The Wharf

On Friday last week it was almost 60 degrees, so Reed, Kason and I walked down to the Wharf. It's such a nice peaceful walk across a wide open cotton field, down through a little grove of trees, and then out across an old rickety dock that ends in this little wharf out on the river. It was the perfect walk and the lighting was just right to get some cute pictures of my boys.

Here you can see the cotton field in the background and Kason is wearing his cute hat to keep the sun out of his eyes (something that is a constant battle on walks and car rides).

This is the Wharf. As you can (or maybe can't) see it is old, probably homemade, and patched up in quite a few places. It added an extra dimension of excitement to our walk wondering if we would make it all the way out to the water and back without ending up in the water.

On the way back we were walking into the wind, so we turned Kason around in the Snugli and he kept looking up into Reed's face and smiling. Looking back I think he was smiling at the image of himself in Reed's sunglasses (he loves mirrors), but it made a very sweet picture.

This one isn't from our walk (obviously), but I thought I would throw it in. Reed has fond memories of sitting and listening to his dad sing and play the guitar. Today, Kason carried on the tradition and was captivated listening to his Grampy as he dusted off his old guitar and started practicing again.

The Park

Last week we took Kason to the park. There is a really nice and big one here. It was a little cold that day, but nothing that us seasoned Utahns couldn't handle, it was about 40-45 degrees and the sun was shining, to us that's a nice day! But apparently not to most Virginians, because we had this huge park all to ourselves! Kason especially liked the swings and the slides, and it was a fun place to get some cute pictures.

Here is Kason and Daddy. You can see a little bit of one of the play structures in the background. There were three big ones like that with slides coming off everywhere, plus teeter totters, swings, a jungles gym, and anything else you can imagine. Reed and I decided that if we were about ten we could play tag there for hours.

Notice the hand behind the head in this picture. This is apparently an inherited habit. Reed does it often when he's talking or relaxing and so does his dad. You can also see Kason's mittens that I made him.

In some ways I think that Reed and I enjoyed the park more than Kason did.

Here is Kason about to go down the big slide with Reed.

Here he is getting ready to brave the tunnel slide. Kason was fine going down by himself. I was the one who was nervous, so I followed him down on my stomach and held onto his shoulders as he slid down on his back.

Kason liked the baby swings okay, but he liked sitting on my lap while I swung on the big swing better. Reed pushed us so we went pretty high and that actually got him laughing. I love his laugh!

Kason loves being outside and looking around at all the new stuff. He doesn't even mind a little bit of cold, we just bundle him up and he is happy as can be. By the way I made that hats that Kason and I are wearing.

Yorktown

We have been in Virginia now for over two months and we finally went to a historical site (we really need to work on appritiating and taking advantage of our location). Last week we made our way out to Yorktown, which is the site of the last major battle of the revolutionary war. They told us, that although battles followed, the one at Yorktown really decided the outcome in favor of the United States. It was cool to see and be in the actual battlefield. We had a very good guide who was interesting and well informed. I learned that the French really did a lot to sway the war in our favor. I also learned that towards the end of the battle Cornwallis had some ships waiting to escape with his men, which would have left them to fight another day and dragged to war out for who knows how long. That night a bad thunderstorm came up and destroyed and damaged the ships so badly that Cornwallis and his men were forced to surrender. I thought it is such a good example of the hand of the Lord in establishing the freedom of the United States. Kason was so good, it was just like he was listening intently to the guide (until he fell asleep, which was good too). He just loves being outside and walking around! It cost $10 per person to be there and there were seven of us, so we ended up just getting a season pass which only cost $50 and is good for Jamestown also, which means there are more historical site trips to come!

Christmas!

We had a great Christmas! Reed's brothers Greg and Ben were here from Utah along with the usual gang (Mom and Dad Sloat, Stuart, Gram, Reed, Kason, and me) we were quite a crowd. We got many generous and thoughtful gifts and enjoyed being with family for Christmas. Kason got a lot of new clothes in 6-9 month sizes, which is good because he's growing out of many of his older clothes. He also got some new toys and books and really cool safari swing that plays soothing jungle music. Kason enjoyed sucking on a candy cane (with the wrapper on) and hanging out with his uncles. As part of a Sloat family tradition we all (except Kason and Gram) saw a movie in the afternoon. We saw Bedtime Stories, which I was a little wary of because the last few Adam Sandler movies I've seen have been terrible, but it was actually very cute. We also talked to Mom and Dad Bylund, Jeff, Tammy, Eli, Mike, and Becky on Skype. It was fun to see everyone there in Utah. I decided to make beanies for everyone for Christmas, so I have been crocheting like crazy. I ended up making nine beanies total. It was fun and now I'm way fast at it, so if anyone needs a beanie... 

