6 months

6 months.....1/2 a year old! How has it been six months since you have been born? I feel like it was just a couple weeks ago that we were bringing you home from the hospital. My baby girl, please slow down! Shortly after you turned 5 months you celebrated your First Thanksgiving. Next year will be better since you will actually be able to enjoy the food at the table. You are so interested in food and seem to be smacking your lips towards any food we eat. You end up settling with a toy or your hands to suck on in the mean time. New trick you have learned is sucking on your bottom lip. It's so funny to watch that entire bottom lip disappear. Crawling is pretty much mastered at this point for you. This makes dressing you and changing your diapers more of a challenge, and we have learned to work as quickly as possible. We know how much you love to move, so we bought you an early Christmas present: a jumper. You enjoy it even more when you have Daddy and me watching you bounce and cheering you on.


Your personality is starting to show through more and more each day. It seems you will be so considerate and tender hearted towards others. You love other children and when you see other babies and children crying it makes you tear up in sympathy. It's so sad and cute at the same time. Your giggles are starting to come out even more and it is the best sound in the world to your Daddy and me. They are not quite as loud as when Mommy laughs, but give it time. You are so ticklish and will squeal in anticipation when Daddy chases us to tickle you. I am sure that we will share lots of laughs in our future together. Just know that Daddy and I will do anything crazy or silly to see our little girl smile or giggle.


Celebration is in order, we went a long 7 hour stretch sleeping at night! It was quite nice for all of us to catch up on some much needed sleep. Mommy may have woke up once during that time to check on you. Lets hope there are more nights like this in the future.


Right after celebrating Thanksgiving, we have been preparing to celebrate Christmas. To get in the swing of things, lots of Christmas themed music has been playing. You are captivated with the decorations on our tree, but haven't tried grabbing them yet. Daddy and I have been singing Christmas songs all month long and you are still such a fan of music. Two songs that capture your undivided attention include 1: Mickey Mouse Hot Dog song. You love dancing and bouncing to that one and it brings a smile to our face to watch you dance to it (yes this one isn't a Christmas song but you love it) and 2: the Hershey kiss commercial with the Christmas bells. We play it on repeat and you just stare mesmerized.

You have changed so much in half a year's time. It seems your eyes have settled on a pretty hazel color, just like Daddy's! We constantly hear that you look a lot like both Daddy and me, but it seems you are just the perfect mixture of the both of us. To celebrate your half-birthday we had a mini photo shoot (although we have, I am sure, hundreds of pictures of you already) and you ate your first serving of rice cereal! You did pretty well when it came time to eat, other than you wanted to feed yourself. I think you are going to want to be very independent. We all were only slightly messy when it was all finished.


Another doctor check up this month; you weigh exactly 16 pounds and measure 29 inches long. Still wearing size 2 diapers and 6 month clothing fits you perfectly right now. You drink 4.75 ounces of milk every 4 hours and now eating rice cereal! Still no teeth, but we keep thinking they will showing any time.


Happy Half-Birthday Aria! Mommy and Daddy love you!

5 months

Aria, you are growing up so fast and getting stronger everyday! You are constantly doing crunches and have such a desire to sit up. When you figure out that you can't quite make it, you just roll over to your stomach. Now that you know how to roll over, we can hardly keep you on your back at all. We officially have started baby proofing because you are beginning to move even more. You can turn yourself all around and are attempting to crawl. Your crawl is like an "inch worm" (you put your bum up in the air and push your face into the floor and scoot forward). As the month has gone on though, you will rock back and forth on your hands and knees and then you will lunge forward towards toys or anything catching your eye.

We love watching you discovering new things. You have found your feet and like grabbing on to those toes. Those little piggies have even made it into your mouth a couple times. It seems anything and everything goes in your mouth these days. You love to chew on all your toys and successfully drool all over them and your clothes. When you don't have a toy, your fingers and hands are a good replacement. Your thumb seems to be your favorite.

If we would let you have solid food, I am sure you would always be eating. Mommy and Daddy feel a little guilty as you look longingly at the food and drink we are enjoying. Our favorite is when we hold you while drinking out of a glass. You follow the glass with your eyes while smacking your lips in our direction. We are going to have a hard time ever telling you 'no' whenever those beautiful eyes stare up at us. Doctor says that we can occasionally give you little peanut butter to taste. Daddy gave you the first sample of it and you loved it! Just you wait till next month, baby girl, and you will be able to enjoy even more foods.

