PARTY!

December 28th my cousin Debbie Worsham married Elio Valenzuela in the Salt Lake Temple. Let me tell you about the reception at the city hall:

The Worshams lip-synched and danced to "All I Want For Christmas Is You" and Debbie & Elio had a coreographed dance to "How Sweet It Is." (They were adorable.)
Then, when everything was calm on the dance floor, hundreds of balloons began falling from above. Loud latin music began and the wedding party came running out in masquerade masks and crowned guests with party hats, leis, noise-makers etc. The groom led the congo line and all my cousins, aunts and uncles packed the dance floor. By the time we left my heels were killing me but IT WAS SO FUN!!!

Side note: when the balloons first fell, all the kids ran out screaming and stomping on the balloons. In the middle of the children, stood my dad, the biggest kid of all, running after and popping balloons. He was jumping around and dancing all night.....I loved it.

Christmas: Part I a

(Scroll your mouse to get the slide show moving...I couldn't figure out how to change the song btw.)

This Christmas was spent with my family in Texas. (The plan is to spent the first part of the holiday in Texas then fly to my cousins wedding in SLC and spend the second part of the holiday in Utah.) Bradshaw has been spoiled rotten with attention. He is constantly being held, entertained and kissed.

P.S. Do you prefer the slide show feature or images in the body of the blog?

Dustinn's Tag

5 Things I (Dustinn) was doing 10 years ago:
-getting my license
-deliberately NOT dating at 16
-learning to play drums for our band because our drummer moved
-bowling every day with Stephen pan and leo
-dying my hair every conceivable color

5 Things on my to-do list today:
-play with bradshaw
-eat leftover birthday cake
-present gift of the heart
-hang out with paces
-enjoy vacation with my beautiful wife Val

5 Snacks I enjoy:
-apple juice
-ice cream
-orange juice
-fruit
-anything really. I'm basically a garbage disposal

4 Things I would do if I was a Billionaire:
-buy a helicopter and learn to fly it
-buy a beach house
-visit every country in the world (Egypt, Australia, and Antartica would be first, followed by most of the Pacific Islands)
-keep working

3 of my BAD Habits:
-ESPN
-bad posture
-not being social

5 Jobs I have Had:
-arby's
-subway
-American express translator
-construction-pools
-managing apartments
-ibm accountant
-pwc auditor
-monitor consultant

5 Things people don't know about me
-i lived in Nigeria for a little while
-I've sworn allegiance to the queen of England
-i was charged by a puma
-i had a 6 inch mohawk once. And it was a real mohawk with the sides shaved--not one of those fake-hawks
-i neutered my cat (my grandpa's a vet and he supervised me)

-Dustinn

Tagged

Elisa tagged me. Hooray!

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago:

-Canoeing in the lake near my house with my best friend Amy. We wrote our wishes in a bottle and threw it in the lake. My family then found the bottle and made fun of us (the wishes involved young men in our stake.)
-Going loco studying for AP exams.
-Arriving early everyday to school to spend extra time in the art room.
-Receiving my patriarchal blessing
-Having dance parties with my sister Genny in our room over the garage

5 Things on my to-do list today:

-Finish my Gift of the Heart (at Thanksgiving, each family member draws another family member's name and makes them a gift for Christmas.)
-Cut Bradshaw's nails
-Bathe Bradshaw (or rather watch my mom bathe him...he loves bathtime with her)
-Go clothes shopping with my sister Lindy
-Assign roles and find costumes for our nativity production

5 Snacks I enjoy: (this is an easy one!)

-Half-baked chocolate chip cookies
-Boneless skinless crispy salty chicken (Sister Chimuti makes it best)
-Gala apples with creamy peanut butter
-Ice water
-Fresh pineapple

4 Things I would do if I was a Billionaire:

-Get an extremely thorough medical exam
-Hire a cook and house keeper
-Get Dustinn that beachfront house
-Have Angela Kubheka, Zanele Duma & Nonkulunkulu Hodi come visit me

3 of my BAD Habits:

-I apologize for everything (whether I was involved or not)
-I have a hard time saying no
-I worry excessively (about my health, finances, drowning, car explosions, carbon-monoxide, Colton's physical safety, lead poisoning, offending someone)

5 Jobs I have Had:

-Waitress at Bari's
-Kumon Math Tutor
-Nursing staff at Four Winds Hospital
-Teaching Assistant
-MyPublisher Customer Service Rep

5 Things people don't know about me (this one is really hard!)

-My normal temperature is 97.3 F
-I had a lion attack my car while I was in it
-For many years, I knew my dolls came to life when I wasn't in the room
-I ran a marathon
-I've met President Bush

Dani Wilde, Elisse Jackson, Janina Herbert, Julie Bird and Dustinn--Tag, you're it!

Faith in America

Dustinn wanted me to explain why I posted Mitt Romney's "Faith in America."

