Holidays-2017

Thanksgiving this year was with Shane's side. We all got together at the Wakley's and got to enjoy each others company and great food. We did some shopping that night after dinner and some on black Friday. It's so nice getting together with family!

Christmas was with my side this year and we had a lot of fun. Axel was a blast this year. He was excited about every gift he got to open and would say "mommy I got" before he even ripped the paper. He got a tool bench this year with some battery operated tools that he loved. He even got into the Santa bit a little. Now every man he sees with a white beard he says "look mom it santa." We spend Christmas Eve and Christmas day at my parents and went to church Christmas morning. It was a great way to start off the day. We had a fake Christmas tree this year (which Shane was opposed to), we always get a real one and didn't do a tree last year. Axel had fun helping decorate for the first time. We got a train to go around the tree this year and Axel loved that. He loved to push the remote to make it go around.

We have also got a ton of snow this year and Ax has loved playing in it and eating it.

The end of January we started potty training and went cold turkey from diapers to big boy underwear. It was a rough couple weeks but he finally got the hang of it. I bribed with cars, candy and eventually a trip to go see gramama and grampapa (as Ax calls them) in Washington and go on an airplane for the first time. He went about 2 weeks with only about 2 accidents.

In March we got to go spend a week with Shane's parents in Washington. We had a wonderful time. Axel loved the airplane and did so good on it. We got to go to the zoo, stay in a hotel and go to the beach and eat at some yummy places and go shopping. We went in their hot tub almost every night, it was very relaxing. Axel came in there with us and would say "that was fun, go in hot water." It was a fun, relaxing trip. We drove home and Ax did great with the long drive too. He loved getting spoiled by 4 adults!

Axel is getting close to 3 and I'm pretty sure the terrible 3's are starting to set in. He is at a really fun age right now though. He still lets me cuddle him and hug and kiss him, on his own terms :) He is sweet, independent, stubborn and repeats everything. He loves to play hide and seek, listen to music, dance and sing, nursery and being outside. He wakes up every morning and comes running in my room and says "mommy I sleep good" and gives me a hug. It's my favorite part of the morning. He like chocky milk and a show to start off the morning. He says lots of funny things and says something new everyday that makes me laugh. He loves when Daddy gets home from work and runs and gives him a hug and says "daddy you got home." He is still a big mama's boy, which I love. He is getting so smart and knows how to get his way with mom and dad. One of his latest when he gets in trouble is "you my best friend" to try and get out of it. He is getting really good and saying prayer with us. I can't believe how fast he has grown. We are so blessed to be his parents.

Fall

On August 23rd I went in for another laparoscopy surgery to remove endometriosis and cysts. We did the robot this time so the Dr could be able to see and remove more. I was at a stage 3 and the Dr got me down to a stage 1. I decided to go on Lupron shots for a few months to help it to stop growing and hopefully feel better. It was so hard not having Axel home with me for 4 days while I recovered. Thankfully I had my mom, sister and sister in law to help out.

Shane started a new job as a Spanish teacher at Century High School this August and is able to do his student teaching as a teacher this semester. It was an answer to our prayers.

October we did some Halloween fun and went to Gardner Village in Utah and met up with family. Mom, Des, I and the kids stayed in a hotel and went swimming the night before.
We also went to Swore Farms and went through a corn maze, went to the pumpkin patch and let the kids play.
On Halloween Shane and I took Axel trick or treating around town. He was really liking it and got the trick or treat saying down really good and said thank you after he got a candy. He was a pirate this year and he really liked that.

22-27 months old

22 months old Axel loves cars, bikes, to push and pull things, sitting in the car or on the front stairs. He had developed a high pitch scream that's  piercing to the ear when he's mad or wants attention. He is in a hitting phase, he likes to throw rocks, he rolls his eyes and looks away when he is in trouble, he turns his face away when he doesn't want to be talked to like you're not there, he is learning time out. He loves bubbles and jumping in puddles. He loves to talk on the phone to nana, papa and daddy. He calls kitties mowes and cows moos. He hates to have stuff on his hands and face, he says uck when he is dirty. He has changed from saying mama and dada to mommy and daddy (which I love).

23 months he says Akie (we call him Axie) and Akl (Axel), says hold you when he wants to be held and hand when he wants you to go somewhere. He is starting to get more independent and says Akie do, he loves watching pachoo (paw patrol) and mickey, he loves pockils (popsicles) and blowing out candles.

