Busy Month...and it's not over yet!

So, one of the reasons I haven't blogged in a long time is because I hate sitting down in our dungeon of a basement, where it is cold and not really a fun place to cozy up and write. Just now, on my way to sit down and blog, my feelings of our lovely basement were confirmed. Just when I reached the bottom of the stairs, there was an enormous spider waiting for me, as if saying "stay out, this is my domain." It's not the first encounter I've had with these lovely 8 legged creatures, I pretty much have to kill one (or try to but sometimes those buggers get away) every time I come downstairs to blog or do laundry. Hmm, no wonder Josh does the majority of the laundry here in the Leatherow household. Anyway, I tried to kill this one with a plastic water bottle, but those really aren't too conducive for killing spiders. I'm sure he'll get his next time he tries to run across my feet. So, a nice laptop would solve all my problems!!
This month has been crazy busy, as I'm sure you all know. I think we have most of our Christmas shopping done, I just have to get Josh a few more things and then we are good to go. We did spoil Liam this year, he is getting plenty of toys, clothes, books, and Cd's. Cd's for a 7 month old you ask??? They are for the stereo we got him for his bedroom. That little boy loves to listen to music, so we got a whole bunch of lullaby Cd's for him to listen to when he goes to bed. The best part of having a 7 month old at Christmas time is, you can take them shopping with you and they have no clue that you are buying stuff for them!
Liam is doing great, still growing like a weed! I think he is up to around 20 lbs now, Grandpa Bob weighed him today when we went over to visit. He got Liam his first rocking horse for Christmas, it is the cutest thing. Liam gave it a test run today and loved it!! He is getting into the crawling position a little more, but still doesn't go anywhere. He is such a good boy and the joy of our lives, we love him so much and are so blessed to have a strong, healthy boy!!
As for Josh and myself, nothing really new with us. Here is a random thought...so, the medication that I am on called Plavix must really thin out my blood because I have been so cold lately. I'm pretty sure I'm in a state of hypothermia all the time. Seriously, I shiver constantly if I don't have a lot of layers on or if I'm not sitting by the heater vent. To bed, I wear thermal pants, a sweatshirt, then we have our quilt, then on top of that I double over our big down comforter so I have 2 layers of that. Then, most of the time I have to sleep with my head under the covers because my head and nose gets cold. I will be glad when Winter is over and the 80 degrees is back!!
I guess that's all I have to say for now, attached are some cute pics of Liam and one of our Christmas tree. Enjoy and have a Merry Christmas!!

We had a great week until...

This past week was a great week, up until about Saturday when Liam came down with the stomach flu. Saturday morning when Liam woke up around 8:30, he had throw-up all over his mouth and his sheets. He seemed pretty good that day, then again on Sunday morning when he woke up his sheets were drenched with throw up. I heard him choking about 6:00 after I put him back down after his 5:00 bottle, so I went in and there he was laying in his throw up. So, I cleaned him up and put him back to sleep. He was okay on Sunday, just a little more spitty than usual. Well, yesterday he stopped taking his full bottles. He would only eat a few ounces here and there and some cereal. So, I started giving him water through his sippy cup, which he didn't really like but at least it was a way to get some fluids in. I also gave him some ice to suck on and he really liked that. Today was much of the same. He did eat one 6oz bottle, but then about 10 minutes later threw the whole thing up. So I called the Dr. and she said he probably just has a little stomach virus and to keep an eye on him and make sure he is getting plenty of fluids and has at least 1 wet diaper in an 8 hour period. He seems to be feeling a little better tonight, he did keep down a 5oz bottle so I hope he is on the mend. I hate having him feel like crap and I can't do anything about it. Josh is going to stay home from work tomorrow with him. Hopefully he gets better. Poor little guy!
We had a great Thanksgiving! Josh's Brother Dale deep fried the turkey and it was fabulous!! It was the first deep fried one we had ever had and we loved it!! The pics posted are of Thanksgiving Day. Liam started his day by going through the ads with Josh and picking out his Christmas gifts. Then his dorky Mom dressed him in his cute shirt and his way cute turkey hat which everyone thought was so adorable. He loved his sweet potatoes and even with all the noise, he managed to take about a 45 min nap.
I went with my Mom and Sarah to see Twilight on Saturday while Liam and Josh had a male bonding experience at home. I really liked the movie and thought it was just like the book. I'm excited for the second movie which I'm sure will be just as good if not better.
We also put up our Christmas decorations on Sunday. It didn't take too long, we were done in about 2 hours or so. Liam loves his tree!! Yes, we gave Liam his own Christmas tree. We decorated it with colored lights and all of his baby's first Christmas ornaments, as well as the colored balls. We thought it would be a great tradition to start having Liam (and future children) pick out one ornament each year for their own tree. That way, I can decorate my tree the way I want and still have a fun one for the kids.
I guess that's all the news I have for this week. I'll write again soon!!