It was great weather for Christmas. Reed and Kason I went for a walk in 70 degree weather, it was wonderful. It just made me think of being back in Utah with three more long months of winter ahead and made me grateful to be where I am. Kason loves it to because he likes going for walks.

Still no news on the job front, but we haven't lost hope. Things will pick up again next week with the holidays over and we are bound to hear something.

Kason is doing fantastic! He is now five months old and more and more fun 

everyday. He can roll over from his stomach to his back and almost from his back to his stomach, but he doesn't like being on his stomach, so there isn't much motivation to go that way. We are continuing to give him rice cereal every once in a while to get him ready for "solid foods" next month (baby food, to me, does not count as solid). He gobbles it right up, but it seems a little hard on his system so we are only doing it once or twice a week right now. His favorite thing is looking in the mirror. He gets a huge smile when he sees himself and sometimes laughs (his laugh is my new favorite sound). All in all we are happy and doing great.

 

Getting all Caught Up!

Wow, it has been a while since our blog has been updated and Anne has decided since I have never actually posted anything to the blog that it is my turn, so here goes nothing...On Wednesday October 29th I (Reed) started our family move east in a Budget moving van towing our car. I left the Bylund home at 6 am MST a little nervous about whether or not the moving van would be able to make it up the canon without blowing up. It was very slow going at first (only about 45mph) trying to get up to Park City, but the truck made it and it was still pulling the car. After I got just past Park City and had already used over a quarter of a tank of gas I thought "well at least it is all downhill from here." It should be noted that the night before I departed I topped off the moving truck with gas that cost $2.67 per/gallon; I thought that was a great price considering that when I planned the move 6 weeks earlier I had planned on gas prices being on average $3.35 per/gallon.) That first day I drove 654 miles to Lincoln, NE and stayed at a very classy Supper 8 hotel. (Anne here: This a picture of us saying goodbye to Reed that morning. You can tell he got an early start because of how dark it was).

On Thursday 30 October I departed Lincoln, NE at 6 am CST (Lincoln is the first town in NE that is in the central time zone) Gas in Lincoln was $2.29 and I was pumped to be getting such a great price but then hours later when I filled up in Omaha and paid a meager $2.12 I felt Utahans where really getting ripped off at the pump and it made me all the more happy to be heading east to greener pastures and lower gas prices. Anyway, that day was very boring. There is not much to see in Nebraska or Iowa and the first half of Missouri is not much better, but I did strike gold just outside of Independence, MO having to pay only $1.99 for gas - I almost cried (tears of joy and regret for all of the months I paid for gas in Utah). I thought no wonder Zion will be built here it will cost so much less with low energy costs. However, I did not stay in Zion long because I had to make it to the east side St. Louis, check into a hotel and eat before The Office came on at 8. My goal was accomplished. However, my Supper 8 hotel was full and as tempted as I was to drive across the street and stay at the Holiday Inn Express knowing that I would wake up well rested and smarter I resisted and saved some money by staying at the Ramada Inn which was a step up from the Supper 8 I will admit. (FYI-- I paid $2.19 for gas in Fairview Hights, IL that night.)

Friday 31 October was a great day. I slept in that day because, I only had about 4.5 hours of driving to do to get to Jeff, Tammy and Eli's house that afternoon and spend Halloween with them. After two days of being in a truck for about 12 hours each day it felt great and every short to only have to drive about 300 miles. I was great to see Jeff and Tammy again and as always I love being with Eli. The only bad part about Friday was that gas in TN cost $2.31 just outside of Nashville and I find that if you just spent $1.99 the day before $2.31 is not as exciting as it was just outside of Cheyenne, WY two days earlier. (Anne here: I think he meant to add that the other "bad thing" about that night was being away from Kason and I on Halloween. This a picture of our little turtle. We missed Reed, but enjoyed dressing Kason up and taking him trick-or-treating. We also enjoyed the annual Boo buffet that my mom does and a tradition which Tammy has carried on in TN.)

Saturday 1 November - the last leg of the journey east. I awoke early and was on the road by 5:45 CST with 667 miles to my parents front door ahead of me. At times during the day I thought the state of North Carolina would never end but after listening to almost the entire sixth Harry Potter book on my iPod, I finally reached Virginia. Once I crossed state lines I did still had about 2 hours to go, but it was encouraging at the time. It turned out to be a very long 2 hours with my book finished and nothing but country music and evangelical radio stations to keep me company. I finally arrived at 6:50 pm EST and was very happy to know that I would not have to wake up and drive the next morning. (Anne here: this is kind of a random picture of Kason and his first time eating rice cereal. We think most of it ended up down his chin an don the bib, but we all had fun!)

