Internet....well, no internet

Sorry everyone for the lack of posts lately. We haven't been able to access the internet...so I'm here at the city library looking up a talk for my RS lesson this Sunday. Since I can't find our Ensign, and our internet is down, we go to the library.

We all are doing well. We're still looking for a house. I'm convinced that since it's taking so long, the house we finally find will be a great one...you know, like when you finally find your spouse after a long game of hind-and-go-seek? Ok, maybe just finding the person who is supposed to be your spouse. But anyways, all is well and we're still truckin' along.

Adam is growing so fast! I think he might have another tooth coming in, but don't quote me on that. He just has a rather large bump in his lower gum that looks like his other teeth when they were coming in. He's a happy boy! His hair is starting to grow in a little bit thicker and I'm still excited! I am also thoroughly shocked with myself for getting such an early head start on Christmas gifts this year...actually thinking about what to get people and getting them started so we can do some homemade gifts this year. Woo hoo! This will probably be short lived, but it's worth a try.

Well, it's time for Adam to eat and our time is at an end at the library. But I must comment on our great week. On Saturday, Brian and I were able to go over a family's house (they are in our ward, or our church) and help weed their garden. They are a really sweet family and the wife hasn't been feeling well, so we thought it would be fun to go over and weed in their garden for a while. We had a wonderful time! Brian and I got to spend some time together working and we got a break from Adam while he played with the mom of the family. It was wonderful! Then on Monday, the mom had me come over and make salsa with all her tomatoes that were starting to go (they had to be used!). So I learned how to make yummy salsa and can it. It turned out great! Well, Adam is fussy and we need to go. Hope you all are well! We miss everyone! We'll try to post again as soon as we can!

Unwanted Excitement

Well, I just keep thanking Heavenly Father that we're alright. Monday night Brian and I left shortly after he got home from work to see a rocking chair a friend of ours was selling and then do some grocery shopping down in Johnson City (20 minutes away). Well, when we returned a little after nine I walked through our dining room and saw a dark spot on the ceiling and thought, "that's odd...I don't think that was there before..." So we put the groceries away and I asked Brian to take a look. The hole looked like a bullet hole, but seriously, who would shoot a gun in an apartment? Perhaps it was something else. We thought it strange, but went ahead and gave Adam a bath. During the bath, Brian called the on-call security officer. My uneasiness kept growing. The officer asked if we would be alright until morning, which NO! That's why we called in the first place. We didn't feel safe there and so grabbed a few things and left the apartment. Brian had noticed the door of the apartment above us was open and the lights were off. All clues led to unexplained weirdness. We called our good friends Leah and Evan and they let us crash at their house. We heard back from the office who said the guy above us was moving out and "dropped something" that went through the floor. Yeah, like a bullet? Maybe an arrow from a triggered cross-bow...but not "dropped."

Well, yesterday we were finally able to go and talk face-to-face with our manager. We were told the full story. The guy upstairs (we call him mustang man, he drives a mustang convertible and leaves the top down during a rain storm and doesn't bother to put it up when people take time to go to his apartment and let him know it's pouring rain into his car), "accidentally discharged a small caliber weapon" in his apartment (that's what he told the manager). He thought it just lodged in his floor. He said he was taking the clip out and had his finger on the trigger when it "just went off." Well, they came in a checked it out with the police and well, "small caliber weapon" just isn't what it was. The guy discharged a 9mm handgun which sent the bullet through his floor, our ceiling, our floor, the ceiling below us and lodged in the concrete under the flooring of the apartment below. Ahh! Terrifying-yes. The guy thought we were out of town on vacation or something, I guess we're super quiet neighbors for him not to notice us.

The good news is that we're safe, we weren't home when it happened. We left about 10 minutes before the gun went off. I'm glad it was just an accident because I was thinking this guy had shot his girlfriend or her dog that yelps and whines. He's not a very nice person from our experience. I hope he finds some happiness someday. But we feel much better that he has moved out and won't be returning. No more smoke! No more loud music that makes our windows shake! Yay! In serious reflection, I have suggestion. Having grown up with guns, I was taught how to handle them and the rules of guns and I also took a hunter's safety class. I think that before anyone is allowed to buy a gun, they should be required to take a gun safety class and present a certificate of completion before they can purchase a gun. I think it would help prevent things like this. Who puts their finger on the trigger when they're removing the clip?! Gun safety and common sense people...I hope he learned his lesson. I thought about what if the bullet had hit Adam or Brian or I because we're always walking through the dining room into the kitchen. I'm just glad no one was hurt, in our apartment or the one below us.

