The fair, a cold and some shots, plus real food...sorta!

   We started out the last few weeks with a trip to the Orange County Fair. We had a great time eating junk food, looking at some baby animals, listening to some music, and walking the fabulous Hall of Products(my favorite part:).  The very next day however, our little man got his first cold. Lots of congestion, a fever, runny nose - the works. Poor guy! It stinks that at this age there really isn't much you can do except a humidifier and Tylenol.  But even though he felt crummy, he was pretty much his happy self. 
   About a week after his cold, we went in to get his shots on Aug. 15th.  I am happy to report that he is a very healthy baby. He weighed in at 18 pounds, 12.5 ounces and was 26.5 inches long.  He was great throughout the whole visit and did not cry once during his shots! I was such a happy mama!  The doc also gave us the green light and told us to start feeding him "real food" as in single grain cereals and green veggies. Can't believe it is already time for food! So far he seems to love eating with a spoon and has been awesome.  It is fun to watch him pass all of these milestones. Even though he still NEVER sleeps, he is such a happy baby. Jeff and I feel sooo blessed to be his Dad and Mom!

                                             At the fair

                                              Love his face in this pic!

                                          La'a loved Uncle Jeff's snow cone :)

                                                    Being sick for the first time :(

                                          He really wanted to hold the spoon himself

                                                     My happy guy!

4 Months Old, 1st Vacation, &Teeth

   Sawyer turned 4 months old on Friday, the 27th of July, we left for Bass Lake on Saturday the 28th, and discovered he had cut his first tooth on Sunday the 29th!  What an exciting few days :)!
   I was supposed to take Sawyer to get shots right before we left on vacation but I got the days mixed up and had to reschedule for next week.  My best guess is that he is about 25 inches long and approx 18 pounds. He is wearing 9 month clothes! He is getting big and so independent! He is not much of a cuddler, which totally bums me out. However, when he doesn't feel good, he still only wants to be held by mom - both a blessing and a curse for me :)
   Bass Lake was so awesome and our little man seemed to love it! I was pretty nervous about the long car ride there and back, but he was amazing! Hardly cried at all, which is sooo not like him. He typically hates the car after five minutes.  He loved going in the water with me and Jeff and even fell asleep in his floater.  He adored the attention from Hali'a and La'akea, plus Grammy and Bumpa!  We rented a pontoon boat and ate dinner at the Pizza Factory. Overall, a fun week and we can't wait to go back!
   I was pretty shocked to find that little bottom tooth while eating dinner at the Lake.  My baby just seems too little to have teeth already! But alas, there it was. One week later, the second bottom tooth broke through. It is kind of a bummer to see him growing so dang fast, but he is so much fun that I am trying to appreciate more of the milestones and not be so sad at what is passing by. Not an easy thing for this Mama! 

                                                                     One cool dude!

                                                                       Happy times :)

                                                We loved the lake so much we fell asleep!

                                                                 We loved Bass Lake!

                                                                  Kisses from Duke

                                                          Not happy to show off his teeth!

                                                                 Playing makes us tired!

Summertime!

   Summer is in full swing and we are having a great time so far! Sawyer enjoyed his first 4th of July and did not really mind the fireworks too much. Mom kept him in the house for the really loud stuff though because she wants him to be able to hear fireworks for many years to come! :)  We ventured out into the cool summer night and went to the beach last nite and Sawyer seemed to like it. He was quite captivated by the fire.  I think this baby just loves being outside and taking in all the cool stuff there is to see.  Everyday he is doing more and his little personality continues to come through.  He loves to bounce on Dad or Bumpa's tummy and just laughs til he cries - and I don't  mean a little baby giggle either.  It is so fun to watch him find joy in playing and interacting with us.  It was great fun to watch Sawyer barf all over Daddy after a rowdy session of bouncing.  Sawyer thought it was pretty funny too :)

3 months old...tomorrow!

You are 3 months old Sawyer! It has been so fun getting know the little person you are. We love you so much, more than Mommy or Daddy could ever put into words. Here are some things about you:
     *you love to chew on your fists, the whole thing
     *you are not big on taking naps, usually only one a day
     *you have the most adorable giggle and Daddy usually is the one to make you laugh
     *you are 23 inches long and 15 pounds
     *you only like to sleep on your tummy
     *you are happiest in the morning and like to get up early
     *you like your mom to put you to bed
     *you smile with your whole face and we love it
     *your favorite song is I Am a Child of God-you love it when daddy hums it to you
     *bath time always makes you happy, you are definately a water baby
     *you always try to sit up especially in your car seat and stroller
     *all your hair is pretty much gone now but you do have a cute bald head
     *you really like phineas and ferb like your uncle Justin
     *you are a very noisy sleeper and grunt all night long
     *you love to snuggle with your mommy in the morning(but only the morning)
     *you drool like crazy
     *everyone that sees you thinks you are the cutest baby ever!

Growing too fast!