First, Mr. Romney transforms a challenge to his campaign into a strength. He was asked to talk about his religion which would only divide people. Instead he redefined freedom as only a man in this particular strait could.
(Mr. Romney used the microcosm of the Puritans. They professed freedom of religion while accepting no religion but their own. Do we support the freedoms we proclaim?)

Second, the stories of our founding fathers inspire me. Mr. Romney's references to them reminded me of how fortunate I am to be a recipient of their sacrifices.

-Val

Twenty-Six!

The Simpsons

Third Street Promenade

This pedestrian only street is just a few blocks from our house. Dustinn & I love walking down third because of all the street performers. The child performers are incredible but my all-time favorite has been Nat King Cole.

Bradshaw & Lil' Miss Kaylie

A Spit-Uppity Day

(Bradshaw was not pleased that I chose to document this moment.)

MAJOR AWARD!

When I was growing up, my parents presented a MAJOR AWARD each Family Home Evening. My mom would very carefully cover the printed award so none of the children would sneak-a-peek as it was brought into the room. All eyes would be on my dad as he said, "This week. the award goes toooooooooooooooooooo(he'd point his finger and move it slowly from child-to-child; I'd hold my breath during this part)oooooooooooooooo NELSON!" Or Lorin, Genny or Val, etc. depending on the week.

The reasons for the award varied from "wearing big-kid underpants!" to "standing up for your values amidst opposition." This week the MAJOR AWARD goes to Bradshaw.

His ferocious appetite returned yesterday. (In fact, he was staring very intently at Dustinn and the next thing we knew he had his little gums gnawing on the side of Dustinn's face. He pounced!)

But that is not the reason for the award.

Yesterday, December 11th, he monumentally progressed in cognitive development. He rolled over for the first time. He laughed for the first time. He slept through the night for the first time (10pm-7am). Needless to say, Dustinn and I could not be prouder parents.

-Valery

Bradshaw's First Time Being Sick

No fever, no cough, no running nose, no stomachache...Bradshaw just completely stopped eating. Every time I try to feed him he screams in pain. Also, he won't sleep more than 45 minutes at a time during the night. He wakes up crying but not wanting to eat, just needing comfort.

It is terrible to have your baby in pain and not be able to comfort him. He got sick over the weekend so I have had Dustinn's support when I feel so helpless and nauseatingly worried. Dustinn plays with and sings to Bradshaw and makes him so happy.

Our wonderful pediatrician counseled with us on a Sunday afternoon and checked Bradshaw out. His stomach, ear, nose, throat and mouth are fine. The jury's still out on why he's decided to have an eating strike. He's not dehydrated, so we are trusting the doctor that he'll be fine.

-Valery

Why do you let Daddy dress me?

(Sidenote: I noticed some of Bradshaw's clothes were 'abnormally' stretched. Then I watched the clothes changing process; before Bradshaw's head, Dustinn pulled the pants over his own head.)

-Valery

The Getty

It's rumored that J. Paul Getty built The Getty art museum to avoid paying taxes. This museum is built up in the hills of Santa Monica and overlooks LA. Even though it's December the gardens are our favorite part!

Mommy, wow! I'm a big boy now!

Errrrr....I dressed Bradshaw 4 times today! 1. I was saving this cuddly 6M outfit (left) for Christmas vacation because I knew it would keep Bradshaw warm when we are snowed in at the cabin. I tried to put it on him this morning, but he started crying when his arm got completely wedged half-way through the sleeve.
2. Then I put on a large 6M onesie but it was too tight to snap between his legs.
3. I found 9M overalls (adjustable, right?) but his torso was too long to button them.
4. He ended up in a 2T shirt and 9M pants.

Bradshaw watching me upside-down (as I am strewing clothes across the room.)

-Valery

My Cute Dad & My Cute Baby

Yay! My dad planned his business travel through LAX so he could visit us (particularly Bradshaw.) I love catching my dad up on the little details in our life--he makes me feel so important! Come again Dad!

-Valery

Daddy's Running Partner

Dwight K. Schrute

Doesn't matter how I brush Bradshaw's hair, Dustinn always restyles it the same way.

Santa Monica Livin'

Let me tell you about how sweet my husband is....

Bradshaw woke up this morning around 6am as usual. I pulled him into my bed to see if he could coo beside me while I'd get some more sleep. Dustinn got up and headed for the shower. About 10 minutes later he came back to our room with a plate of cheesy scrambled eggs and apple juice singing a mix of my dad's "Good Morning to You" and "Happy Birthday." (It's not my birthday--Dustinn just likes being jolly.) He said he had just turned on the fan in the bathroom so I would think he was showering so he could bring me breakfast in bed.

Well anyway he insisted that I blow out the (imaginary) birthday candles and that I could make three wishes. Well, I'm not going to share the first two (way too personal) but my third wish I said "Stay home from work today and play with me and Bradshaw." Dustinn said "Your wish is granted."

