Martin's 9 mon. appt.

I took Martin to his 9 month appointment yesterday. He is 19.11 lbs. and 29 1/2 inches long. He is one tall boy. His pediatrician said that he was a small 15 mon. old based on his weight and height. She also scolded me on his cold that he currently has. He hasn't had it for long, but he is coughing and wheezing a bit. She checked his oxygen saturation levels and decided to send us home with an inhaler to help out his breathing. I thought it was just the cold and that he'd get over it like all the other times he's had a cold. I felt a bit like a bad mom for not mentioning it to her, but I'm telling you that he is happy and hardly acts ill at all. It's not slowing him down one bit. Oh...and he finally got his 1st tooth about a week ago...yeah.

Elizabeth is also doing great. She is talking more than ever and has a lot to say. She loves to sing in the car and requests her favorite songs. I often find her and Martin playing behind a closed door. She is patient with him...as much as a 2 year old can have patience. He adores her and she lets him.

updates

I do realize that it has been a while since I've posted on the blog. For some reason, I haven't been able to figure out why uploading pictures to the blog has been so difficult, but I found away around that. SO...what's been happening around the Hiers household? Martin 8 months now. I can't believe my little boy is 8 months already. I keep thinking he is still a baby, but he seems much older to me, and I get a little sad. He is such a happy boy and when he smiles, his whole face lights up. Maybe it's because he's so fair and blond. He really likes to be held, even if it isn't convenient. He loves hair! He can go from screaming child to calm if you put a lock of hair in his hands. It's very strange. He is getting into everything, so we have to watch what is out, because it automatically goes into his mouth. He is so wonderful.


8 months

Elizabeth celebrated her 2nd birthday and we had a blast. Both sets of Grandparents came and it was a nice visit. Of course, she got spoiled, but every now and then, it's okay. She is a jabber mouth...talking all the time. You definitely have to watch what you say around her, because she will repeat everything. She loves playing in Martin's room. She has figured out how to get into his crib, which is a bit strange, but she finds joy in that. She likes to come into the bathroom as I'm getting ready in the morning and loves to have me put blush on her cheeks. She is definitely a girly girl. She likes to wear her tutu and butterfly wings that were given to her for her birthday. She loves to sing in the choo choo song in the car and is learning her colors and numbers. I can't believe how much she is growing up.

2 years

Oh...and Marty and I are doing well too.

I'm getting excited!

I was going to post some cute pictures, but for some reason the computer's acting up and I'm going to have to have Marty check it out and see what's up.
So...I'm really looking forward to this weekend. Not so much this week because of all the cleaning and housework...planning and preparation needed for Saturday. Thursday is Elizabeth's birthday and YEAH...she'll be 2!!! We are getting her 2 year pictures taken and having lunch with Marty. Not too exciting for a birthday, but we are waiting for Saturday. We are having a Minnie party for her and her grandparents are coming in for it. We are making a little bit of a big deal, because I'm really excited. SHe's not sure what's going on, butreally...Im okay with that...we only need to get Martin feeling better. When baby's not happy...no one is either.

happenings

It's been about 2 weeks...maybe more since the last time I posted, so I thought I'd give some update on what's been going on in the Hiers household.
We are working hard on potty-training. Elizabeth mostly has it down, but we still do have an accident here and there. As long as we are on top of her...taking her to the potty, she does really well. She is continuing to learn new words and can talk your ears off...even if you don't know what she is saying, you usually get the drift. She loves her little brother and likes to go in his room to check on him. That usually leads to him waking up.
Martin is becoming my little boy. He is crawling all over the place. He also loves his sister. His face beams when he sees her. He likes to follow her around...even if he can't keep up. He is one of the happiest babies ever. He is always smiling.
We are really excited about next week. We will be celebrating Elizabeth's 2nd birthday and then having a party for her on Saturday. I'm excited to have the family here to celebrate it with us.
I will have to post pictures after the event.

My Little Crawler

I call this...the plank

Martin started crawling a week ago....ahhh! Actually, it's wonderful...if you can believe that. He is becoming independant and wants to crawl. He wants to discover and of course, chase after Elizabeth. She sometimes thinks it's fun, but most of the time tries to sit on him. One of the unfortuante things about him crawling is that I have to keep an eye on what's on the floor. He's already had goldfish and m&ms that Elizabeth has dropped. Yesterday I heard him gagging and ran to him and he threw-up this hard plastic thing. I have no idea what it is, or where it came from. I felt so bad for him and thankfully was glad that I didn't walk too far. He is also sleeping through the night...finally...although we think he's teething a bit. He wakes up a couple times a night crying, yet he's still sleeping. Of course I can't sleep through it, so I usually go into his room and give him his pacifier. It calm him for a few more hours. I look at my little baby and see a little boy. He is growing like a weed and it makes me sad to think he is quickly growing out of his baby phase.

Disneyland

We went to Disneyland this past weekend for Marty's B-day. We met up with his family and had a great time. We went to the beach and then spent 2 days between Disneyland and California Adventures, which was new to all of us. I really enjoyed watching Elizabeth get to meet Minnie and Mickey and to see her go on rides.