We have a pretty good routine these days. You still are a morning person and will take a couple naps during the day. Bath time is still in the evening when Daddy gets home. Afterwards, we have tickles, play time, and then we get into pajamas. You then make your Mommy proud because you will use your banana-brush to clean your gums! It's so cute! You play so hard all day because you get tired and try to put yourself to sleep around 7:30pm. Mommy will try to hold you off till 8:00-8:30pm so that we both get to sleep-in just a little longer. The truth is that you make the schedule to whatever you want it to be. You prefer to sleep on your side or stomach and to burrow your face under your arms or into the mattress. If you do get upset, which isn't very often, we play or sing primary songs for you. I think you prefer Daddy's singing voice but either way, primary songs are calming to you. You also really like to play "Patty-Cake". Your smile gets so big when we 'roll-it'. So cute!

This month we celebrated your first Halloween! Daddy and Mommy love Halloween and so we went all out with our costumes. Of course, it had to be a family costume. We selected characters from Mary Poppins, when they jump into the chalk artwork to race carousel horses and dance with penguins. Mommy was 'Mary Poppins', Daddy was 'Bert', and you were an adorable Penguin. When we put you on your tummy it totally completed the look! You were so cute and I am sure you would have been asked to be in the movie based on that alone. (Lets face it you wouldn't be casted for your dancing skills just yet). Your Daddy was really proud that I actually made all the costumes this year! It took me all month to get them done, but seeing you in that penguin costume was completely worth it.

Baby statistics this month include: size 2 diapers, wear 6 month clothing (you’re so tall), eat 4.5 ounces of milk every 4 hours, and sleep in 5-6 hour stretches at night.

4 months

What a beautiful growing girl you are becoming, Aria! You are more and more aware of everything around you. Pictures of mom and dad are your favorite to look at but really you're infatuated with any pictures of people or especially kids.

We love music and so do you! Daddy likes to sing to you, and Mommy dances with you. You love it all! Even if music is playing on the tv you turn to look at it. During the movie Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, you turned and watched an entire dance scene for about 10 minutes. I think you and I are going to be best friends!

Your personality is starting to show through. You are such a happy and smiley girl pretty much all the time. Daddy and I will do anything to get you to smile, but we are really trying to find your ticklish spots. Mommy is dying to hear your giggles! We found that under your neck seems to be the best potential for those giggles but right now, you just do little squeaks and squeals that get higher in pitch as we tickle you.

We have found that you are easily startled by someone 'sniffing' or 'sneezing'. It's kinda silly that it seems to give you the biggest fright of all. You do like to play tricks though. Sometimes you will turn your smile completely upside down into this huge frown and your bottom lip will pout and begin to quiver. It happens in an instance. It is so not like you, that your dad and I laugh out loud. To which you immediately smile, thinking you are pretty funny!

On 10.01.16 Daddy and I decided to give you some earrings to match your sparkling personality! You were so brave and cried just for a minute until we were done. They are just perfect and the right size for you! I am so excited for all the jewelry we will buy in the future together.We know you are cute, but we have had complete strangers, along with family and friends tell us repeatedly just how beautiful you are. This makes you so happy and you flash your gummy smile at everyone that tells you this! You already love compliments.

You had your 4 month checkup and the Doctor says you look perfect! Weighing 14 pounds and 4 ounces (46%) & measuring in length at 25 and 1/4 inches. (76%) You had your second round of shots and you cried just for a little, but Daddy quickly consoled you. Next appointment won't be until you are 6 months old.This month you are eating about 4-4.5 ounces every 4 hours. At night you will go sleep about 4-6 hour stretches. We still use size one diapers, but we will be switching to size 2 very soon. You've been mostly wearing size 3 month clothing but are starting to pull out all the outfits in the 3-6 month range.

You are really studying everything around you. We will blow raspberry with our mouth and you will imitate by blowing them back to us, usually along with some bubbles and drool. Nowadays you drool everywhere! You also have found your voice and are becoming louder. We love the sounds you make and it will sometimes sound like little words such as "hi" or "yeah". Our most favorite though was on 10.01.16. Mommy had you in her arms and together we were playing peek-a-boo with Daddy and tickling you.

Daddy said to you "I Love You."

Then you cooed back the syllables that sounded just like "I Love You".

In that instance your Dad and I, our hearts melted! And although it may have sounded similar to when Tarzan teaches Jane to say 'I Love You' in gorilla, we still know what you were meaning. We love you too Aria!

