Babyproofing...

The day has come...we need to baby proof our house! My son is crawling. It still looks pretty gimpy, but he's surprisingly fast and mischievious. I'll put on better video later, but this is the best we have so far. (Sorry, it's long, again...don't forget to pause my music)

Funny Mikey

These are just some random pics of my funny baby

Little Lakers Baby

He had this rice crispie up his nose for a good while...he didn't even notice and I thought it looked hilarious!

Spread 'em, crook!

Office Night

Our life has been going through quite the "Groundhogs Day" slump. Michael leaves for work, comes home from work, plays with the baby for a little bit, does homework, has meetings for church, and then we go to bed. I decided to mix things up last night. I printed out pictures and quotes from The Office and made a DVD of best Office moments and I had them all ready when Michael came home. There was a Dunder Mifflin sign on our door as well. I even put a mini-stapler in some Jell-O. Not much (it looked better in person) but it was a nice change. And who doesn't love watching The Office for a while to get in a good mood?

President Gordon B. Hinckley

President Gordon B. Hinckley

June 23, 1910-January 27, 2008

There are no words to say...bittersweet...God Be With You Till We Meet Again

Mommy Survey

My sister challenged me to do this "Mommy Survey" and it was really fun. Any moms passing through my blog should definitely try it. Mikey's only eight months and it was fun to think back on the day he came into our lives. Here goes...

(I wish I could put more pictures, but it would take all day. We were really lucky to have our families there helping out...those pictures can be saved for another day.)

Lovely labor shot...just waiting for Mikey!

He's here!

Loving him immediately

Mommy and Mikey

Daddy and Mikey

Coming home

Sleeping at home

1. Age(s)? 8 months

2. Name(s)? Michael Jeffrey Creel

3. Birthday(s)? May 31, 2007

4. Time(s) of birth? 1:46 p.m.

5. How long did labor last? I had a slow leak...so after that started, 31 hours. After the contractions were 5 minutes apart, 22 hours.

6. Who was in the room when baby was born? Michael, my mom, a couple nurses and the doctor.

7. How long did you push? In the hospital I was in, they don't break your water for you. So after I felt the urge to push, I had to push for 1/2 an hour to break the water and then 10 more to get Mikey out.

8. Weight? 6 pounds 11 ounces

9. Length? 19.5 inches

10. Any hair? Yes, he had some dark brown hair.


11. Who does baby look like? At first sight, he looks like a clone of his daddy, but we're starting to notice a little bit of mixed looks in him now.


12. Be honest...how much weight did you gain while pregnant? I was really sick during my pregnancy and so I only gained 20 pounds.

13. Was the baby early or late? I went into labor on his due date but had him a day late.

14. Who drove you home from the hospital? Michael

15. How many baby showers did you have? Two. My sister-in-law Alyson threw me a shower and then my Turley side of the family had a shower for my sister and I in Salt Lake even though we couldn't be there. How nice!

16. When did baby start sleeping through the night? He started sleeping through the night around 6 months but he still has days where he forgets he ever knew how and it drives me crazy!

17. Did you breastfeed? Yup...still going. It's great!

18. Who takes care of your baby/kids the most? Me, but he's all daddy's when he comes home from work or is home for the weekend.

19. When do you want to have another one? We haven't decided on a concrete time-frame, but we want a baby to arrive when Mikey is between two and three. We'll see if we last that long though. Mikey is already growing up and somedays I get baby hungry. I said SOME days, so don't get too excited, grandmas.

20. How did you pick the name(s)? Well, Michael, obviously is Michael's name. But it's also Michael's dad's name. Jeffrey is my dad's name. So we named him after his grandpas. Michael also likes to mention that Michael Jeffrey is Michael Jordan's full name...but that's not the reason we picked it.