25-26 months he says peese and dank you (please and thank you), uh oh mommy, uh uh no, huh what, yep, oh no, owie, wahoo, ah miss, cycle bikes (motorcycles), daddy home, and he rubs your face or arm and says awe nice. Sque me (excuse me) after he burps, nummy when he likes something.

27 months he is getting better at 4 word sentences and is speaking more clear. He loves to play with blocks and color. He is stating to be scared of everything. He loves nursery and does great every Sunday. He covers his mouth and says oh gosh, he doesn't like to dry his hands after he washes them, he says watch to see him do something, says belly full, bless you after he sneezes, and mommy sleep good when he wakes up in the morning. He is now in his big boy bed and thinks it is pretty cool.

Summer Adventures

The end of June/ beginning of July we got to go to Bear Lake with the Call side. We got to stay in a big cabin/house that was beautiful. We spent time by the lake almost everyday and went boating, rode on jet skis, played in the water and enjoyed each others company. We had wonderful food (like always) and played games. Axel was stuck to mine and Shane's hip and cried whenever someone would look at him or talk to him. The day we had the boat Shane and I both went out on the tube and we both fell off. Axel kept saying over and over, "mommy fall boat" "daddy fall boat."  We had a really good time and got to celebrate the July birthdays.

July 10th our sweet baby boy turned 2! We couldn't ask for a more perfect, healthy, stubborn, sweet little boy. He keeps us on our toes and always makes us laugh.  We are so blessed to be this little miracles parents. We made some cupcakes and spent time with family. He actually liked his cake this year and dove in. We had white cake with cookie dough frosting. He got spoiled like always. We love this kid so much.



The end of July we went to Utah to celebrate Shane's birthday. We went to a bees game, went to the aquarium and spent some time with family. Shane was gone on his actual birthday to high adventure with the young men so Axel and I had a mommy son date and went to a movie.

In August Des and I took the kids to the Downey Fair and watched the elephant show and the kids and I rode on the elephant. It was pretty cool

. 

18-22 Months old

At 18 months old Axel pats the back of his head/ neck when he coughs, he loves to sing and dance, he has a pretty awesome cheese face when we take a picture of him, he repeats what we say, he says aoow when he gets hurt, and likes to stand in front of the wall and pout. He likes to watch the Disney channel and will point to the t.v. and say "sow" when he wants to watch something.

At 19 months he grabs my finger and takes me where he wants to go or what he wants to do/eat. He shrugs his shoulders and puts his hands out and says "where go" when he is looking for someone or something.

At 20 months he likes to look out the window and says "see" to watch the train go by and says bye bye, he says "mmm" when he likes something he is eating or drinking, he tells us come on, he is saying mommy and daddy instead of mama and dada, he loves to wear hats. He likes to take off his sockies and see his toes, he is getting more independent and wants to do things himself and tells us "do" to do it himself. He loves going outside and playing in the rocks and throwing the ball to the dogs. He is learning to play hide and seek and likes to hide in his closet. We celebrated Easter and he did really good gathering up the eggs at the egg hunt. He colored some Easter eggs with Brie and Rae and got a new car and shirt from Nana and Papa.  He was a lot of fun this year.

He turned 22 months today! His little personality is so fun and goofy, we just love to watch him grow. He is getting into cars a little more and likes to push them around the house. He still loves his basketball hoop and we play that everyday. He likes to color and play with his water beads and still loves his blankie. He is staring to go to nursery (now that I'm called in there and released from YW) and is learning to play with the other kids. He loves his cousins and gets excited to see them. He is turning into a papa's boy and loves to be with him.

Love this boy of mine

Lying here with you
Listening to the rain
Smiling just to see the smile upon your face
These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive
These are the moments I'll remember all my life
I've found all I've waited for
And I could not ask for more

Looking in your eyes
Seeing all I need
Everything you are is everything in me
These are the moments
I know heaven must exist
These are the moments
I know all I need is this
I've found all I've waited for, yeah
And I could not ask for more

I could not ask for more than this time together
I could not ask for more than this time with you
And every prayer has been answered
Every dream I've had's come true
Yeah, right here in this moment
Is right where I'm meant to be
Here with you here with me

These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive
These are the moments I'll remember all my life
I've found all I've waited for
And I could not ask for more