3 Months

This month we started you off with some more first experiences. You traveled down to Arizona with your Mommy, Gigi, and Poppy. It was your first time flying on an airplane and you did fantastic! You slept the whole time and woke up right as we landed. We had some much needed mother-daughter time. It was so warm down there that in the late afternoons once there was a little shade we would get in the pool! You had the most adorable swimsuits for the occasion and some sunglasses for that bright light. We could get use to that lifestyle of warmth and relaxation. We did do a little shopping, of course, while we were there. After being gone for almost a week though we were ready to come back home to see your Daddy. He missed his girls while we were away. On our flight home you fell asleep as we took off and didn't wake up until we arrived home! I couldn't believe you slept thru traveling two whole states. We will have to take more trips in the future because you are such a good girl to travel with.

You have discovered hands! You have a fascination trying to eat yours, ours, anyone's really. You started working on some tummy time this month and you continue to impress us with your strength. It didn't take you long to flip from your tummy to your back. I think in part from the weight of your head it helped. I was always hearing how babies didn't like tummy time but you love it! By 2 and a half months old you could roll from your back to your tummy. You favor turning over onto your left side to do so. And now here at 3 months you pretty much have mastered that trick! Just need a little more practice rolling the other direction.

Bath time is our favorite family time together. You love your bath! It's so much fun to see you stretch out in the nice warm water. Your legs and arms are moving like crazy and you love to splash Mom and Dad. It makes us laugh to see our girl so happy playing in the water. All that splashing does wear a girl out though and you usually go right to sleep after we get you out of the tub.

You spent your first night in your crib on September 12. I think you were the only one that got sleep because we were so nervous to have you so far away from us. Ten minutes into the night you had rolled onto your side and came unswaddled. You were able to stay in your crib until 5:30am and then I had you sleep on my chest after Daddy showered you with kisses heading off to work. Needless to say we both will need more practice getting used to having you sleep in your crib.

In the morning or after a long nap, you like to stretch out. Its so cute because you do a half stretch just like your Mommy. You may have some of Daddy's looks and grins, but you defiantly have the mannerisms of your Mommy. When you are awake you love being held so you can see everything that is going on.  If we have been sitting too long you remind us that it's time to stand and walk around. Your head is constantly looking all around, taking in all the sights and sounds.

You are happy as can be and we love playing with you. We play peek-a-boo a lot and you smile so big every time you see our faces. We talk to you frequently and we are in a battle of teaching you to say mama and dada. Only time until we see who it will be that you name first! We are so excited to see you trying so hard to talk back to us making sounds and almost mimicking our facial expressions.
You are wearing size one diapers and 3 month clothing now. It is fun having you grow so we can dress you in more of the cute clothes you have. The outfit you are wearing for your three-month picture is one of my favorites! Daddy agrees that you look good in purple.

You have done so much in 3 months! We can already tell that you are going to continue to surprise us with everything you do. We sure love our growing girl.

2 months

Aria, you are a morning person! You are mostly happy all time, and even more so first thing in the early morning. It doesn't matter how tired daddy and I are, we just love to see you all alert and full of energy. It brings smiles to our faces to see you each morning. You are tracking things with your eyes now and love to look at our faces and any lights. We can even get you to smile, make some slight giggles, coos, grunts, and even an occasional growl as you test your voice. You are changing everyday and we can see you getting stronger. When you are awake, you don't hold still very much. Legs are constantly kicking and pushing off anything close to you. One of our favorite things to do is to play with your toes. While everyone loves when a baby will grab their finger with their hands, we do it with your long toes. They are so strong and will wrap right around our fingers! It makes us laugh every time you do it. You take a pacifier some times, but when you do have it, you like it slightly sideways just covering half of one of your nostrils. Even when I try to straighten it, you move it right back. We love when you start to get sleepy because you like to cuddle up close to us even more. You will even flash half a grin at us as you fall deeper into sleep. Daddy loves to lay you on his chest. When you do, your legs tuck up underneath you like a stink bug. It's so cute seeing you two take naps together. As a family, we love taking evening walks around the neighborhood. We all have been enjoying the sunsets and summer evenings.

