My 3 month old little lady

3 months going on 16! This little lady is only 3 months but is such a danty little thing. I can't believe that my little baby is already 3 months old. It is going by so stinkin fast that I find myself wanting to remember every little moment, every little smile, every little frowny face, every little squeal, and every little snuggle. But i know that as time goes on there are going to be many more memories that I will be cherrishing.

Rayni has become a big mama's girl!!! You would think by the way that she acts that I hopld her all day long and spoil her to death... so not true! I work monday through friday from 8:20 till 3:50. And the only time I really get to snuggle my angel is at night and on the weekends. But somehow she has truely become attached to my hip and my little shadow. It makes me feel really bad when she doesn't want to snuggle with her grammy lou, her poppy, or her grammy Rayni but most of all it kills me that she isn't a fan of cuddling with her daddy:( I can tell that it breaks his heart at times. But I also know that at some point in every little girls life her daddy becomes her best friend. He is the best daddy and she will know this very soon:)One day I will be the one that is sad because I have been tossed aside. So for now I am soaking it all in... that she wants me and she wants to be my best friend.

Our little miss Rayni has become such a little person. She is so alert, se loves to lay down and wiggle, loves to watch tv, she has this little squeal that she does that is just the cuttest thing. When we get on the floor and play with her she gets so excited sometimes that her happiness oozes out of every inch of her body and her body explodes with excitement and then the squeal comes out! I want to get it on video sometime so hopefully it will be posted soon. It is the best feeling that when she wakes up and I walk in to get her out that she gets the happiest look on her face and smiles the biggest smile. I am starting to think that not only does she have her uncle bubba's toes but she is going to have his ear to ear smile to:)

She seriously is the best thing that could have happened to Zach and I and we just love the little sweet spirit that she is!

Enjoy some fun pics of this last month:

Outside with her tay tay

Aunt Amy and cousin Kila came to vist and wore her out:)

Bath time: she loves the bath part... hates the getting out part!!!

I just love this face!!!

This is how she attempts to hold in her binky

Im not sure If I have mentioned this before but Rayni is always putting up one arm and we call it her "Lady Liberty" I even caught her doing it in her sleep:)

This is one of those moments where her happiness is just exploding! Too bad you can't hear the squeal

Hangin out in the car

Watching her puppy play on the floor.

First painted toes

just playin before bedtime

first firepit

still amuzed by Tay Tay

Relaxing

snuggling

My little fashion queen

first time in the Bumbo

DOesn't love tummy time but doing so good at holding her head up

haha still watching him

oh man... so close!!!

Daddy's girls

First day out enjoying the sun... in style of course

Still does the famous Rayni look

another giggle pic

First of many!

We recieved a fun gift from my parents this last christmas... but haven't been able to put it to use until now:)
While trying to be better about having family night we decided to break out the fire pit!
Our little Rayni has been a bit of a stinker lately with lots of crying so we weren't sure how well this was going to work out espically because as soon as we got outside she cried and cried. With mama's and daddy's special touch while we layed next to her she zonked out. I would have like for her to be awake but oh well. So our fire pit excitement consisted of Zach and I whispering our way through. But it was a blast none the less.
Zach became the profeesional hot dog cooker... I had no idea:) He made a wonderful dinner for us.
My job was the ketchup and mustard squirter:)
We had a great time and can't wait for many many more of these!!!

MMMMM!

The professional hot dog cooker

The ladies taken it easy

Yes Tay Tay was included... he was a little

protective:)

Sweet girl

The professional hot dog eater

86,400 minutes

2 MONTHS!!!!!! What? When? Where? Why? How? I can't believe my baby is two months old today!!! It is CRAZY!!! But AMAZING! Every minute spent with her is the best minute I could have ever had or imagined. I never knew I could feel this much love! Every minute that is passed is a minute I want to hang onto forever. I keep thinking that any minute I am going to blink and she is going to be 16, or going off to college, or Im sitting with her in the temple on her wedding day. But I can't dwell on what is to come or I will miss out on all the wonderful moments I am having with her now.

Some of her highlights hitting 2 months. She totally smiles and responds to us. She loves to talk and coo. She sings and dances with her mama. She LIKES to be held... but LOVES to lay on the floor to kick and wiggle. Zach and I can already tell that she is going to be a little spit fire! She has her own fake cries and ways to get our attention. If she is comfy and you move her she squeals at you to put her back. She as stubburn as her papa Syd. But as sweet as her Grammy Rayni and Grammy Lou. She loves to watch sports like her daddy and Poppy. Can't wait to see her continue and develop her own personality.