Liam is 6 months!! and Happy Thanksgiving!!

Yes you read the title right, Liam is 6 months already!! I can't even believe it, the time goes by so quickly. I took him to his 6 month check-up yesterday and it went just fine. He weighs 18 lbs and is 28 inches long! He is a pretty tall boy for having such short parents. He is in the 90% for his height and head (no shock there), and in the 70% for his weight. The Dr. said he is a strong, healthy boy! She said he is eating just the right amounts and he is right on track for all of his developmental milestones. He is so cute and just keeps getting cuter everyday! We love you little magoo!!

Josh finished up his Biggest Loser competition last week. His total weight loss was 21 lbs, making him weigh in at 169 lbs for the final weigh in putting him in second place. So, he didn't get the $200 prize money for first place, but his team came in first place so each member got $40. He did a great job and we are so proud of him. He had a good time and thought it was a great experience, they will probably do it again in the late Winter or early Spring to get ready for Summer.

Nothing new with me, just same ol' stuff. We got most of Liam's Christmas shopping done, just a little here and there to finish up. We are looking forward to Liam's first Thanksgiving and will post pics soon. We are having dinner at Josh's brother's house, then we are going to my Mom's later that evening for dessert. So, until next time and have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Leatherow Land

I guess it's been about 2 weeks since I've posted anything so I'll try to recall what has happened in Leatherow land. To start off, Liam now has 2 bottom teeth. His second one came in last weekend, and since then he has been in such a great mood. He was a little fussy last weekend, but who wouldn't be when a tooth is reaming a path through your gums. So now, all is well. He is still eating his cereal and baby food, and my Mom picked us up a baby food grinder so I am excited to give that a try. It should be nice knowing we can make Liam's baby food ourselves and not have to trust what is on the shelf at the grocery store. I watched a news program last week and I was shocked to see just how much baby food was stocked on the shelves that was expired. He is starting to get in the position like he is going to crawl. He pushes himself up on his hands and sometimes manages to get his knees under him, then he just kind of scoots along. I can just tell, he is going to be into everything when he starts crawling. He is so fun and such a great baby. He is seriously in a good mood all the time and all smiles. He is such a flirt as well, guys or girls he isn't prejudice, he likes to smile and laugh at everyone. We love you so much little man and we say everyday to each other, "what did we ever do without you?"

Josh has one more week left in the Biggest Loser. He weighs 171 which was the same as last week, so that makes a total of 19 lbs lost so far. He is hoping to drop at least 2 more pounds so he can be in the 160s by the end of the competition. He has done such a great job and I am so proud of him. He set a goal for himself and followed through with such a great attitude. I'm just going to take a second to brag about him for a minute. He is such a wonderful husband and father and Liam and I are so thankful for him and all the blessings he brings into our lives. Thanks babe for all you do, we love you so much!!

I had my first follow up appointment this week from my heart procedure. They did an echo cardiogram to make sure the device they put in wasn't showing any signs of slipping, and to make sure there was no extra fluid around my heart which would indicate an allergic reaction to the nickle which is what the device is made of. The Dr. said all was well and everything looked perfect. I just have to go again in April for another check up.

I guess that's all that I can think of for now. The pics posted are from Halloween and just some other random pics. Until next time....

