A few of Stockton's likes

1. Tummy time! This one took us about 5 weeks to figure out, and I credit Justin for discovering it. Molly was never a tummy baby, so I didn't even think about it with Stockton. He's not much of a snuggler and doesn't really want to be rocked or held while he falls asleep. So when he starts to get tired, lay him anywhere on his belly, pop a bink in his mouth and asleep he goes. I know they say never let a baby sleep on his belly, but honestly it's the only way he'll sleep during the day. I check on him a lot! He sleeps well swaddled up on his back at night so this is only a daytime thing. I think he looks so cute when he sticks his little bum in the air!

2. That ugly hospital binky!
Nope, he won't take those much cuter binkies that I picked out for him before he was born. Oh well, at least he'll take a binky, right? Justin says we'll get rid of it much earlier than we got rid of Molly's...we'll see!

3. Being outside!
(Probably every kids loves this.)
Need to calm Stockton down? Take him outside. Yup, works everytime.

That can't be comfortable

I always feel so bad when I go to get Stockton out of the car and he's sleeping like this:
(This isn't even that bad.)

You all know what I'm talking about. How in the world do babies sleep like this?

Mirror Lake, Deer Creek, and a binky burning

July 18 & 20

One Saturday night we headed to Mirror Lake in the Uintah’s for some fishing and fun with Eric, Heidi, Brett, and crew. The weather was great, the mosquitos were pesky, and the scenery was gorgeous. Molly was noticeably absent, away at Grandma’s Camp for the weekend, and Stockton was a sleepy-head the whole time. The fish weren’t biting but we didn’t mind; it was nice to get outside, finally. I was starting to feel like a hermit-the first month of summer was spent unpacking and organizing our house, not to mention having a baby, and the second month had been consumed with taking care of the baby and mostly staying home.We had such a good time we decided to find another lake the following Monday, Justin’s day off. Our original plan was to go back to Mirror Lake, since we had paid for a 3-day pass, but with a baby that has to nurse every 2 hours it didn’t exactly work out. So we made it as far as Deer Creek, up Provo Canyon. Justin was dying to try out his new fishing boat and we thought that Molly deserved some summer fun (sadly, Molly hadn't been out much either). It was pretty hot outside, so while Stockton slept in his carseat and Daddy got the boat hooked up, Molly and I waded in the water-it felt so good!Justin made a special seat for Molly on the side of his boat so she was able to go out with him for a little while.After some fishing, Justin decided that it was hot enough outside to warrant a little swim. The only problem: I didn’t pack any swimsuits. No worries! Justin and Molly just swam in their clothes. Molly thought it was great and giggled the whole time. After about a half hour of swimming in the lake, we started a fire. We had planned on roasting hot dogs but someone (me!) forgot the hot dog buns-hey, I did pretty good remembering a change of clothes for Molly-how was I supposed to know she was going to swim in the lake with her clothes on? So instead of roasting hot dogs, we roasted binkies instead!Yup, I finally did something that I needed to do months and months ago. Molly had been warned so she was okay with it-in fact, she threw the binkies in the fire and held the roasting stick!How is she holding up? Well, it takes much longer to get her to sleep at night, but we've tried to start the bedtime process earlier (harder in the summertime). The first few nights she would climb in bed and say, “Mom/Dad, why did we burn my binkies?” But no crying. She has been sucking on her fingers a lot more lately, and not just when she's trying to fall asleep-it's like all day! And it drives me nuts! But I am relieved that the binky-attachment is over. Way to go, Molly! Justin and I can’t believe how grown up she is! Oh yeah, she also played with worms...love it!