Our greatest highlight this month was on March 4th she was blessed by her daddy. (More to come in a upcoming blog post) It was more amazing than I could have ever imagined.

Her relationship with her daddy is more like a brother sister relationship. When he kisses her he likes to rub his wiskers on her cheek and she HATES it so she punches him in the face. They like to "yell" back and forth at eachother. Rayni will yell ever so sweetly in his face and he does it back. And they go back and forth for a bit. She sometimes gets a kick out of it and sometimes she gets totally annoyed. They are so cute together!

Her's and mommy's favorite things to do are sing, dance, snuggle, coo, and smile at eachother.

I love my early mornings with her when it is still quiet and dark. And its just our time together. It is a great way to start off my day. It does make it difficult to leave her though. But we are getting better at it!

Well we are just loving being parents to this beautiful girl And can't wait to see what she holds for us in the future:)


Enjoy some pics from the past month

Love seeing this face every morning. This is the look she gives me when she does her fake cry to get me in there to pick her up. Little stinker!

First day of Daycare

All snuggled up ready to go in the cute hat that Grammy Lou gave her

Mommy and Rayni getting their masters


Snuggling with her daddy:)

First cold:( Snuggling with mommy. It's days like this going to work is so hard!!!

This has got to be the best pic!!! She was screaming at me and then all the sudden she looked at me with this face and I snapped it just in time:) LOVE!!!!!

Her Aunt Lorie gave her this hat

I love these hands!!! Always folded

This nose just kills me!!!! I could eat it

To end with our favorite song:

"Rayni Rayni

Give me your answer true!

Im half crazy all for the love of you

We can't afford a carriage...

but you'll look sweet

upon the seat

of a bicycle

made for two"

A Day of Firsts

Yesterday was the day that I had been dreading for 6 weeks. My first day back to work! I have spent 24/7 with my little side kick and couldn't imagine anything different. Well reality kicked in yesterday and back to work it was. I didn't think that it would be so difficult. Just because it was a bit of the norm for me. My mom was a working mom and I went to a wonderful babysitter from the time that I was 6 weeks old till I was a teen (because I never wanted to leave... home was boring) I survived and learned things there that I probably never would have learned anywhere else. I wished that I could have taken Rayni to Helen but she no longer watches kids. She is still apart of my life and I joke with her telling her that she is going to just watch Rayni. I wanted Rayni to have the same experience that I did. Putting complete trust in someone to watch the very thing that means the most to me, next to my hubbie, is and was a scary thought to me. We were lucky and had some friends that had a great babysitter and suggested we go to her. I went and met her and felt very good! we set everything up so that Rayni would be going there monday-friday while I was at work. Well 6 weeks went by so fast and I did not feel prepared at all for what it was that I was heading for. The night before I was getting everyhting ready to go. I held Rayni before she went down and she was so happy and smily. Just her smile and giggles were making me cry. I didn't want to miss a minute of it. After I put her down and finished getting things ready I went to bed, but by the time my head hit the pillow I knew I would not be going to bed anytime soon. I had a billion things running through my head that included work things and Rayni things. About an hour later Rayni woke up to eat and I couldn't have been happier to get up with her. I wanted to hold her for as long as I could before I had to let her go the next day. I sat there and just stared at her and soaked in everything I could. Eventually I had to put her down and try to get some sleep myself.
The next mroning began at 5:40. I got ready before I had to get her up and ready. Got her up at 6 fed and dressed her. I then finished getting ready and ate and off we went. I had been holding in tears all morning and on the way there the eyes got teary. But they didn't flow till I handed her over. The sitter was so sweet. And I knew I had nothing to worry about. I would just miss that little thing to pieces. I cried all the way to work! It was silly. I kept watching the clock but surprisingly the day went by fast. at 3:50 I was in my car. I couldn't get there fast enough. When I walked in and saw her all cuddled up on the sitters lap I knew that she was happy and because she was happy I was happy. Our reunion was sweet and when we got home she was all smiles and full of chatter telling me all about her day. I was lucky to be able to have 6 uninterrupted weeks with my girl. And now I know that reality has to happen but she is safe and happy and that is all that matters!

A little girl's love for her Savior

I have been one of the lucky few that have grown up in the gospel, in a loving home, with a loving family, and loving parents with strong testimonies. Because I have had this growing up I have always known that the gospel is true. I have had several experiences in my life that have testified this to me and made it so that I cannot deny the gospel, my Savior, or My Heavenly Father. All of these experiences, as special and amazing as they were/are, probably could not compare to the experience I had yesterday morning with my sweet Rayni Lou.