On a light note: Adam's getting bigger and his hair is starting to grow! Craig, we tried to get a picture of Adam eating his fist, but this is as close as he would let us get. I know he's excited to meet you! He's getting big and he's so much fun to play with!This is Adam after a bath. He just looks so adorable in his hooded towel! I just had to share!

Top Baby Items

So Brian and I were talking to Jon on Sunday (Brian's brother) and we got to talking about baby things. Jon and Jennie are expecting a baby in early September and they were wondering what things we found really useful. Well, as I've thought about it, I figured I would put up the top things that we received or purchased that we are really glad we have. Adam is trying to help out by pushing the mouse button as I type...what a helper! He's so curious about everything. Anyways, back to the purpose of this post. Here are the top baby items that we have for Adam so far.

Item #1: Car seat and stroller. We got ours at Babies-R-Us in Provo. I researched online for nearly a month, then we went to the store and picked up, carried, and "tested" all the car seats and then test drove all the strollers. We decided on the Chicco "Key Fit" travel system. While it was expensive, we found the car seat the most comfortable and rated #1 for safety by consumer reports. The stroller was the easiest to maneuver and I can also open and close it with one hand (it's great). We also used a coupon for the set we got from a diaper bag from the doctor's office (free, from Similac or Enfamil; they usually give them out at the hospital too). This set is great because the car seat clicks into the stroller for when they're tiny and it also has a base for the car (click them in and click them out...talk about time saver!).













Item #2: Diaper Bag. We got a free diaper bag from our doctor and also one from the hospital, but they were a little big for my liking (I don't like carrying around a bag big enough to pack my room in). My sister-in-law, Angie, had one and I really liked it, so I looked for one similar to hers. We found this one at Babies-R-Us (also available at Target). It's even neutral enough that Brian doesn't have any problem carrying it. It's about a foot tall, a foot long, and about 5" wide. It's just enough room to carry the necessities and a few "just-in-case" items (like a change of clothes).


Item #3: Burp Cloths (or burp rags). We didn't realize how much we would need these! We didn't want to pay $10 for 4 burp rags at the store, so I got some fabric remnants at the fabric store of flannel and made my own for about 50 cents each. When we moved to TN, a sister in our ward gave me a couple called "Oopsies" and I like them because they're thicker. So I made some new ones, with a layer of flannel between the two outside layers. They're really absorbent. Scott and Melissa (Brian's bro and sis-in-law) also suggested the microfiber cloths. Some people also really like cloth diapers. If you have a spit-uppy baby, as far as burp rags go--the bigger the better and the thicker the better. These are some that I made.

Item #4: Diapers! Well, in our experience of different diapers so far, I've found that I really like Huggies diapers. With Adam, he doesn't seem to leak as much in Huggies as he did in other diapers. From our experience, we used about 4 packages of Newborns (the first 5-6 weeks) and then went to size 1 for about 6-8 weeks. He's currently in size 1-2 but ready to go to size 2 or 3. You can buy a case of diapers at Costco or Sams Club for about $30 and it lasts us about a month. I wouldn't buy a case in a size smaller than 2...unless your baby is small. Adam was big and he's growing fast. A package of about 40 diapers at Wal*Mart runs about $11 for Huggies.

Items #5,6, & 7: Baby body wash & baby lotion, Desitin, and Children's Tylenol.
Body wash & lotion: We have really loved the body wash because we can use it on every part of Adam and it's fairly quick. We have also really enjoyed washcloths, it helps to get that spit-up that can get caked on their skin behind their ears. Adam has also started to enjoy "lotion time" after baths. He didn't like it the first 2.5 months because he would get cold, but now he likes being rubbed with the lotion after bath and before bed. It helps calm him down.
Desitin: Wow! This stuff works great on diaper rash. Our pediatrician also recommended it for some sores Adam would get from kicking his legs so much. Plus, it rubs in well and isn't greasy.
Children's Tylenol: After taking Adam to the doctors for shots twice and dealing with a very grumpy baby, I thought I'd try everyone's advice and give him Tylenol. Well, it helped him feel better and it made me feel better because he wasn't screaming so much. Check with your doctor for dosage.