Big Sister

One of the sweetest experiences I've had was when Molly came to the hospital and met Stockton for the first time. The two of them instantly bonded; it was like they remembered each other. She was so sweet to him-kissing him and rubbing his head. And now that he is home, and has been for two months, she is still really sweet to him. I hear horror stories of older siblings who are not very nice to their baby brother or sister and luckily we've never encountered that. She's never tried to feed him anything or tried to pick him up or hit or kicked-nothing! My favorite thing to listen to right now is Molly's baby talk-it is hilarious when she really gets going! She refers to her brother as either "Buddy" or "Stockton Bockton."

Molly likes to either sit on a chair or lay on a pillow right next to Stockton. While doing this, she'll either read him a book, sing him a song, or tell him a story. He really enjoys it, unless he's really fussy. He'll stare right at her and listen to what she's saying-he loves to listen to her voice. I love to watch her be a big sister. This was not one of those times that he loved the sound of her voice, but I think it's so cute...

A couple of things that she's said to me:

"Mom, I love Stockton. He's my best friend." (I get this a lot.)
"Mom, I like Stockton better than you."
And if we're going somewhere she always asks if Stockton is coming, like she's afraid we'll leave him.

She really is great; I feel lucky that I don't have to worry about her with him. She loves to kiss him and occasionally she'll ask to hold him, but mostly she's just really, really nice to him! Stockton couldn't have asked for a better big sister!

New Toys for Molly

Molly started getting pretty excited about all of Stockton's new "toys" when we got them out and cleaned them up. The car seat was first (and this was Justin's idea)...

Justin later began to regret ever "swinging" her-the first thing she says when he gets home from work is "Hi, Daddy! Will you swing me?"

Later we got out the swing, and Molly's never been one to pass up on a swing, whether big or small!And the bouncer, which apparently is a good place to take a nap. Molly has it figured out, even if her brother doesn't know how to take naps in it!

2 Weeks Old

July 10th

I think the biggest accomplishment for this day was getting me, Molly, and Stockton to the doctor by 9:00 in the morning with no help. That was by far my biggest concern. Whew! Now I can do anything, right? Just kidding, it wasn't all that bad- Molly was extrememly cooperative, probably because I bribed her with cinnamon toast in the car on the way...

So, about the appointment. Stockton weighed in at a whopping 6 pounds, 13 ounces which put him in the 7th percentile. That's a whole pound of weight gained since he left the hospital, way to go Stockton! He was 19 1/4 inches long. Here he is, can't get enough of that boy...

Smiles

July 7th

Every once in a while Justin and I are rewarded. Check out these cute grins.These were taken when Stockton was only 12 days old. I don't care what is making him smile, it's just dang cute!

4th of July

Unlike every other year, our 4^th was very low-key. We decided with a brand-new baby to just stay home and relax. Well, I relaxed, Justin didn’t. Justin worked in the garage all day, first replacing the brakes on the Jeep and second, installing the garage door opener. A huge thanks to his dad who helped and his mom who made food. And to Brett, who was extremely bored, for just being there!

Here are my TWO kids (I still can’t believe it) in their 4^th of July clothes. We didn’t go anywhere but they were still decked out in their red, white, and blue!

Molly and her “princess pose;” we’re still not sure where she got that from! A family photo shoot; yes, we are missing our Dad but he refused, saying he was too dirty and too sweaty...I guess we’ll try another day. Blowing bubbles...Justin finally finished and got cleaned up just in time to do some firework in the driveway. Molly was not scared this year! Can’t you just see the excitement on her face? Her and Daddy dancing in the street. And she even did her very own sparklers. A fun holiday, although I look forward to attending next year's big 4th of July hoopla in Plain City...

Stockton: My First Week

**Disclaimer: Keep in mind that as I try to catch up on the last 2 months, most of the posts were written many, many weeks ago. It's the only way I documented Stockton's first couple of months and it needs to be recorded somewhere, so I opted for my blog. It may be boring to the few of you reading this so I apologize but I feel better having it written down somewhere.

