Letter to Blair - 1 Month Old

Beautiful Blair,

My sweet, sweet Blair.  I am so happy that you are part of our family.  I feel so lucky to have a daughter.  You have been so much fun.  You are so calm and chill -- and with your hyper brother -- I really appreciate that.  You are a good eater and you have been a fairly good sleeper (we are still working on this).  It has been so nice having a summer baby, we have been able to get out a bit and enjoy summer.  Mia and her family were in town this month, so we have been on the go.  I have recently started to lay low and let you nap and get on a schedule.

Your father has turned into quite the 'Papa Bear'.  He loves you so much and is so protective of you.  We were able to bless you a couple of weeks ago.  We blessed you on a Monday night at Momo & Papa's house.  Our whole family was there - which is a bit of a miracle in itself.  Your dad blessed you with beauty, confidence, intelligence, health, mental health, that you would be active, guidance by the spirit, that you could make a decision and stick with it, that you would look to your grandmas as examples, that you would have the power of prayer, that you would meet a good man, that you would have a close relationship with your heavenly father and that you are a choice daughter of your Father in Heaven.  It was a really neat blessing and afterwards we had a big party with a taco truck to celebrate.

My transition as a mother of two has been much easier than becoming a mom for the first time.  I am very tired and busy, but other than that it hasn't been too bad.  Davis still calls you 'bayybeee seeester'.  He loves to dance and I always laugh when he says 'Dance baby sister'.

This first month you have already been on a couple family getaways.  We rented a cabin in Alta for Oliver's 30 birthday and we stayed at the Cliff Lodge in Snowbird so that Oliver could do a bike race.  We are excited to take you more places (once you start sleeping more).

Everyone in the family loves you so much.  My sisters can't get enough of you, your grandparents love you, and especially your parents and brother.  Thank you for coming to our family...we can't wait to take you on many adventures.

Love,

Mom.

Blair Young

This pregnancy was quite a bit different than my pregnancy with Davis.  I was lucky in that there wasn't nausea or morning sickness, but I was unlucky in that I dealt with an extreme case of pregnancy insomnia.  From about 14 weeks to about 35 weeks I didn't sleep.  I would wake up at 2am and wouldn't be able to sleep for the rest of the night.  It was terrible.  We still went about our normal life, but I was exhausted and I was unable to keep up my normal active lifestyle.

At the beginning of my pregnancy I was convinced that I was going to have another boy.  In fact I was so convinced that I started buying decor for another boy nursery.  When we went to our 16 week appointment and the doctor decided to give us an early ultrasound.  It was still a little early to tell the gender, but during our ultrasound she told us it was a girl.  I responded saying 'no it isn't, it's a boy'.  She said, 'no...I'm pretty sure it is a girl'... and I proceeded to not believe her.  Oliver asked her how many times she had been wrong and she said she had been wrong once.  He then asked her how many times she had done this and she said thousands.  Needless to say she was correct and the results were confirmed in our 20 week ultrasound.  My mother's intuition was completely off.  I was in shock for a few weeks and had all sorts of emotions.  I don't know if fathers feel this way, but it seems like a lot more pressure to raise a child of your same gender.  Maybe I was so nervous because I knew what I would be getting into with a little girl (whereas little boys are such a mysterious adventure to me) or maybe I was nervous because I knew I would be the biggest example in her life (that is a lot of pressure)?  Either way I was nervous for a couple of months and then those nerves grew into excitement.

We had fun putting the nursery together, and buying baby girl items.  Our favorite store was Cath Kidston in Ireland, even Oliver couldn't resist.  We prepared Davis as much as possible with books and TV shows.  He would walk around talking about 'baybee seeester'.  It was so darling.

I thought for sure that baby girl would come early, because Davis had been a week early.  With Davis I never got to that totally uncomfortable and miserably pregnant stage, like I did with Blair.  My doctor was out of town the week before my due date, so I was unable to get induced at 39 weeks like a lot of women do.  At all my previous appointments I had not progressed and I was hoping to have a shorter labor than what I had gone through with Davis -- so I decided to give it a few extra days.  Still nothing happened, so on Friday, June 26 I went into Mckay Dee Hospital to be induced.  

The morning of my induction, they kept calling me and delaying my start time.  It was a busy morning in Labor and Delivery.  Finally they told me to come in at 11am.  Oliver and I dropped Davis off at my parents house and headed to the hospital.  The plan was that my parents would nap Davis at our house and then take him into Maeve's to stay for the weekend.

We got to Mckay Dee and I got hooked up to the IV and pitocin right away.  A few hours into my labor my parents called to tell us that Davis woke up from his nap with a fever of 104...not what you want to hear when you are about to have another child.  We were stressed out about Davis, but we face timed him and kept in contact with him the entire time.

