Nixon as Rafael for Halloween

Halloween 2013

My family always had holiday traditions back at home and there are some that Travis and I are trying to keep going. So we took Nixon to the pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins. We were going to have to resort to buying them from a place that just has them lined up on hay, but when we passed the pumpkin patch we found that a whole new batch of pumpkins had been transplanted into the pumpkin patch. (As you can see in the picture below, the pumpkins grew in a perfect line....yeah right...but we were happy to go pick a pumpkin from the patch).

..Perfectly lined pumpkins ;)..

In past years, Travis and I have tried to carve more elaborate and detailed pumpkins, but this year with a baby, we were happy to get something carved.

..Travis is the CR for the Colorado Rockies, and mine is a ghost. Trav lost a part of the C inside the R and mine lost one finger..

..Nixon was a jack-o-lantern during the day..

..and a teenage mutant ninja turtle by night..

..Our little Rafael..

We skyped with both of Nixon's grandparents that night and they just loved his little costume.

Nixon got a Halloween package from Grandma Tidwell. He is loving his new toys.

Nixon's Baby Blessing and Meeting the Fam

September 13-September 23

 

So we were basically crazy to drive to Utah with a 6 week old. Every time we would put Nixon in his car seat he would cry and cry and cry. He wouldn't stop until we would pull the carrier out of the car. Needless to say, I was super nervous that we would have a screaming baby the whole way. We headed out on Friday night and drove to Las Vegas and the next day made the rest of the trip up to Centerville. Our prayers were heard because he hardly even cried. Granted, I stayed in the back with him the whole time and he slept a lot, but I truly know our prayers were answered.

 

Of course, everyone wanted to meet Nixon! Most of the trip was hanging out, eating good food, catching up, and playing games. I was still adjusting to motherhood and was constantly stressing about Nixon crying, or needing to eat, or whatever else might come up. (Side note: Motherhood is a HUGE adjustment. People said that your motherly instincts would kick in, which I agree they did, but still, it is stress intensive for the first 2 months) We definitely had a great time catching up with family.

..Meeting the Guymon Side of the Family..

..4 BYU fans and 1 UTAH fan..

The main reason we went to Utah when we did was because Travis did not want to miss the UTAH vs BYU game. The Holy War has been going on for sometime and this was the last year before there is a gap in BYU playing the U, so he just couldn't miss it ;)

..Meeting the Tidwell side of the family..

Nixon's Baby Blessing-September 22, 2013

..Priesthood Holders in the Blessing Circle..

 

One of our main reasons for taking this trip to Utah was to have Nixon's loved ones at his blessing. We knew that if we blessed him in California that very few family members would have been able to make it. We missed having Adam, Heidi, Austin, and Ashlee Guymon there and my brother Shane, who is serving a mission in Rapid City, South Dakota.

..Guymon Crew..

..Tidwell Clan..

..Our Little Family..

We did buy him shoes to wear, but we didn't open them up until the day of. Unfortunately, they were too small, so he went without shoes. :)

 

..Nixon's Blessing..

-Blessed to gain a testimony

-Stand up for the truth

-Encouraged to read the scriptures

-Be a good Example

-Heavenly Father and Jesus love him

-Huge blessing in our life

 

It was such a special day to have our family surrounding us and to give Nixon Ray Guymon his name and a blessing. We are so grateful that we were able to share this great day with both of our families.

My Sweet Growing Baby Boy

I am sooooo far behind on blogging. Taking care of Nixon takes way more of my time than I would have ever imagined. I am intimidated by all the catching up I need to do from his first 4 months of life, but I thought I better just do a brief overview so I can start updating on a more regular basis from now going forward. It is pretty overwhelming when you have 1000 pictures of your baby from the first month! lol I guess I'm just so in love with his cuteness I can't get enough pictures! I am loving being his mom and seeing him grow. He has changed so much and it seems that everyday he does something new.

..1 month..

..2 months..

..3 months..

..4 months..

I'm so disappointed that I fell behind on my blog. It is sad how fast you forget what they were doing and what they liked at each stage. So I'm glad to be starting fresh here at 4 months.

4 Months Old

-Nixon loves to suck on his hands and he has recently found his thumb. (Not super excited about that ;))

-When we get him undressed to take a bath at night, he knows what is coming and gets super excited. He giggles and squeals and baths are his favorite! It doesn't matter how tired or upset he may be beforehand; his bath always calms him down.

