3 Months

Today is Gwen’s 3 month birthday.  She is getting so big so fast, and sometimes I really miss her newborn days and want her to be tiny, and some days I get really excited for her to be able to crawl, and talk, and walk.  Mostly, though, I just love her, and want her to stay little.
At 3 months she loves to:
*Swing in her swing
*Bounce in her bouncy chair
*Eat her hands
*Be held facing out so she can see everything
*Take baths
*She’s just starting to reach for toys and it’s so fun to watch her mind working
*Stand up
*Read stories with bright, fun pictures
*Smile.  She has been such a smiley girl, except, of course, when I want to take a picture of her doing it.  Then she won't, but as soon as I put the camera down, she’s all grins.  Little stinker.
*She does NOT love her bumbo….yet.
She is such a sweetheart and I am so glad she’s mine forever.  I just love her so much!
On another note, it’s been so nice outside lately.  We’ve been taking Gwen out to the back yard to lay on a blanket and play with toys.  She loves being outside.  She just smiles and kicks and tries to talk.
For Dan’s birthday, before Gwen was born I got him a little onsie “from her” that said I love my dad.  Well she’s finally big enough to wear it, and so I had to get some photos of them together with her in it.  I love the one where she is just staring at him.  She loves him so much.  Any time she hears his voice she turns her head to try and find him, and he is always making her smile.  Sometimes it’s not fair.
And here are a few more photos of her being cute, and Dan holding Gwen and Chloe.  Sometimes Chloe gets jealous of Gwen and she wedges her way in, forcing us to give her attention.  It’s pretty funny.  We still love you Chloe!
Don’t you just want to munch on those cheeks?  They are just so chubby, and I love them!  She is getting such a fun, cute personality, and I love watching it develop and start showing.  It’s so amazing to watch her learn and grow.  She changes so fast, and I feel like if I blink I’ll miss something.  She is just a cutie, and we are loving getting to know her.

Mother’s Day

I was so excited to be able to celebrate Mother’s Day this year.  It’s been such a fun/hard/crazy/emotional adjustment, but I really do love being a mom.  I am also grateful for my mom, who’s always been there for me and who I know is willing to do just about everything for me.  In fact, until about a year ago, she’d call and make doctors appointments for me, and still offers to this day.  That’s what I love about her.  She doesn’t forget the small things.  I hope to be a mom who loves and fights for her kids like my mom does.  Also, she’s an awesome grandma.  I never really had grandparents growing up, and it always devastated me.  My mom’s dad and my dad’s dad died before I was born, and my mom’s mom died when I was only 4.  My dad’s mom died just a couple years ago, but she lived kind of far away for most of my life so we didn’t get to see her that often, and I was at the tail end of the grandkids, so I didn’t get to spend as much time playing with her as my older sibling did.  However, we had a very special bond, and when I got older I had a great relationship with my grandma.  But, the point is that my mom is young, and she plays with the kids, and does special things for them, so it’s so fun for me to watch that relationship that I never really had as a child, but always wanted so badly. 
I got really sick on Saturday night with a bad cold.  So I was kind of out of commission for Mother’s day.  So, Dan took Gwen to church and let me sleep.  Then when he came home we went to dinner at my parents house, and then went to his parent’s house for dessert.  We headed home rather early because I just wasn’t feeling well.  Luckily it has been pretty short, and I’m starting to feel better now, but it hasn’t been fun.  And, as a result, these are the only photos I got on Mother’s Day.  I’m just glad I remembered to take any photos at all!