I could not ask for more than this time together
I could not ask for more than this time with you
And every prayer has been answered
Every dream I've had's come true
Yeah, right here in this moment
Is right where I'm meant to be
Oh, here with you here with me
No, I could not ask for more
Than this love you gave me
Cause it's all I've waited for
And I could not ask for more

Axel and I were playing in the front room and listening to music and this song came on by Sara Evans. I started listening to the lyrics and they touched me. All I ever wanted to do was get married and be a mom. I prayed and prayed for 4 years to be able to be a mom. I asked Heavenly Father that if I could just get pregnant and experience that one time I would be happy. After Axel was born I prayed that he would be healthy and develop the way he needed to. Every prayer has been answered with all of that. He is healthy and perfect in every way. Being able to be home with him every day is so amazing. I know this is where I am meant to be right now and there is nothing I would rather be doing. I love when I tell him I love him he snuggles up to me or gives me a kiss on the cheek. The love I have for him is beyond words. The words to this song just fit today and I feel so blessed to have a loving husband and an amazing son that I would be lost without.

Holidays

For Thanksgiving we went to my parents house and ate lots of yummy food. That night my mom and I went and stayed at Des and Mike's house to go shopping. At 10 pm Des, I and Mike went out shopping till 1 am. We got a few hours of sleep and mom, Des and I got up at 5:30 am and went shopping again. Shane brought us Axel in the afternoon so he could go to work. He is such a good little shopping buddy.
On Saturday, Shane and I celebrated our 7th anniversary while my parents watched Axel. We went to the last Hunger Games movie and out to eat at Panda Express.

Christmas was so much fun this year with Axel. He loves to tear paper up in little pieces. Shane and I did our Christmas early with Axel on Wednesday night. Shane had got him a little basketball hoop and put a new net on it and got a mini basketball. Axel absolutely loves it.

We spent Christmas Eve with my family and the kids got to open a few gifts. The grand kids all got big pillows to open. Axel got a giraffe that he loves to lay on and pat. They also got some new jammies to sleep in. We decorated cookies and ate lots of food and sweets. My parents were nice and let Axel sleep in their room while Shane and I slept downstairs.
Christmas morning we woke up about 8 and got the kids up. We waited for Mike to get there from working the night before to open presents and have breakfast. Axel got a block train, little tablet, clothes and more. He is a spoiled boy, but we sure love him to pieces. 

Later that day we got ready and packed up all our things to get ready to go to Utah to celebrate with Shane's side. We slept at Shane's sister Mandys house with almost everyone there. We played games, had dinner and hung out. Axel did fall down a flight of stairs that scared both he and I.
On Saturday we woke up and had breakfast and got ready. We got to the church around noon and were there until 9 pm. We had appetizers, dip and dinner there. Axel loved to be in the gym with the older kids and play basketball. He kept saying all day, ball ball and would walk right in there.
It was good to be able to spend time with both sides of the family.

16 & 17 Months

At 16 months old Axel is showing more and more of his adorable, spunky personality. We love to watch him grow and change and learn. He is picking up on stuff so fast now. He likes to hold the phone to his ear and says hello (heyo), he likes to close the fridge and doors, he knows where his toes, nose (no), bum bum (grabs his pee pee) and eye. He loves to poke at other peoples eye and nose too. He is becoming quite the little copy cat. He points at everything and says whats that. He does great with following commands like go get me a book to read, come here, bring me a ball. He likes to brush his teeth and knock on doors/windows. When we go bye bye he brings me his shoes (soo) and coat (co). He likes to feed himself with fork/spoon and drink from a cup. He goes to the fridge when he is hungry or thirsty. He loves his blankie and packs it everywhere and he loves to sing. Some of his favorite songs are Old MacDonald (he loves to sing eieio), and once there was a snowman.

At 17 months he is doing a lot of the same things. He is so smart and catches on so fast. He is up to about 25 words now. He has learned cookie (cooocoo) and cracker (caker) and noodle (noonle). He loves to play with a bowl (bow) and spoon and play eat. He is so much fun and is a little tornado! He loves to watch Mickey Mouse and repeats when they say. "oh toodle" and loves to sing and dance to the end song, Hot Dog.