Family Pictures

We had our family pictures taken on Saturday, and we just wanted to share a few. The photographer is Marissa Vargason and we think she did an amazing job. The pics were taken at the old American Can Company warehouse on 21st and Grant in Ogden. We went with the urban look, which is the old brick, loading dock style. The five pics are just a preview, she is supposed to have the rest done on Thursday so we'll keep you posted. The pics are on her blog page which is http://photosbymarissa.blogspot.com/ and they are under the heading "Another Gorgeous Family" Enjoy!!

Our Big Boy

So, I'm sure all who read this have noticed it's been a while since I last posted anything. I guess we've just been really busy, doing what I don't know, but it seems like I just haven't had the time to sit down and write anything. So, I found time tonight to sit down and think of a few things to blog about.

Liam is getting his first tooth!!! That being the reason for the title of this weeks blog entry. His tooth is just starting to poke up out of the gum, the top is visible and you can feel the rough part where it is poking out. I had a feeling he was teething because he was drooling quite a bit, and he had a runny nose about two weeks ago. He never really ran a fever, but he has woken up during the night for the past few weeks which is not his norm. He hasn't been too fussy either, just here and there. So, our boy is growing so fast I can't even believe it. He has also rolling from his back to his tummy, but hasn't quite figured out how to roll from his tummy to his back yet. Which makes me nervous, because he likes to roll on his tummy in the middle of the night and sleep that way. So, we find ourselves checking on him during the night and having to put him back on his back to sleep. He is so fun and his personality is coming out more and more which is fun to experience.

Josh is still in the top 2 for the Biggest Loser. He has lost a total of 19 lbs so far weighing in at 171. I think he is in second place and still has about 3 weeks to go. Great job babe!!!

I had the opportunity to babysit Liam's babysitter's 2 girls this week for a day, and let me just say that we are so waiting quite a while before we have another baby. One girl is two and a half and the other one is one. Add Liam to that mixture and it made for quite a busy day. The girls were really good and it actually went better than I thought, but it was still so busy. Margaret, Liam's sitter, watches them all every Wednesday, so now I have so much respect and I am so grateful for what she does because it is seriously work. I have them again next Tuesday, but Josh is home with me so it should be just fine.

The pics posted are just random ones so enjoy until next time!

Let it snow...

We got our first snow storm here in Utah, yep it's the 12th of October and the yard is covered in snow. It snowed pretty much all day, so I think it's safe to say that Winter is upon us!

So, it's been about a week since I've blogged, and as you can tell since I'm the one writing this, my surgery went well and I'm still kickin'. I'll talk about that later, I wanted to update on Liam and Josh first.

Liam's new thing this week is to stick out his tongue. I don't mean every now and then, I mean all the time. Every time we look at him, he has his tongue out. It is very cute, but he drenches his clothes in slobber. He is doing so great and getting bigger everyday. We took some pics of him with the pumpkins we have on our porch and they turned out way cute! He is still loving his rice cereal, though I'm not sure he is loving the applesauce I mix with it. Last night he kept spitting it out and making a scowl when Josh would feed him. So, maybe I'll try mixing it with a veggie instead. I hear veggies aren't so bitter so maybe he will like that better. I had my surg. on Friday, so he got to spend the day with G & G Harlow. My Mom came over at 5:00 in the morning to stay with him, since we had to be down to U of U by 6:30. They had a good day and when I talked to Mom the next day she said she was worn out and her knees and legs were sore from getting down on the floor to play with him. But, they had fun.

Josh is still doing great in the Biggest Loser. He has lost a total of 17 lbs so far and weighs 173!! He is so good!! He has been such an amazing help this weekend with me being limited in my activities. I am not supposed to lift or walk around with Liam until tomorrow, so he has been doing all of that. He had gotten up with him when he wakes up in the early morning for his bottle, not that he didn't before we just traded off. He has done it all weekend and I am so grateful. He went out and rented 3 movies and we have just spent a chill weekend here at home which had been very nice. I've rested and taken it easy like a good girl, but can't wait for tomorrow when I get to pick Liam up again.

