Breakfast With Mom

Every morning for the past several weeks, whenever I'm eating a bowl of cereal, Connor has to join me. As soon as he hears the cereal hit the bowl, he comes running into the kitchen, opens up the silverware drawer, grabs a spoon, and comes to sit on my lap. I guess this is one way to diet, have your toddler eat half of your breakfast every morning. Yum!

Cody's First Trip to Virginia

Grandpa & Cody
Grandma & Cody

Cody w/Nic & Natalie

After my sister's wedding in Utah, Cody and I flew back to Virginia with my parents for a few days. It was SO nice to be home, even though it rained the whole time I was there! Oh well, that's Virginia. Thanks Mom and Dad for a great trip!

Nic & Natalie's Wedding

I'm SO excited for my little sister, Natalie! She got married last week in the Jordan River Temple!!!

For those of you who don't know, Natalie decided to serve a full-time mission for our church and was assigned to the Salt Lake City South mission last summer. Due to some medical complications she was having, she came home last Thanksgiving. We knew that decision was the best for her, but she seemed to have kind of a rough time. Shortly after she came home, she continued dating a VCU Med student she dated before she left. Things were going really well, so shortly after Christmas, they got engaged! I've never seen my sister happier. I'm glad she and Nic found each other, b/c they are definitely "two peas in a pod". Congratulations you two!

"You're Too Close, Connor!"

So now that Connor understands that hitting Cody is not acceptable, he just wants to love on him all the time...kisses, hugs, high-fives, etc. Whenever I put Cody on the floor, Connor is right there, ready to show his affection. It's kind of cute, but annoying that I have to be right there, all the time, to make sure Connor doesn't poke Cody's eye out with his nose or something. If I could have a dollar for each time I shouted, "You're too close, Connor!", I'd be rich by now.

Junior Prom!

Last night, my adorable sister-in-law Laurel (the tall one) went to her Junior Prom. She looked so beautiful. We were able to go and watch her "promenade" at the high-school. I didn't know they actually still did that anywhere, but apparently they do here! At our high-school, we just had a dance, but here they introduce each couple and then they all perform a dance for their families. Kinda neat!

Cody's Baby Blessing

Cody's baby blessing was a few weeks ago. It was such a wonderful day. Jake gave Cody an amazing, inspired blessing and we were so grateful to have both of our families with us. Cody looked so handsome in his little blessing outfit. I only wish we could have gotten a picture of him before he fell asleep and I also wish we could have gotten a picture with everyone. Oh well! Here is one with my side of the family and a couple of Cody later that afternoon.

Wahoo!

Jake was invited to interview with the University of Southern Nevada's South Jordan, Utah campus last Saturday. He said everything went really well and he was very impressed with what their pharmacy program has to offer. We're really hoping he could get into their program because it's only 3 years as opposed to most other pharm schools, which are 4 years.

After the interview was over, they told him to expect to hear back anywhere from 2 weeks to 4 months as to whether he had been accepted. Yesterday afternoon I was upstairs and heard Jake shout "Wahoo!" after he hung up the phone. Shortly after that, he came running upstairs and asked if I wanted to move to South Jordan with him this fall :) He got in!!! He must have been pretty impressive to receive a call back so soon. We're so proud of you Jake!

2 Months Old!

Time sure flies when you have 2 kids! Cody turns two months old today. We're so happy to have him as a part of our family. Here are a few recent pictures taken of him. 

Order Up! Meet Chef Blackham

Here's a short video of Connor playing with his new toy kitchen. Whenever someone comes over, he makes them come in his room so he can cook them something. It's hilarious. Lately, he enjoys boiling grapes and this morning he made me soup with a lemon, a chocolate bar, and some celery. Yum! My favorite has to be how he always rolls up his sleeves to "wash" the dishes in his sink. He must have learned that by watching us b/c I've never taught him that. What a fun kid!

One Month Old!

I can't believe it's been a month already since Cody came into our lives! While the last month has been filled with plenty of sleepless nights, we are SO happy to have him as a part of our family. We can't decide if Cody looks like he's smiling in this picture or if he looks constipated. Oh well, at least we got a picture with his eyes open!

