Another milestone!!!

I was in the shower and missed the whole thing, of course! Dave took this video on his cell phone and it only will record 30 seconds. Dave said that he was able to get back over for the second time, but the video cut off too soon.

"It's tropics day!"

The weather outside today is less than desirable, but since Dad is off work he was the one to dress Miles. He declared it "tropics day." I guess we are pretending the weather isn't so yucky! Boy do I wish we were in Hawaii right now!

Miles' room

It was pointed out to me recently that Miles' room has been painted & decorated the way I want it, but I haven't posted any pictures of it on our blog so this afternoon I took some pictures for those of you that are curious. I really like the crib sheet and sort of "planned" his room around it. The artwork is handmade by Dave & myself because Babies R' Us didn't have anything to match the sheet so we had to get creative! Personally I think it turned out GREAT! LOL!

The view from the doorway (sorry the pic is dark, the light from the big window makes taking pictures of that side of the room challenging)

His crib

(Dave did the stripe painting...impressive, huh?)

We have a lot of pieces in his room that are meaningful to us and our family. The little table and chairs are antique and belonged to a cousin of mine who I never got to meet, the dresser is antique and was refinished by my dad and used by my sister, and the little rocking chair sort of hiding in the corner in one of the pictures was my grandfather's rocking chair when he was a child. Miles is one special kid!

4 months old today

Miles is another month older! He is changing so much everyday and learning so many new things. Here is a list of the things he has learned this month:

• He can giggle!!! He had me laughing so hard my eyes were watering a few days ago because something our dog, Buddy, did was very funny to him. What a sweetie pie : )
• He LOVES LOVES LOVES to suck on his hands so much that we've had to start swaddling him both day and night in order for him to get any sleep.
• As already mentioned, he has found the dogs. He loves to smile at both of them and tends to giggle at Buddy.
  
• He had an unplanned visit to the Pediatrician last week because he wasn't sleeping much and was pretty cranky. I wondered where my sweet baby boy went. The doctor recommended switching his formula and the laid back happy baby we had before has returned! He must be lactose intolerant.
• He is not sleeping through the night, but is getting closer. Some nights he will sleep for 6 or 7 hour stretches.
• He can grab an object and bring it to his mouth. All of the teething toys that he has received have been brought out for him to play with. He does get frustrated though because sometimes those objects leave his mouth and he doesn't realize that he is the one that made it leave. He also has gotten a hold of his hair a couple of times and pulls on it to the point he screams, not realizing he is doing it to himself. Poor little guy!
  

He is big enough and has enough control now that he can finally play with his Christmas present. This has been a lifesaver for me because it is one more thing to keep him entertained with while I work.

We are getting closer and closer to becoming an eternal family! I'm trying not to wish away his life, but boy do I wish March would get here so we can finalize his adoption and take him to the temple with us. What an exciting day that will be!

Adoption Tax Credit

This is very near and dear to my heart, especially with the arrival of Miles in our family! Miles didn't come to us through LDS Family Services whose fees are much less than the agency that we got him through. So, any help families like us can get to help afford adoption is definitely a good cause! There are great couples out there who would love to adopt, but just cannot afford to do so and many children out there who need good homes. If you live in Utah and feel it is important for the State Legislature to enact a tax credit for adoption expenses, read below and follow the instructions!

From the Provo FSA website:

As you might have heard, the Provo Families Supporting Adoption chapter is actively working to petition the Utah State Legislature to enact a tax credit for adoption expenses. Please join us in helping support this petition by visiting http://www.adoptiontaxlaw.org/

On the site you can view the petition, the proposed bill, press releases and other information related to this effort. You can show your support of this petition by completing the form and also by writing to your legislator. If you are not sure how to write your Legislator, the "Write your Legislators" link on the website will walk you through the process.

Your support will go a long way in helping to make sure this bill becomes law.

Miles' new tricks

He has been doing both of these tricks for a while, but I never uploaded the photos to our blog.

Sitting in his Bumbo seat while Buddy supervises

He has found his hands and LOVES to suck on them every chance he gets!

SYTYCD

Finally getting around to posting pictures from my trip to Vegas with the girls back in November for the So You Think You Can Dance show! I've had fun going through these pics again! Thanks again Erin & Shandra for a lovely weekend!

Stressing out about driving in VEGAS!!!

At FAO Schwarz

Shandra & myself with our yummy cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory

My pumpkin cheesecake was to die for!!!

Erin hates cheesecake! LOL!

At the show...waiting for it to start!

still waiting...

The view of the stage from our seats

Part of my favorite group routine from the season

The finale group routine