Jack's One Year Portraits

Just thought I'd share...

Photos by Megan Bradley http://clandestineimages.com

The Mile High Half

I did it. I ran 13.1 miles on Sunday. It was awesome. Tara and I have been training for this for the last 13 weeks. It feels weird that it's over just like that...the thing I've been working for and training so hard for is finished. I accomplished my goal, but as life goes, I had a few last-minute issues to hold me up a little. I was totally psyched and felt prepared to run the race. I did my last long training run about a week before race day. The next morning, I woke up with a fever... "oh no," I thought. Over the weekend, it turned into a pretty bad case of bronchitis. Respiratory illness and running are not compatible. On Monday, I went to the Dr. and got on some antibiotics and an inhaler. I was not able to run until Friday and it was only 2.5 miles, and it hurt my lungs. I was feeling alright by bedtime on Saturday. I wanted to be sure to get enough rest, so I went to bed early. At 1 a.m., Jack (who has been sleeping through the night for months) decided that he didn't want to sleep. I fed him thinking that he would eat and go back down... no such luck. He was awake until 4 a.m. and so was I. Once we started running, I felt pretty good. I am happy with my accomplishment and I am proud of myself and my sister for finishing what we set out to do. The above picture is us at the finish line with our other sis, Carlie (who was an awesome help with Jack during the race).
Jack and I headed out to Denver last Saturday morning. We had a fun time with Tara, Rusty, Halle, Josh, Blake and Carlie. Michael had to stay home and work (someone had to foot the bill for our trip...). It was fun to hang out with my sisters doing a little shopping and lunching and movieing. Carlie went home on Monday morning and it's too bad because she missed out on the adventure to the pumpkin patch. The kids loved petting the animals and climbing around on the pumpkins.

Jack is 6 Months

Jack had his 6 month photo shoot last week and we just got the pics back. My brother, Landon's girlfriend, Megan has recently started her own photography business, so we wanted to be supporters. She did a great job. I guess it's hard to take a bad picture of such a cute little guy though.

Jack has grown a lot in the last 6 months. He now weighs 16 lbs 12 oz (about 10 lbs more than when he was born). He is a joy to be around and Michael and I are so happy to have him in our family. At 6 months Jack
-Is able to sit up all by himself
-Chews on anything and everything he can get his hands on
-Is growing his first tooth
-Is continuing to develop his funny little personality
-Is starting to eat solid foods
-Is finally mobile (if you count rolling around the floor from toy to toy).

Family Picnic and Canyon Drive

On Saturday, we went up American Fork Canyon for a picnic. We drove up to A meadow above the Timpanooke trail head (same place where Michael asked me to marry him).

After our picnic, we decided that since we now have a car that works off road, we would go on a little exploratory drive. The drive was beautiful. There were wildflowers everywhere. We found a few trail heads for hikes that we might go back to. We assumed that the road would come out another canyon, but instead, it took us a little over 1 and 1/2 hours to get to a dead end. So we had to back-track our whole trip. It was still fun and beautiful.

Jack's First Peak

I love the mountains. I have a sense of freedom when I'm hiking a trail and a wonderful sense of accomplishment when I've reached the summit. I am so happy to live in this beautiful place where I can access freedom and accomplishment so easily.

On Saturday evening, we thought we'd beat the heat and go to a higher altitude for a hike. We did Sunset Peak. The trail head is above Alta at the Albion Basin. We did get out of the heat, but we did not plan for the bugs. All three of us got quite a few mosquito bites... yipes.

Our Trip to Colorado

Well, the original plan was to hit both Thailand and Peru before having a baby, but now that Jack is part of our family, we wouldn't trade him for a trip around the world.

Anyway, our big trip for this year was a trip to Erie, Colorado, home of my sister, Tara and her family. Tara had a new baby, Blake, at the end of May, so we went out there to let Jack meet his new cousin. We had a fun time while we were there. Here is a picture of the cousins: Blake, Josh, Halle, Jack. Above is a pic of Blake and Jack. They happened to have matching outfits... we couldn't resist.

On Wednesday, Tara and I had a girls night out. We went to the awesome venue Red Rock Amphitheater and saw Celtic Woman preform. They were fantastic. They had some of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. There was also a fiddle player who was very entertaining, dancing and jumping all around the stage as she played her instrument. While we girls were enjoying our night out, the men took the children on a little hike. Apparently there was a lot of complaining and crying... sounds like fun.

Thursday we packed up the beach bag and went to Boulder Reservoir. There is a fun little beach area. The kids played in the sand and we all swam around in the water.

Friday, Michael, Jack and I went to Chautauqua Park and hiked around. The Flat Irons Area is beautiful. After a hot afternoon of hiking, we headed over to Pearl Street to get some lunch and do a little shopping. We had gyros from a fun little Mediterranean place.
Later that evening, we enjoyed a neighborhood BBQ in the park and in the Erie tradition, celebrated our country's birthday one day early with fireworks at the golf course. The kids really enjoyed the fireworks... especially Jack and Blake who slept right through them.