We had your two month checkup with the doctor. Wow have you grown! Stats this time are: 24 and 1/4 inches in height (95%), weighing 11 pounds and 13 ounces (46%), and your head circumference of 15 and 1/4 inches (48%). Dr Summerill says you are doing great and you are right on track with your development. During your exam, you were so happy and even giving smiles at Doctor and your nurse, Tiffany. After all your measurements were taken, you had a round of shots to help you stay strong and healthy. It took you a couple seconds to realize that you had been pinched but by the time you let out a good cry it was all over. You seemed to settle down pretty quickly when placed back in your Mommy's arms. We are so proud of you and how good you were! Keep growing strong, baby girl. You are mostly wearing size 3-month clothing now and size 1 diapers. You are growing even taller and are outgrowing your outfits in length, which explains your height measurement being in the 95%. You will eat about every 3 hours and will sleep longer periods of time at night.

Sunday morning, exactly two months old, we blessed you. I ponder at the phrase "we blessed you", because if I am honest, it is you that have blessed us. Our lives are totally different with you here, and we wouldn't want it any other way. We dressed you in a beautiful white dress that looks a lot like the dress your Mommy wore a few years back. To complete the look, we added some bling on your wrist and some adorable sandals we made for you. It was a perfect Sabbath day to bless you, warm and sunny.  Your Daddy gave you a beautiful blessing with your Poppy, Grandpa, Uncle Ryan, Uncle Adam, Great Uncle Cory, and Bishop Tuttle standing in the circle. You were such a good girl and listened to Daddy's voice as he delivered our Heavenly Fathers blessing just for you. Everyone said that you were just beautiful and very well behaved. Family and friends all came to support you this day and we are just truly thankful for the amount of love they have shown our family.  We love the sweet spirit you have brought into our lives and home. Our testimonies have been strengthened and our prayers answered. Aria Noelle, you are so loved and I am eternally grateful you are part of our family forever.

"For this child [we] prayed"- 1 Samuel 1:27

1 month

One month old already! I can't believe it has gone by so fast. We didn't anticipate you being as skinny as you are, so you are mostly still wearing newborn sized outfits. Also you wear newborn diapers, but we are trying to fit you into the size 1. You are eating about every two to three hours now. Still you have bouts of hiccups, they make me giggle as I remember how often I felt them while you were in my tummy. Sitting still is not something you do very often, unless you are sleepy. You move so much already and try and lift your head up all the time. I feel like you are trying to grow up too fast already. Your hands are always by your face or up above your head. Looking back at your ultrasound pictures not much has changed, since that is where they can be seen in multiple shots.  Sometimes you even mange to find your hands to suck on. When you are awake we love looking into your big beautiful eyes. Right now they are a pretty blue color, but we wonder what color they will settle on. Slowly, we have been getting your days and nights switched back around. We still let you sleep in our room right now so we are close to you. However, you are a loud sleeper and even snore sometimes. It is also kinda cute when you dream and will make little "cooing" sounds or even cry without waking yourself up. Although, it makes Mommy and Daddy jump right out of bed to see if you are actually awake. Daddy is great and at any chance to he likes to change your diaper or burp you after you finish eating. I think we make a pretty good team. You are such a happy baby and bring so much joy to our lives.

The last visit to the pediatrician you weighed in at 8lbs 3oz and measured 20.5 inches in height. Head is measuring at 13 3/4 inches. Doctor said you are looking great! The first bath (more like a spit bath) we gave you was not your favorite thing. You cried during the whole thing and as much as I know it should have made me sad to see you cry, the way your your lip quivered had us kinda laughing. Needless to say, we got you all dried off and warmed up and you calmed right down. It seems like you are starting to fuss less and less with each one we give you. You are lucky to be a summer baby, you have got to do already a lot in your first month of life. We celebrated the 4th of July by going to your first movie in the theater, "Finding Dory". I was so impressed at how well you did thru the whole movie. Lets hope you love Disney as much as Mommy. After the movie, we had a BBQ at Gigi and Poppy's house. It made a long day for all of us, and so we decided to go to bed early that we missed fireworks this year. Last time you went to the reservoir you were still in Mommy's tummy. This time you were able to wear your own life jacket and lay Daddy's arms so that Mommy could wakeboard. You look so tiny in that lifejacket. The boat must be a comforting sound since you mostly slept while the boat was in motion. All in all, lots of firsts in one month. 