-He has recently started rolling from his back to his side. I now sometimes find him facing a different direction from where I left him.

-He is most content when he is sitting on mine or Trav's lap.

-He still loves the light up cat on his little play gym and always smiles when it starts singing and lights up.

-He is get more hand coordination. He can now hold the oball football in both hands and pull it up to his mouth.

-He likes to hear me sing. If he is getting fussy in the morning as I attempt to get ready for the day, I always start singing and that will usually gets us through it.

-His favorite game with mommy is sitting on her lap facing me and bouncing on my knees.

-His favorite thing with Daddy is a game they play after he gets bathed. We lay Nixon on our bed after we dry him off and get him in a diaper. As I'm putting lotion on him and getting him in his pj's Trav will use part of the towel and move it up and down really fast created a breeze towards Nixon. Nixon always squeals and laughs and kicks his legs like crazy. He absolutely loves it!

-Nixon really enjoys walks. He likes to be sitting up in the stroller so he can see everything as we go.

-One more thing, when Nixon is super upset or we are having a hard time calming him down, we always take him outside. The second we walk out the front door he calms down. There is something about the outdoors that makes him relax. I think enjoying nature is relaxing for us all. We get to enjoy all of God's beautiful creations.

Overall Nixon is a happy baby as long as he is fed and gets his sleep. We have ran onto a few speed bumps with his naps lately. I am really working on a nap time routine so that he gets the sleep he needs. I have decided that once you think you've got this mom thing figured out, something changes and that it is all about trial and error. Something that works for one baby might not work for another and that's ok. Whenever I have a question about motherhood/parenting I always google it. I am such a googler and I sometimes stress way too much over what I read or what I should/shouldn't be doing as a mom. ha ha Both Trav and my friends suggest I stop googling everything, so I'm going to work on that :)

I really do love being a mom and especially to my little Nixon. Even though at times during the past 4 months I didn't know how I could make it through the day on such little sleep, somehow I made it. I know Heavenly Father has heard my prayers and helped me with this adjustment of motherhood. I believe as a parent to any age child, you need Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Spirit by your side to give you strength, patience, and inspiration.

I L.O.V.E my sweet boy!



Guymon Gathering

 This is the second post for our May trip to Utah. We have to hit both families while we are there, which keep us super busy. We had a great time spending time with the Guymon's. Marian and Ray had a little trip planned for me and Travis. We hopped in Ray's truck and went to explore some of the Indian dwellings and petroglyphs that are near Huntington, Utah. It was crazy to see where some of the Indians used to dwell. There honestly wasn't that much shelter from the cold weather, but they found places to live that were under large bolder overhangs. They also took us to see pictographs in the San Rafael Swell.

The picture above is of the Rochester Rock Art Panel. It has many petroglyphs and is the larger one I have ever seen in my live. The details were pretty impressive.

 

 Of course Trav wanted to go golfing with his dad. Marian and I usually tag along as the golf cart girls. It was so fun to enjoy the beauty of Eastern Utah and watch Trav do something that he really loves. We always have a great time and the weather was absolutely PERFECT!!

Next we headed up to Jaime's house. I was in shock when we opened the door and Laura and Megan were there! They had decided to come down and throw me a surprise shower. It was so much fun. The adults went to dinner at the Olive Garden, which is my absolutely favorite, while the kiddos stayed back with a baby sitter. Travis' sisters are all SOO awesome. They give great advice and always have us laughing.

Then we went back for the shower. Heidi, my SIL, wasn't able to make it, but she had helped to put the cute decorations and Nixon banner together. I thought it was super cute and we sure missed having her there!! Once again, Nixon was totally showered with lots of wonderful gifts. My MIL had made several flannel blankets and burp cloths that have been wonderful to have and Megan made a darling crocheted blanket. We also got to meet our newest nephew Sean who was born on April 1!!

Avery wrote the special little note to Nixon that she taped on the bumbo chair she gave us.

 

We hit up IKEA the next morning and had lunch together before Megan and Laura had to head back to Idaho. Trav and I are so lucky to have wonderful families. They are so fun, supportive, and thoughtful. We love them dearly and cherish every moment that we get to spend with them.