Surgery/Hard news

On October 5 I had a second ultrasound to check on my cycts and found out they had gotten bigger and I had more of them. We decided to go ahead with surgery on Oct 13 to remove the cysts and endometriosis. I had a laparoscopy, D&C, and hysteroscopy. After the surgery my Dr. talked to my husband and told him I had a  baseball size cyst on my left side, which they didn't see in the ultrasound, and a golf ball size one on my right side, that got sent off to see if it was cancerous. After about 2 weeks I felt pretty good and back to normal. It was really hard to not be able to take care of Axel 100%. He is such a mommas boy and it broke my heart when he wanted me or needed me and I couldn't do a lot for him. Thankfully I had my husband, mom and sister to help me out.

On November 2, I had my post-op with my Dr. and got some disappointing news. I was told that my insides were a mess. The Dr. said it looked like someone had poured super glue inside me and everything was stuck together. I had so much endometriosis everywhere to remove and some he couldn't get to, to remove. He said he is worried about my tubes and that if I were to get pregnant my chances of having a tubal pregnancy would be high. Right now the chances of a sperm and egg being able to meet is pretty impossible. So, our next step now is going on Lupron shots to try and get rid of more endometriosis. Lupron shots will put me in a menopausal like phase, so I will have night sweats and hot flashes and a decrease in estrogen. I will probably do these shots for 6 months and then the Dr. wants to do another surgery to "fix" me. He said everything is kind of out of place so we will have to try and get to a place where I might be able to conceive again. Still, the lupron shots and surgery may not help to get pregnant and I can still have a risk of a tubal pregnancy. My only 3 options are birth control, lupron shots or hysterectomy.

I left the Dr. office feeling super sad, emotional and heartbroken. To pretty much hear that the chances of conceiving again are pretty slim to none was really hard to take in and accept. It made me realize again how much of a miracle my little Axel really is. I don't know what else I need to learn from this trial, but I know I have to go through it with faith and hope that all works out.

15 Months/Halloween

Our sweet baby boy is 15 months! The time just keeps passing so fast and our little man is growing and learning so much. He has learned to say no, and says it often, and choo choo when the train passes by our house. He kisses his hand (blows kiss) and gives lots of hugs and kisses, which we absolutely love! He is a full on walker and is trying to run. He loves balls, books, cars and going bye bye.When we get him from his crib he lays his head down on our shoulder and pats our back. He likes to meow like a kitty and growls like a puppy. He now has 4 teeth and has weened himself from his binkie. He has such a fun personality and gets cuter everyday. We love him so much and would be lost without him. He is our perfect, amazing little miracle boy and we thank God for him everyday!

Halloween

This year we actually got to take Axel out trick-or-treating, which was so fun. He was dressed in a little Dracula costume and looked so adorable. We went to the Clarion Inn on Thursday night with my Desirae and the girls and did trick-or-treating, then we went to ISU for their Halloween carnival. It was a lot of fun. On Saturday, Shane and I took Axel to McCammon for a trunk or treat and then went around house to house in Arimo. We may have had more fun then him, but he sure enjoyed his candy.

Summer fun

In April we celebrated Easter by going to some egg hunts in Downey and Arimo on Saturday and dyed eggs that night. Also in April Axel and I went to Bear World with my mom, Des, Mike and their girls. It was fun and kind of cold. They did an Easter egg hunt for the kids and the girls rode on some rides. We drove around the park and looked at the animals and got to see some new baby bear cubs.

In May we went to the Idaho Falls zoo for Braelyn's 3rd birthday. The kids had a good time looking at all the animals and watching a show.

In June we did a family trip to Island Park. My moms friend let us stay in her cute cabin. We rode 4-wheelers, played games, ate good food, went on a hike and looked at beautiful waterfalls fishing and enjoyed each others company. It was a lot of fun.

In July I put together a birthday party for Shane and Axel. Shane turned 30 and Axel turned 1. It was a lot of fun but super windy at Robin park. Shane got teased quite a bit from family. Axel wouldn't really touch his smash cake. We made some baseball cakes for Ax and black cakes for Shane.

In August we went to the Ross park pool for Brielle's 5th birthday.  Axel liked the lazy river, but didn't like being splashed. We went to pizza hut after and sang to Brie.
Shane, Axel and I went to Sun Valley and had a little mini vacation. We stayed in Hailey at a hotel and went swimming one night. We went on a nice bike ride and enjoyed the scenery and looked around. We watched an orchestra practicing and that was pretty cool. On our way home we stopped in Twin Falls and went to an ice cave and a waterfall.

Why not me?