0 months

The first 24 hours of your life seemed to go by in a blink of an eye. After your birth both your Grandpa and Grandma Stokes and your Poppy and Gigi Newsom spent some time with you. Then your Daddy accompanied you to the nursery to get your first bath and have some tests done. He even got to pick out the cute little bow for your hair afterwards, an adorable pink one with white polka dots. You passed your hearing test even if you were a little fussy about it. We had several visitors come see us at the hospital, which was so sweet. I just am overwhelmed at all the support and love we have. You are one lucky lady. Everyone absolutely adored you, but no one more than your daddy. He loved introducing you and showing off your cute little attributes. Everyone says how much you look like your Daddy. It really comes out when you scrunch your face and your eyebrows show concern, I have seen that look when your Daddy is concentrating.  I love seeing how excited he is to be your daddy. We brought you home on Wednesday June 22nd to our house on Hershey Loop. To celebrate your arrival home there was a cute little banner across the garage door and pink balloons on the front porch. You had your days and nights mixed up, so it was a bit of an adjustment for all of us at first. Two days later went to the doctor for a check up since you were born. You dropped in weight down to 7lbs 2oz, but doctor says its all very normal. The next few weeks we will be spending all our time together working on a routine and bonding even more. We love you Aria!

Aria's Birth Story

June 20th, 2016 

Officially two days from your due date. We had been monitoring my blood pressure due to a few high readings and the doctor felt it was best to induce.  After working all day, we called in to check and see if we would be going to the hospital that night. They had a vacancy and instructed me to eat some dinner, get cleaned up, and then to come to the hospital. Your father and I checked three times to make sure we had everything with us. We were both so anxious, but me most of all. Then your father gave me a blessing.
Once at the hospital, they quickly got me into a room and a hospital gown. Your father and I both received bands that would identify you to be ours. They placed monitors across my belly to track your heart rate and my contractions. I was registering consistent contractions at about 8 minutes apart, but not dilated. They placed an IV in my arm, which I have never been a big fan of, but they were very nice about it. After verifying everything, our nurse introduced us to a resident Doctor. He confirmed with an ultrasound that you were indeed head down, then they placed what looks like aspirin to begin labor. We then began our waiting. Gigi came to sit with us through the night, which was extremely nice of her. It took two doses of the aspirin before we began to notice any change. I was able to walk the hallways with your father and it was pretty quiet on the labor and delivery floor. Seems like there was only one other room being occupied at the time. 

June 21st, 2016
Around 1AM, I noticed that my bed appeared to become a little wet. I called for the nurse to come check. She discovered a little liquid and tested the moisture with a test strip. No sooner had she finished when my water broke completely on its own. It startled me because I figured I wouldn't be able to do it on my own. The color indicated that a bowel movement was made in the womb, and in turn they would monitor you closely. After getting cleaned, up we laid in bed and labored some more. Contractions were getting stronger and the check showed I was dilated to a three. I decided to sit on a medicine ball to help change position. It really helped take some of the pressure off, plus you like the bouncing as much as I do. 
As the morning kept going on, I began to get really tired and could feel that the contractions were getting stronger. I decided it was time for an epidural. Then buzzed the on-call Doctor and told us if might be about 20 minutes. Only a few minutes had passed when the Doctor came in around 4:40AM. Nathan was so sweet and held me close as they administered the epidural. He had to poke twice due to a blood vessel encountered. There was a little pinch and a "zing" or shock following. Once he finished, I began to notice a little tingling in my legs as I laid back down in bed. Exhausted from anticipation, I laid down and rested for a while. A couple hours later the nurse came in to tell me that your heart rate wasn't fluctuating as much as she would like. They put an oxygen mask on me and tried turning me on my sides to see if that would help. Somehow I knew you were ok. After being checked again at about 10:30AM, they discovered I was dialated to 6 cm. We were all super excited to have such great progression so quickly. Even our nurse was bursting with excitement for us. She kept cheering me on. Gigi had been keeping everyone updated on where we were at in the process. Poppy came to visit us in the morning to see how we all did through the night and we explained all that had happened.