Tidwell Time--Last May

May 10-19-Trip to Utah

**Warning Picture Overload**

I'm slightly late posting this....but I had started it months ago so I thought I would finish it.

 

Last time we took our trip to Utah in October 2012, we were 1 minute late to check our bags onto the plane and so we had to fly out 6 hours later. I was totally bummed and upset. So this time we decided to stay the night in Fresno so we could more easily catch our flight that left at 6:30 AM. We made it on time :) which we were all happy about. 

When we arrived, I was so excited to see Mckenna!! The last time I saw her she was 6 weeks old and now she is 7 1/2 months old and she started to crawl while we were there. I played with her all day Friday and hung out with my mom. Trav, Shane, Josh and my dad went golfing at ???

You can see who is the star of the show in the family ;) We all can't get enough of her. What a DOLL!!

Travis text me while they were golfing and said, "Couldn't have picked a better day [for golfing]."

 On Saturday, we got up early and got all fixed up for family pictures. I'll have to post the pictures when I get them, but luckily we got some good ones. We then headed to the Bountiful Temple to do sealings. It was a very spiritual and uplifting experience to have my parents and all of my siblings and spouses in the temple together. What a neat opportunity that I am so grateful for. That night we had a great time mini golfing at Cherry Hill. I think Travis won.....as always.

My brother, Shane, got called to serve in the Rapid City, South Dakota Mission. He gave a wonderful talk at his farewell and is so ready to go and serve the Lord. He is bummed he is going to be gone when Nixon is born, but we'll be sure to send him lots of pictures. It was so good to see a lot of our extended family that we have hardly seen since we moved to California at his farewell.

 

My mom, aunt, and Grandma Ford threw me a darling sailor themed shower. Nixon got spoiled with tons of gifts. The food was delicious, but my favorite part was spending time with family.

 

My long time friends and their moms got together at Kneaders in Bountiful to celebrate Nixon's soon arrival as well.
From Left-Right
Sheri, Michelle, Lara Barenz, Peggy (Lara's Mom), Caitlyn Cottrell (who is also expecting), Tara (who is also expecting), Shauna (Tara's mom), Burgundy Heiner, and Tami (Burgundy's mom).

Every time we get together, it is as if we never have been apart. I am the only one that lives out of state, so they rest of the girls get together often, but I'm so glad they make the time to hang out when I'm in town. Nothing beats girl's time out!!

Nixon's Birth Story

Born: Thursday, July 25th at 6:45 am
Nixon Ray Guymon
8 lbs 2 oz
20.5 inches long

It was Wednesday night. Mark, Trav's brother, had just got home from his mission in Morristown, New Jersey that day at 1 PM. I had been at work all day and actually had taken a 2 hour break in the afternoon to go and do a free tour of the mother/baby unit that they offer at Kaweah Delta Hospital where I was going to have Nixon. It had been a typical day at work and I ended up working until about 5:30 that night, which is later than usual because I wanted to make the time I had missed while I was at the tour.  The tour that day had been very informative and actually helped to calm some of my worries about having the baby, where I would be in the hospital, and kind of how everything would go down. Travis and I were going to take the labor and delivery class, but the dates did not work with our schedule. When we asked my OBGYN, Dr. Wiseman, if he recommended we take them, he said, "You don't have to have a certificate to have a baby. The baby will come either way." He also told us that we seemed like a more relaxed couple and so he didn't think it was necessary and we could save the money, but we could if we wanted to. (I apparently had been hiding my anxiety pretty good, or it was more like it didn't really hit until I was in labor, which by that point it is too late anyways.) I did, however, read the manuals that my sister got from her labor and delivery and breastfeeding classes that she was so nice to mail to me. Those really answered most of my questions.

Also, it just so happened that earlier in the day, on July 24th, I had left work for a couple of hours to take a tour of the hospital with other expecting mothers. They showed us where to go and answered questions on what to expect. I am super glad I went on the tour that day because little did I know I would go into labor in about four hours and if I hadn't gone on this tour, would have had NO idea where I was going.