Day 1: Friday

Mom and I are pretty bored here at the hospital. All that is on TV is coverage about some guy named Michael Jackson (who died on the day I was born) and Wimbledon. Mom says her bed is really uncomfortable and she can’t wait until we can go home tomorrow. But for now I need to stay here so that the nurses can make sure I am healthy.

We did get our only visitors besides grandparents here at the hospital. Thanks Matt and Camille for coming down and alleviating some of the boredom.

Day 2: Saturday

We get to go home today! My doctor and Mommy’s doctor said that we are both healthy so Daddy is taking us home. I only weigh 5 lbs 12 oz and Daddy can’t believe how small I am. I don’t really fit in my car seat. My sister was never this small. Mommy dressed me in some newborn-sized baseball jammies but they don’t fit; maybe they will in a few weeks.

We took advantage of the quiet afternoon and all three of us caught up on some sleep. Mommy and Daddy keep saying they miss my big sister Molly, who is staying with Grandma this weekend.

Day 3: Sunday

This morning Daddy learned that he has to be quick when he’s changing my diaper. No dawdling or I might have a surprise in store. I squirted all over him and all over the bed-Mommy just thought it was funny! After that, I was in need of a bath so Daddy got me in the tub. I didn’t like it-I cried the whole time! It made me really tired so I immediately fell asleep when I was nice and warm. Mom and Dad think that my hair is funny when it is clean; they keep calling me “fuzz ball.”

Today I got to meet some of my aunts and uncles and cousins. They took turns holding me.

I’ve had fun just hanging out with my Mom and Dad all weekend, but it seems like something, or someone, is missing. I only met my sister briefly on the night I was born; I’m really excited for her to come home tomorrow.

Day 4: Monday

Finally, my sister is home! She is such a good big sister and helps my mom take care of me. She is especially good at burping me.

Daddy bought her a swimming pool while she was gone so I got to watch her and Gavin go swimming.

Mom put a silly hat on me which is also way too big. Maybe I’ll grow into it by the end of the summer.

Day 5: Tuesday

Today I said goodbye to my cousin, Gavin, who has to go all the way home to his house in Kentucky; next year I’ll be able to run around and play with him.

I also got to know my sister, Molly, a little bit more. She thinks my feet are funny!

Today I showed my Mom and Dad my smile. Mom and Dad have figured out that I will smile occasionally after I eat, my diaper is changed, and I am almost asleep. I must be having good dreams!

Day 6: Wednesday

Mom and Dad were tired of being in the house when the weather has been so nice. So we ventured to a park close to our house where kids 12 and under can fish. Mom and I sat in the shade and watched Daddy and Molly fish.

They didn’t catch anything (hard to do when you leave the hooks at home) but had fun anyway. I slept in my carseat-I’m in there somewhere!

It was a very tiring outing; I took a nap with Molly when we got home.

Day 7: Thursday

I am one week old today! This is also my due date; Mommy is glad she didn’t have to wait this long...

Daddy had to go back to work today. My Grandma Kay came to visit for a couple of days. I liked snuggling with her. And can you believe how much bigger my sister is? My Mommy and Daddy can’t believe how big she looks and how heavy she is to carry.

Well, I am finally here! My first week wasn’t too bad, keep checking for Mommy’s occasional news on how I am growing!

Our Baby Boy

Stockton Ray Goodrich
June 25, 2009
8:08 pm
6 pounds 3 ounces
18 inches long

So cute...

Bee's Game

June 24

For our last big hurrah before we added another member to our family we headed to the Bee’s game. It was the night before I was scheduled to be induced...sound crazy? Since the hospital had called and said they didn’t know when they would have a bed open for me, I was happy to do something other than sit around and wait for the phone call. Molly was happy about it too.

Some highlights:

-hot dogs were only $1 that night

-Molly and I rode the train around the ballpark

-a snow cone (it was red and inevitably spilled all over Justin)

-finding a whiffle ball under the seat

-meeting Bumble the Bee There's really nothing like a baseball game in the summer.