Once he heard how things were progressing, he waited in the waiting room with Grandpa and Grandma Stokes. We knew things were going to go fast and I began to get nervous. Daddy was right there to hold my hand and even fed me some ice chips in the meantime. Aunt Mickenzie came to see us in the hospital and took a few photos. Bobbi Jo was able to move around her work schedule just to come help document your birth. A little later and I began to feel something had changed. There was pressure and I felt you had moved down even further. The nurse checked me and said we were 9 cm. She had me try 3 practice pushes. It was hard to know if what I was doing was right with the epidural. The nurse had me grab the back of my knees and pull back as I tucked my chin to my chest and pushed. She told me that my first push was correct and that when it came time for delivery, that was exactly what I was supposed to do to help you out. The practice pushing actually put a little stress on you so Doctor said no more practice until he can be in the room with us. Next, lots of different people came in to prepare the room for you. Your little bed was turned on so it would be nice and warm. Lights where positioned and the stirrups were out. They helped get my legs into the right spot and the resident doctor examined everything prior to our Doctor's arrival.
Once things were ready to go,  Doctor Joel Carlson came into the room. Daddy helped me round my back up like I was doing a sit-up and I grabbed the back of my knees and pull them back as I pushed. I tried so hard to make sure that I was doing what I needed to get you here safely. Gigi and your Daddy assured me that I was doing a great job and I remember them telling me that they could see your head and some of your hair. I pushed approximately ten times and then I could start to see your head myself. One final push and you came right out. 12:02 pm on June 21st. The first day of summer. They quickly wrapped you up and placed you on my chest. I was awe struck as they laid you down. I couldn't believe you were ours. Both your father and I cried with your arrival. They cleaned out your mouth with a suction and wiped your face with a clean towel.
You cried softly, letting us know you were alright. We thought you were just the most beautiful thing we had ever seen. They asked what your name was going to be. When your Daddy and I looked at you and then each other we knew you would be our little Aria Noelle Stokes. Then, the nurse gently grabbed you from my chest and took you over to your bed. I couldn't go over there but I made sure your Daddy stayed with you. They said that you swollwed a bit of the fluid before you delivered so they placed oxygen on you for about 7 mins. They would continue for the next 24 hours to watch and make sure you got all those bubbles out. They measured your weight at 7 lbs and 13 oz. (exactly 1 oz different from when your mommy was born). Your height recorded was 21 inches and your head circumference was 13.5 inches. They took your foot imprints and you loved to stretch out those long long toes of yours! Daddy tells me you were a good girl while the nurse looked you all over. When they finally got mommy all taken care of, and they said you looked good, the nurse brought you back over to me all clean and swaddled up. In just that short while you changed in color. I was able to notice the small birth mark on your forehead. Your hair was so soft and dark. You must have been exhausted because you kept trying to close your eyes. This is was my favorite part of the whole day, as you lay in my arms, Dad came and encircled both of us in his arms. This is the point I relized we were a family. We had everything I could have ever wished for right there with me. Aria Noelle, you were so worth the wait! We love you more than words could ever say.

39 weeks

It's getting so close to your due date and I just can't believe you are considered full term now. Another doctors appointment and Doctor said that if we don't have you in the next little bit, we will be induced. It seems like you aren't too anxious for your arrival. Daddy says it's because we have made such a nice place for you to live for the last 9 months. Well, this week is Father's Day and we are so happy to celebrate Nathan becoming a daddy very soon! He even had his picture taken for the occasion. He enjoyed his "Dad's" root beer and a kit kat bar of course (since that's his favorite candy bar). He has been watching me so closely to make sure that if we have any contractions he is ready to go the hospital at any moments notice.

38 weeks

Two weeks till our due date!!!! The doctor says that you head down and getting ready to come! I defiantly can tell you have dropped this week and so can daddy. I was also pleased to hear that I have gained exactly 25 lbs and that is what they predicted I would gain during this pregnancy. You are starting to run out of "womb" in there. It's fun to watch my tummy now because it moves all over the place, a little more forceful than those little butterflies it used to be. You love to move for daddy when he puts his hand on my belly and talks to you. Everyone is anxious to meet you and offical bets are being placed for when they think you will come. It will be interesting to see who will be right. As for mommy, I think you will wait until your due date. We will be happy to have you come anytime though.

We celebrated your daddy's birthday this week and it doesn't look like you will be sharing a birthday with him. He requested German chocolate cake, still not mommy's favorite, but everyone seemed to enjoy it. Just know that for your birthday I will make you any flavor of cake as well, even a German chocolate. Now your father and I are the same age again! We both are definitely feeling ready to be parents. 

37 weeks

Summer is starting and it means that you will be here soon! The sun has been so warm and wonderful. I am trying to keep up with work and home life, but I am starting to loose a little bit of my energy. Thankfully we have so many around us that are willing to help. I have most of your clothes put away or hung up so it seems we are close to ready for you! We are now seeing the doctor every week for checkups to ensure we are on track for your arrival. Your car seat is installed and our hospital bag is finally packed, all waiting by the door to head at anytime. 