We had some friends over the other night for dinner and I had some pictures that were sitting on some chairs that I had yet to hang up. I moved them into Rayni's room out of the way for the party. They were on the floor propped up on her cedar chest. Well yesterday morning I was changing her diaper on the floor. For most of the time she was looking at me and up at the ceiling. All the sudden she turned her head and was looking at one of those pictures. She started wiggling like crazy and had the biggest smile on her face. She started huming and cooing at the picture. I thought that she was just being silly. (This is a new thing for her to be doing... smiling and cooing) so I thought that she was just practicing. I was not aware of what it was that she was looking at till she started getting really excited. I looked over and this is what I saw.

Tears filled my eyes as I realized she was smiling at her Savior. It hasn't been that long that she has left her Savior's and Father in Heaven's arms. It is still clear in her mind where it is that she came from. She knows that she is a Daughter of her Heavenly Father and a sister to her brother and Savior.

She sat there for 20 minutes just staring, smiling, and cooing. Her attention never left the picture. I realized how special this moment was and one that I didn't want to forget. I hurried and grabbed my phone and shot a few shots of her talking to her Savior.

Because of the miracle she is we have always felt a special feeling when we are with her. Im sure like most parents do. We feel of the love that our Savior and Heavnly Father have for her. There have been times that she will be staring up at the ceiling and smiling and I say to her, "Who's up there. Are there angles up ther watching over you?... Is Grandpa Syd, Grandpa Stanley, and Grandpa Ed up there?" I know that there are angels watching over her and all of us everyday. How amazing it is to have this re-testified to me through the smiles of a little girl!

3 Nephi 17:23-24
And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones.
And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them.

The best 32 days of my life!

I can't believe it... my baby is 1 month old!!!! Like the title says it has been the best 32 days of my life, it has also been some of the hardest 32 days of my life too. But it is nothing that I would trade for anything in the world.



Just within the past couple of days we have noticed the biggest changes in Rayni Lou. She follows things with her eyes, She recognizes her surroundings, she has been smiling at us and her puppy:) She is starting to get cries for different things that she wants, and she loves play time.



We have always thought that Rayni has been smiling from the time that she was born. When Zach held her for the first time at the hospital he could have sworn that she smiled at him. But my mom said that it was just gas. There were other times that it really seemed like she was smiling at us and everyone said that it was just gas. Everytime someone said that I would say, "No... my girl knows how to smile!" When I was telling a friend of mine that took our pics about this she said, "I know I think that it is weird that gas would make a baby smile... it makes adults get a sour look on thier face and moan." I thought that that was so perfect. We still think that they were little smiles. But lately it has been very obvious that she is smiling at the people around her. She loves to lay on the floor by her puppy's bed and just stare and smile at him. She loves to lay on her blanket and play, smile at us while we play and sing with her. She also loves to wiggle her body when I sing "Our" song. It is so fun to see how much she is growing and responds to us.



Her other newest thing that she does is when she wakes up from her nap she sometimes does this fake cry. As soon as I walk in her room and she sees me she stops crying and her legs and arms start going a million miles an hour with excitement. And she gets the happiest look on her face. She knows what she wants and knows how to get it already... we are in trouble:)



She has gotten so big to Zach and I. She is starting to wear 3 month clothes. She can still wear NB they fit good around her middle. But seems to be close to being too short in the arms and legs. And the 3 month clothes are long enough in the arms and legs but big around her middle. So we go back and forth between sizes. It seems to be that one day she woke up and was bigger. I was thinking it all through the day and when Zach came home from work and picked her up he said to me that he thought she seemed bigger all the sudden today. Crazy how that is... and makes me sad. I don't want to blink because I might miss something with how fast time is flying by and how fast she is growing.



I am so grateful for getting the chance to feel this kind of love. You wouldn't believe that you could love something so much. I thank my Heavenly Father every day for giving me this chance to have this experience. I wouldn't be able to do it without his help. I pray for patience and help every day. This experience has helped me grow closer to my Heavenly Father and Savior. It has helped me grow closer to my hubbie and it has given me the opportunity to feel the kind of love that our Father in Heaven has for us. So many great blessing that have come from this little angel. When she reads this years from now I want her to know how much she is loved by reading this post!



Here are some of my favorite pics that we have shot through out the month:


She loves eskimo kisses


And snuggles





She discovered her thumb and this is how she decided to suck on it... while grabbing her face.

Her favorite blankets are the minky ones or ones with the really really soft fabrics.

She loves being stylin:)

Another thumb sucking pic.


First pic of her smiling that we could catch on camera