Baby Dawson!

The other day I pulled out Dawson's baby book and showed it to him. I explained that it was baby Dawson, and told him stories of all the pics. He was loving it!Dawson would scream, "YAY! Baby DAWSON! I DAWSON!" Then he would point to me and say, "Mommy" then he'd point to his chest and say, "I Dawson! I baby Dawson!"

He loved seeing all of the family in the pictures. His face just tells you his excitement over his baby book! It's now his favorite book to look at and read for a bed time story! He points to different pics each night and I tell him about it. It's so much fun!

Cuteness

Here is my little puppy! We don't have to buy one because I've got one at home half the time. Isn't he cute! My puppy is extra special because he can talk! He lets me know when he needs fish to eat or water. haha!

Surprisingly, my puppy is pretty good as getting water with his tongue! My puppy has a playmate who just happens to be a monkey! Aren't they cute?

For the photo above-notice Dawson's finger wrapped up in gauze? Well, while I was shaving my legs..Dawson reached in to 'help' me and I got his nail with the razor! It cut clear into the skin! I felt horrible!

For the picture below- need I say more?

He helped me make the PB rice krispies with chocolate/butterscotch on top! He loved it! I have the cutest and bestest helper in the world!


I just can't get enough of my little guy! And for the record-he still loves being naked or just having a diaper on. I try to dress him because last year at his birthday party our friends the Johnson's didn't recognize Dawson because he actually had clothes on! lol! So I am trying to do better!

Poor Little Guy

This is such a cute story! So last night, Dawson wanted to sleep on the couch, but I told him he needed to sleep in mom and dad's room to be by the humidifier. He quietly and hoarsely said, "Okay mom. Thank you."
I loved how he said Thank you! It just melted my heart. We laid him down, and asleep he went. He woke up at 4 and needed a sippy, so I got some really watered down juice. The milk curdles in his stomach when he's sick, which causes him to throw up a lot! But after I gave him his sippy, he said,"Thank you mom." Another thank you? He is usually pretty good about being polite, but it's 4 am and he was so exhausted, I didn't expect it.


We all woke up around 7:30, and Dawson just laid in his bed. I asked him if he wanted to come sit in the shower with me so he could breathe better. He said,"No thank you. I'm tired." So I started to leave and turned off the light. When I turned off the light he said, "Thank you mom." I took a shower, and went back into the room. Dawson was still awake.
Mom, "Dawson, get up." I laughed while I said it so he would know I was just kidding.
Dawson said, "Okay." So he stood up.
I felt bad so I said, "Dawson, mom was kidding. You can lay back down if you want."
So he did! lol, he was that tired! He pulled the covers over him and just laid there. I went back in just barely to find him fast asleep.
Isn't he the cutest and sweetest little sick boy?

RSV AGAIN???

So before I tell my story, Dawson has RSV again! Now...we've had this before, but both experiences together is like De Ja Vu!

Dawson at 3 months old- had a cold, stuffy nose, coughing...I take him to the doctor. Now he was unable to get to see his 'actual' pediatrician because he was out for the week. So we saw a doctor that I won't say his name..but I will never go to him again after our 2nd RSV experience. This doctor (who I won't say his name) tested him for RSV, and came back to me to say "It's just a cold. He doesn't have RSV."

Three days later everything got worse. I demanded to see Dr. Burrows since Dawson was only 3 months old. We got in that day and sure enough Dawson had RSV. It's a 15-20 minute test, after 2 minutes Dr. Burrows came back in and said he's way positive and get him on breathing treatments immediately.

Now, 3 weeks ago for today, I took Dawson to the doctor to check him. He had symptoms of RSV-bad! Dr. Burrows was out for the week so we had to go see 'the doctor' (who's name I won't say). This doctor tested him for pneumonia, and RSV-he came back and said it was just a viral infection. Now today I went back in to see Dr. Burrows because Dawson's symptoms were getting WAY worse. Sure enough-he had RSV.

This is the saddest thing ever! I wish he would have been swabbed right the first time and been treated right away for the right thing, then we wouldn't be in this situation for a second time. We are supposed to go to a baby blessing this weekend for our sweet nephew whom we have only seen twice since he was born! Now, we probably won't go.

**So sorry Chet and Bobi Sue, J.D. will definitely be there...but Dawson and I might not.**

I'm so upset that we probably won't get to go. We will miss the blessing and family so much! Dawson seriously misses all of J.D.'s side of the family so much. Anyways, I hope this little guy gets feelin better.

ALSO- **So sorry Tulsi for not being able to stay for Kass's talk. I had to conduct for primary and Dawson was starting to throw up. I know he did great! We were so sad to have to miss it. :-( Give Kass a hug from us!

