Christmas 2014

We were able to set up our Christmas tree and stockings a few days before the day, thanks to my sister Stephanie's help. It made such a difference! We still had boxes to unpack, but who cares, right? Christmas decor must be up!!

Joe started his first day of work on the 22nd at LDS Hospital in SLC. We were pleasantly surprised to find out he will be working day shifts. That will be so nice to have the same sleeping schedules with the kiddos. He seems to enjoy it and likes who he works with.

Unfortunately though, on the weekend the furnace went out. So we had to get some space heaters and called it in on Monday. And it just so happened that it rained like crazy and started to leak in our front room that is a partial basement (our apartment is a split level). So we had to call that in as well, and pack up what was in that corner as well. So much for unpacking...

Joe got Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Day off, which was so nice to be together. It was our second Christmas with Addie. Christmas Eve we went to the Bare's for dinner and The Nativity Story. Jared was Joseph, Aimee was Mary, Alyssa was a shepherd, Stephanie was a wiseman, and Jenna and Addie were angels. It was fun to be with them and enjoy family. All of the kids opened their gifts from Grandma and Grandpa Hebdon, which are PJ's. Addie had fun with the wrapping paper and bows.

Santa visited us and Addie got a rocking horse, 2 books, and a wallet.

We gave her Legos and a Christmas dress. She really enjoys all of her toys. She looks adorable in her dress. I will have to get a picture when she wears it next.

The 28th, Kevin's family and Mom came to visit for 3 days. It was so much fun to be together too. Unfortunately Joe got sick again and didn't get to play as much. Plus he had to work. But Addie loved all of the attention. We even went swimming at the recreation center in American Fork. My favorite were the nighttime when we could play games. I love playing games. We don't get to do it much when we lived so far away. 

It was a wonderful Christmas!! I wish we didn't have to move during it, but it was so nice to be closer to family and do traditions with them. We are so grateful for all of our many blessings, for an apartment, job, family, Addie, and Joey coming soon. We are grateful for the Gospel and the depth of meaning it adds to our lives. We are grateful for our Savior who experiences everything for us so that we could have faith in the Atonement, repent, and work on being better. And we are grateful for  loving Heavenly Father who created this plan of Happiness, and that we can pray to Him for comfort, guidance, and direction.

May all of you feel the Spirit of the Season throughout the year and be blessed.

Joey is 29 weeks.

Everything is going great with the pregnancy. I have kept trying to get a 3D ultrasound of him, but he just won't cooperate. Now that we are moving, I won't apply for a job until he is around 3 months old. So I will be going through withdrawals of not seeing him.

I feel like I am as big I was with Addie at full term. I still have 2 plus months left!! He has been very active. And sometimes his movements are a little bit painful. But I enjoy feeling him move. It lets me know he is ok. I also have been having contractions occasionally when I am really stressed out. It has happened a couple of times at home and once at work. So I figured it might be for the best. But once I lie down and relax the contractions go away after 15-20 minutes.

I had my manager look in on him on my last day at work, the 12th. He was approximately 3 lbs and measuring in the 97%. He will be a big baby like his sister. I worry a little bit but in the big picture it's nice having a healthy baby. We didn't have to worry a lot about Addie when she got sick, and we are hoping for the same with Joey.

He looks really healthy, his heart, cord, fluid, and we are always excited to hear that news. We love ya baby boy and want you to keep growing and staying safe. We have a Dr's appointment Jan 16th, so it will be interesting going to another doctor. I am nervous with having bad experiences in the past. So I am praying for a good experience. I have chosen a group that I remember liking when I worked in labor and delivery years ago. Everyone I worked with went to that group too. So fingers are crossed =0)

Adaline Mabel Johnson is 1 year old

Adaline crawled into the basket by herself while we were moving. Such a cutie.

Our cute little girl has turned 1 year old before we knew it! She is full of energy, squeals, laughter, smiles, and personality with an occasional tantrum. She is such a sweetie pie, we love having her in our family.

Her first Thanksgiving was her and I at home. Daddy had to work so we planned on having a real dinner with family on Saturday.  So it was at Grandma Sally's and Uncle Phil's in Nampa, ID. Grandpa Gary arrived for a day too, but I didn't remember to get a picture with him. It was fun to see her interact with her grandparents and she felt comfortable with them from the get go.

Addie with her Grandma Sally for her first Thanksgiving. She had Turkey, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, and pumpkin pie.

"Num, Num!!" is what she says when she eats food. That bird was huge!! and nummy!!

Daddy and Addie, patiently waiting for turkey dinner.