Cody really has been such a good baby so far. He enjoys playing with his brother Connor, as long as he's not poking him or hitting him...more about that later, he enjoys snuggling with mom and dad, spitting up, pooping, sleeping, smiling, and staring at the ceiling; what more do babies do at this age, right? We haven't weighed him lately, but he seems to be filling out really fast. I sure hope he gets all rolley polley like Connor did. I just love fat babies!

Ok, we're not sure where Connor learned this from, but as soon as we brought Cody home from the hospital he would come out of nowhere and smack Cody on the head. He didn't seem like he was angry or jealous at all, he just thought it would be fun to hit him. It got really out of hand a couple of weeks ago, so Jake and I decided to try "timeout" for the first time. It breaks my heart that I possibly have a child that is old enough to be in timeout, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I was amazed! After putting Connor in timeout twice, he hasn't hit Cody in over a week! What a quick learner!!! He even comes up to Cody now and says, "No hit Cody...timeout" and "be nice Connor". It's adorable. I even caught him taking two of his toys and hitting them together the other day. He then said, "No, hit! Timeout!" and proceeded to put them in timeout! I loved it!

Uncle "Rick" and Aunt Natalie

For New Year's, my brother Erik and his wife Natalie visited us for a few days. We had so much fun having them at our house. Connor loved the extra attention and Jake and I loved having the extra help with Cody. Connor now refers to Erik as Uncle "Rick". Thanks "Rick" for being so patient and playing with Connor whenever he asked/demanded.

Natalie was nice enough to teach me how to make bread. I got to try out my new wheat grinder and everything! To my amazement, it actually turned out really yummy! Who would have thought I could do something so domestic :)

Happy Anniversary!

Today, Jake and I celebrated 3 years of wedded BLISS!!! Life has been a bit busy for our family lately, but I just wanted to let you know how much you mean to me Jake. Thank you for being the steady rock in our family and for always putting a smile on my face. You are such an amazing husband and father; me and the boys are SO lucky to have you. I couldn't imagine going through life with anyone else by my side. Thank you for making these last three years so wonderful. I love you!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Here are Connor and Cody on Christmas day. I know I'm their mom, but how cute are these two?!

We woke up fairly early Christmas morning, thanks to Cody, and opened presents. Connor got a kitchen set from Santa (don't worry, I found the most gender neutral kitchen out there), puzzles, blocks, cars, trucks, tractors, and elmo slippers! After opening presents at our house, we spent the rest of the day at Jake's parents' house. I even got what I asked for...a NAP!

Hospital Pictures

Here are some pictures from the hospital the day Cody was born. I'd write more, but holding a newborn and typing at the same time is somewhat difficult :)

Our New Addition!

Cody Samuel Blackham was born on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 at 2:45 pm. He weighed 7 lbs 3 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. We feel so blessed to have him in our family. Words can not completely describe how happy we are!!!

Here are a few details leading up to his birth:

Early Wednesday morning I started having regular, fairly painful contractions. Not wanting to go to the hospital too early and be turned away, I decided to wait it out at home for as long as I could bare it. I was surprised at how quickly my contractions started to come, and around 10:30am, Jake and I decided it would be best to drop Connor off at Jake's parents' house and head to the hospital. After being admitted, the nurse informed me I was dialated 5 cms. After enduring a few hours of painful contractions, I requested a much appreciated epidural around 1:00pm. After pushing for about 10 minutes, Cody entered the world at 2:45pm.

After the nurse handed him to me after checking his vitals, he seemed so calm, alert and attentive. We noticed right away that he and Connor looked quite similar. We couldn't keep our eyes off of him! It's such a neat experience to be able to meet your child after anticipating his arrival for 9 months. We both feel so humbled to be blessed with the opportunity to be Cody's parents.