  The last few weeks have been super fun and time has been flying way too fast for my liking!!  Already Sawyer is getting sooo big and changing so much. It's crazy and I am not sure I like him growing up so quickly! I got to celebrate my first Mother's Day which was awesome- got beautiful diamond earrings from daddy and Sawyer, had our first trips to the park and the zoo, and overall just been savoring every moment with our pretty cool little guy.  I have to admit, he is a pretty high maintenance baby but we love him none the less.  He takes after his mother as in he never likes to sleep.  (I think my mom is secretly happy I got a baby that was just like me!)  His happiest moments are in the morning- he totally smiles and giggles at me and Jeff which is incredible! He also has a phobia of cameras apparently because every time I grab one he stops smiling.  I will catch him one of these days!  Right now Mom is his favorite- which I kinda love.  Dad feels like chopped liver he says, but I tell him to just give it time and then he will be the favorite too.  We are looking forward to summer and all of our "firsts" with our little man!!

Blessing Day

   We gave Sawyer a name and a blessing on Sunday, May 6th, 2012 in the Cypress 5th ward.  What an amazing day it was for our whole family!  Jeff did such an amazing job, and Sawyer was actually quiet the whole time! I was so grateful that so many people came and supported us- the Sorenson's even drove down to be there from St. George, Utah!  I look at each one of the men who stood in that priesthood circle and know without a doubt that they will always love and look after my son. What a sweet blessing as his mother to know that he has worthy men to guide him through this crazy life and be examples for him.  Thank you to everyone who made this day such a special and sacred one for us!
P.S. It was also Jeff and I's 6th wedding anniversary that day- pretty cool :)

Sawyer Kenneth Goodwin

Dear Sawyer,
   WOW! Mom has definitely let time slip by since posting anything! But before too much more time passes, I really wanted to introduce you to everyone and recount just a few moments in how you made your entrance into the world.
   You were born on Tuesday, March 27th, 2012 at 11:24pm. You were 7lbs., 12oz., and were 19.5in. long.  Mom had been having really bad contractions for almost a week before you came.  In fact, Mommy and Daddy even went to the hospital on Thursday, March 22nd thinking you were going to arrive then - no such luck! The doctors sent us home to wait some more.  Monday night rolled around and Mommy was feeling really sick to her tummy and had a bad headache.  Daddy tested Mommy's blood pressure and it was pretty high so off to the hospital we went again. Mommy thought for sure she would be sent home again, but Surprise! Mom was dilated to 3cm and we were admitted to the hospital to have you!  Words can't express how excited we were to finally meet you after all of these long months.  Mom was feeling pretty yucky so she got some medicine to make the contractions stop hurting. She also got some medicine to make her contractions come more frequently.  After just a few hours, Mommy's medicine stopped working and she felt all of those stinky contraction pains. Bummer! (However, you were totally worth every pain!) After lots and lots of hours of labor - more than 30, Mommy finally had to have a c-section.  She does not really remember much leading up to the surgery because she was really tired and hurt but Daddy never left her side and took great care of her. 
   Once in the operating room, things went really fast.  Unfortunately, Mommy could feel the doctor starting her surgery so she had to be put to sleep completely so you could be born.  Daddy saw you be born and he was sooo happy! You had kind of a hard time breathing at first and were purple. You scared Dad pretty bad! Soon you were breathing on your own, but you were breathing too fast, then too slow.  You had some tubes put in your mouth and nose and got an i.v. put in your hand.  You had to go to the NICU where some really wonderful doctors and nurses were there to take special care of you.
You quickly became every nurses favorite baby to take care of!
   Mommy had kind of a rough time with her surgery and did not get to see or meet you til Wednesday afternoon.  As soon as Mommy woke up from surgery though, Daddy showed her your picture. You were the most amazing and beautiful baby Mommy had ever seen! She cried alot looking at your picture!  One of the happiest and most sacred moments of Mommy's life was getting to see and hold you for the very first time.  You melted and captured my heart forever that very moment Sawyer. Because Mommy has diabetes the doctors wanted to keep an extra close eye on you to make sure you were healthy.  Mommy had to leave the hospital a few days before you did and that was the hardest thing she has ever had to do! But know that we were by your side around the clock and when we could not be there with you, you had heavenly angels watching over you - as well as some awesome nurses!
   We brought you home from the hospital on Monday, April 2nd.  Truly life has not been the same since!  You have brought so much joy, happiness, and LOVE to Mommy and Daddy already.  You have quite a little temper and not so much patience right now. You can get mad pretty darn quick! Your favorite time to be awake is in the middle of the night.  You love to eat and you love to smile.  Your smile is the cutest thing ever!!  You like to grunt and make lots of noises when you sleep- it is pretty funny!  So far, you have the most incredible dark blue eyes and reddish hair.  Mommy and Daddy hope you keep both forever!  You are truly a blessing to us and we love you more than we ever thought was possible.  We are treasuring every single moment because they are going soooo fast! You are already so much bigger than when you were born!  We are so glad you came to our family.  We are an eternal family and will be together forever.  That is the best blessing Mommy and Daddy could ever have. Welcome to our family Sawyer. We are so happy you are finally here!!!