Valentine's Day

I want to remember what we did this year for V-day, because J.D. totally surprised me! He had made reservations in Mesquite for the night! The morning of Valentines J.D. woke me up and said, "Happy Valentines Babe! I love you!" It sounds cheesy, but it was so cute that he remembered first. He was so excited for our plans. He bought me the movie Secretariat!! Love this show! And, Dawson and I wrote on a cute card for J.D.
Dawson wrote, "Daddy I love you. Let's go fishing! Love, Dawson"
Previous to writing on the card i asked Dawson, "What do you want to say to dad?"
Dawson replied, "FISHING!!"
Hahaha, so that's what he helped me write. :-)

Around 3:45, I got a call from my good friend asking us to take her little girl (Dawson's girlfriend) to her parent's home in Mesquite while she went to have a baby! lol! I was so excited to be a part and help her out while she went to have a baby. So Dawson and his gf, J.D. and I left for Mesquite. Andi stayed awake the entire time playing and laughing while Dawson fell asleep really fast.

We got to the hotel, Andi's grandparents came and picked her up, and we went swimming! It was so warm and relaxing to get out of Cedar and just chill. Andi's grandparents offered earlier to take Dawson while we went and did our thing for Valentines! So we definitely took advantage. Dawson just called them Grandma and Grandpa like they were his own. They were so nice to just take him and play with him while we went out to eat! He didn't even cry!! He just said, "See ya! " He was excited to be with Andi, and 'his' grandma and grandpa! Thank you to the Thurstons!! J.D. and I went to eat at a mexican place, don't ask me the name...something like Las Lupes?? haha-it was so yummy! thank you to Jess and Jared for recommending it! We visited with the Thurston's for quite some time and then headed back to the hotel. We didn't want to miss 'The Bachelor!" haha-yes we are obsessed with this show, but it was the night crazy Michelle was going home and we didn't want to miss the dramatic exit! Dawson fell asleep and J.D. ran all the way to Smiths to get me some chocolate. I was craving it so bad! He is such an amazing husband. After the chocolate I needed a Pepsi...so J.D. ran down to get me a Pepsi! He is truly the best husband, not just for that, but for many other reasons as well.

I'm so lucky to have him as my husband. I will never have to worry about going hungry, not having a roof over my head, or being cold. He warms my ice cold feet up every night! I love how he is such an amazing dad. He is so good with kids, i get mesmerized just watching him play with the Dawson and other children. I love him so much! Happy Valentines day Hunners!

Bags, logs, & my sick little one

Isn't he the cutest? AND- he's a pretty sick boy :-( Dawson has had a cold for the last week, but I knew he had broken through on one of the four last molars. So, I didn't take his cold that serious. 2 nights ago, he had developed a horrible cough! It was an extremely 'wet' cough, but very hoarse. I slept with him on the hide-a-bed with the humidifier right next to us. He woke up about 7-8 times I think. I lost count after 4 though. lol! The next morning we headed to the doctors office. He was check for RSV, and Pneumonia (the doctor said he had junk in his lungs). BUT it wasn't either of those things. It was a viral infection. I don't really understand all of it, but in Dawson's case he was on the line of it being pretty serious, but not serious yet. We got him a prescribed cough syrup, and today Dawson has been doing 10 times better instead of the infection getting really serious. :-) He is still hoarse, coughing, and stuffed up, but he is acting a lot happier.

That's one of Dawson's greatest qualities, he can manage to stay so happy when things aren't the greatest. His smile always gets to everyone! He does have his ornery times, but don't all children?

J.D. started a new thing for his log furniture- it's like branding, but I'm the artist and he's the carver. I draw the names...

and then J.D. carves it out! He does such an amazing job!

I have a friend who made this diaper bag! Isn't it the cutest? This is my goal-to make a cute durable, custom made diaper bag. :-)

Updates- Dawson loves taking pictures! He puts the camera on the tri-pod and away he goes! It's so cute! He can say so many things, and talks in sentences now! He's to the point that everyone understands him, even over the phone! This morning he said, "I'm so tired mom. Is mommy tired?"

We will ask him to go get things for us all the time...however, Dawson has now learned to say, "No, you go get it." I'll say back, "No Dawson needs to go get it." And then Dawson will reply, "I don't want to. Mommy go and get it." My sisters have advised that it's time to train another one... lol! That won't be happening for another year or so, so we will have to find another way to go about it with Dawson.

Dawson loves to clean with me! He loves doing everything J.D. and I do, like combing our hair, brushing teeth, and showering by himself! He likes to be alone in the shower...for about 30 minutes too! He knows how to run the tv, and dvd player. He loves to play baseball, be a cowboy, drive, play outside, and last...he loves to sing. He will get books out and pretend to lead music and sing! It's the cutest thing! He is so good in sacrament meeting while singing and the passing of the sacrament. Dawson loves structure-this is how we get him to stay in nursery, with structure playtime. BUT it's not just in nursery, he loves structure all together. He will play with toys, but he loves to color, read, and sit at a table to do things. His memory is absolutely amazing too! He gets the best of J.D. and I about everything.

J.D. and I are doing great! School, school, and more school for both of us, but we are making it. The cold weather has put us behind on some of our projects, but we are trying to stay sane through it all. We struggle with not finishing things right when we start them. :-) It's a good and bad thing I guess. For now, we are just loving life and loving Dawson.