So a couple weeks ago Shane and I were talking one evening and he showed me a movie trailer for 'just let go' that is coming to theaters soon. Its about a man who lost his wife, unborn child and 2 other children in a car accident caused by a 17 year old drunk driver. In the trailer toward the end it says "why me, why did this happen to me?" and then the husband going through this trial came to the conclusion of "why not me?" It stuck out to both me and my husband and we were talking about it later. So many times we question things that happen or go wrong in our lives. So many times we ask why me or how could you do this to me. When we are faced with difficulty in our lives through trials, deaths, financial difficulties and many other things, it is often hard to see the positive things in our lives and we tend to dwel on the negative. A lot of times after the storm has passed and things start to look up and we may get what we were hoping for we can often see why things were the way they were or are. For example, when I was struggling with infertility I would get angry and be so upset that Heavenly Father wasn't blessing me with a child that I so desperately wanted and longed for. After 4.5 year of trying to have a baby we were shocked and surprised to find out we were expecting. Even when our precious baby was born so early and we spent 3 weeks in the NICU it was hard and sometimes I asked why me. But after all that I have been able to look back and see why things happened the way they did and I have been able to appreciate my baby more and appreciate what Heavenly Father has given me. He has given me an amazing gift and He is trusting me with this wonderful soul. When we want something we want it now, we don't want to wait and be patient. I have learned to trust in my Heavenly Father's plan for me. He knows what is best for me, He knows my wants and wishes, but He also knows my needs and capabilities.

All that being said, it is still hard to go through difficult times and sometimes to have the faith we need to get through it. We have these difficult times to make us stronger, better people. We can either learn from the things we have to go through or we can give up and stay miserable.

Back the the 'why not me' part of the film, I have been pondering on it since I watched the trailer. I have thought about how that can humble us a little bit. Someone else out in the world can be fighting a greater battle, someone else can have a harder circumstance to bear. That phrase has made me look at things a little differently. How am I any better than the next person that has to deal with trials similar to mine? I am not perfect and I still have a lot of learning and growing to do in this lifetime. We knew we would face trials in this life when we agreed to gain a body and come to earth. We know that we need to get through these hard times in order to make it back home with our Heavenly Father. So instead of questioning  His plan for us, let us think 'why not me.' We can focus of the positive rather than the negative and go through our dificult times with faith and hopefully someday we will be able to understand why we had to go through them. Heavenly Father is always with us and knows what we are going through. He understands. He had to bear burdens so great we could never understand. He was perfect and he still had to pass through difficult times. He bled from every pore for OUR sins, not His own. He had to be tortured and nailed to a cross for US, for OUR salvation so that we could be forgiven and return home. He knew what He had to do and He did it. I would assume He never questioned 'why me' or 'how could you do this to me'...He knew why and He understood why it was so crucial for Him to go through all He had to endure.

Maybe next time when we have to go through something hard or difficult we can say why not me and try and become better, more faithful and knowledgeable. 

7-14 months

Axel has learned so much and is growing so fast. Since I am a little behind on the blog I am going to update from 6 mos to a year.
At 7 Months old he can sit, does a fake cough (that is pretty hilarious), says gaga and enjoys peek-a-boo.
 9 Months old he can say mama, wave bye bye, can sign all done, he loves to make motorboat noise, loves to play catch, he shakes his head no no, he has learned to growl, yell and throw fits (which are super fun). He has a few new things where he puts both arms straight behind him like he is flying backwards and with his left arm he puts up by his ear with his hand in a fist (we call it the superman/superbaby arm).
10 months old he calls Shane dada or bob :) he gets on his hands and knees, claps his hands and likes to cross his feet when sitting. He can feed himself finger foods and likes to pinch peoples neck. He loves his blankie and likes to rub the corners of it under his nose, on his cheeks and hands and likes to chew on the corners as well. He doesn't like to try and hold his own bottle so while I hold it for him he likes to play with his ears and my face and neck or pull my hair.
11 months he reaches his arms when he wants you, does the army crawl, pulls himself up on furniture and figures out how to full on crawl. He likes to put his finger in other peoples mouth and hang upside down.
12 months old he is into everything (we call him the master of disaster) and throws everything, including food and toys, he has a fake laugh, he eats solid food, loves to be outside, finally got two bottom teeth popping through, likes to point to things or people with his finger, he tries to share his binkie, gives hugs and puts phones up to his ear and jibber jabbers (it is so darn cute!) His last checkup he was 19 lbs 12 oz (3%) and 30.5 in. long (75%)
13 months he can take a few steps and says uh-oh, bye bye, baba, mama, dada, nana, papa. He is starting to imitate sounds and noises and likes to empty toys or clothes from a bin.
14 months he loves to be chased and held and is a huge mama's boy. He likes pat-a-cake, this little piggy, and music. He loves to play with other kids, he hates when I am out of sight and sometimes gets frustrated when he can't do something himself. He can say peek-a-boo, thank you and is trying to imitate sounds of dogs barking, cows mooing and birds chirping. He is getting so good at throwing and catching a ball. He is taking several steps by himself and getting more comfortable with walking. He has become quite the fit thrower when he doesn't get his way and screams when he is mad. He has an awesome fake laugh and cough. He now has 4 teeth, 2 on top and 2 on bottom. He is so active and fun, we can't imagine life without him.