It's hard to believe a year has gone by already, but in some ways it's hard to remember life without her. We went into the hospital at 7:30 to be induced and 24 hours later Adaline Mabel Johnson had her debut at 7:34. There have been many wonderful moments mixed in with stressful ones. Overall, it's been a blessing having this sweet spirit in our home.

Earliest picture I could find on my phone. Addie when she was around 1 month old.

We had been to a few birthday parties of babies her age, and so I was wanting to throw one for her too. But then moving time got in the way. Makes me sad that I didn't get that in for her. I will try to make up for it next year for sure!

I had been packing stuff throughout the 3 weeks on my days off with Addie, but it takes so much time. Grandma Hebdon and Uncle Kevin came to help us move Monday-Wednesday. Wow, I thought we had things pretty well organized. a few people from the ward helped us out Tuesday morning, ahead of our plans but that is when we could get help. That morning Daddy got very sick with the stomach flu and that lasted 6 days, so fun. After 3 days of serious packing, it was Addie's birthday!!

She got her 12 month shots right on her birthday. Poor little girl, what a birthday gift. Grandma Hebdon came with us and had tears in her eyes too. I didn't think about it affecting Grandma that way. But she just loves her babies and feels their pain. It was actually very sweet.

Her stats:
Weight: 23 lbs 4 oz 95%
Height: 30 in 80%
Head Circumference: ? 60%

We pulled out at 6:30 p.m. and stayed at Grandma and Grandpa Hebdon's. . When we got there, it was pretty late so we headed off to bed. The next morning Aunt Rachel, Kevin, and Caleb were waiting for us with Grandma and Grandpa to open her gifts and eat cupcakes made by Aunt Rachel. Addie seemed to like the frosting except for the mess it made on her hands. She was pretty darn cute. We will add pictures that Uncle Kevin took for Mommy.

Grandma and Grandpa gave Addie a snuggly blanket and pink stuffed elephant. She loves soft fabrics and immediately enjoyed. The Hebdon's gave her a Donald Duck that dances around to "Polly Waddle Doo Dah Day" and gets mad when you pick him up by his ears.

She is a real pro at walking and tries to go faster and faster. She loves side stepping around the room and has even learnt how to walk backwards. She loves making noises with her tongue and mouth. She and her Daddy will be erupting into giggles at church doing those noises and others join in.

She loves playing with doors and cabinets, often times shutting us out of the room. She rocks back and forth, we think this is her way of dancing, so cute. She still doesn't like wearing clothes, but gets over it quickly once she is set free to play around. She still loves formula and isn't switching over to Vit D milk yet. She does enjoy adult food more and more.

Everyday she surprises us with something funny or amazing that she has learnt. We love our baby girl!!

We are moving!!

We have been trying since Joe graduated to get closer to my side of the family. We just think with the little ones it would be fun for them to have cousins. And both Grandma and Grandpa enjoy seeing Adaline. But most especially with Joey and Addie being so close, it will be nice to be closer for me to get help once in awhile.

Joe got a phone interview with LDS Hospital in Salt Lake. As always, he dominates at interviews and people automatically like him. So they wanted to meet him in person so they could see if he was a good fit, and if he liked it there. So Nov 5th we drove 5 hrs, all three of us. The next day we realized we had left Joe's dress pants on the stair rail at home, so we rushed to Walmart to buy a pair. I dropped him off at the hospital and drove to Bountiful to visit a friend, Andrea Walker. We have been friends since IHC housekeeping days, and it was fun to see her and her 3 kiddos. She was willing to watch Addie while Joe and I planned to do a session in the SLC Temple, but I locked myself out of the van, long story! So Joe has AAA, but they told him he has to be present at the time. So Andrea drove us to SLC to get Joe, drove back to her house. They got the van open, we headed to the Temple, and it started to lightly snow, and was suppose to storm in Idaho. So we decided to only do sealings.

We were able to Seal Grandma Ruth and Grandpa Evert Johnson (something must have happened the first time we did this) and then some of Grandpa Chucky Loyd's family together.  It was a pretty sweet experience. We sat in the sealing room where we were married and sealed for time and all eternity alone. It's the sealing room in the back that goes up the stairs. We said a prayer and headed on our way back to get Addie. Then we drove through some icy roads and made it back. Joe had to work early the next day.

Although it was a crazy experience, I am so grateful Addie and I were able to go with Joe. And I am so glad we were still able to go to the temple. We both felt good about our plans and hoped for the best.

A week later on a Friday Joe got a phone call offering him the job! We were so excited! It's nights, 7 days on and 7 days off. It will take a lot getting used to, but worth the sacrifice. We will also be taking a pay cut and I don't think I will work til Joey is 3 months old. But again, worth the sacrifice.