Monday morning when I went to return the Budget truck I filled it up for $1.89 it was beautiful.

On Tuesday 4 November (election day) Anne and Kason boarded there Southwest flight toVA. Anne say's that Kason is a great flier and highly recommends flying on election day, because both of her flights where practically empty. Upon arrival in Norfolk Anne and Kason where greeted at the airport by myself and my mom who could not wait another minute to get her hands on her first grandson. Later that night we found it very difficult to get Kason out of the hands of his Grampy Sloat so we could put him to bed. (Anne here: this was a great day. I had a lot of fun hanging out with my mom and staying with my family in Utah for a week, but Kason and I missed Reed. It was a happy and tearful reunion).

Job Search Update:

(Anne here: This is a very big part of our goings on the last month or so. We realize that we took a big chance coming out here with no job lined up, but now that we're here I have no doubt that this is a good place for us to be and something wonderful will work out! In the mean time we are very blessed to have a generous family who is taking care of us. Kason and his Grammy and Gramppy Sloat have some great bonding time. Gramppy couldn't resist buying this cute rain deer outfit for his little "pookin" (poukin is - according to Gramppy the masculine form of "pookie") We are also very grateful to Stuart who has sacrificed his room to us. He is also bonding with Kason and it is fun to watch him laugh and smile at his uncle Stu.)

Over the course of the last month we have been busy adjusting to Virginia living, looking for a job and finding a place to live. The adjustment and finding a place to live has gone very well, but the job search has been very slow although things are looking up and hopefully we will be reporting my new job by next week! In the meantime Anne has been busy being a mom and helping my mom and grandma around the house and is having fun looking for a house for us to live in once I am employed. I have been doing work around the house: trimming trees, washing the fence, scrapping the fence, and painting the fence have been the main projects and I am trying to convince my Dad to let me close in the loft upstairs but he is not completely sold on the idea - yet. Well, blogging has been fun, but I think I will let Anne continue to do the updates for the most part she is better at this sort of thing (Anne here: or in other words I have the patients and the time). Feel free to critique my work - I am open to feedback.

Kason's BLessing Day

On Sunday we had the great opportunity to give our son a name and blessing.It was also the first snow of the season and the outfit we got for Kason to be blessed in was shorts and a t-shirt - brrrrr! Kason Anthony Sloat was blessed by his dad with his Grandpa Bylund, Uncle Mike, Uncle Ben, and our friend Kendal Johnson standing in the circle. Reed gave a great blessing asking for Kason to be strong and healthy, gain a strong testimony of the gospel, have a strong sense of humor, have an outgoing personality, have a desire for knowledge, have a proper respect for women, and many other wonderful things. It is so exciting to think about all of the possibilities and opportunities that await Kason in his life. He is blessed with a great heritage and a family who loves him and will teach him the gospel. We already enjoy the benefits of his laid back, easy going personality (he sleeps from 6-8 hours at night, hardly ever cries, and is very cuddly) and have so much to look forward to while watching him grow up. We wished that all of our family could be there for the blessing, we understand why they couldn't, but we missed them anyway! We are getting very excited for our move (everything except the packing part, with is unfortunately a very big part) and are accumulating boxes and packing material in preparation for next weekend when most of the packing will take place. After the cold weather and snow last weekend we are very excited for a more mild, and shorter, winter (neither of us like the cold very much.)

It's Official

We have officially decided to move! Reed doesn't have a for sure job yet, but a lot of leads, so we are going to take a big leap of faith and move out there. Reed will leave, driving the moving truck, on 27th of October and then Kason and I will leave probably the thirtieth. We will stay with Grammy and Grammpy Sloat until we find someplace to live and while Reed finds a job. We are very excited!

Here are a few newer pictures of our beautiful little boy. Kason is doing great. He Is getting big. We think, based on our own measurements (this means weighing ourselves on the scale while holding him and then without him and taking the difference) that he now weighs about 13.5 lbs. We haven't measured him for a while, but he seems to mostly grow chubbier, not taller. He loves sleeping on his stomach and looking upside down. He looks more and more like his dad every day, it's so fun to see.

We had a very exciting thing happen on Sunday - Kason rolled over! He was playing on his stomach and we were trying to get him to turn his head by laying on the side that he wasn't looking and saying his name and talking to him and he just rolled over. It was amazing. He hasn't done it since, so we are wondering if it was kind of a fluke, but we are still working with him. He's so fun to watch and even smiles every once in a while.