Saturday, Michael and Rusty went for a hike. They summited Mt. Bierdstadt at 14,060 feet. This was Michael's first 14er, but I'm sure it won't be his last. While the men were hiking, Tara and I took the kids to a farmers market in Boulder. We enjoyed sampling delicious organic treats and walking around the park. We topped off our outing with lunch on Pearl Street from Old Chicago Pizza. Wow, was it delicious.

We just hung out on Saturday evening and Michael, Jack and I flew home on Sunday. What a fun trip.

Tulip Festival

Last week, I visited Thanksgiving Point's Tulip Festival... Twice. The first time was an activity for Dialysis patients and staff funded by the Kidney Foundation. We had a nice time, but it was windy and cold, so we kind of rushed through the gardens. It was fun to go with Kasey and Brian who also have a little baby, Sam, who was born 4 weeks after Jack.

The second time, Katie and I took Jack and Zeke for a fun filled afternoon. Our favorite part of the day was when a mother said to her crying child, "don't be sad, it's tulip time."

Afterwards, Jack and Zeke crashed on the bean bag at my house.

5 years ago...

5 years ago last Friday, I ran a marathon. Yes, me... 26.2 miles.

Last Friday, I ran 1.5 miles. It felt like a marathon.

I have about 8 lbs. to loose from the pregnancy. I have been making excuses (some of them legitimate) as to why I am unable to work out:

-I am too tired... I've been up all night with the baby
-My vericose veins are hurting
-I can't work it into my schedule
-Jack is not 3 months old so I can't take him to the daycare

All of these things are resolved (except my veins did hurt last night, but that was the first time in a while), so I am out of excuses.

Oh, and I'm addicted to sugar... do they have rehab for that?

I always say "If it's important, you'll make time for it." So it's time I take my own advice and get going on getting rid of these 8 lbs.

I just found this photo of myself and my two BFFs Melissa (on left) and Katie (on right) after finishing the marathon. They trained with me but were unable to run the race due to injuries.

Jack's Busy Weekend

Jack had kind of a crazy weekend. On Saturday, he went with his mom and dad up to Park City to the Canyons Ski Resort where they were going to watch a pond skimming contest that was advertised as a free event. When we arrived, we were informed that the event was free, but that we each had to pay $15 to get up the gondola to get to the event (the worker also let me know that Jack could go up for free...thanks). We were late and would have only gotten to see a few minutes of the pond skimming, so we decided to spend our $30 at the outlets instead. We bought some new clothes for Jack because his newborn size clothes are getting a little snug. I also got some bigger shirts for myself (hopefully by summer I'll be able to wear last year's clothes a little more comfortably). Michael is the only one who didn't get to buy anything... His clothes still fit him. When we were done shopping, we headed back up to The Canyons for a Wailers concert. I think there is only one guy who was actually in Bob Marley's band, but it was fun anyway. This was Jack's first out of womb concert experience. He enjoyed it so much that he slept through the entire thing.

On Sunday, Jack had his baby blessing at our church. He looked so handsome in his little white tux vest and bow tie. We had our families over for waffles after the blessing. After everybody went home, we three Birds took a long nap. I still need to put the extra table and chairs away... maybe later.

This is a photo of our family members who were able to attend Jack's baby blessing. And I had to put just one more of Jack in his white suit.

Back to Work

Yesterday was my last day as a stay at home mom. I went back to work today. I am cutting back my hours to 20/week, so I only have to be away from Jack two days per week.

He will be 2 months old on Sunday. I can't believe how much he's grown. It is so much fun to have him around. He knows how to sleep for 7 hours at night now and it is wonderful. He has also recently started to smile and coo and it is so adorable. He is a very good baby. Here are some cute pics of him.

Jack's Friend, Zeke

Yesterday, Jack got to meet his friend, Zeke, who came all the way from Texas to visit. They had a great time lying on the blanket and eating and sleeping. What a fun way to spend an afternoon. We are looking forward to the time when Zeke and his mom Katie move to Utah so we can have some real adventures. Here are a few pics of the babies' first play-date.

Baby Jack

Well, we got baby Jack home safe and sound. We are learning a lot about how to care for a baby. Sleepless nights are quite an adjustment, but I'm getting through them. He is a very good baby. Here are a few pics of his first days at home.

It's Here...For Real

Baby Jack Michael arrived Thursday night, January 22 at 6:49 p.m. He is 6 lbs. 14 oz., 19 inches long and oh, so sweet. He is a healthy, happy baby who hasn't cried much so far. He has his dad's personality: calm and mellow. He sleeps and eats, but mostly sleeps, which is what he is doing right now. We get to take him home from the hospital tonight, then the real fun begins. Here are some pics of our time here.