21. How did you know when it was time to go to the hospital? I didn't really. I thought I was leaking something the morning of my due date. But I wasn't sure. I had a doctor's appointment that night anyway, so I just went about my day as if I wasn't in labor. Michael had a couple finals and final projects that he had to finish up. Around four in the afternoon my contractions were pretty painful and close together, but we had to go to campus and turn some stuff in for Michael. We went to the doctor appointment and they tested the fluids and said I wasn't in labor but to try at the hospital. Lucky for us we were all packed a couple months in advance, because we got to the hospital and they said I was in labor. By then the contractions were killing me, so I knew. It just took me a while to catch on : )

22. Anyone spend the night with you the first night home? My parents were there and then Michael and Mikey.

23. Did you cry the first time you held your baby? Oh, definitely. I'm a sucker for this kid.

24. Where was the baby born? Lancaster, CA

25. Did you video tape the birth? No. I'm pretty camera shy from the waist down. We didn't get any pictures of it, either.

Meals For Missionaries

It all started Sunday when Michael said that we were having the missionaries over for dinner on Tuesday. We found out that they usually come at 5, and Michael doesn't get home until 5:45, so we needed to find them to make sure they set their appointments accordingly. We looked for them after sacrament and they were busy and then we got sucked into the social blackhole we call primary, and we didn't see them again. We figured they would call. Monday came and went, and no call. Tuesday, still no call. I get a call from Michael on his way home from work saying that the misisonaries weren't coming over that night. Really, I asked. Yes, he said, they are coming over tomorrow night. Why? I asked. He said, because that's the date he wrote on his calendar and he just read it wrong. I said that it was probably better because we had time to tell them to come at six. Well, that night they didn't call. Wednesday they called Michael, but it was too late. They had too many appointments and couldn't come at six. Michael said a missionary should never go without food, so he offered for them to pick up some food and take it home. So, I cooked dinner, put it on plates, opened the door for them that night, participated in some missionary small talk (they couldn't come in because Michael wasn't home) and sent them on their way. Before they left, I told them they could keep the plates. They gave me a wierd look and walked down the stairs. The thing about these plates is that we have been meaning to take them to Good Will. We don't want them anymore. We keep forgetting them when we go so they keep sitting in a box. Once in a while we have a church party to go to and one of them gets let out of the box. Knowing me, Michael decides to use the plates we don't want, because I will forget I brought a plate, and we will slowly lose the plates we actually like. True to form, I did forget the plates. So, whether we influence people here in Arizona or not, at least we left a red and white striped plate trail wherever we went.

Calling All Moms!

So, pardon the graphic picture(and story to follow), but my son threw up today. And not normal spit up, he got over that months ago...but real barf. He's been doing this a lot lately and I am stumped as to why. He had just eaten lunch. He had one jar of baby food and a couple ounces (guessing) of applesauce. We were playing peek-a-boo, and he was laughing, and then he did this little cough thing....and projectile vomitting followed. I don't think it's the flu...look at him...he's really happy and doesn't seem sick at all. But, he has done this before. A few weeks ago he started doing the little cough and then gagging and spewing. It's only been a lot once before...most of the time it's just a little bit(content-wise). Sometimes I think maybe he ate too much, but he always eats what I give him. He seems hungry. Don't babies know when they are full and act disinterested? That's what I hear but I still fear the over-feeding option. I don't know what it is...and this puke is making me sick...and sad for my little boy. Any advice?

This is video of him after his bath, which he was especially splashy for, about fifteen minutes after the puking episode. I don't think this kid is sick...what should I do?

(Pause my music at bottom of page to hear the video...)

The Joys Of Growing Up

I am sitting here listening to my child cry because he has learned to kneel up in his crib instead of nap. I keep going in and putting him down, but seconds later he is in a non-sleeping position. Earlier I listened to him whine because he is trying and trying but for the life of him cannot get anywhere on his own. Then there's the tears from falling down from trying to stand up or bumping his head on his new favorite table leg. I keep thinking...poor little guy. Growing up is hard sometimes. But then there's his pride-filled smiles on being able to stand up and get on his hands and knees and I realize that it's not all bad for him. When he gets discouraged I wish he could understand me because I want to tell him that growing up never ends. He better get used to the tears and the smiles. Because I am 24-years-old(I actually have to think how old I am) and I have a hard time sometimes because I actually crave the dollar-dates we used to have. Sometimes, just like him with the standing and sitting, I find myself doing the same thing day in and day out. But I get to spend my days with Mikey and my adorable husband(who is going through some growing pains himself) and that makes it all worth it. I look forward to growing up with my family around me. Aaahh....silence. My son is napping!

