Our First Date

January 26th, 2008 was Brian and my first date! And good thing too or we probably wouldn't have dated and got married! 

For those of you that don't know our history, Brian only asked me out for this date because he had put off finding a date and was down to the wire to find a girl for this big group date he planned! He asked me the day of, and since I had a big crush on him I said yes despite my better judgement about being a last minute choice. I only knew Brian because he and my older brother were friends and I'd see him occasionally when he and my brother would hang out. I remember always flirting with him and he would flirt back, but he never would ask me out! He claims that it was because it's typically uncool to date your buddy's little sister. So anyhow he asked me out last minute, only in desperation, but we ended up hitting it off and and before the night was over he asked me out again for the next weekend, and was clearly over the fact that I was his friend's sister. And as they say, the rest was history. 

Weren't we so cute? And young!

And if you're wondering, that is a rain gutter full of ice cream! So all the guys in this picture were some of Brian's single cousins at BYU and this was a tradition that their family had to limit the number of dishes to do (since there are about 60 first cousins on that side of Brian's family) at extended family functions when they were all little kids. Like pigs at the trough! A fun tradition though! 

Christina at 5 months

Sweet baby girl is 5 months old today, which was eventful and ended up in the emergency room! (All is well now, her feeding tube fell out. Which was a little scary because the hole in her stomach will start healing as soon as the tube comes out, and if you don't get it put back in very soon you risk having to have surgery again. So we needed to get a new one inserted back in ASAP. But all went fine and crisis averted!)

Anyhow, Christina is 5 months old now! Time has a funny way of feeling both like it's flying by and that things happened a lifetime ago. And I think I view Christina's life thus far as both perspectives. Since her arrival, life seems like it flipped our world upside down at times, but we also feel very happy and very blessed. We love and adore our tiny little bundle and we hope she can stand all of us!

Here are some factoids about how she's doing now:

She weighs 8 lbs., 8 oz. She's huge (for her)!

She discovered her hands and loves to suck on them to self-soothe or when she's getting hungry.

She favors her left side of her body and will always try to turn that way to sleep or when she's held, etc.

She seems very social because if we are around people or have people over she is much more alert and looking around.

She is still a very sleepy and placid baby, but she has more and more moments of wakefulness throughout the day.

She has become quite feisty and strong when she is mad about something. She kicks like crazy!

She still hates bright lights and natural light is the worst. We keep our house very dark for her.

She turns her head to familiar sound and she sometimes turns her head to look at the tv.

She likes to nurse while I simultaneously feed her with her feeding tube. I still make her try to eat orally almost every time, but her oral eating has gone very downhill since the feeding tube.

She likes baths and massage.

She still doesn't smile, coo, or make eye contact.

She likes car rides and does wonderfully on outings.

She has warmed up to James and Brian and is able to be calmed and soothed by them (to a point).

She is very cuddly and still loves to be swaddled.

She cares and gets mad about having a wet or dirty diaper. We are happy she has opinions and lets them known.

She is ticklish on her sides.

She has become much fussier since the feeding tube, I assume it is because we are forcing her to eat a lot more food and this puts pressure in her tummy.

Look at that cute tongue!

2013 Nelson Family Rules Update

So I posted a couple years back about how in our marriage we have enacted The Nelson Family Rules and I wanted to update those that were interested in the additions and more importantly I use this blog to keep record of these rules so we are accountable to them. 

As a side note, I guess in 2012 Brian and I never argued or disagreed and he was so perfect because I didn't make a rule for that year! (Said in slight jest.)

Okay, so now to last year's rules.

Christina's 2013 Rule:

Brian is not allowed to put soda cans in the freezer. Because of this and many other incidents. But of course Brian has already found a loophole to this rule. We were at our friends house hanging out and he put sodas in THEIR freezer! He claimed that the rule only precluded OUR freezer, but I think having a soda can explode in your friends freezer is much worse than your own! 

Brian's 2013 Rule:

We have to make and follow a monthly budget. This rule I have been avoiding, but I know we need! When we were students we hardly made money and when you are taking out school loans we were always in the red. Though the loans were expected and planned for, it's not fun to budget when you have no money and are actually negative money! For those several years our budgeting basically meant just don't spend money unless we have to buy food, shelter, insurance, gas, etc.! But now that we have passed that phase of life and Brian has a job and we are no longer students, it's time to budget and become debt free. Our plan is to become 100% debt free by 2016.

So now we are accountable to keep these rules and hopefully even more disagreements can be avoided in our marriage! Wish us luck!

James & his big boy bike

 James finally got his first real bike! We have training wheels on for now but I don't think he will need them in a week or two. But I do think James get his over-confidence from me and he goes crazy fast and doesn't have complete control and I'm afraid that he will wipe out! So the training wheels will be staying on for at least a little bit. 

(Ugh. And please ignore our super damaged wall thanks to the neighbors behind us that run water all day!)

We also used him getting a bike and helmet as a way to teach him about work and money. He had to do extra chores and work before he got the bike and then he helped pay for the bike and helmet. And he learned that hard work pays off, because he LOVES riding his bike! I have also been so grateful for him to have it because since baby girl was born we don't get outside as much as we used to and he really needs and wants that. So this bike has been so helpful with that because I can be inside with baby and all her needs and he can ride in the backyard. And then when Brian gets off work they venture out in the neighborhood so he's not just trapped in the backyard!

Three Generations of Lois

My grandma Lois had flight delays from all the bad weather in the east coast and she was able to spend the night with us in Vegas before traveling on to her original destination. We were so excited to get to see her, despite her long day of traveling! 

I was named after both of my grandmas (and my mother) and baby Christina also bears that same name! She is Christina Lois as well! I was so happy grandma was able to meet her little great-granddaughter. 

My grandmother is the sweetest, kindest lady you'll ever meet! I am reminded of the New Testament scripture, found in Timothy, "When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois..."

We wish she could have stayed with us longer!

Thoughts on Prayer

A couple weeks ago, I was at my local gas station getting a Diet Coke on tap (the best way to enjoy a soda!) and at checkout, the woman asked me how my day was going. Typically when asked this type of question, I just reply positively and say that my day is going well. But on this particular morning I was feeling more honest and I replied that my day wasn't going very well and that I was on my way to the hospital with my baby for her to have surgery. The woman offered her sympathies, and to my surprise, she asked for my daughter's name so she could pray for her.

I was so touched by this and the whole day I could not get this conversation out of my head. I was so impressed with this woman's tenacity and faith. I have a strong belief in God and in prayer, but for some reason I am timid when it comes to offering prayers for others. I have often expressed, "Our thoughts and prayers are with you" but often only to people I know. I am not intending to say that I am insincere in my offering to pray for others, but rather I am shy about it. I think I am nervous to let people I don't know, know that I believe in God and the power of prayer. And I just want to shake myself for being like that. I feel ashamed that I have been reserved in this way, especially since I was so comforted by this woman's demonstration of faith and love.

I hope in the future, I can see beyond myself and be willing to aid and give comfort to another, whether it be in prayer or in another way. But to not fear rejection or embarrassment, because I know the positives far outweigh any of that!

And as a side note, I just love this little girl of mine!