Busy Bees

This is a huge journal entry for me, so if you don't want to read it that's fine.

We have been so busy lately! It's hard to confront a busy life after an awesome christmas holiday. Yes, my feet have been dragging since then. I just wish life were a little slower, but I am going to have to buck up and figure out how to enjoy it while it's busy. Actually, yesterday was my turning point, the overwhelming part has been building up since I got my new calling. I was called to be in the 2nd counselor in the primary presidency. I am loving my calling and everything that comes with it. I know it's strengthening me in so many ways. However, it's a lot to do with going to school, being a mom, and all the other lovelies in life. (I call them lovelies because I would like to think of them as positives since they are the things that come with life...bills, schedules, traveling, family events, not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings of not attending things, cleaning, etc.) I know everyone reading this can relate.. I have come to find that everyone's life is really about the same as mine. I just had to realize that I can't do everything, but I have to stay on top of things or else I'm going to have another day like yesterday.

So-last night I had to come to grips with reality. I sat down and found ways of not overwhelming myself. It's basically the same old things like time management and calendaring better. I usually am organized, but I needed to take it a couple steps further because I want to be a pleasant busy person. I decided to go week by week, and time manage my days each week. Every Sunday I will sit and go over my week. This way I can get everything done, spend time with Dawson, and have time for myself here and there.

I planned at least 2-3 hours (1 hour increments) with Dawson each day. We've had some big issues with him lately. #1-he is NOT sleeping at night. He will wake up at least twice, if not more. Trust me-I'm working on it. #2-he loves church, but once sacrament is over he starts to have anxiety attacks. He gets so worked up he is throwing up everywhere. Nursery is the problem. He is scared to death to go into the room or even talk about it. I try prepping him all week, talking positive about it, playing in there when there is no other kids or leaders,...it's not working. This hasn't been going on until the last 4 weeks. I am pretty sure something happened in there that no one is telling me. Something with a leader or another child that has affected Dawson. Any suggestion???
*Now that I'm over Nursery in the presidency I have been working on changes that definitely need to be made, and will happen here in the next couple of weeks. Maybe those changes will help, they aren't just for Dawson...but we have 20 kids on the roll and 5 actually stay .. parents just take their kids because they are having the same problem we are. ... makes you wonder what the problem is. Trust me, I am working on what problems I've noticed already.

School is going good. I got a little behind because I had to take the Praxis Exam. I don't know my scores yet, but on Feb. 15th I will....If I don't pass I can't move on with my school. I just am at a stand still until I pass. The assignments are a lot of busy work, but it comes with going to school. I just have to find time to do the assignments. This means consecutive time...with no interruptions. My solution-I am turning my phone off during my scheduled hours. So at 5 I will have lot to answer to, but I will get my school done. I'm treating school like my job, with not being able to answer. SO everyone- between 2-5 please know I will not be answering to my phone. :-) If it's an emergency, please come knock on my door like the old school ways. lol!

I don't mind being interrupted for emergencies. I love helping out if I can. Usually I can since I get all my things done at home- I don't have to go places most of the time.

That's my spill. Other updates- well, we have come up with a really good plan that J.D. and I have been praying for as far as our future. We haven't heard from any dental schools yet, but we got another email yesterday about interviews going til April with one school. We actually have gotten 2 reply's that were no, but their are a few we are still waiting to hear from. There are a lot of other plans, but I really don't want to mention them yet. They are set, but I just don't feel that I can say anything right now. We have been trying to stay a little more private with things just in case we change our minds or we don't feel good about them. It saves us from a lot of over explaining decisions.

Dawson is doing great other than no sleep, and not loving nursery. He is growing up so much! He loves to help me clean and cook! He keeps saying he wants a baby...which won't be happening for a very long time. We ask him what baby he wants, a boy or girl? a brother or sister? He says a sister. Dawson loves little girls. He plays with them so well and loves taking care of them. lol! We got a new aquatic center here in cedar and we LOVE it! It's so warm and fun to play at. Dawson wants to go every day! Not kidding! He will get ready and tell me it's time to go swimming. lol! He loves to shower by himself, sing and dance, (mainly dance with me) and is so into How to Train Your Dragon. It's his new love. He re-inacts all the parts. He finds a basket lid for a shield, has a play knife and will talk to the dragons and say, "Get you Dragon!" And every night he sleeps with his gun-why??? He will whisper, "there's a dragon. ssshhh!" and all of the sudden BANG! he will shoot it. He reassures us too that he shot it. "Mom, Dad? I got him. It's okay. Sleepy time." lol! It cracks us up! His has lots of favorite people and will name them all. It's so funny how he pretends with things and people. I run everyday on the treadmill and lift. Dawson will get his bball shorts and shoes and follow in my footsteps. He hears us grunt sometimes when lifting, so he pretends to grunt as well. He's gettin ripped! lol!

Well, that's all I have for today. I will get pics up soon.