Item #8: Baby Bath Tub. We received this as a gift from the wonderful ladies I worked with. It has been wonderful with Adam. It fits in your kitchen sink and you can also use it in the big tub. The top and bottom fold in and make it easy to store. The foam pad down the middle keeps Adam from sliding around. It's great for the first week when you can only sponge bathe them (because of the umbilical cord) and great until they grow out of it for regular baths. You can get this item for about $10 at Wal*Mart.


Item #9: The pillow. The brand named one is called "Boppy" and the one I bought was on sale at Joanne's for $10 and it's called a "Nuture Nest." Either way, it's great for when you're nursing or bottlefeeding so that your arms don't get tired hold the baby up. It's also great for tummy time and also for when your baby starts to sit up. I made the cover for our pillow (pattern on the packaging for the nurture nest) or you can buy them at most stores (beware! they can be expensive, that's why I made mine).


Item $10: Play Gym! My wonderful sister-in-law gave this to me at my baby shower and I didn't realize how much I'd love it. We use it all the time! Adam loves to grab for the toys and sometimes just look at them with the different colors. Now that he's learning to grab things, he's learning that the toys make noises. It's been great to have! When I want to take a shower and Brian's not home, I just bring the play gym into the bathroom and put Adam on it and he's fine. I also use it in the dining room when I'm cooking or we're eating dinner so that Adam can still see us. He's starting to freak out when he realizes he's alone and no one else in the room paying attention to him. Some people really like using a bouncy seat. We got a Papesan, but Adam doesn't really like it and it doesn't bounce, it vibrates and plays music. My nephew, Carter, really liked it. It really depends on your baby.

Well, that's it for the top baby items we've discovered in the last 4 1/2 months. These are just what we've found and enjoyed. Sorry it's so long!

Back to Normal

Things here in the Daniels' home are getting back to normal. I'm able to get around fine now and can most things. I still let Brian carry Adam in the car seat, since he's so heavy. Adam has enjoyed practicing sitting up and is doing better. It's fun to watch him learn how to balance his little torso. This is a picture of Adam sitting up in his pillow on his play gym. He's doing such a good job!

Yesterday afternoon we were sitting with Adam when we found a book that we got with a case of diapers (gotta love free books!). We wanted to see what Adam would do, so we gave it to him and he was able to grip both sides really well and he was fascinated by the colors and pictures. Let's just say Adam is starting young and gaining an early love for reading. Woo hoo!

This weekend we went with some friends of ours, Evan and Leah and Noah, to Virginia to a beautiful area. It's called Natural Tunnel and it is, as you guessed, a natural tunnel. No one knows how it really developed, but it's this huge tunnel with a sheer cliff leading into it. It just happens to be large enough for a train to pass through, so they put down railroad tracks and the train still runs through the two tunnels (one small and one gigantic) to pick up coal. It was a total blast! We even saw a black snake...kinda creepy, but still neat in its own way. I'll post pictures as soon as I can get them from Leah. We had a blast! You guys should come to Tennessee to visit us and see these beautiful places for yourselves, instead of just taking my word for it and admiring pictures.

Four Months!

Well, Adam went to the doctor for his 4 month check up on Monday and he's doing great! He's a healthy little boy...well, maybe little isn't the right word. He now weighs 15 lbs 12 oz and measures 25.5 inches long. The doctor said that he is 75th percentile for height, weight, and head size so he's a big and healthy boy. She even said that with his big brown eyes, he's very "striking" and "handsome."

Adam is grabbing anything and everything he can get his little hands on. He's currently grabbing the computer and keeps making the cursor move to a different spot while I'm trying to type this. Slows progress, but it's fun for him. He smiles a lot and loves to laugh. He's getting to where he doesn't like being in a room alone and will start kind of yelling when he realizes it. He also has starting grunting...little monster. He's such a sweet boy. He's even working on sitting up! Adam is very curious and loves to feel and hear many different things. I love this stage!

In the end of June we took a mini-family vacation to Roan Mountain. It's a "mountain" (a big hill, from the perspective of someone who grew up at the base of the Sierra Nevadas and lived at the base of the Rocky Mountains). It is right next to the Appalachian trail, bordering NC and TN. It's very beautiful and we loved all of the wild rhododendrons. Right after we started walking there was a 5 minute down pour where all we could do was hover under the rhododendron bushes and try to keep Adam and the camera from getting too wet. It was wonderful! We're having a blast and enjoying Tennessee and wish we could see everyone more often, but still doing well. Hope everyone is doing great! That's our update!