6 Months

Axel is half a year old! It has went by so fast and he is growing so much and learning new things all the time. He can reach for objects, he likes to look at himself in the mirror, he can roll both ways, he loves to play with and eat on his toes and fingers, gets excited when he sees mommy and daddy, is starting to babble and has the cutest little laugh. He doesn't love to be tickled and is pretty hard to get laughs out of. He is starting to like peek a boo and he puts everything in his mouth. We started him on cereal and baby food which he wasn't too sure about at first. His favorites are carrots, bananas, pears and raspberries. He is starting to sleep better at night and is starting to enjoy bath time a little more. He likes to babble, has figured out how to make other noises and likes to feel and pull my hair. I love this little boy with all my heart!!

Christmas/ 5 Mo

5 Months old Axel is starting to do better with tummy time, he gets excited when he sees his bottle, he is very jumpy to loud sounds and is a smiley baby boy. He is starting to not have his hands in fists so much and likes to watch peoples face and his mobile. Axel has always been an active little boy, he likes to kick his legs and move his arms like he is trying to run. He is in his own room in his crib now and has adjusted well. He is no longer sleeping in the car seat, his reflux is getting better and his colic is gone. He is a good and happy baby. He is in 6 month clothes and still size 2 diaper.

Axel had his first Christmas at my parents house with my side of the family. We stayed Christmas Eve there and played games, frosted cookies and had good food. We woke up Christmas morning about 9:00 and waited for everyone else to wake up. We started the day with opening presents, which was a blast even though he had no idea what was going on. We spent the rest of the day visiting and playing games and eating. We had a great Christmas.

Thanksgiving/ 4 Mo

4 months old Axel is still struggling with reflux and colic which breaks my heart; I hate to see my baby in pain and cry for long periods of time. Thankfully the omeprazole and gripe water help him. At his 4 mo checkup he was 12 lbs, 6 oz and 23 in long. He is in 3-6 and  6 month clothes and size 2 diapers. He is starting to love one of his blankies from grandma Call and enjoys being cuddled and rocked. He enjoys being in his swing and sleeps in it throughout the day. We have him sleeping in a carseat due to his reflux and that seems to help at night. He is still sleeping in our room next to our bed; daddy would like him in his own room, but I'm not ready for him to move yet. It's comforting to me to be able to reach over and pat him back to sleep or give him his binkie and know he is breathing and doing ok. He is starting to show his little personality as well and will open his mouth to give me kisses. 

2 Days after his checkup we watched Dez and Mikes girls for 10 days while they went on vacation with my parents. I soon realized it was A LOT of work having 3 kids to take care of and Axel was the easy one. It's a good thing I love those girls so much! It was a little crazy and chaotic and sometimes stressful, but it was also fun. The girls loved helping with Axel and Brie loved to hold him. Rae struggled a little bit not being the baby and kept wanting me to hold her.

For Thanksgiving this year we went to Utah to spend it with Shane's side. We had fun being with family and we ate a lot! Axel on the other hand was not having too much fun. I don't know if he wasn't feeling well or if there were too many people and he was having some anxiety, but he was super fussy and just wanted to be held by mom and dad. That night Shane and his dad gave him a blessing to try and help him feel better and soon after that he calmed down a little. On black Friday I went out shopping with Jen and that was fun to get away for a little while.