So, I had my procedure to close my PFO done on Friday. All went well and I am so glad that it is over. It only took about an hour to complete, but then I had to lay flat for 6 hours without moving my right leg or even lifting my head!! That was the worst part of the whole experience, and I would take my c-section over that any day, at least I could get up and walk around after it. Plus, there was no T.V. and I couldn't read laying down, and I couldn't sleep because it was way noisy and the nurse comes in every 15 minutes to check my groin to make sure it wasn't bleeding too badly. But, after all that everything appears to be fine and I actually feel pretty good. I just have to take it easy, and like I said before, I can't hold or pick up Liam until tomorrow. So, thank you to all who wished me well, I'm lucky to have such great friends and family.

The Latest Leatherow News

So, it's been a little over a week since I've posted anything new, I guess we've just been busy. I'll try my best to write about all the latest info I can remember. Lets start with Liam's 4 month check up. He had that done last week, and he is doing so great! He still is a chunk, he weighs 15.6 lbs and is 25 1/2 inches long. He is in the 85th percentile for weight, and the 75th for height. The Dr. says he has the measurements of a 6 month old. No wonder he is already wearing 6-9 month outfits at only 4 months old. They said he is perfect!! We started him on the rice cereal this last week. The first couple of feedings he didn't really like so much, he only would eat a couple of bites and be done. Tonight he turned over a new leaf because he ate all that I made for him. I switched from plain rice cereal to the rice cereal that has a mixed fruit flavor and he seems to like that a lot better. So, he is doing so great!! He is so fun and starting to develop more of his personality. He for sure knows what he likes and what he doesn't like, and he isn't afraid to say so. He doesn't cry so much, but he does this really high pitched squeal that almost hurts our ears. He loves to be outside and loves to go on his daily walks. He thinks Gus, our dog, is the greatest thing in the world, next to Mom and Dad of course. He cracks up every time Gus comes into view or licks his feet. What a stud as my Dad calls him!!

Josh is still doing so great in the biggest loser contest. He is down to 174 lbs, which is a total of 16 pounds lost so far!! He sticks to the healthy food and is also good at getting me to go along with it. I am very proud of him and hope he keeps up the good work.

Nothing new with me really, just loving being a Mom!! We are getting our family pictures taken in November, so we are really looking forward to that.

The pics posted are just some random pics again...enjoy!!

What a great weekend!

This weekend was one of the best weekends we've spent as a family in a long time. It is so nice having Saturdays off, rather than having to work every other Saturday like I used to. We had such beautiful weather this weekend, we were outside for the majority of it.

Saturday, Josh started off his day with a 6:30am run, while Liam and I slept in until about 8:00. Josh ran about 3 miles, then came home, took a shower, then headed to Wal-Mart to do the weekly grocery shopping. What a great husband he is!! Liam and I in the mean time ate and got ourselves ready for the day. When Josh got home, we decided it was so nice outside that we didn't just want to sit around the house, so we decided to go for a walk down the Ogden River Parkway. So, we packed up Little L and headed out. I don't know how far we walked, but I'm guessing is was at least 2 miles because we were gone a little over an hour. It was great fun!

After that, we went home to eat lunch and then we headed to our nephew Kegan's football game. He is 8 and plays for Plain City, and this is his first year playing. They lost, but did pretty well. Kegan plays both offense and defense, so he got in some pretty good tackles, and he even ran the ball down the field. I'm not too sure about the football lingo, so I hope I phrased everything correctly.

After we got home, Liam went down for his nap and then later that night for dinner we went up to the Oaks for dinner. It was kind of chilly, and silly me forgot my jacket, but we ate out by the river and had a great time. We bundled Liam up in a jacket, 2 blankets, a beanie cap, and his jacket hood. He looked like Ralphie's brother in A Christmas Story (which it is almost time to bust out that movie and watch it). Anyway, this nice man saw that Josh was taking our pictures and he got up from his table and came over to ours and offered to take our picture. So, the one posted of all three of us is the one he took. So, that was our fun filled Saturday.

Sunday was just so laid back and relaxed. After Church, we came home ate lunch and played with Liam until it was time for his nap. Little did we know he ended up taking a 3 hour nap!! Sweet...Josh and I took about an hour nap and then even had time to pick up the house a bit and put up our Fall decorations. When the little man woke up, we headed over to Great Grandma's house to visit. Her Birthday was the day before and we weren't able to get together, so we had dinner and spent the Sunday evening with her. So, that was our weekend!!