So back to the story.... Travis was on his way home from work and called me like usual. He told me he would be home in 10 mins and that we would Skype with Mark when he got home so we could hear about his mission and how it was to be home again. Trav asked me to text his family to let them know we would wanted to skype soon so they would be ready. After I got of the phone, I went to use the restroom. After I was walking back into the family room to chill until Trav got home. As I was walking I realized I was leaking. I couldn't decide if I was wetting myself or what, but I thought to myself...." I just used the bathroom, like what is going on." I realized my water had just broke. I ran back into the bathroom. I was kind of starting to freak out inside once the reality of the situation hit me. I started to shake a little and I was mildly, okay majorly, going into a kind of shock mode. Just as all of this was happening, I hear Travis walk through the garage door. I yelled to Trav from the bathroom kind of panicky, "Trav, uhhh my water just broke." He was like, "Are you sure?"  I was like, "If that wasn't my water breaking I don't know what it is."At that moment I don't think either of us quite knew what to do or say and we were both in shock. I immediately starting asking him to start to get my hospital bag ready.

Side note, I had been thinking about how I needed to get my hospital bag ready for weeks, but I just hadn't gotten around to it. Recently, like I think earlier that week, I had finally decided to go get something I could wear home from the hospital that would be comfy, some nursing bras, and small toiletries to take with me to the hospital. Thank HEAVENS I had at least done that much. All these items were sitting in their bags in a pile by my nightstand.

Right before we left to the hospital 39 weeks

I hurried and took a shower, (at the same time telling Trav what to grab), put on make-up, and did my hair (other girls had told me to do this so that you have a nice shower and feel good before you go through labor, since they don't let you shower for a little bit) Then we headed to the hospital, which is only about 10 mins away. They checked us in and sent us to the labor and delivery triage room. The nurse did a test to see if my water had actually broke. It is similar to a pregnancy test where if two lines show, then your water actually broke. She sat there for a while and looked at it and was like, I'm not so sure I am seeing the second line and walked out of the room. Trav and I were sitting there and I just kept saying, "I'm 99.9% sure that was my water breaking. I don't know what else it could have been." We waited about 15 mins and she came back in. She looked at the strip again and was like I think I might see a very faint second line. Then she showed Trav and I the strip to get our opinion (which I thought was interesting lol) Of course, we both said we saw the faint line. It was there, just almost invisible. At that point, they took us to the labor and delivery room. As we waited, I told Trav to start texting family. Then the nurse walked in and quickly stopped him. We didn't know we couldn't use cellphones in the labor and delivery room, so Trav went out into the lobby to let our families know what was going on.

They waited until I was dilated to a 5 before they even started getting ready for the epidural. The epidural wasn't too bad actually compared to the contractions. After the epidural, they checked me again and I was at a 9. I was progressing really fast for a first pregnancy. Finally at 3 am I was at a 10. I pushed for a while without of ton of success. So they asked if I wanted to take a rest. I said a 30 min rest would be nice so that hopefully I could regain more energy to push this little boy out. The nurse came back after 30 min and instead of having me push, she turned down my epidural majorly and gave me Pitocin. I sat there wondering what was going on. I was starting to feel the pain of the contractions again. I kept telling Trav, "should I call the nurse and see what the plan is?" I waited a while longer and finally I had to know what was going on. When the nurse came in I found out what was happening.  The Dr that was supposed to come and deliver me was busy with two other deliveries. My nurse assured me she would be in soon. We waited some more (remember that this whole time I was dilated to a 10).

 Finally the pain was becoming unbearable. I pushed the nurse button and told the girl that answered that the pain was killing me and I needed some sort of pain medication. She said she'd let my nurse know. When my nurse finally came back in it was now 6 AM, time for shift change. She brought in two other new nurses. I asked her for more pain meds, but she said it was too late. She did a run through of what had happened so far with the new nurses. I could tell by their faces that they weren't too excited to be taking on a situation where a woman in labor was in major pain she wasn't planning on. I can't say I was very happy or pleasant. I was super upset and frustrated. When they told the doctor was done with the other deliveries, I was thinking, FINALLY!! Then the nurses kept talking back and forth and running in and out of my room saying they couldn't find the doctor. They had called her cell phone, checked the bathroom, left her voicemails. They weren't sure where she was. I absolutely couldn't believe this was happening. I was having very hard contractions and had waited forever and now they couldn't find the doctor?!?!?! I can't even tell you how happy I was when she finally walked in the room at about 6:30 am.