Our second anniversary is coming up this sunday (Sept. 28th). I can't believe it has been two years already! It some ways that doesn't seen long enough to have experienced all we've experienced and grown together as much as we have, but in other ways it seems like I have been Reed's wife forever - I can't remember what it was like without him. We have had a great marriage so far. Lots of fun and adventures between going to Virginia for the summer and having our sweet little baby. Some hard times, but nothing we can't handle. It really has been great! I love Reed more and more every day and I am so blessed by his hard work and integrity. It's been fun seeing him as a new daddy, he does a great job!

The Best Baby in the World!

Kason is now three weeks old and doing great! At his two week check-up last Wednesday the doctor officially declared him "Perfect". Much to our delight he was up to a whopping 8 lbs. 10 oz. I had been concerned about his eating and was relieved when the doctor assured me, given the weight gain, that he is doing just fine. These are some pictures of him enjoying his favorite past time - Sleep! He sleeps anywhere, anytime... in front of his mirror, with dad, in a room full of talking people, while eating... it's great. He is starting to have more awake time now and it's really fun when his eyes are open big and he's looking around. He doesn't cry much, mostly just grunts, which makes it hard to know when he's awake and ready to eat at night, so most of the time I end up setting and alarm and waking him up. He will usually sleep for four hours at a time during the night and will take a bottle, so Reed will often stay up and feed him for the last time of the day, giving me plenty of sleep. I really am being spoiled and I don't know what I will do when he goes back to work!

We have had lots of firsts over the last few weeks. First car ride, first messy diaper, first time peeing on mom and dad, first time to church, first walk, etc.Here are a couple of pictures. One is of his first bath. He doesn't mind baths, it's hard to tell if he actually likes them, but he doesn't cry (or even grunt). The one of him with his dad in the cute polo and shorts is after his first full block of church. He did great! He seemed especially alert during the hymns with everybody singing and the organ playing, it was a lot more noise than he's used to. He's very mellow and there isn't much that bothers him, but he doesn't like pooping, or getting his nose sucked out with the nasal aspirator. He's had some congestion that been stuffing up his nose and making it hard for him to eat. He used to fuss a little when we changed his diaper, but now that he has his perfected the art of peeing at just the right moment so that it gets on mom or dad and dirties the diaper we just put under him, he seems to enjoy it a lot more.

Kason also spent lots of time with family these past few weeks. He's met all of his aunts and uncles, both of his cousins, grandma and grandpa Bylund, great grandma Thompson, and looks forward to meeting grandma and grampy Sloat very soon. Here are some pictures of Kason's first meeting with his cousin Eli and his cousin Elyse.

Kason Anthony Sloat

He is here! The long anticipated arrival of our first son came early Wednesday evening! Kason Anthony Sloat was born on July 30, 2008 at 5:30 pm. He weighed 7 lbs. 7 ozs. and was 22 inches long.

We went to the hospital at 12:30 on Wednesday to be induced because that Monday at my doctors appointment I was dilated to four and we decided it would be best to help move things along. When we got there they hooked me up to some monitors which showed that I was having regular contractions (about 5 minutes apart), but I wasn't feeling them. The doctor came in and broke my water at about 1:30 at which point we discovered I was dilated to a 6, but I still wasn't feeling the contractions. Its funny to note that about this time the nurse predicted, if everything went pretty fast, Kason would be born around nine or ten that night. They finally put in an IV and started the petocin medication which really got the ball rolling. I started felling the contractions at this point and they became stronger and stronger and was able to breath through a few, but I finally asked for an epidural and was promptly numbed up by the anesthesiologist. Shortly after this the nurse noticed that Kason's heart beat was dropping with my contractions instead of rising as it had been doing. She said this usually only happens once I am fully dilated and the baby has dropped into "ready to be pushed" position, but she couldn't imagine that had already happened, so she was a little nervous (they hadn't even called my doctor yet). She decided to check me and found out that I was indeed ready to push. She called my doctor, got the okay, and I began pushing at about 5:00 pm. Reed, my mom, and Becky were all in the room with me throughout the afternoon and stayed for the birth. Becky took pictures, my mom counted my pushing and Reed and one of the nurses held my legs. The doctor got there just in time and Kason was born at 5:30 pm. He swallowed a lot of amniotic fluid (which he was still choking on the next night) so they gave him some oxygen and whisked him away to be suctioned. Reed went with him to get shots and get cleaned up and brought him back happy and pink and ready to eat. We stayed two nights at the hospital and brought him home early Friday afternoon.