It's Here...

My due date is here... and I'm still pregnant.

Linus

Our niece, Darci (4 years old) is very excited about the impending birth of her cousin. During the month of October, after watching the Charlie Brown Halloween movie she started asking us, "Won't you call your baby's name Linus?" Since then, every time the baby comes up, she tells us that we should name him Linus. The other day, she told me, "Yeah, Jack is a cute name, but Linus is better." Her mom sent me a text when I was at work last week that said Darci had been crying. When she asked her what was wrong, she replied, "Mike and Nat won't name their baby Linus." We are so sorry to disappoint.

Pregnancy Update

Several people have asked questions about my baby in the comments lately. I try not to post too much about my pregnancy because I don't want to complain, but you asked... Here is what's going on:
I am due in 9 days (January 21st). I am having a baby boy and we do not know what we are going to name him for sure, although we are leaning heavily toward Jack. If anyone has any suggestions on names, we are looking and listening. I am fat and uncomfortable and hope that he comes soon just so I can breathe again. My hands and feet are swollen and I get frequent headaches. I can only sleep a few hours at a time (better get used to it) even with the assistance of a sleep aid. My clothing no longer fits... even the "fat scrubs" I bought to wear to work are getting tight around my belly. I have painful varicose veins. I also have ligament pain and frequently end up limping instead of walking.
I am really looking forward to the delivery. I am ready for different kinds of pain. I am excited to meet our little guy and know that all this discomfort will be worth it. We have everything we need set up in his nursery and sometimes I go in there and daydream about how sweet he'll be. I especially love to look at his snowsuit. So stay tuned for pics of the new baby...He's coming soon (I hope).

Merry Christmas

Pictures of the Bird Family trip to Temple Square. The lights were beautiful.

Merry Christmas everyone. I have pretty much fallen off the face of the blogging earth over the last month, but I wanted to wish all my friends and family who read this Happy Holidays.

Michael and I have been very busy this last month getting everything in order in our new house. In addition to our regular schedules, we've had millions of Christmas parties and a baby shower and shopping and concerts and dinners and stuff, stuff, stuff. So it's been a busy month and to be perfectly honest, I am ready for Christmas to be over.

And, the sooner Christmas is over, the sooner my baby comes. I am due 4 weeks from today. I don't know if I'm quite ready to have the baby, but I do know that I am ready to have the baby outside of my body.

So, even though I am a little bit of a Christmas Grinch, I want everyone (including myself) to have a wonderful holiday.

Happy Halloween

My baby dressed up in his first halloween costume today...

Children of Winter

Last Friday evening, after having a birthday celebration dinner for my brother-in-law, Danny, Michael and I went on a hot date to the annual showing of the newest Warren Miller film, Children of Winter. The movie was pretty sweet, showing many tricks we only dream we could do and many places we only wish we could go. We also each got a day pass to the Canyons which Michael and a friend will be able to enjoy (I will not be using mine... I don't think pregnant people are supposed to ski).

I am going to miss skiing this season. We had such a good time on the slopes last year. It made winter fun. But last year we didn't have a darling baby boy, so I guess that will be our trade off. Maybe in a few years, we can teach our baby to ski...

Update

Nothing terribly interesting is happening in my life right now, so here are some of the uninteresting things going on...

I guess I could tell you that we have been house hunting. We have found some nice places in the North part of Lehi and are looking in Draper as well. Now is a great time to be a buyer, not so great if you're a seller. I will keep you updated when we decide what we're getting. Maybe I'll even throw myself a housewarming party.

We went to the Weezer concert on Tuesday. When we got there, we were lined up behind a bunch of 12 year-olds. It was the first time in my life I've ever felt old. Most of the attendees were actually adults, so as the evening went on, I began to feel young again. I think Weezer is alright, but Michael is a pretty big fan (this probably goes back to 6th or 7th grade). So Michael really liked the concert, but the baby would get mad when it got very loud. It felt like he was punching my insides.

We went to Bodyworlds 3 yesterday. It was pretty cool. We had free tickets. Admission is $22 per person, so make sure you REALLY like looking at dead people before you go and drop the cash. There was one display that I thought was exceptionally cool... The baby display. It had embryos and fetuses from 5 weeks gestation through 32 weeks. By 8 weeks it is only about 1/2 an inch long, but it looks like a real baby... amazing. The whole thing was very cool, just a little overpriced (unless you get to go for free like us).

I am getting pretty fat. This baby boy is growing fast. I wont disturb your image of a slimmer me with a photo (you would probably throw up in your mouth and I don't want you to have to search for gum or a breath mint right now). It's actually pretty exciting to watch my belly grow. The baby moves all the time. Sometimes it even makes me feel nauseated again. I'm pretty sure he is the cutest baby ever. I can't wait until we get a new house so that I can start putting his nursery together.

I think that about sums it up...