Josh is still doing great in the Biggest Looser competition. This week he weighed in at 177 lbs, which means he has lost a total of 13 so far!!

Nothing new with me...

The pics posted are of the Oaks, and just some of us and Liam around the house. Until next time...

A little of this, a little of that...

I don't really have much to write about this week, it was kind of a lame weekend because Josh had to work so Liam and I just hung out at home. This blog just has random information that happened over the last week or so. I'll start with me. I went to the Cardiologist last Tuesday, and I scheduled to have the repair done on my heart for October 10th. It is a pretty simple procedure, nothing too hairy. I will even get to go home the same day if everything goes well. They will go in through my groin area into the femoral artery and up to where the hole is, then they will take this device that looks like a mesh clam and clamp the hole shut from both sides. Then, I just have to lay flat for a few hours and then go home! I am having it done at the U of U, and the sucky thing is, we have to be there at 6:30am. So, Liam is going to have his first sleepover with G & G Harlow the night before. So, I'm sure all will be fine and check back for updates!

Josh is still battling his way through the Biggest Loser, and so far he has lost 11 lbs!! He is down to 179, way to go babe!! He has been doing such a great job at eating healthy, even though his wife is having a hard time laying off the sweets. I'll try to do better!!

Liam is still as cute as ever. He has found his feet, so whenever he lies on his back he always has his feet in his hands. There is a pic posted of him playing with them. He is such a great baby and everyone that is around him can't believe how happy he is, always smiling at them. He is starting to look more and more like Josh the older he gets. He is just the greatest thing that has happened to Josh and I and we can't put into words how much we love him and what a blessing he has been to us and our family.

Well, I guess that's it for this blog (see, I told you we were lame this week). Hopefully there will be some good stuff next blog.

Posted are the pics of our new car, and some random pics of Liam from this past week. The one of Liam in his shirt and tie were taken before church on Sunday. I found that cute shirt at a little craft boutique that my Mom and I went to. Anyway, until next time...

Labor Day Weekend

As this Labor Day weekend comes to a close, I thought it would be a good time to update our blog while Josh is home and Liam is taking his nap. I had to work on Friday, so it was Josh's day to have Liam all to himself. They had a Daddy-Son day and Josh taught Liam the fine art of buying a new car. Yes that's right, I came home from work on Friday night to find a new car sitting in the driveway. I knew all about it, so it was fine. We bought a new 2009 Hyundai Sonata and we love it!! The Saturn was getting up there in miles and started to not run so great, plus Josh found that the wheel bearings (whatever those are) were going out and it would be pretty expensive to fix, so why not get a new car!! We had been looking at the Sonatas for a while and really loved it when we took it for a test drive. Plus, it only was $50 more a month than we were paying for our 2003 Saturn. So, Josh taught our son the fine art of price negotiating and did a good job at that. We will post pics soon, we have to take it to get the windows tinted tomorrow.

On Saturday we drove up to Mirror Lake. It was about a 2 hour drive and Liam slept the whole way which was nice. G & G Harlow were already camped up there, so we drove up to spend the day with them. It was fun and I think Liam had fun too, until the drive home which I will talk about in a minute. So, when we got up there, we went for a walk around the lake and then back to the trailer to just hang out. We tried to put Liam down for a nap, but there were too many cars driving in and out and it kept waking him up. Josh and I went for a bike ride around the campground while Liam hung out with the grandparents. Then, we fixed a yummy steak dinner and headed home. It was very pretty up there and the weather was great! So, Liam fell asleep right before we were ready to leave. Silly me, I thought he would sleep he whole way home like he did on the way up, and since he didn't get in a nap. Boy was I wrong! He slept for about 20 minutes, then woke up. At first he was fine, but then started to fuss. So, we pulled into a little hamburger place so I could make him a bottle. He didn't eat very much before he started to fuss again. So, from about Kamas to home, which is about an hour and a half, he pretty much cried the whole way. He was so tired he could barely hold his eyes open, but he just wouldn't give in and fall asleep. I even sat in the back seat to try to keep him entertained,but he wouldn't have any of it. So, after a very frustrating car ride home, we got in, fed Liam, and put him right to bed. And that little Angel slept 9 hours that night. So, it was a great day trip except for the ride home.