Blessing/3 mo/ Halloween

3 Months old! I can't believe how fast time is flying by. Axel enjoys being held, rocked, being talked to, his binky and eating. He is growing great and looks healthy. He is in 3 month clothes and size 1 diapers.  

On October 12, 2014, Axel was blessed by his amazing daddy! The blessing outfit we had bought was way too big on him so we decided to get him blessed in his uncle Derek's blessing outfit that he was blessed in 27 years previous. It was such a special day for us. In the circle we had Shane, my dad (Kelly), Shane's dad (Bruce), Axel's uncles: Caleb, Morgan, Jake, Mike, my uncle Craig and Bishop Morris. It was also special having Axel in Derek's outfit because we felt like that was part of Derek in the circle with Axel. Shane gave such a beautiful blessing and I felt the spirit so strong.

After the blessing we had a luncheon at the McCammon city hall building. We had lots of family there to share Axel's special day with us. We had sloppy joes, salad and dessert.

On Halloween Axel and I went to Pocatello with my parents to meet Dez and her family at her house. Before the church trunk or treat we got to see Derek and his family for a little while. I had Axel dressed in a little skeleton outfit that aunt Dez had bought him. Axel slept the whole time during the trunk or treat so that was nice that I didn't have to take him out in the cold weather. Brie and Rae had a good time getting candy and were excited about how much they got.

After trunk or treat we meet up with Shane at Perkins to have dinner. There was us, my parents, Dez and Mike and the girls. Axel did pretty good at the restaurant and we had a good Halloween.

2 Months

At Axel’s 2 month appointment he weighed 8 lbs 7 oz and was 21 in long. He is growing so fast. Right now he loves to be held and rocked, his binky and eating. He is getting more control of his head and is not a huge fan of tummy time. He has acid reflux and just got put on omeprazole to help him with it. He doesn’t give much of a warning of when he is getting hungry, but he is very good at letting you know when he wants food as soon as he realizes he is hungry (as in asleep one minute to screaming the next saying I want food now!) He is in between newborn and size 1 diapers, newborn are getting a little too small and size 1 is huge. It is the same with clothes; we just started putting him in 0-3 month clothes and most of them are a little too big. He is starting to fill out and getting some chubby cheeks. We love him more than anything in the world and we love to watch him grow and develop. He is such a good baby; we are so extremely blessed to have him. I love being a mommy; it is the best job in the world!

NICU

Axel had to spend 24 days in the NICU. We got to bring him home on August 3^rd  weighing 5 lbs 1 oz. What an amazing day that was! It was so hard watching him in his little incubator and not being able to hold him whenever I wanted. The NICU staff was wonderful and as hard as it was for those 24 days we learned so much while we were there. I am so grateful for modern technology.

Most of the time I was by myself at the hospital while Shane had to go to work, it was really hard not having him with me all the time. There were numerous times when I would hold Axel and I could feel how close he was still to Heavenly Father.  I could feel the spirit so strong when I would hold him and several times I got tears in my eyes when I thought about all we had to go through to get him here. When I got to hold him during his feeding times I got to ponder so many things. Whenever I was having a hard time I could just look at my baby and feel so much better. He is such a miracle and blessing. I remember holding him one day and thinking about how hard it must have been for Heavenly Father to watch his Son go through so much pain and suffering. He could have taken it away from Jesus, but didn’t because of Jesus’ purpose in coming to the earth.  I am so grateful that Jesus suffered so much for me so I can be forgiven over and over for my mistakes and sins. What love He has for all of us to be willing to go through so much. If I knew that Axel is who I would be getting as a son my trial may not have been so hard, but going through that trial taught me so much. I am so much more thankful for the opportunity I have of being a mother and I get to really appreciate my baby.  I love him more than words can express. The gift of life is so amazing! 

Axel received 2 blessings from Shane and my dad and was told that he had angels in heaven and on earth watching over him. It was so comforting to hear. I also received blessings from my wonderful husband and father that helped me greatly. One day I was having a hard time because Axel had a week where he wasn’t really progressing with drinking his bottle and I wanted my baby to come home and this made him have to stay in the NICU longer. I was sitting there holding him and was sad and getting tears in my eyes and all of the sudden I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked around and couldn’t see anybody. I started to cry a little because I knew it was a special hand meant just for me. I knew then that everything would be okay and that Heavenly Father knew what I was going through and was there to comfort me. He knew how much I needed that reassurance that He loves me and that He hears my prayers.