I left Addie with Joe and Daycare and headed to Utah. I met my mom and we stayed at Stephanie's home Sunday. We saw a few places Monday and Tuesday, found a few promising options and are just waiting to hear back. We looked all over from Layton to American Fork (where Stephanie lives). We have a place in American Fork as our top pick and one in Bountiful. And we have a guarantee in Bountiful. We are hoping AF works because it would be awesome living close to the Bares. But if Bountiful worked out we would be close to my friend Andrea.

We are excited to also be close to temples. Living 1.5 hrs from the temple (I know so many would love to be that close) but with a baby it's hard to leave for a minimum of 5.5 hrs. Our goal is to attend once a month.

Our last day here at work is Dec 12th, and Joe's first day is Dec 22nd. So Utah, here we come, again!!

26 weeks and Joseph is very active

So far, everything is going really well with Joseph. We have reached the satge where I feel him all of the time, Daddy can feel him, mostly at nights, and even Grandma Hebdon felt him kick 3 times. He is a lot of fun and it's always a relief from the first 18 weeks or so when you just have to trust that everything is ok. Granted, sleeping  or falling asleep is more difficult but it's worth it.

Joey is a lot like Addie, active at night. I am sure that is because I am still at that time and therefore more aware of him. It seems like I don't sleep as well with this pregnancy, always waking up around 3 and having a really hard time going back to sleep. I guess it's a way to get used to waking up again. At least now I can get an hour or two nap in when Addie does too. That has been nice.

I feel really good, just tired all of the time. I feel Braxton Hicks so much more with him, I am sure it's because I don't have a lot of time in between pregnancies. My doctor, same as Addie's Julie Lyons, said I am a higher risk for preterm labor. So when these times happen and they are painful, I lie down and take a break, drink water. It seems like it happens more when I am at work or stressed out emotionally.

I don't get to look in on him as often as I would like only working 2 days a week and most of those days I am so swamped. But every once in awhile I get a peek at him and love seeing the heart beat. Here are some photo shics I have been able to get recently.

His profile. I love profiles =0) he has been hard to get a face shot, so I will keep trying. Hopefully one of these days I can get a 3D. He barely let me get this one.

His nose and lips. Again, sometimes it's hard for people to see this shot well, but I love it. He is really starting to fill out.

Another Nose/Lips.

His cute little leg down to his foot. So much fun.

I took these at 25 weeks. He was weighing in at 2 lbs, though it's hard to really get a good measurement when you scan yourself. His heart rate is 144 bpm. He was measuring around 91%.

We love you, Joey and are excited for when we get to see you. But take your time and grow. I think your big sister Addie will love you so much. We were at church in Arimo and there was this baby boy. She walked up to him, chatted and squealed. She got him to giggle and smile. Then she rocked him in his carseat. You two, I think, will be best of friends.

Adaline is 11 months old

Our little Adaline is growing and growing, reaching milestone after milestone. It's hard to watch her grow so fast and it's even harder to keep up with her. She never has a dull moment.

She is holding a racoon Daddy and I named Roxie. It's pretty cute, but she was never interested in it. We bought it when she was 7 months old, but now we think it might be her favorite now. She is so cute walking around carrying Roxie by her tail.

That's right, Addie is walking now =0) Around the first of the month she could take 5-6 steps before falling. Now she can race across the room, down the hallway, without taking a break. She is usually smiling big, so proud of herself.  

She loves playing with straws, and can play with them for hours. I decided to get this shot of her cute smile, straw or no straw.

She got into her wipes and pulled them out one by one. She had a pile she tried to stick in her mouth at once, yum!

She is wearing a dress Grandma Hebdon bought her. We are headed to Stake Conference. The first Sunday in November I decided to let her climb the few steps of stairs in the chapel during Sunday School. She went up the first attempt! I think it helped to watch other kids first. But she would get frustrated at me when I tried to help her down.

This is a pic of her ready for bed on her 11th month mark.

During this month was Halloween. We looked everywhere for a plain black or yellow onsie, but that became impossible. So I forwent making her costume and bought one instead. She looked pretty cute. She even wore it to daycare. We also went to the Trunk o' Treat for our ward.

I wanted to make sure and carve pumpkins for her first Halloween picture. So I attempted Tinkerbell flying over the London Skyline. I wanted to have pixie dust too, but Addie hated the sound of the drill. She was shaking even. So that was a no go.

Addie and I drove to Arimo for the Neibaur early Thanksgiving dinner. Joe had to work that weekend. I wanted my aunts and uncles to meet our Adaline. Unfortunately she woke up at 5 am and didn't sleep well the 3.5 hr drive. So when we made it to Bancroft at noon, she was not such a happy girl. We survived until 4 and called it quits. Also found out she got her 7th tooth that weekend too =0) what great timing.