Weekend away

This last weekend, we went to the Homestead for Dan’s moms 60th birthday!!  We still aren’t too comfortable leaving little Gwennie, (even though she is sleeping through the night 8pm-8am, and has been for about a month now) so we brought her along with us, and she was a trooper!  She was an angel, as always.  She loved getting all the attention from aunts and uncles, and loved being the only grandchild allowed to come.  She also had her first swim.  Her suit is still a little big, but it’s ok.  We couldn’t find swim diapers yet, so her regular diaper swelled up and filled in the empty spaces. :) She looked like she had a little bug butt.
Whenever Dan’s whole family gets together, they love to be together, so despite the tiny hot tub, clearly not big enough to fit them all, they squeezed in, made the water overflow out of the hot tub, and it’s pretty possible that some people were feeling a little bit uncomfortable with the closeness.  They also always have to have some sort of contest.  One to see who can swim the longest, hold their breath the longest, go the deepest, and win a chicken war.  It’s pretty comical, especially with all the wives lined up cheering for their man.  We are quite a sight when we go out in public.  Oh, and Gwen LOVED the water.  She just kicked and kicked and smiled and had a great time.  I can’t wait to take her swimming this summer.
The next day we woke up, ate breakfast together and had a little photo op of all the kids, and all the kids and wives.  It’s a pretty big posterity. (and that’s not even including the 22 grandkids)

Then we headed on home.  It was a quick trip, but fun to be with family and celebrate 60 years.  My mom and dad watched Chloe while we were gone, so we had to go pick her up, and while we were there, we figured we’d stop for a little nap since little Gwen is such a snuggle bug.  Dan slept with her for the first half and I slept with her (and apparently Chloe) for the 2nd.  Neither of us knew the other had taken photos…how funny! 
We are just trying to get all the snuggles out of her that we can while she’s still willing to give them.  She is such a snuggler right now, and I am loving it.  Sometimes I just forget about everything I’m supposed to do during the day and snuggle her all day long.  I figure, you only have 1 kid tiny once, so why not enjoy it while I can?

Easter and other happenings

We had a really nice Easter this year. Dan’s mom hosts an Easter egg hunt each year for all the grandkids.  It was Gwen’s first time, and since she is too little to actually hunt for the eggs, she got a cute new outfit, a stuffed bunny and $5.  She also got spoiled with attention from grandma, all the aunts, uncles, and cousins.  It was fun to see all the kids rushing around the yard looking for their eggs.  Dan’s mom  has been doing this for a long time.  In fact, when Dan was a teenager, his mom used to make him wear a bunny costume and hop around the back yard hiding the eggs for his nieces and nephews.  Ahh, what I would give to see that!! 
Easter Sunday was really nice.  We went back to church for the first time since Gwen was born, and she slept right through sacrament!  Hopefully she’ll keep it up.  It was really nice to be back in church and hear the talks about the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  I am so grateful for His sacrifice for me, and that he did rise again.
Easter is so much fun when you have a little girl that you can buy a dress for.  She looked so pretty in her yellow dress. 

The day after Easter me, my mom and my sister and 2 nephews decided to go on a road trip to Colorado to visit my other sister and her kids.  She had just been out a couple of weeks before, but was anxious to see the babies again (my sister Natalie had a little boy just 5 weeks after Gwen was born).  My mom had spring break, and so we decided to make the 8 hour drive.  The kids really did great.  The way home was a bit rough as they were tired from driving so much, and getting so much attention with their cousins.  We stopped for lunch and let them out of their seats.  Gwen was so happy to be out.  She just laid on the seat and kicked her legs.  The restaurant was so slow getting our food, which was annoying because we were hungry, but nice because the babes got to play a little longer.  We ended up spending about 1 1/2 hours at the restaurant.  It was a needed break.Sometimes in the car, Gwen wiggles her head a lot and it makes her headband fall over her eyes.  This time we just assumed she was using it as eye covers so it would be darker and she could sleep better. :)  She was sound asleep.