 By that time my epidural was worn off. It was SOOOOOOOOOO painful!! I can't even describe how it felt. I can't believe that some girls choose to do it with no pain meds, but everyone is free to do whatever they want. Nixon was born at 6:45 am. Super healthy and perfect. When they placed him on my chest, I just couldn't even believe it. I was so relieved he was finally here and that the labor was finally over. Trav told me that he teared up when he saw Nixon. It is just an overwhelming feeling of joy, responsibility, and indescribable love.  He scored 9's on both his APGAR tests.  Once he was born, all the pain was forgotten because I had this precious angel in my arms.

Weighed 8 lbs 2 oz

 

Needless to say, Travis and I am so in love with Nixon. It is the most special experience to have your own child. There just isn't anything that compares to the immediate joy and eternal love we feel for him.

After a couple hours of nurses watching me and Nixon closely after I delivered him, they took us over into the mother baby unit. While we were there, we skyped with my family and Travis' family.  The nurse gave Nixon his first bath and Trav, me and Nixon just enjoyed our first day together. Friday at about 1 pm we headed home. It was kind of different not having all of our family come to the hospital to visit. I mean my whole life growing up I imagined what it would be like when I had my first child and had expectations of what the hospital stay would be like with visitors and all, but I knew that having Nixon in California would be different. I can say it would have been fun to have family there and to be able to show everyone his cuteness, but there was something really special about me, Trav,  and Nixon being able to bond together right from the get go as OUR new family.

Nixon's first bath

First Family Photo

Something I have definitely learned from living far away from our immediate families, is that I have to depend on Travis. He is my best friend, my strength, and I go to him for advice. Our relationship has grown even stronger from needing to lean on each other through the ups and downs of life.

Thoughts I wrote back on the week he was born- Nixon is such a good baby!! Seriously. He eats really good, sleeps really good, and honestly hardly cries. He loves to have his hands up by his face and he loves to be bundled up in a blanket and held close to your body. Basically, he is PERFECT and we are so in love!

Car ride home

2/3 of the way.....so excited...and yet somewhat nervous

Sunday, May 5

Yesterday I officially hit the 3rd trimester mark. I can't believe how fast it is going now!! I'm so excited to meet our little baby boy, but I'm getting nervous for all the unknowns of labor and being a new mom.

My sister sent me this in a magazine when she was pregnant and so she shared it with me. It really puts things into perspective as I prepare to have a life-altering change in my life. She sent this at a perfect time for me.

Getting Back to Normal
News flash: Life as you knew it is essentially over, or at least on hold for while (Try the next 18 years of so) You can't just pick up and easily to take a weekend trip, and happy hour now includes a baby bottle. Your sleep is no longer you own. If you wait for life to get back to the normal you once knew you're going to be very disappointed.
The fix: Realize there is a "new normal' dawning , and it's going to be brighter and better than anything you could have imagined. You'll say goodbye, and perhaps even grieve, the loss of certain aspects of your old life. But you'll also learn to love your new life with your precious baby. In the chaotic days and weeks that follow birth, it may seem like things will never be routine again  but rest assured they will. Soon you'll look back on your pregnancy and new motherhood with a great deal of nostalgia and maybe tell a labor story or two of your own.

23 Weeks

Between about 22 weeks and now (I'm currently 27 weeks), I feel our baby boy daily. I absolutely love it!! It is so crazy and cool all at the same time to know that I have my baby growing inside me. He is always with me, so I'm never alone. I really like that and I'm definitely IN LOVE!!

26 Weeks

Travis and I are continuing to try to get ready for his arrival. We got the dresser and crib yesterday. The dresser was already put together, but we put the crib together last night. I imagined what it will be like to have our little sweetie asleep in his crib, or even better in my arms. I just can't wait!

On Friday, April 26th we went to get a 4D Ultrasound. Our boy only cooperated for about 3 mins. After that he turned his head away and they couldn't get another 3D shot. The tech got a couple of pictures and we have about 3 mins of film, which is really neat. While they were filming in 4D he yawned and you can see his tongue  It is DARLING!! I wish he would have been a little less camera shy, but I guess he wants to save the surprise for when he makes his official appearance. :) I'm so grateful that I get to be a mother to mine and Trav's child. It is such a special blessing that I am and will be eternally grateful for.