5 months

Yes it is happening...our little baby is 5 months... it has flown by. Before Declan was born many people would say to us, oh you will love when he gets "this" age, and it is so fun when he is "this" age, which I am sure is all true. But Doug and I have honestly enjoyed every age. Declan has been an absolute joy and such a good baby. When he was smaller people would say to me, "wow! he is such a good baby" and yes, they are right. He goes with me everywhere, only cries when he needs something, can entertain himself for a long time, mostly by just playing with his own hands.
At this point Declan has reached some milestones. He loves and giggles, ALOT. Mostly when daddy comes home and plays with him. He love his tummy time. He can roll over from his front to back (although not that often). He loves his rice cereal. ANd when Doug and I fed him some sweet potatoes he LOVEd them. Thank goodness!!
We are so lucky to have such a sweet and happy little baby! He is the joy of our lives.... Can't wait to see what other fun things he will do this month! I will post pictures soon!

Croup

Well, we had our first experience with a sick child, and yes it was quite the experience...
It start off, Declan has always had a small wheeze in his voice, especially after he has been moving around a lot. When I asked the doctor about this she said he seemed out but if it got worse or he wheezed a lot that it could be ashma and to bring him in. So the Sunday of Easter, Declan started with a deep barking cough and a running nose. That night he was up most of the night with a cough and when he would cough it would irritate him so he would wake up crying. I spend the night in his room to help him and soothe him which seemed to help some. By 6 am he was wheezing really badly, this made him start crying and the combination was not could. It sounded like he could not breathe! I know the cold air could help so we stood with him outside to see if that would help some, and it just seemed to make Declan more upset. With all my suspecting fears that he had asmtha, I thought he was having an asmtha attack.
After about a half an hour of trying to calm him down he just seemed to be getting worse and it seemed that it was harder for him to breathe...Since the urgent was closed we packed up quickly to take him to the ER. Doug gave him a blessing before we left which helped and Delcan was able to come down and fall asleep in the car on the way there. Luckily the ER at the time was not very busy so they got declan right in. One look at him by the Doctor and she said he had croup. I felt relieved that it was not asmtha and she gave him a dose of steroids. The steroids helped to open up the airways so he could breathe better and to shrink the viral infection.
This seemed to make a huge difference and after that he seemed much better We gave him a few steam baths and after a couple of days, he was back to his normal happy self.
I am lucky that it was not anything worse and for modern medication that we have today! I hope he does not get sick for a while but we realize that children get sick a lot and this will be the first of many trips to the doctors.

Easter

Well, this Easter was fun! Especially when you have a little baby to share it with....
Although we did not know it at the time Declan had croup, and he was not feeling well. But he was a good sport during the day and it was not until that night when his symptoms really started.
My dad, grandpa and aunt heidi can and celebrated with us at the Summerhay's house. I am lucky that both families get a long so well, and we can all celebrate together. We had a wonderful dinner, and lots of yummy desserts. Doug's sisters set up a fun easter egg hunt and baskets for the kids. I am grateful for such a wonderful family and the knowledge I have of the atonement. Easter is a great way to remember Christ and what He did for us.
Doug and I and Declan read the Easter story in the morning before church and I think that will be the start of a tradition every year!

Super Saturday

So I am sure like most other people I look forward to Saturday!! I love that I get to spend time with Doug and he gets to spend time with Declan. Often times during the week, Doug has church meetings at night so he doesn't even see Declan. So when Friday night rolls around I am one happy girl...
This Saturday we had no plans, which is a rare thing so we were able to just relax and do some things that we enjoy....
Doug loves washing cars, so he washed, my car, his car and my dad's car. I did some gardening with my dad and planted lots of yummy things that will hopefully grow so we can have some good BBQ's this summer! We planted, tomato's, basil, peppers, and my dad even has some grape vines going. So we shall see how it turns out:)

4 Months

I can't believe that my little Declan is 4 months old. The time really does fly by...He was born at a very busy time of the year, so combined with the normal sleep deprivation the first 2 months went REALLY fast. Every moment that I would remember I would just sit and hold him and take in the sweet newborn smell and stare at all his tiny features.
He has been a happy baby from the beginning. I always thought that before I had kids I would be nervous when they cried and get all panicky. But I feel that I have been blessed to not feel nervous or scared at all. He set his own schedule from the start. The nurses in the hospital would tell me to wake him up to feed him but he would not wake up, but when he was hungry he would let you know. There is no mistaking that this baby has a mind of his own. He knows what he likes and doesn't like and will make sure that you know. He made me wait a week past my due date but when he was ready to come, he came pretty quickly.
Now that he is getting older, his personality is showing through. He is a mellow baby and just like to chill and look around. When I am getting ready in the morning I put him in his Bumbo seat in front of the mirror and he loves to sit and talk and laugh at himself. He loves to be out side and looking at everything. He mostly loves to be strolled around in his car seat, so we go on walks a lot. It also makes shopping easier because he loves to sit in his car seat and stare at everything.
I have loved seeing Doug learn and grow as a father. He also didn't seem nervous and handled Declan with ease. Now Doug loves to play and make Declan laugh. He had nicknamed Declan "the Dex", and we call him Dex so much that it almost seems like that is his name. Doug is wonderful at taking care of him, and since Declan is still not sleeping through the night Doug usually takes a shift at night, and I LOVE it:)
Declan has brought so much happiness and joy to our family and I know that he was supposed to come when he did. He makes me smile and laugh and I love being his mother. I can't believe that I get to watch him grow and go through this life. We love you little Declan!

Declan's blessing day...

Doug and I decided to have Declan blessed on Christmas day. We figured it would be perfect because all the family was already in town and our Bishop was a great sport to allow us to be able to let us bless him that day...
The day was perfect, although I was worried that the day would not happen due to the fact that I was in the hospital the night before (christmas eve night) due to illness and complications from breastfeeding. But The Lord showered us with blessings that day. I was released from the hospital in time and although I was still very sick and weak I felt well enough to be able to enjoy the day. Doug and I had time to go home take quick nap and get us and Declan ready for his big day. We gave Declan a nice warm bath, filled his tummy up and barley made it in time for Sacrament meeting to start.
Doug gave a wonderful blessing while Declan peacefully slept. I remember I felt the spirit very strongly, and at that moment I missed my mother a lot. But as Doug was giving the blessing I knew my mom was there and could hear what was said. I am grateful for the gospel and the knowledge that we have and know that we will all be together again.
Lots of people were there in the circle, and I could feel how much our little baby was loved. I am grateful for their love and the support all of our family and friends continue to show us every day! I am grateful for Declan and his sweet spirit he has brought to our family!

Kite Fun!

On Saturday we went down to Hunnington Beach. Doug's sister leaves there in a house about 3 blocks from the beach, so we like to go down there and visit a lot:) Well, every year they have a kite flying show in March and for the past 4 years we have gone down. It is really fun to see all the different type of kites and the people who put on a a kite show. They make the kites dance and do tricks to different songs! The Looney Tunes theme songs has been the popular one every year.
The weather this year was perfect, and we all had a great time.