Elizabeth and Martin on the tea-cups with Kathy and George.

Elizabeth got her very own Minnie ears. They were sooo cute on her.

Elizabeth was a bit scared when she saw Minnie for the 1st time.

Inside Minnie's house....the dishwasher moves, makes sounds, and bubbles.

Marty and Martin with Donald.

Kathy and I had to push our way to get pictures of the kids with the characters. It seemed like everytime we got in line they had to leave to go do something else. Marty and I decided that there needs to be at least 6 Mickeys and Minnie around the park so everyone can get pictures with them. They were very popular!

6 month visit

Martin went in this morning for his 6 month visit with the doctor. He was such a good little boy. He weighed at 17lbs. 5 oz. and is 27 in. long. He is right at the 50th percentile for boys his age. I thought for sure it was going to be in a higher range.
I've also had some concern over this rash he has. He's had it for about 3 weeks and I've tried about everything. I tried diaper creams and also switched diapers 3 times. I finally called a friend of mine and she is loaning me some cloth diapers. The doctor took a look at it and said it was yeast. He has a prescription and it will finally go away. I just feel so bad that he's had it for so long and all we needed was to get a little cream for him and it'd go away. He will be one happy baby once it's gone. I'm sorry my little man.

Butterfly Pavilion

The other day we went with some friends to the Butterfly Pavilion. It was the first time I had been there. It's out in Elkton, which is a bit of a drive, which is probably why we haven't been there yet. The butterfly pavilion is only open Memorial day through Labor day, so this was our last chance to go before they closed for the year. There, they have a small enclosed area where you can go inside and see tons of butterflies flying around. It was quite amazing.

Here you can see that a butterfly has landed on Martin's shoulder. Doesn't he look super excited about it? I think he was more in tune with the sound of the butterflies as they were hitting the ceiling and windows.

Elizabeth is exhausted after visiting. I bought her this cute plastic butterfly that goes on your finger. She fell asleep with it on her finger. I think this is a cute picture of her.

Chicago

We went to Chicago for our vacation this year and had a good time. The weather was perfect. I had heard it gets real humid and muggy there and I thought that it was a bit humid and muggy, but in combination with the moderate temp. it wasn't too bad. It did rain several days we were there and on one occasion we walked in the rain was got soaked. I'm sure we looked silly to others.
Elizabeth on the steps at Navy Pier. She spent a lot of time climbing and jumping off these steps.

How the kids slept in the hotel. Elizabeth would wake up in the morning and see Martin and exclaim..."a baby." It was very cute. Notice the pillows surrounding Martin...so he can't roll off the bed.

Family pic. at Navy Pier.

Marty...hours and hours of driving past corn fields.

One of my favorite pictures. Elizabeth standing in front of the Nauvoo temple.

Family reunion in Park City

We had our family reunion in Park City this year. It was a just the tail-end of Friday and all-day Saturday. It was really nice to be able to see family that we haven't seen in years. It's amazing how all the kids have changed and to see some new additions in the family. There were a ton of people, but mostly little ones running around.

Here is Elizabeth looking at the beautiful view from my Aunt's cabin.

Here is my cousin Christy holding Martin. Everyone was surprised at how much he weighed.

My sister Korrie with her new baby Jon. Jon is only 2 1/2 weeks old. What a trooper for making it this year.

Marty and Elizabeth

Yes...Marty took ELizabeth down the Alpine Slide...and yes...she loved it and wanted to go again.

The jumper

We pulled out the jumper for Martin. He absolutely loves it. The first time I put him in, he was in there for 45 min. It's really nice for me, so I can get some things done while he stays entertained. He's getting older and not sleeping as much during the day, so it's hard for me to keep on top of things around the house. Elizabeth thinks it's great that Martin is in the jumper, cause then she gets to spin him. I think she got a little jealous the other day. She wanted to be put in the jumper, but it didn't last long. She soon realized that she can't get out. It's been fun around here.

Elder Roberts

Alright...these pictures I had to post. Elder Roberts has been in our area for about 6 months. Since Marty is Ward Mission Leader, we have gotten to know him pretty well. So the day before transfers, he comes over at about 8:30 at night (reason the pics are so dark) and I open the door to him and he is wearing a dinner jacket and holding a bottle of Martinellis. Marty laughs and leaves for a couple of minutes then returns wearing his tux. It was the funniest thing ever. This is why I love my husband.

Flooring update

Marty has made such great progress with our bathroom floor. I am really excited to when it will be in use again. The tile for the shower floor is in and grouted. All we have to do is to wait for it to dry and then get it sealed. I am also thrilled about the laminate flooring he put in. It looks a lot better than the vinyl that was in there before. I'll post another picture of the completed project when he is all finished with it. Thanks Marty for being so awesome and working everyday to get our bathroom done.

Again...what is she thinking?

Okay...take a look at this outfit. Take a closer look. You will see...pajamas, a Sunday dress, and a robe. She came out of her room this morning whining and stringing some sounds along...sounded pretty serious. All she wanted were her clothes on...and look how pretty she is.