The table leg that he has learned to love....

Look mom...I'm almost crawling!

I'm standing!

I'm still standing!

I looked down and saw him sitting cross-legged(well, kind of) Sorry the picture stinks but I could tell he wouldn't sit like that for long : )

Wierd Faces and Fergie

Yes, I know, another post. What can I say, I have a lot of time on my hands. Also, this isn't just an excuse, I do this for the grandparents. Below are a few pictures of what Mikey does when I try and take a good picture of him for grandma Turley. The videos, which are really long and I don't expect everyone to watch them, are of Mikey dancing. Yes, he loves music. Especially "Clumsy" by Fergie. It gets him hopping everytime!

This is what you get when your baby is born in California...

This is his squinty smile that he recently learned how to do. Notice the ever present drool : )

Random Newness

I finally figured out how to make Mikey happy. He gets bored with his toys really fast, and if I let him switch toys as often as he'd like, I end up with a trail of toys throughout the house. So the other day, I put him in with all his toys at once. It was a big hit. He's doing a lot better playing with one at a time as well now, but when he gets out of his crib, his eyes go right to the basket full of toys.

It took a really long time for him to even look at the camera he was enjoying himself so much.

My friend, Tiffany, is really nice and lets me do laundry at her house once a week to save me from the smokey, quarter kind at our apartments. The other day, Mikey decided to repay her by spitting up all over himself and her living room. She graciously let him use some of her own son's clothes and he once again thought he'd thank her, but this time by pooping all over the new clothes. I felt really bad and Mikey thought he was getting a prize because he got a bath in her kitchen sink. Thanks, Tiffany. You are awesome!

We have a baby who drools more than you'd believe. Give him 30 seconds and his shirt is soaked through. On Sunday's, we don't want to spend the whole morning wiping his mouth to save his church clothes, so we usually just let him sit in his diaper. He loves it and would probably prefer it.

It was cold on Sunday though, so Michael suggested putting him in one of my pajama shirts so he wouldn't soak his clothes, but he'd stay warm. The results....hopefully he won't hold this against us someday : )

Aggie Pride and Sinks

You can tell my family has Aggie Pride because his Auntie Sara got him this USU football jersey...

And his Grampy and Grammy Turley got him this USU basketball jersey. We love them!

The past couple days Mikey has been more bored than ever! He won't play with any of his toys even. Just when I was on the verge of going crazy because I can't occupy my son's attention, he found the bathroom sink. Yep! He loves it. He even learned how to turn the lights off while sitting in the sink. Yesterday I think I spent a total of three hours in the bathroom with him. It was the only thing that made him happy. Today we are taking a break from the sink because he learned how to turn the water on. Any suggestions for a new game are appreciated!

Turning the lights off

Turning the water on (Makes him happy, but not me ;)

Having a good time and bringing blankie along too!

Happy New Year!

I can't believe it's a new year already! We had a great 2007 and look forward to another year together and with all of you! Here are some pics of Mikey and some new tricks he's already learned this year! Happy 2008!

Mikey gets frustrated because he learned how to go to his hands and knees from his bum but then he gets stuck...

still frustrated....

still not going anywhere....

We pacify him with some water...he know how to hold his own bottle!

Here's some cute video of his newest trick. He figured out that he can make a cool noise when we jiggle his chin. (Pause my music at bottom of the blog to hear the video!)

Creel Family Photos

While we were in California, we got some Creel Family pictures. It was freezing and Mikey had a cold, but in between wiping Mikey's snot and getting him to pay attention, we got some nice shots!

Freezing Boy!