While we were in Colorado, we decided that it would be fun to take the kids to the zoo one day.  So we did.  It was kinda crazy.  The kids got tired and cranky walking around, but I think they enjoyed it.  Gwen didn’t really care too much about the zoo though.  She was sick of being in her chair and wanted to get out, she just cared about being held.  But she did pose for a couple photos, with the giraffes, and also with a bear.  I wanted to get Gwen Bear, with a real bear. :)Next up?  Gwen is 2 whole months old!!! On April 16th, she turned 2 months.  She is getting so big, and I love watching her grow and learn.
At 2 months, she LOVES:
* Having her head held back so her neck is stretched out.  She will fall asleep almost every time like that.  (photos 1 & 2)
*Her hands (photo 3) she is always munching on them, and it is adorable.
*Her bouncy/vibrating seat (photo 4)
*Laying in her crib looking at her mobile & colorful bumper pads with Chloe (photo 5)…ok funny story.  Gwen was in her crib looking at her mobile and bumper pads, and Chloe was so worried about her because she could see her, but could hear her kicking and talking.  So she was standing up, trying to see in to check on her.  She kept running to me and then running back to her crib.  It was so cute, so I put her in there with her and she just sat there watching over her making sure she was ok.  When I tried to get her out she slunk her head and tail down and got a really sad look on her face, so I just left her in there and she loved it.  She loves Gwen and is always protecting her.  When she’s napping, I can’t get Chloe to come down by me.  She lays right outside Gwen’s door until she wakes up.  Its really cute.
*Her music gym.  She loves laying under it and seeing the lights and hearing the music.  She can’t reach the dangly things yet, but she kicks and waves her arms like she’s trying. (photo 6)
And here are a few more photos, just because she is so dang cute, I can’t help myself. In the 2nd photo, with Dan, he is actually asleep holding her.  This is one of the things that is is most proud of…that he can fall asleep with his head up.  And here’s the proof.
She has been smiling since about 6 weeks, but she is starting to smile more and more now, and I love it. She can recognize things that make her smile and is starting to do responsive smiles. Her smile lights up her whole face and it makes my whole day.  Also, as you can tell from the last photo, she is still an escape artist.  I don’t know how, but she manages to wiggle out of her swaddle blankets too.  That girl…

But this right here is what makes it all worth it.
I literally go coo-coo trying to get her to smile.  And when she does, it almost always brings tears to my eyes.  I just love her so much and seeing her happy is the best thing ever.

Blessing & Birthday

I am officially O.L.D.  I turned 24 on March 25th.  The only thing that held me together that day was that we were able to bless our sweet baby.  Otherwise, I would have been in a pit of despair, wondering if I would live until my next birthday.  Haha, ok, ok, it’s not quite that bad. :) I actually completely forgot it was my birthday until I woke up to a text from my best cousin Whitney wishing me a happy birthday! But in all reality, blessing Gwen on my birthday was the best birthday present I could ask for.  We were able to spend the whole day with family, and it coordinated perfectly with my sister’s spring break, so she made the trek out here from Colorado with her 3 kiddos.  The day was perfect, aside from us almost being late.  Having a baby really throws off my ability to time things.  Feeding times always seem to interfere with when we need to leave.  But don’t fret, because we made it, and we were even a little early, thanks to Dan’s maniacal driving.

The blessing was beautiful and Dan did an amazing job.  Literally brought me to tears.  I recorded it so I could put it in a book for her, and I’ll share it here too, since this is like my journal.  Some of the words were muffled, so this may not be exactly what he said, but you’ll get this jist.

{Our Father in Heaven, in the name of Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Melchizedek Priesthood which we hold, we take this infant in our arms and give her a name and a blessing.  The name which she will be known in this life and upon the records of the Church is Gwen Catherine Schofield.  Gwen, at this time we’d like to give you a blessing. We bless you that you have a rich life and an understanding of God’s love for you and his plan for you.  We bless you with the compassion to help others and to follow the example of you mother; to love always and to find the good in people around you.  We bless you with passion for life, and learning and that your mind may be intelligent and contemplate the important doctrines of the gospel, that you will always understand that you are a valuable daughter of our Heavenly Father. We bless you with the ability to continue learning, and striving to be strong in all things that you do. We bless you with the courage to withstand temptations and to always stand up for what you believe in and to not swayed by the adversary.  Gwen, we bless you with love.  We want you to understand that there are many people around you who will love you, and take care of you and protect you.  We want you to know that we do this for your own good, and that you will always have the opportunity to look up to them and come closer to them as you strive to serve others and understand our Heavenly Father’s love for you.  Gwen at this time we want you to know that your Heavenly Father is proud of you and your decision to come to earth and accept this challenge and be ready to live according to his will, and we say these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.}

Afterwards, we had a little brunch at Dan’s parents house for all our family and friends who were able to make it.  We did a cereal bar, homemade parfaits, muffins –some homemade, some not- and juice.  It was great.  Thanks to everyone who helped out.
Here is the little angel with grandma and grandpa Cornell…my mom and dad.
This photo of her sleeping was after the festivities.  She was exhausted and just zonked out on my shoulder.

