Lots of Pictures...Just Scroll to the End

Tate's crib has a zip door on the side, so Josh tried it out.

Friday after Josh got home from work we went swimming at Veteran's Pool in Provo.  It was fun.  We barely missed a big storm that came through.  Right as we were leaving, they called everyone out of the pool because of lightning.  It was raining so hard!  And the thunder was really loud.  Josh was happy cause he didn't have to water the lawn.  Tate liked the pool...I think.  He was smiling and laughing when one of us would hold him and the other would stand behind him and kick his legs for him.  When we got home we were both really tired for some reason.  So we went to bed at 9.  It was wonderful.  When I woke up, I actually felt rested for the first time in a long time.

Yesterday, we went to the park.  It was fun and really nice outside.  Tate is talking a lot more, and now when he is semi-upset he will yell instead of cry.  After Tate went to sleep, Josh and I went on a date in our apartment.  We did family history.  It was Josh's idea and it was really great.  I am doing some family history work on my mom's ancestry.com account.  So we logged on and searched and searched for my grandpa's great grandparents.  We thought we found their names on a tombstone in Illinois, but it wasn't them.  I was so excited when we thought we had found them.

Today we went to SLC to see Ryan Hunter bless his baby Charlotte.  We ended up missing the blessing because I got out of a meeting late and then there was an incredible amount of rain as we were driving that really slowed us down.  But we went to Julie's parents' house afterward and visited.  It was fun to see them.  Charlotte is 3.5 months old and it is just amazing how much more Tate can do even though he is only 1.5 months older.  It's hard for me to remember when Tate was that still and quiet, even though it wasn't that long ago.

I love talking to Julie.  It's therapeutic talking to other new moms.  I really like talking to Julie about her experiences as a mom, cause they are similar to mine.  A lot of things haven't really gone how we expected.  Julie said today what I have been saying a long time, "motherhood is humbling."  I was sure I was going to deliver Tate naturally.  As a "retired" college athlete, I've experienced pain and I've had to push myself to the limit more than most people.  But labor pain was something else.  And after almost 24 hours I was almost crying and definitely begging for the epidural.  I thought I would have an easy labor and delivery, because I worked out my entire pregnancy (I lifted weights-squats, overhead press, etc- the morning I went into labor).  My labor was extremely long.  The pushing alone took at least 2 hours...it felt like an eternity.  I thought nursing would be a breeze.  It was and still is sometimes frustrating.  I thought I wouldn't use a bottle...I do.  I thought I would never let Tate cry-it-out...I have.  I thought Tate would sleep through the night easily...I want to punch the people that post on Facebook that their baby slept 7+ hours because Tate isn't close to that.  I thought I would never get frustrated...I have and do and will.  But other things have been amazing and unexpected in a good way.  I never knew I would love Tate so much.  I never knew it would be so fun (once Tate stopped crying all day).  I never knew I could feel so accomplished and fulfilled.  Motherhood is humbling because we get to do God's work and learn so much in the process.

Here are the pictures from the park...