Marty took Elizabeth with him to town and came home to this. Martin was with me, so I'm not sure where the pacifier came from. She hasn't had one since January. She does however like to take them and hide them, but we always figure it's just a game. This time, she fell asleep with it in her mouth. I think it's too funny.

Water Damage

I thought you might be interested in what we have been tackling for the past week and a half. Marty discovered this last week, which we thought initially it was mold. Here in the Northwest, mold isn't surprising. We had a water restoration guy come out and tell us it could be mold or it might be this tar paper...I think that's what it's called. Anyway, thankfully it was just tar paper, but as you can see the damage was far from over.

This is the corner of the shower and wall where we think it started from.

As you can see...Marty has made some nice headway in his project of a total make-over. I am so grateful for my handy husband. He can do anything. I'll post more pictures of the finished project.

Cinderella

Doesn't she look like a little Cinderella in these pictures? I was thinking that yesterday as we assembled her outfit. The hair tie, dirt on the face and clothes, and those boots. She loves those boots. The neighbor gave them to her and she always wants to wear them. Very cute.

What is she thinking?

So...Elizabeth has these favorite pajamas. You guessed it...they are red with polka dots and a very Christmas themed...and very flannel. She loves them so much that she finds them...every night...in her pj drawer and cuddles with them as she sleeps. She sometimes finds them during the day and carries them around the house. Let me also tell you that it is 104 degrees outside and we like to keep our house at about 78. It still feels very warm in here. She is crying...I'm not sure what she is saying, but crying holding these pjs. I don't know what she wants from me. So...I think...let's put them on her and she won't want to be in them long since it's really hot. About 45 min. later she wants them off. So, we take them off. 5 min later, she wants them on again. Does any of this sound familiar???undecisiveness??? So, we compromise and she is happy again. Arms in...feet out and we are a happy child.

today...we swaddle

If many of you know Martin very well, he does not like to be swaddled. He prefers to be

cuddled/held until he falls asleep and then he like to be put on his belly to sleep. We do this routine for all sleep...naps and at night. Today, he's been a bit fussy and I thought I tried everything. I tried feeding him, changing him, rocking him to sleep...I sang...nothing worked. Elizabeth walked into his room and it dawned on me that I should try something new. I swaddled him. He hasn't been wrapped that tightly since he was born. I guess that was precisely what he wanted too. He fell right asleep within 2 minutes. It's really nice when you find a tactic that works. It still...although sometimes...works on Elizabeth too.

Such a ham

Elizabeth is such a ham in this picture. I asked her to say cheese as I took the picture, and I think it came out really cute. It definitely shows her personality here. We sure do think she's wonderful!

And we have a winner!

And we have a winner!!! I decided to put aside the rice cereal and just try bananas. He couldn't wait to get more. I am super excited that my boy like something. I guess I already knew that he would like bananas...it seems like all kids do, but I was trying to hold back on that and get in some vegetables first. I've been trying every couple of days with the rice cereal and he just doesn't like it. I will try it again after today and mix the banana in with it, but I wanted to skip the hassle of making it and mixing in the banana just in case he would reject it again. He ended up eating 3/4 of a container of banana. I'm hoping that his stomach can handle it and can digest it okay, or else we are in for a long night ahead. All I can do is cross my fingers now.

So grateful for naps

Marty took Monday off. It was nice, because we got to spend the day together. Sunday we were debating what we should do for and decided that we were going to stay close, just in case he needed to get to the pharmacy. Monday morning we decided to go up to Eugene and spend the day. It's about an hour drive. We took the kids to see the movie UP (really I wanted to see it). Since it has been out for months I didn't have a problem taking the kids. There wouldn't be many people there. Elizabeth and Martin were great. We went to Target and Costco to get some small things and we were in and out quickly. I think our mistake came when we went to dinner. By then, Elizabeth was done. I think she was done a little earlier, but I can't pin down when it was. All I know is that we were out in the car before Marty. During this whole venture, she slept maybe 15 minutes and then was up again. She did sleep in the car on the way home, but I don't think car sleeping is as restful as when you sleep in your bed. Elizabeth was a prime example of that yesterday. Sometimes when I get excited that we are going to go so something fun, I do forget about the consequences of the kids not getting in their nap. It is so true that they are more pleasant to be around and are happy when they get their rest. I am thankful that Martin is still young enough to take a nap where ever he is...car seat, couch, bed, swing....but I know that won't go on forever.

Martin's feeding

Martin is at his 4 month mark and we began him on Rice cereal...the recommendation. He however, does not like it! We tried giving him a bit of Sweet Potatoe in his cereal, and as you can see...he doesn't like that either. So, back to square one...waiting some more time and trying again. Hopefully he gets to the point where he will like eating.

Martin's blessing

I realized I haven't posted any pictures of Martin's blessing. He was blessed June 28th in Heber. It was really nice to see everyone and we had a wonderful time.


Marty and Martin...so handsome

Daniel, my dad (Reg), Marty, Martin, & George

everyone that came...

our family