My pictures are out of wack, and I can't fix them on my phone. Oh well. Our cutie pie!!

Addie is 10 Months....

Adaline is just growing up and, if possible, getting cuter every day. She was always full of smiles and personality, but she is now very animated. One of her favorite things to do is pull a blanket or any clothes over her head. She erupts in squeals and giggles as she tries to pull it off. She thinks she is pretty funny. She just might be her biggest fan. This makes it nice for us. She is always having fun and does well playing by herself. She is a gem!

Milestones:

• She enjoys being read to. She actually seems to be paying more attention then before. She loves me pointing to things. Stephanie has given me some books from her kids. And Addie really enjoys them. Her favorite seems to be "Big Bird's First Book of Letters". I think she likes hearing me sound out each letter. She tries a few out.
• She is really furniture cruising. It's so hard to keep up with her now. She also enjoys standing up at our end table (we had to take down our coffee table because she kept face planting into it). So Joe or I will remove our drinks and remotes out of reach. This use to work but now she crawls under the table to get to the other side. It keeps us on our toes.
• She LOVES our cat Silky. She gets so excited sometimes and squeals, clapping her hands. But Silky doesn't like the squeals and often runs away from her. Addie also loves petting Silk and we are trying really hard to teach her to be soft. But Addie's excitement is hard to contain. It will be fun to watch her get a little older and I think these two will be close friends.
• She LOVES momma's food. Her favorites are cream of broccoli soup, spaghetti, lasagna, grilled cheese sandwiches, refried beans, salsa...even cooked peas, corn, and green beans... really almost anything. She has started to not like the jarred baby food as much. She is on and off with the fruit. She seems to enjoy small pieces of red grapes.
• She can feed herself some foods, mostly the puffs. But she does well with her finger dexterity. She has difficulty picking up food that is slippery.

She has learnt how to pull off her tops and bottoms now.  

These following pictures were taken just before church, just 2 days after her 10 month mark. She loves to stand, but we bought her first pair of shoes to wear. I don't think she is a big fan. But the outfit looked so cute.

Poor Addie got the stomach flu the week she turned 10 months. She handled it really well though. One thing we don't have to worry about with her so much is she always can eat formula. She loves milk! And we are so glad because during these sick days she stays hydrated and nourished.

This was the first time she called me "momma"! How I loved it! It was sad because she wasn't feeling well and was needing to be held, but when she came towards me she kept saying momma. It made me feel so special, my heart felt like it was going to burst. I LOVE being a momma and someone this precious girl goes to for comfort.

I took these following pictures when she was sick, but do you see those smiles! Even when she is sick she is still a happy girl. These days she sees my phone come out and she automatically breaks into smiles. We have a diva!

So glad I captured this pose! One of my favorites ever!

We went to meet Joe for lunch at work and I decided to stop by the cemetary for a walk. Since I was in Young Women's and worked on a Laurel project with Melissa Eliason on correcting the cemetary's records, I have loved cemetaries. And it grew when I went back East for my trip with Ricks College. So some might think it's weird, but I found it perfect. The trees had turned colors, they were everywhere. The grass was green, and it was nice and quiet. I wanted to take Addie out for Fall pictures, but it's hard to do by myself. So this is my attempt. And the grounds were so well kept, I only found a few leaves for her to play with.

This pregnancy I have been so drained. Poor Joe, I might have dinner ready a few nights, but there are some days when I just don't. But he is so understanding and willing to pick something up or cook something himself. I am so grateful for him. One of these nights he brought home some Hydrangeas, my favorite flower. It meant so much to me.

Update on Baby Johnson #2

We went in for our 1st OB appointment on Aug 25th. Our baby looked really good and it is always fun to hear the heartbeat for the first time. I admit I have peeked in on the baby 3 times before this appointment. It's so fun to watch them grow and develop. It's always a huge relief to see that flicker that is their heart beating. Joe was there for the first 2 peeks. I had my manager scan me the third time so we could have measurements for my doctor instead of paying for one there.

This is our first peek, July 22nd measuring 7 weeks and 4 days.

Aug 18th, measuring 11 weeks 5 days. this is a profile of the body, so cute!

We took this at week 14. We were hoping to see what we were having on Sept 4th. Joe was with me, we wanted to make sure we both found out at the same time!

And just when we about gave up, the baby flipped perfectly and showed us what we were having. A baby BOY!

We were excited to have a boy or a girl. But we also wanted to eventually have a girl and a boy. So we were excited to see the boy sign on ultrasound!