He is all arms and legs with long toes and fingers! He has his dad's height, cheeks, and brow, and his mom's chin and nose (we are still undecided on the eyes). He's been with us now for almost a week and is doing great! We are so happy to be parents. Reed is such a good dad and helps out a lot. He seems to have a strong paternal instinct that makes him an amazing help! Reed took his last final of his last semester as an undergraduate yesterday morning and is now carefree and ready to fully enjoy being a dad. He did go back to work last night and will work for the rest of this week. My mom is staying with me at nights (cooking dinner and helping with Kason while Reed is gone) for the rest of the week and then next week and the week after Reed is taking off of work and we will have fun being a family!

Surprise!

We had a doctor's appointment yesterday and to our surprise (and the doctor's) I am dilated to a 2+. At first I didn't really know what this implied except that the doctor, upon discovering my progression, proceeded to give us detailed instructions of what to do if my water breaks or if I begin having regular contractions and worrying about the fact that we haven't chosen a pediatrician yet. To me this said that the time may soon be at hand to deliver our son.
I came home and looked up the stages of labor on the internet and found out that technically I am in early labor. Apparently early labor ends when you've dilated to a 4 and then you should start progressing more rapidly. After reading that I really started to think that we were close. But I haven't really felt any pain that seems to be consistent with true labor pains or contractions. I have since learned that some people are dilated to a 1 or 2 for up to four weeks before they actually deliver and have fairly regular (and painful) Braxton Hicks contractions during that time.
So, there was a bit of excitement yesterday, but it looks like we don't necessarily have reason to think that Kason will be making his appearance early. The whole experience did help me realize that when the time for actual labor is close (as I thought it was yesterday) my excitement for the whole event does in fact outweigh my fear of it. This is something I've been going back and forth on for a while now. It helps to know that I am more excited than scared. Although it may end up being like a roller coaster ride when you are very excited until the car gets about half way up the first hill and then the fear sets in and you panic and wish you could turn back. I guess we will see.

FYI - I did not reach my goal of completing the Red Sox blanket, however I am making progress and will post pictures as soon as I'm done!

Pregnant Me

Upon request, here are a couple of pictures of me pregnant. The one on the left is at Becky's graduation and the one on the right we took last Sunday just to be put up on the blog and the one on the bottom was taken at Eli's birthday party up Millcreek canyon. With just seven weeks and one day until our due date, things are going great. I'm definitely feeling big. Most people are surprised that I'm not due until August since I look like I could pop at any moment. Bending over is becoming more and more of an impossibility, when I drop something I'm increasingly tempted to just leave it there until Reed gets home and can pick it up. Also, bedtime has come to involve a nightly feet of pillow engineering. If I can surround myself just right with just the right amount of pillows I have a chance of sleeping all the way through until my first bathroom run, which usually occur every three hours during the night. But it really is all great! I'm so excited to be a mom! I am having a baby shower next Saturday, and it’s going to be very fun. Becky, Tammy, and my mom are hosting it and working very hard, for which I am very grateful. Father's day is tomorrow and I had fun getting a gift for Reed. He's not officially a father yet, but close enough and he deserves to be celebrated either way. I have set a goal to finish the Red Sox blanket by the end of next week. I think it's very doable. So, hopefully I will have a picture in my next post or so.

...one month later

It's been a while since my last post. Reed has been enjoying the warm weather and his new putter by golfing as much as he can get away with. He just started working again for Wireless Giant, so now he's doing part time school and two part time jobs. He said that he just didn't feel right only working part time this summer since his class load is pretty light. I told him he should just enjoy the summer and the time off, but he has a better work ethic than I do. I am so blessed to be his wife!
We now have just about two months until our baby is due and we can't wait! We got all of the baby's clothes in the closet and a cradle all set up. We borrowed the cradle from parents and I decided to put it together myself one night after Reed left for work. There weren't any instructions and so it ended up taking me a few tries and quite some time, but I did it and felt very satisfied by my accomplishment. Sometimes I go into the baby's room and just look at it and think about how unbelievable it is that not too long from now there will be an actual baby in it and that baby will be mine and Reed's!

I have been having fun dreaming up and working on sewing projects. I made a prototype of a diaper bag. It definitely needs some adjustments, but I think it will turn out cool in the end. I am also working on baby blankets. This picture is a set of blankets and burp cloths that I made recently for a baby shower gift. It was the first time I did appliqué using the sewing machine and I was really excited at how good they turned out because the sewing machine is much faster than by hand. I just did some today that I'm going to put fish on, I think they'll turn out cute. I'm also still working on a Red Sox blanket, but I'm doing that one by hand, so it's taking longer and I sometimes need to take a break and make something start to finish...for good or bad I'm much more motivated by immediate results.