Monumentous Milestones

Ethan has been busy these last few weeks accomplishing many good things. About 2 weeks ago, he figured out how to roll over onto his stomach. He did it once his first day (I think by accident) and then the next day took to town. He promptly rolled himself to the wall and started unplugging things!

After a great trip to see Kim and family, Ethan had been acting quite fussy, only to figure out that the 5 1/2 month old had sprouted a pair of beautiful baby chompers. (We are hoping to soon reclaim our usual sleeping schedule!)



And finally, we decided it was high time we started the little guy on some food. I would say solids, but with the way they have you water down that baby cereal, I think it is quite the misnomer.




I realized that there is a pattern to Ethan's picture faces (actually, this is the facial expression he has on most of the time) Do you see the pattern?

Ethan's First Haircut

For those of you that have seen pictures, you know that Ethan was born with quite a bit of hair.
As of late, it has been getting quite out of control.
He lost some of the hair in the front, but the hair on top and on the sides was still quite long. THis resulted in a slightly disturbing "comb forward" (instead of a comb over) look.
Also, the hair in the back was getting long enough that it was almost safe to say he had
a bullet (baby mullet).


So Joe and I decided to try our hand at cutting his hair.
We were worried, so we waited until it was time for a bottle, got out Joe's clippers, and went to work.
Ethan was a champ. He didn't really fuss at all. He was curious about the sound the clippers made, but that was it. He didn't even care when we did the area around his ears. Way to go bud!

We cut quite a bit off (as evidenced by the picture below)

Post hair cut pose. The boy has been quite busy chewing on anything he can get his hands on these days. And, when he can't get his hands on anything, they do just fine.

(notice the need to have both stuffed into his mouth)

Hiking Adventures

This weekend Joe and I attempted our first excursion with the little one.  We headed south to visit the Garden of the Gods. 

I love the feeling of being outdoors.  I especially have great memories of camping and hiking trips with many friends over the years.  I thought of you all this weekend and wished you were here to be with us.

We are working on training the little one to follow in our footsteps.  The wind was a little much for him this trip though (it destroyed his baby comb over!)

Playtime with Dad

It's a great day to be alive!

Just had to brag

My 2 month-old slept for 10 hours straight last night!

Ethan is Here!

We are so excited for the newest addition to the Shim family! Ethan was supposed to make his grand appearance on Dec. 15th, but decided that he wasn't quite ready yet, much to his mother's dismay. My mom came into town on the 11th to help out and we got to have a lot of fun waiting, and waiting, and feeling like I was going to be pregnant forever! We had really hoped that he would come before Joe's family arrived on the 18th so that we could all spend the week and Christmas together, but that didn't work out either. Early the morning of the 20th, Ethan decided that he was ready to come. I wasn't really anxious to sit around all day, so we all went to the Denver Aquarium. I wish I had been in a better position to enjoy it! By 5:00 that afternoon we went to the hospital and checked in. I had big plans to see how tough I could be before getting an epidural, but by 7:00 I was done trying to be tough.

I really appreciate what the epidural did for my pain level, but apparently Ethan did not. Labor slowed way down. Eventually we decided to try pitocin so that the contractions could speed up and labor could progress. However, Ethan did not tolerate the pitocin very well and when things would start to speed up, his heart rate would drop and we would have to back down with the medicine and start all over again. By 7:00 in the morning, we finally got the contractions regular and "adequate," but Ethan wasn't progressing at all.

At 8:00 I started feeling lots of pressure and hoping that he would come soon, we kept waiting. By 10:00 I was ready to tap out like a trashed wrestler. We opted for a c-section because he wasn't making any progress and the doctors started to notice swelling on his little head.

My mom had me and my other 3 siblings all by c-section and had told me for years that it was a great way to go, so I wasn't really all that scared, just exhausted and frustrated. Again, amazed by what modern medicine can do, I was soon prepped and within a few minutes it seams, I was looking at a beautiful little boy with a LOT of hair. It took me quite awhile to realize that this little guy was mine and the one that had been having hiccups and kicking matches inside of me for the last several months.



Ethan was 8 lbs. 4 oz and 20 inches long. We are grateful that we were all able to get him here safely and I am doing very well under the watchful care of an amazing husband and mother. Especially at this time of year, we are reminded of the miracle of the birth of our Savior and his divinity and purity. To see a little baby and to know that our Savior's life started out this way is humbling. Our Father's plan is perfect. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone!

Ethan, Me, and my mom

Joe, his mom and dad, and Ethan

Cousins

Where in the World . . .

This summer I decided that traveling isn't quite as glamorous as I thought, or maybe it is all in the destination. Joe and I started out the month of June thinking that we were moving to California . . .


1. We drove down to Rosamond California to find a place to live and finally settled on one that wouldn't be ready for another 3 weeks

2. Drove back to Provo to pack up our condo and move out

3. Unloaded our stuff in a storage unit (courtesy of the local elder's quorum), attended church, even signed up to feed the missionaries, and then left town to go on vacation

4. Vacation in San Diego with my family

5. Spend a week with my family at home for the 4th of July and a 10 year High School Reunion

6. Find out that there is a possibility of moving to Colorado for a better job IF a test goes well

7. Drive 8 hours round trip just to take the stinkin' test

8. Stress until we find out that the test went great and that we can take the job in Colorado if we want

9. Stress about what to do.

10. Take the job in Colorado

11. Find a place to live in Colorado

12. Bum off of more family in Utah

13. Have the California missionaries call about the dinner I signed up for on a saturday night at 9:30. oops!

14. Load up our stuff in California and drive out to Colorado

15. Decide that we are not taking a road trip anywhere in the near future.


One thing that this summer has taught us is that Heavenly Father really does watch out for us. We spent many months trying to move forward only having a step or two in front of us illuminated. But, as we worked to figure out what Heavenly Father had planned for us and move forward with faith, everything seemed to work out just fine. Here are just a few of the blessings we have had this summer.

- we were able to sell our condo in a poor real estate market
- friends and family that have been so good to us and have taken care of us
- being able to find suitable places to live (twice)
- being released from our lease agreement in California after only 1 month.
- continued paychecks and insurance coverage (the wonders of working for a school district) while we "moved" for 2 months
- safe travel for all 6000+ miles of our travel this summer
- a good job that Joe is more excited about than the one in California

Thriving Economy

I knew economy was looking up when we recently go the quarterly report from our retirement account. Joe and I have been contributing for the last 3 years. How much interest have we amassed from the stock market with our money?

A whopping $2.75

Should we celebrate?

California Adventures

Our summer was a grand adventure in many ways. During the week we abode in a rather barren home.

Like how we got a bed after our airmattress sprung 6 different leaks? If you look close you can see me on the top. Somehow even though the mattress looks tiny on the van it still couldn't fit inside.

Like our dining room furniture?


But, on the weekends, we partied hard. We were able to take several trips. Here is the Redlands Temple. It is a small temple that only has a few sessions at a time. Guess who forgot to make an appointment and got to kill 4 hours before the next session?



Joe had a friend get married in San Diego. It really is a beautiful temple. We also visited the Mesa Arizona temple for my little brother's wedding, and the Manhattan New York temple when Becca went through, but we weren't able to get pictures. It is amazing that the temples' architecture can be so different, and so beautiful time.


Joe standing in line at 6 Flags. I forgot how much fun the rides can be and how not fun the waiting in line can be. Prime opportunity for people watching. . .


This is the rollercoaster that was my downfall. They have you hanging out over the sides and spinning vertically. I thought I was going to die. The next day I had no voice at all.


Joe had a friend get married in San Diego. It really is a beautiful temple.