These are our favorite boy names. Just like the girl names, we pretty much decided on them on our road trip to Mesa Arizona when we were dating. We have just fine tuned them with middle names:

• Joseph Evert (or Francis). Joseph, obviously after his daddy. Evert is Joe's paternal grandfather. Francis is his Maternal grandfather.
• Nathan Alexander. Both of these names come from my ancestors from the Neibaur side. 

We are favoring Joseph Evert, but I have told Joe it's his decision. My grandma Neibaur's father is Joseph Francis, so that would be another connection as well. But so far we are calling our baby Joey. It's fun to have a name to call the baby. It makes it more real and helps with the bonding. In our childbirth class we were warned that sometimes parents feel awkward with their baby at first. That never happened with Addie. We both immediately felt bonded and in love. Whether knowing her by name for so long made the difference, I don't know. But we loved it! Baby Joey, we are excited for the upcoming months!!

I am not going to lie though, this pregnancy has been harder on me then the first. I had morning sickness all day long for the first 7 weeks. I have been extremely tired and it has been a relief to nap when Addie lies down. My face is broken out like crazy! It's kind of embarrassing and I keep waiting for it to calm down. With Addie my skin improved! Oh, and I never had cravings with her except for fruit, but with this little guy has made me want pudding (never been a fan of that), when I am at the restaurant Joe can never guess what I will order. Normally I am predictable. It's been tough trying to cook in advance because I never know what will make me nauseated.

But overall, everything is going really well! I know I am only 16 weeks along, but I swear I can feel some stirrings. That was my favorite thing about Addie. I loved laying down for bed and having Joe feel the miracle in my womb. We are so grateful to have 2 miracles in our lives.

Addie is 9 months!

There has been a lot going on this month and Addie has been handling it like a champ. We went to Arimo for Adam's ordination as a Deacon Aug 24th. It was nice to all be there together. The Bare's left their reunion early to come for the day. It's always fun to see them. Their kiddos are growing up so fast! It makes me feel old! Once again I wish we lived closer to watch them in all their activities.

Joe and I left for 7 days to California Sept 7 (we stayed at a motel Sunday night for the early flight) and came home Sept 13th in the evening. We were so eager to see our baby girl! Addie stayed with Kevin and Rachel at night and for naps, and then played at my mom and dad's for the day. They said she was an angel the whole time and only woke up once,which was Friday night. That was a huge relief for me, I think I was more traumatized by being away from her!

She seemed to warm up to the men of the family. The last couple of visits she seems nervous around Kevin and Grandpa Hebdon. But during the week she spent a lot of one on one time with Kevin, chatted with Grandpa Hebdon and let him feed her. It's always great for her to spend time with family and get to love them.

She spent alot of time with Grandma Hebdon and as always, Grandma is an immediate favorite with her grandkids. She enjoyed her boy cousins, especially Caleb who played with her a lot. He is 5 yrs old and goes to preschool a couple of days a week for a few hours. So he was around a lot and they were good buddies.

Milestones:

• We went to a restaurant and she helped me eat my spaghetti, including noodles! It was the first time I gave her small noodles, and she even slurped them. It was so cute! and unexpected. She is really enjoying big people food and so I am trying to gain the courage to feed her more things she can pick up on her own....I am scared of the messes!
• She is now enjoying some fruit. I am excited about that. 
• She beyond loves to click her tongue. She can go on forever just clicking away. 
• She says dadda alot. Though I doubt she means anything by it. But there are times she looks at Joe and says Dadda. Melts both our hearts.
• She can cruise the furniture and is able to sit down on her own. Pretty exciting that she does that well. we have heard sitting can be difficult.
• She has no fear! She will hold on to our hands or the furniture and let go for a few seconds. Sometimes she comes down pretty hard but she rarely cries. She laughs and gets up to try again. She can now stand on her own for 5 seconds and sit down gracefully.
• She now crawls up us and grabs our legs to ask to be picked up. It's pretty cute except when I am cooking. Because I it's so hard to hold her and not get her burnt or fingers cut on cans while I am opening them. I do enjoy her being in the kitchen with me. It will be fun when she gets old enough to stand on a chair and help me.
• Her stats from her ninth month check up Sept 29th: 22 lbs 2.5 oz, 29.25 in long

• 

  Her at the restaurant on her 9th month mark. Just before she tries the spaghetti with noodles.

  
  

  

  Daddy with Addie and his girls. Addie adores Silky and has learnt how to be gentle with her. Silky has her moments where she is constantly rubbing up against Addie. We are hoping they will be good friends.

  
  

  

  Enjoying her cruising skills.