And here she is again with grandma and grandpa Schofield…Dan’s mom and dad.  Also, with the majority of those who stood in her circle to bless her.  Missing is:  my dad, Dan’s dad, Von, Landon, and Michael.  I forgot to get the photo before everyone headed out, so these are just Dan’s brothers. (We missed you, Matt!)

And here are some photos of her in her beautiful dress.  Soon I am going to go have a professional shoot of her in her dress, once she is smiling a little more on command.

Here is an upclose at her dress and accessories.  Gotta love little girls!
Shoes & bracelet made by Dan.  Have I mentioned that he totally out-crafts me?  Sometime to the point where I actually get depressed because he’s better at everything that I “should be” good at.  Oh well.  It’s nice to pawn it off on him, cause he knows he’s better, so he’ll do it for me.  Don’t you think he should quit his job and become a shoe maker?  I’ll have to take a photo of the 7 other pairs of shoes he’s made little Gwen.  It’s actually pretty amazing. And to make the day even better, my wonderful sister made me a HOMEMADE chocolate-peanut butter cheesecake.  It was simply to DIE FOR.  Seriously.  I don’t know how she does it.  Well, we didn’t have any candles, so I pretty much just blew on the cake.  Do you think my wish will still come true?
All in all, it was a perfect day.  Thanks to all who came and supported.  It meant the world to us!

A few new things

First of all, this little baby girl turned 1 month old on March 16. I know I’m a little late in posting, since now she’s almost 2 months.  Where does the time go?
 
Here are a few cute pics of her since she was born.

This photo is so funny to me.  We swaddle Gwen to put her to bed because she always wakes herself up either by touching her face, or flailing her arms everywhere.  She has become a mastermind in escaping, but this time, Dan wrapped her up too tight.  She somehow will wiggle her arms out of their sleeves and then her pjs will be down to her waist, like so, and when we go to get her we find her arms out and up above her head.  This night, she was not so lucky.  She got so close to wiggling out, but didn’t quite make it before she fell asleep.  I just had to take a photo.  She is so precious…and I love her sassy, stubborn personality.I saw this on pinterest, and thought it was such a cute idea.  I wanted to capture how tiny everything is when they are newborns.  I just love how perfectly tiny and formed everything is.  So much detail.  It is amazing to me that my body is capable of creating another life, and how perfect and intricate that life is. I am loving my baby so much.  Some days it is all I can do to pull myself away from snuggling her and get dressed.  She is such a sweetheart and I am amazed every day at how much I love her.  I wasn’t sure that 9 months of torture would be worth it, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.  She is my whole world now.  Being a mom is the greatest thing.  But it is so hard watching her get bigger.  I just want her to stay my tiny baby forever.

Also, I forgot to mention, we are real adults.  We have a baby, and WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!  We moved in March 3.  It’s in Draper, right behind Ikea.  We are loving it.  Our neighbors are nice, and Dan is so much closer to work.  It cut his commute in half.  Having our own place has been so fun!  Here is a pic of our house, and here is a pic of moving.  Gwen and the million boxes.  It was a stressful couple weeks.  A brand new baby, and moving.  I wouldn’t really recommend it.

St Patty’s Day

Dan ran a 5K…the Rex Lee Run, to support cancer.  His whole family ran in memory of their grandma who died of breast cancer when his dad was just 8 years old.  He did a great job.  Way better than last May when he ran with Chloe.  She really slowed him down. :) Other than that, we didn’t really do anything special.  But don’t you worry, those days will soon come once Gwennie gets a little bigger.  She did, however, have a really cute St. Patty’s day dress.

She looks so big in this picture.  I hate that she’s growing up.  The tiny phase really does pass way too fast.  But look at those cheeks and that double chin.  Does it get any cuter?