Sunday, I had to work again, so Josh took Liam out to his brother Dale's house for a family BBQ. He said they had a great time and Liam was very good. He is such a happy baby and just smiled and thought everyone was the funniest thing he had ever seen. I'm sorry I missed out, but I'm sure we'll do it again soon.

Today is Monday, Labor Day, and we are just having a chill day at home. Liam is down for his second nap and Josh and I are just enjoying the day being home with the family. We are going out to Great Grandma's later and will probably go to dinner somewhere. So, until the next blog...

The pictures are of Mirror Lake, and just some other random ones from the weekend!!

Since the last blog...

We have been big time slackers. A lot has happened since our last post, but we haven't updated it mostly because we ran out of batteries for our camera and couldn't upload pictures to share. Who wants to read a blog with no pictures?! One of the biggest changes around here is that after 3 short months I have gone back to work part time. It's not as bad as I thought it would be. I only work 2 days a week for 12 hrs each day. I work every other Sunday, every Wednesday, then every other Friday. We only send Liam to a babysitter one day a week (Wednesday). I thought I would have a meltdown the first day but I did surprisingly well and was only a little teary eyed.

Liam is doing great and is growing like a weed! I can't believe he is already 3 months old! He is now wearing size 3 diapers. I know this may not be a big deal to most of you but for a first time Mom this is BIG! I can't believe my little boy is already big enough to wear big boy diapers. At least he won't be leaking out the top every time he poops! Liam is also starting to babble and grab at his toys, which is always fun to sit and watch. We haven't gotten a full laugh out of him yet but we think he is close.

Josh starts his version of The Biggest Loser tomorrow at work and is excited about it. He went to the doctors last week and was put on blood pressure medicine. Given his family history of heart disease the doctor wanted to start him on something now. Josh said I could share his beginning weight with all of you so that you can follow along for the next 12 weeks to see how he does. He will start at 190 lbs and hopes to go down to the 150's. After he loses the first 25 lbs he gets a flat screen TV for the bedroom. (A prize fro both of us!) He has wanted one for awhile now and thought that this would be a great incentive to push him along.

This past weekend we left Liam with G&G Harlow and went to dinner and the to Toad's with our friends Dave and Aleece. We had a lot of fun and played a little mini golf and did the go-carts. We will for sure have to go back and try the laser tag! Liam did great with G&G Harlow (we new he would be fine), and we decided we should try and get out alone a little more often (well Josh thinks so). Well I better end this long post. We bought batteries and should be able to post more frequently.

It's been a few days since our last post but I was waiting to upload some pics to share. Last week Jenn's Aunt Carol and Uncle Jim flew in from Sacramento (their not really her aunt and uncle but the relationship is hard to explain so we just call them aunt and uncle). They came to see Little L for the first time. It was great spending a few days with them and we can't wait to take Little L down to their house for a visit! We hope it happens sooner than later!

Josh's sister Tess got married on Friday. It was a nice small wedding except for the 100+ temperature. Little L didn't like the heat so much so we had to leave early. Congrats Tess and Blake!

Saturday night we had our annual ElderPolusa. This is something we look forward to every year. One of our friends in our ward has a huge hill in their backyard so we get a large roofers tarp and throw a couple of sprinklers on it and have an awesome time going down it. This year we only had a few injuries with only one person requiring immediate medical attention. Jenn has promised to give it a try next year and I look forward to taking Little L down the hill a few times!

On Sunday we had the opportunity to bless Little L at church. It was great having both of our families there to share in the occasion. We are very grateful to Josh's 2 brothers Dale and Tom who took time off work to run up to the church to help with the blessing. It was an amazing opportunity to bless Little L. Jenn and I are truly blessed to have him as our son, he is such a great baby!

After the blessing Josh's nephews and his brother Shon stayed and hung out at our house for awhile. The boys loved playing with Gus and Gus loved playing with them. Gus has been left out a bit since Little L was born but he had a lot of fun wrestling with the boys!