart was going to burst.

 We have been having so much fun just savoring every moment this summer. I'm LOVING being a stay at home mom, and with Mike's flexible work schedule, we've been able to spend so much time together as a family. James took his first trip at one month old when we went to Idaho Falls to visit Mike's parents, and we've stayed up in Heber at my parent's house several times already this summer. The poor baby has almost spent more nights away from home than he has in his actual crib, but he is so flexible, adaptable, and happy wherever he is.

 Here are some photos from the summer so far.....

 

James' Safari Nursery

From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I started daydreaming about nurseries. I knew in my heart that a baby boy was going to be joining our family, and so once I got the confirmation of the ultra sound, Mike and I got to work. We were so excited!

 I wanted to create a magical place for our baby boy to grow up in, but I also didn't want to break the bank. After a lot of brainstorming I decided to go with a safari theme. We had so much fun putting everything together (with the help of my fabulous interior designer friend Teresa). Everything in the nursery was carefully selected. I wanted the items decorating James' nursery to be special and meaningful.

 Some of the meaningful heirlooms and items included in the nursery design are:
 - The vintage cedar chest that my grandfather gave my grandmother before their wedding over 50 years ago. - My grandfather's old fishing net.
 - A box of Chocolates Mike got on his mission that says, "Cleveland... a sweet place to be" (Mike and I both served our missions in Cleveland, which is why James' middle name is Cleveland).
 - A photo of the Kirtland temple (again, important because it was such a huge part of our mission and I served at the historic Kirtland church sites as a missionary)
 - Masks, drums, wooden animals, cloths, and other African treasures my grandparents got when they lived in Ghana.
 - A chest of drawers that was purchased for $20 on the side of the road in Africa (Pottery Barn has one just like it)
 - National Geographic magazines my grandparents have been collecting for years and years - A huge turtle my grandfather got somewhere in Asia long ago
- A globe that Mike and I purchased in Sun Valley, ID (a very important place to our family)
 - A huge giraffe that Grandma Alison gave James
- A photo of Christ from his Grandma Carol

 My grandparents were kind enough to offer to let us use so many of their african treasures, and we were given so many gifts, that the only things we had to buy were the crib, the rug, and some of the photos on the wall. I absolutely LOVE how it all turned out. Every time I walk in I have to smile. It's my favorite room in the house. But most importantly, I LOVE the little babe that lives there.

 Here are some photos (thanks to the incredible Jen Herem)......