Last night, Dustinn's manager had told him that they'd worked hard and gotten it done and to take the next day off. (This is one thing I LOVE about Monitor. Everyone works really hard; but if the work is done they don't expect you to come in to the office just to serve your time like some companies do.) Hooray!

Today has also been the first day it has rained while we have lived in Santa Monica. But it was still a very nice day. Dustinn and I (plus Bradshaw in the stroller) ran along the beach in shorts and t-shirts. Due to the weather and it being a work day, the beach was completely deserted and silent except for the waves and the seagulls. The light was streaming through the clouds; it was very lovely.

-Valery

Folks who love Bradshaw

Family portrait

Our first family portrait! This was taken in Palm Springs over Thanksgiving.

Bradshaw is 2 months old at this point. He used to be able to lift is head up, but then it got too heavy for him! Now he's learning how again. The past few days he's learned to get his little fist up to his mouth and start sucking. Unfortunately, he doesn't know how to open his fist up and stick his thumb in. We're so amazed at how he's learning, and especially at how determined he is--he spends hours laying on his back pulling his fist up to his face only to punch himself in the face repeteadly. But he keeps trying, somehow knowing that his thumb will taste great when he finally finds it.

Val is becoming the amazing mother she was destined to be. She really is the quintessential mother. She's handling beautifully the serious stresses of feeding an infant (he's been growing at a healthy rate of a pound a week since birth) while moving into a new apartment in a new state where we don't have any family. Did I mention that she's the perfect mother? Recently she's learned to distinguish Bradshaw's many different cries.

More about Bradshaw's collosal-ness: At his two month appointment, he weighed in at over 16 pounds. That's the average weight of a 6 month old, I'm told. On the national percentile charts, he's off the charts. For height he's in the 99th percentile, as to be expected, but we never anticipated he would be so huge! At Thanksgiving we laid Bradshaw next to his 7 month old cousin, and they were the same size (Jack's a little longer, Bradshaw's a little heavier). It was actually pretty sad--because they're the same size, it seems like they're the same age. But then Jack is sitting upright and engaging socially with you and playing with toys while Bradshaw is laying like a sack of potatoes.

-Dustinn

2 Months

From about 2 weeks-2 months old Bradshaw was very colicky. My mom had 2 very colicky kids (KT & Colt) and would've recognized it immediately but unfortunately she left before it hit.
It seemed like the only time Bradshaw wasn't crying was when he was eating. I assumed that this was normal, that all babies were like this, and other moms were just better moms. In this time I scoured books like Baby Whisperer, The Happiest Baby on the Block & Babywise.
I was totally dumbfounded when we finally took Bradshaw to church several months later and I witnessed all the newborns and teeny babies content in their parents arms. Anyway, if you have a colicky baby, let's talk. =)

In Bradshaw's second month of life, he met and was visited by many important people:

a BIG month for our family

[This is antedated; post written in February 2009]

On September 18th, we were blessed with a healthy baby boy.

We had been hoping and praying that Bradshaw would arrive before Dustinn needed to leave for Boston. Those prayers were answered! The next month still was chaotic but I was so grateful to have Dustinn by my side through out the progression of labor and when they told us the problems and suggested the dreaded C-word.
When I went into labor, my mom jumped on the first flight, so when Dustinn had to leave the day after my Mom stayed by my side.
Upon hospital discharge, we went to the family cabin to rest and recuperate before driving to California. These few days were probably the most emotionally poignant days of my life. I spent hours staring at him. "Such a perfect baby, so flawless, such a miracle" and then I shed many, many grateful tears.
But we had things to do and places to be and I could not remain in that heavenly bubble long. The drive from Provo to Los Angeles was miserable! If Bradshaw wasn't nursing he was crying. So we stopped a lot and tried many techniques to soothe him on the drive. My body was so physically responsive to him, that I felt like a voodoo doll being pierced with needles at each cry.
My mom was very patient and repeatedly reassured me that everything was okay and we would indeed make it to LA.
Finally we arrived. Our apartment consisted of dustbunnies and a huge pile of boxes in the middle of the floor. There was no furniture (including no bed) and no fridge.
My mom was a superhero; she made a dusty, dirty apartment fresh and clean. She unpacked boxes night and day, brought me delicious healthy meals prepared without the use of a fridge, and always seemed to anticipate my insane thirst the moment before it hit. Our apartment did not have air conditioning and we all seemed to be sweating constantly. She was my cheerleader through sleepless days and nights and trouble nursing. She took us to Bradshaw's first pediatrician appointment.
By the time Dustinn returned, all of our boxes were unpacked, the kitchen was stocked, our fridge was in place, the necessary nick-knacks had been acquired and best of all I was well-rested in high spirits and moderately confident about my new found role as a mother.