We were able to have some fun with this nice weather. You had your first boat ride on Saturday! The water was so smooth and there was no wind the entire day! I really missed wakeboarding on such great conditions, but I figured we are pretty close to the end here baby girl so we will just patiently wait for another opportunity. I dipped my legs into the water at least and it was still really cold. However, the cold was great on my little swollen feet. It will be exciting when you are here to boat with us I have a feeling the ride might put you to sleep. And when you get a little older we will teach you all about wakeboarding and surfing! 

36 weeks

Baby girl has been telling mommy to slow down a little. I have always had a hard time just sitting when I know there is always something to be done. However, I really tried to make sure and take breaks and keep my feet up whenever I can. Daddy has been so sweet to us and makes sure to keep us both as comfortable as possible. I admit we have had ice cream a little more often as of late. He also has taken over some of the projects I wanted to do for your nursery like working on your rocking chair and hanging curtains. We have had a lot of help but I excited to say I love how your room is coming together! All that is left is to add your name above your crib. Your quilt turned out darling and I am hoping you love it all as much as I do! It's all ready for you to come home to use.

Nathan and I were able to take a couple pictures this week together. I feel like we have taken all these photos of you and I as you are growing that we needed to include your dad in one. It was fun knowing that the next family picture we take, there will be 3 of us instead of 2. I am so excited for that! I am positive that there will be tons of photos of you and so I need to prepare by making some room on my phone and having my camera charged. You will be so photogenic! Hope you don't mind modeling for everyone.

35 weeks

How spoiled are you?! My wonderful coworkers threw us a baby shower after work on Friday. We ate at the Sizzler and the girls were so sweet to give us some wonderful gifts we can use once you get here! We now have a bathtub for you as well as a bumbo seat. There was even an adorable wreath made out of diapers! It has been great having all this support and I feel so loved that I know you will too. I can't wait for you to meet all these wonderful women that I work with I know you have been able to hear them as you come to work with me. They all love to hear how you are doing and I know that even though I will be so happy to be at home with you exclusively for maternity leave, I will miss them. 

34 weeks

This week your dad and I completed our birthing classes! One more thing to check off our list to prepare for you to come. Your father impressed me as he practiced his swaddling technique on a baby doll. (Truthfully it was better than my attempt). It is all starting to seem more real than soon you will be in our arms and not just in my tummy. Please be patient with us as we learn to become good parents for you. I am sure you will teach us lots and we hope to be able to do the same for you.

Mommy has really started having crazy nesting urges. We have been working on your nursery slowly,  but now I feel really am anxious to have it finished for you. Everyone has been so wonderful to offer help with the details which is so nice since I feel like I don't quite have the time or energy to do it all by myself. I can't wait to see it all completed! 

33 weeks

We have been busy this week! Finals week has kept us all up later than usual lately, but it all was worth those few sleepless nights. Your daddy graduated from Idaho State University with a bachelors in Electrical Engineering with a minor in mathmatics. We are so proud of him! You seemed to get excited when he walked across the stage as we all cheered for him. We were able to throw a party in his honor with family and friends. Lots more food and sweets for us and I am not complaining about that.

 Also this weekend was Mother's Day. Technically it's my first one that I could really celebrate, and it's all thanks to you. We have waited what seems like forever for you. I can't tell you what a wave of emotions overcame me this year as I realized my dream of becoming a mother is finally becoming a reality. Your daddy sang in church one of my favorite hymns "Teach me to Walk in the Light" with a few other men, but during the first verse he sang a solo meant for us. I love it when your father sings and so do you. It truly is everything I could ever want. I love you baby girl!  

32 weeks

Happy birthday to me! I turned 28 this year and I am most excited to become your mom! It is the best gift I could have ever asked for! So thank you baby for giving me the thing I have always wanted most. We did get to celebrate with dinner with your father and grandparents. It was a nice evening and I do actually feel older this year. Your dad spoiled me with presents even though I told him we should focus on some more things for you. I have no doubt you will be one spoiled little girl! According to your stats you are approximately the size of a squash. You definitely are growing bigger and stronger. You have hiccups regularly now and it still makes me giggle when you get them. Your daddy gets them really bad and I think you take after him because after a little bit with them you seem to get mad about it and start moving like crazy.