I still had not progressed when I was admitted to the hospital, so I knew I was in for a long labor.  After the pitocin things progressed slowly but surely.  After a long day of taking care of Davis, my mom was able to put him to bed and run up to the hospital.  She made it there by 9:30p.  My doctor was delivering another patient at a different hospital and was running back and forth between the two of us.  We had been progressing at the same time and same rate.  At the very end she went to deliver the other patient and had me wait.  When she came running back I was at a 10 and ready to deliver.  I pushed for 10 minutes and Blair was here.  She came out wide eyed and beautiful at 11:02pm.  7 pounds 11 ounces.  It was love at first sight.

We named her after my grandfather.  We had a list of names that we were thinking about, but during my pregnancy Oliver started calling her Blair and it just felt right.

Those first couple of days in the hospital I must have had an extreme drop in hormones, because they were hard.  I do not enjoy the hospital like a lot of women do.  I think it is uncomfortable and I don't like being bothered by hospital staff every 30 mins.  I was so stressed out about taking Blair home when Davis had a fever, but I couldn't handle being at the hospital anymore.  In the middle of the night one night I wasn't able to sleep, I was up worried about Davis and about being a mother of two.  I was also upset that I was still suffering from insomnia even though I was exhausted from just having a baby.  Oliver had gone home that night to be with Davis, so I was alone.  I had already called my mom crying at 1am.  One of the nurses came in to check on me I told her I thought I was having a swing with my hormones.  She was the sweetest nurse and totally listened and gave me advice.  She told me to do skin to skin and that it would help regulate my hormones.  Holding Blair that night in the dark hospital room was the only thing that made me feel better.  Blair was such a calm and sweet newborn.  I felt so lucky to have this baby girl.  

We ended up taking baby girl home even though Davis was sick.  We made him wear hospital masks and washed his hands one million times per day.  It all worked out and I immediately felt better just being at home.  Blair is a blessing.  She was the perfect newborn and everyone commented on how calm and wonderful she was.  I hope she always knows how much I love her and how special she is to me and her father.    

Letter to Davis - 2 Years Old

My Sweet Happy Boy-

I can not believe how quickly the past two years have gone!  I am loving this stage that you are in right now.  You are sweet, happy, easy, and fun to be around.  You are talking up a storm and it is so fun to communicate with you.  You are still a good eater and a good sleeper.  You go to bed at 8pm, wake up at 8am and you take a 3 hour nap in the afternoons.  I'm hoping you stay this way forever.

You are starting to really enjoy playing with friends and you LOVE your cousins, especially Sam, Miles, and Bea Bop.  You wake up in the morning talking about trucks and go to sleep at night talking about trucks.  You play with trucks all day long and when you aren't playing with trucks you are chasing Teddy around and pulling his tail.  You love to play 'out-dice' (outside) on your new playset that we got you.  Your favorite food is popcorn, you would eat it morning, noon, and night...if we let you.

You are still Mr. Independent.  You like me around, but you don't really ever need me to help you with anything or do anything for you.  This characteristic has made it possible for me to go back to school and work on my Master's degree and also work part-time for your dad (from home of course).

I just finished a gymnastics class with you and now you are starting swimming lessons.  You are an energetic boy, so I have been trying to find ways to keep you active and entertained.

Baby sister is coming in June, and I am so nervous about being able to juggle two children and being able to give the two of you everything that you need.  I have decided to cut back significantly from work and pause school (for the time being - I'm hoping to go back in the fall).

You love your Dada.  He is the best father around.  He has unwavering love and devotion for you.  We are both so lucky to have him.  You also love your Momo and Papa.  You talk about them all day and you are sweet to them when we visit them.  They love you too and always add to your truck obsession by bringing you trucks.

Some other fun things you say and do: you call Mickey Mouse "Hot Dog" (because he sings the 'hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog' song), you only let your father bathe you...if anyone else does you have a total melt down, if I take to long getting to your crib in the morning or after your nap you start yelling for 'Carly' instead of 'Mama.'

I am so grateful that I am your mother.  I love every single ounce of you and I always will no matter what.  I hope you grow up to be a smart, righteous, kind man.

Love you always.

Mom.

Letter to Davis 18 Months

My Dear Sweet Funny Man,

I can not believe you are already 18 months.  You are no longer a baby and it is breaking my heart!  I have moments in the day when I look down at you and catch myself feeling heart aches, because I know that these tender toddler moments that I am witnessing are going to pass by so quickly.  It is as if I am longing for the present.  I am so lucky to get so many sweet moments with you throughout the day.  My favorite ritual I have with you right now is eating snacks on the front steps after nap time.  You sit your chubby legs next to mine and we eat off of the same plate.  It is one of the rare moments where you actually sit still and I can talk to you.

That being said, not everything is peachy.  You are a BOY and you are always full of adventure, surprises, and mischief.  The other day I caught you holding Teddy at knife point.  I made the mistake of leaving the dishwasher open and the next thing I know you are holding a knife to Teddy's neck.  Ted was looking at me with a lot of anxiety in his eyes.