Later on Wednesday evening, Jake's parents and sisters brought Connor over to see Cody. I was surprised at how quickly Connor understood that Cody was no longer in "Mommy's belly" and that he had arrived. Connor kept asking to sit on Mommy's bed and "hold it!"- referring to Cody. He kept saying, "come see me" and kept telling Grandma to put Cody in his lap. While holding him, Connor giggled with excitement. I got a little teary seeing my two boys meet for the first time. We only hope Connor will learn at his young age to be gentle with his little brother...we'll see how that goes :)

Since being home, Cody has been so pleasant and calm. He only cries when hungry or when getting his diaper changed. He's nursing very well, sleeping fairly well, and is alert when awake. I am recovering well and am so grateful to my wonderful husband and mother-in-law for all of their help in allowing me the rest I need. I am constantly reminded that Jake is an AMAZING dad. He is always willing to help with diaper changes, entertaining Connor, and whatever else I need. It's so nice to have a husband who sees a need and just helps out, without having to be asked. I am SO lucky!!!

What a special time of life this is. I'd better go enjoy it!

Most Days I Feel Like This...

Lately, I am feeling quite like this picture. I'm at the point where I'm SO ready to NOT be pregnant anymore, but not ready to have a newborn yet. :) I make sound effects every time I move--moans and groans. Sleep is not pleasant. It's hard to breathe. I am tired of my limited wardrobe. I bet you're glad you don't live with me. Thanks to my loving husband for being so patient with me. He's been so wonderful to help me with Connor and all of the housework I struggle to keep up with. I'm so lucky to have him. Only 5 more weeks to go! Now here's the scary question...are we ready to handle 2 kids? I guess we'll find out soon!

Like Father, Like Son

It's so fun that Connor is old enough to go fishing with his dad. This weekend, Connor and Jake went to a local pond and caught 20 fish! Here are two little ones they brought home. We're just lucky Connor didn't dive in the water; Jake said he kept telling him he wanted to go swimming, or "simming" as Connor calls it.

Halloween

Trick or treating was so much fun with Connor this year. Once he understood the concept, that we actually got to go ring peoples' doorbells and pick out a peace of candy, he was so excited! He kept running from house to house shouting "tandy, tandy!" Of course, after a while he got tired of walking and made me carry him from door to door. Being almost 8 months pregnant, I thought I might go into labor, carrying him around for almost an hour, but no. Thanks to all of our neighborhood friends for walking around with us; we had a blast!

Our family was invited to a friend's Halloween party where Jake and I got the chance to dress up. Since I'm well into my pregnancy, we wanted to create a costume with that as the theme. Jake came up with the idea to make an "oven" for me to wear and painted a picture on my belly of a "bun" - get it "bun in the oven?" and Jake dressed as the baker. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a baker/chef''s hat for him to wear, so he wore and apron that said "Impregnate-her Bakery". Happy Halloween everyone!

He Got One!

Jake had the chance to go Elk hunting this year. His tag was only for a spike (for us non-hunters, that means and yearling elk with one spike), but he was still very excited. The hunt only lasted for a couple of weeks and he took every opportunity he had to go. On the last day of the hunt, he got one! Luckily he shot it at the bottom of the canyon, about 100 yards away from a 4-wheeler trail, so he didn't have to drag it too far. I know it might be strange to most of you, but we actually love venison at our house. I'm not sure if it's just the way Jake prepares it, but "YUM!" And it's much more lean and better for you than beef so that's a plus. So now we've got plenty in the freezer for roasts and steaks!

18-Month Old Checkup

It's hard for me to believe that Connor is no longer a baby and is getting closer and closer to the dreaded terrible two stage. He's at such a fun age though; I'm loving every minute of it. He's learning new words every day and seems to copy most of what Jake and I say. It's so wonderful to actually be able to have a conversation with him!

My favorite thing he does lately is remind us that we need to have a family prayer before he goes to bed. He gets down on his knees and says "prayer", folds his arms and closes his eyes. When we're done he yells, "HUG!" and reaches up to give us a hug. It just melts your heart.

The doctor informed us that Connor currently weighs 25 lbs and is 33 inches tall - both around the 45th percentile. Of course his head still measures in the 90th percentile. Oh well, he'll grow into it, right?

Here's a short video of Connor I took the other day. Enjoy!