We have such wonderful friends who love you you just as much as we do. Melissa hosted a baby shower for us with some close friends. It was darling with all the cute teal and coral decorations! I sure hope you like these colors as much as I do. Everyone was able to write words of advice or encouragement on some diapers for your dad and I. Some were pretty clever. We also played a game where we had to guess what baby items were in the bags starting with a certain letter. I was not good at that game (even though I had some help) but it was a lot of fun. You received such adorable things and most importantly your mommy got some great tips and information to help me with our journey! I am sure it will all come in handy but I should remember to write some things down so I don't forget. I am truly touched at the love that everyone has for us and you! You will notice the adorable shirt I am wearing this is a request I made and miss Kori helped make it for the occasion! I love it so much. 

31 weeks

This week baby girl you were showered with love! Your Aunt Kym threw us an amazing party and I enjoyed every minute of it. It was a 'Ready to "pop" theme!' We enjoyed a variety of popcorn including huckleberry cheesecake, butter, caramel, orange dreamsicle, kettle corn, and strawberry. You seem to love popcorn as much as your mommy does! We made sure to try them all. There was also a soda pop station that everyone could create unique drinks! Some recipes were provided or we could try some of our own with yummy flavored syrups. Of course we had to have cake also. It was a delicious chocolate cake with a cute baby girl carriage on it. Besides the wonderful food the decorations were all color coordinated in fun little dots! Your Grandma Stokes even made a beautiful diaper cake for you with all sorts of little toys on it. It's so pretty I think I will have a hard time taking that cake apart to use the diapers. For now the cake will sit in your nursery as decoration. Kym designed a fun little pop quiz to test who could remember from what movie the lines were taken. I have to say I did pretty well at it too! (Daddy took the test later to see how he did). We were so lucky to have family there to support us with your upcoming arrival. Your closet is starting to fill up with all sorts of outfits. Everything looks so small I have a hard time believing you will ever fit into these doll clothes, but I am excited to play dress up with you. We all love you so very much!

30 weeks

I finally felt you have the hiccups!!! This is literally the thing I have been wanting to experience with you. It was weird because I could tell you weren't just kicking or moving but it was like consistent little muscle twitches in my tummy. Now that I realize what they are I am sure you have had them before now I just didn't recognize it. I love how it feels and I can't wait for you to have more bouts of hiccups (although if you are like your dad they will upset you more)

Your Daddy is getting down to his last couple weeks of school and we are all so excited for graduation. Things are going to be pretty crazy around here for a while and I am hoping to keep up with everything! 

Have had some pregnancy cravings this week! I love dried banana chips. I can't get enough of them. Also I have found that I really like chocolate lucky charms. I try to only eat them for breakfast but sometimes I have to sneak a little handful here and there. You don't seem to mind too much either.

29 weeks

Another week has gone by so fast! Daddy has been working hard to finish up his last semester of school. We are so proud of him! You accompany me to work all the time and I am sure you are already sick of hearing my speech on the importance of brushing and flossing. I come after work usually exhausted trying to keep up with everything. With spring break everyone was telling me their trips and vacations they were going on and I was a little jealous. I have been really wanting to go somewhere I could swim! It's not nearly warm enough here and with how busy things are we couldn't very well go anywhere. Well your dad surprised us once again! Friday after finishing work and school he took us out for dinner and then with packed bags said we were going somewhere for the night. We drove thru town to a hotel in Pocatello. Your dad knows how to spoil us for sure. He made it so we were able to swim in a pool! We were even lucky enough to have the pool entirely ourselves for almost 2.5 hours.  It was so much fun I love swimming. I am hoping that you will it just as much. And it's certainly something we will have to teach you to do so you can go out on the boat in the summers. But 29 weeks and I was able to fit into my swimming suit I was pretty proud of that bump right out in front. Funnily your daddy is making sure to practice all his dad jokes now. Once I got into the water fairly deep he said with a big smile that I was officially a human submarine! I couldn't help but giggle. So at 29 weeks you already know what it's like to be in a submarine apparently! Love you baby girl, can't wait to have many more first adventures with you.

28 weeks

Hello Third Trimester! Week 28 started out with another dr check up. Mommy is steadily gaining weight and measuring right on track. Although, I have noticed my scrubs are all fitting more snug. It might be time to buy a couple maternity tops so I can keep working comfortably until you come. I took my glucose test where I had drink some very sugary water. It was not as bad as everyone said but it certainly got you moving lots. It felt like you were doing gymnastics in my tummy. When we were listening to your heartbeat the Dr laughed because there is a few little bubbles in between heartbeats which dr said is from you moving around.

This week was also general conference so we spent the weekend relaxing a little while listening to the music and talks. You really enjoyed the music part but you weren't too roudy during the conference either. What a smart girl you are!