Teddy is your best friend.  You are constantly wrestling him, poking him, riding him like a horse, and kissing him.  Sometimes I have to separate you two, because you guys are naughty together (eating all of the food in that pantry, making a mess of the toys, you like to feed him your dinner, etc).  I'm glad that you are growing up with a dog.

You are starting to talk.  You can say "Mama, Mom, Dada, Papa, Momo, Teddy, Hot, Bye, and Truck."  You were slow to walk.  You didn't walk until about 16 months, but once you started… oh boy!… It was at full speed.  You are all over the place and very active and independent.  You climb all over playgrounds by yourself, you run down the street, and you love playing in your Cozy Coupe.

You are a little dare devil.  You love all of the rides at Lagoon, you love the watersides at Cherry Hill, you love riding in Miles' Dune Racer, going down any steep slide by yourself, and anything else that is fast and thrilling.

I love being your mom and every day I marvel at how cute you are and how lucky I am.  I started my Master's Program at Weber State, so it has been difficult juggling motherhood, work and an MBA.  You are my priority, but I feel like working and going to school helps me enjoy my time with you.

Things I don't want to forget about you right now:  your soft skin and chubby thighs (I love holding you and squeezing you), your excited reaction and squeal when you see Maeve, Bea, and Miles, when we hike together you always reach around and grab my nose and honk it, your jibber jabber and the sound of you yelling "aye, aye, aye, aye, aye", I hope I never forget the feeling of your after nap cuddles when you throw your warm little body on my and rest your head on my shoulder.

I love you with all of my heart and hope that you will always know that.

Love,

Mom.

Letter to Davis - 1 Year Old!

Dear Davis-

You have really changed the past couple of months!  You are crawling all over the place and pulling yourself up to standing.  Your first word was 'Papa' and you said it fittingly on January 21st - Papa's birthday.  You have since stopped saying it… not sure if that is normal… but you have added 'Mama' and 'Dad' to your repertoire (although I only get to hear 'Mama' or 'Maam' when you are irate - ya win some, ya lose some).

With all of your new mobility, came some more personality.  You are turning into a little spunk!  You have opinions and you throw the most hilarious fits whenever I take something away.  Momo is glad, because she was worried that you were too happy before.  You are still happy and easy, but you are so adventurous it is sometimes hard to keep up with you.  You have already had 2 goose eggs, a black eye, and you have split your eyebrow open.  I have caught you squirting diaper cream into your mouth, drinking out of Teddy's dog bowl, eating Teddy's dog food, and waving a toilet brush around like a wand.  I promise I watch you.

You haven't gotten any more teeth in the past 2 months, but I am a little suspicious that you are getting some molars, because some days I can tell that you don't feel well.

You are still a fantastic sleeper.  2 - 2.5 hour naps a day; and 7-7 at night.  You are a great eater.  You prefer savory to sweet.  You love anything homemade.

YOU LOVE TEDDY.  Your favorite thing to do is to crawl over to the back door and watch him through the window.  You will sit there and belly laugh, which makes me laugh too.

You love other kids and toddlers, but you are starting to get a little stranger danger.  You may have gotten kicked out of the gym daycare the other week because you were screaming for 30 mins straight… so I'm not real sure what to do about that.  I'm hoping that was just a fluke because you had spent a lot of time at the Grand Targhee daycare and you were just tired.

Things I don't want to forget about you right now:
-You have the longest body and shortest legs (just like your dad).
-I have to buy size 3T socks because your calves are so big (thank heavens you are a boy).
-You think I am the most hilarious person on earth…everything I do is so funny (it's going to be a sad day when you realize I'm not funny)
-You make the cutest little monkey face when you drink out of a straw.
-I love squeezing your cheeks together and kissing those lips.

I love you.

Mom.

Davis 1 Year Photos

Oliver's cousin, Luke, snapped a couple photos of Davis a couple days after Davis' 1st Birthday.  He liked his cake a lot more than he did at his party.

Photos of Davis 8-11 Months

You love Ted.

Watching Dad climb.  You like to watch him when you aren't too busy flirting with the lady climbers.

So many kisses all of the time.

You and Ted all day every day.

Folding laundry.

Playing with Sadie at a restaurant in Park City during one of the dealership planning retreats.

Cousin shenanigans with Grant (and uncle Ty).

Grocery shopping with Momo.  Trying cookie butter for the first time.

Ice cream cones at Sam's 2nd Birthday Party.

Skyy came and stayed with us while Spencer & Sher were in Cabo, you loved having 2 giant buddies.

Always bouncing.

2 cute babies.  You = 10 months, Will = 8 weeks.

You love the Alta daycare and we love taking you there :).

Learning to pull yourself up!

You are a good eater!  You love to try new things!  Berries and peas are yummy!

Yummy Pizza.

First Selfie!

Playing and growling at Papa!

In Las Vegas with Dad and Winslow in November for Digital Dealer Conference.  You didn't like Las Vegas much, but you loved being with Dad and Winslow.