Halloween & Parker Seven Months Old

For Parker's first Halloween I decided to go very simple. He was a Minion. :) I knew he would hate a hat and we already had the sunglasses and overalls. I used a plain white Gerber Onesie and dyed it yellow with Rit Dye. We only went down to Andy's parent's house because who wants to give candy to a seven month old's parents on Halloween? Not me. While we were there we spent the evening with the grandparents and Andy's brother Casey, his wife Kim, and their 13 month old Mason. Mason was dressed as Mickey Mouse. I made him some yellow TOMS (not seen in the pictures) using this pattern and tutorial from Homemade Toast. 

I loved them holding hands! It was super cute. Yes I know I'm a sappy mom. :)

Now on to Bug's Seven month old birthday.

It was actually yesterday but I am such a bad keeper-upper that I tend to be a few days late on these monthly updates.

Here are Seven things about Bug at Seven Months

1. He definitely sits up well. (except for those few occasions like the picture below).
2. He has figured out how to SCREAM! Not just talking but screaming. Whenever he feels like he needs more attention, or he is having the time of his life he just lets out this high pitched screech!
3. He is cutting his first tooth at this very moment. :) and :( The poor kid (and Mommy and Daddy) are not enjoying it one bit. As soon as it breaks through I will for sure Instagram it so feel free to follow along here to stay updated.
4. We have a jumper/play gym thing for him and he finally learned how to actually jump in it this past week. It so cute to watch him learning.
5. He wants so desperately to crawl/move around. Whenever he is doing tummy time he just wiggles and wiggles like crazy trying to move. Most of the time I will put my hands on his feet so he can push them and move forward and he really likes to do that. He for sure has the scoot backwards thing down though.
6. He is and has been sleeping through the night for a while now. He goes to bed around 8:30 and I hear him talking in his bed at 6:30 the next morning. Yes I know it's early but with me and Andy both having a crazy morning schedule we are all awake that early anyway.
7. He has started waving "hello." Only to Andy but it is a faint up and down with the hand every time he comes home from school or work.

Weekend of 1st's

This past weekend was the American Fork Steel Days celebrations. Ever since I can remember (and even when I can't) the grandkids in my family would take their very first merry-go-round ride with grandma or grandpa. We would go to the parade that morning then head over to the carnival for some fun. This year I got to take Parker for his turn on the plastic horses at the carnival. My sister who had her baby just a few weeks before Parker was born brought her son too. There were no tears so I'm calling this outing a success.

Also this weekend I started feeding Parker solid foods. So far it's just rice cereal. I'm going to try bananas and avocados next. I can't wait to see his cute little face as he discovers these new tastes. He loves to sit there with his leg up on the bar and act like he's too cool for solids. I just love him to bits!

One last update! He actually rolled himself over from his belly to his back this morning during tummy time. Unfortunately I missed it in action. I will keep trying to capture a video of it.

4th of July!

Every year on the 4th my family goes camping. We didn't really want to go with a new baby but we did take him up Hobble Creek canyon to celebrate the 4th and my mom's birthday (also the 4th.) Here is his first camping trip. Well kinda.

And Parker is 3 months old. (3.5 now cause I'm too slow at blogging.) The time flies by so fast it's like I just blinked and now he's smiling, laughing, holding toys, and even sitting up for 10 seconds without falling over. WOW!! This is one of his new things. Pointing his little finger like a gun. He does it mostly with his left hand and sometimes with the right.

We also went to a Bees game on the 5th. Lots of firsts for this kid.

 Pretty great seats if you ask me!!

He loves bath time and story time with dad before bed. :) He is so interested in the books!

And this last one for my mom. :) He looks so cute in that Utah red!!!

He changes so fast I can't stand it!!!

Parker Andrew Mecham: A Birth Story

It began Monday, April 1st. I started having mild contractions and I thought they were just Braxton Hick's. Then Tuesday came around and they were getting worse but not closer together. We went to labor and delivery that night around 10 pm. They watched me for an hour, since I was only at 35 weeks pregnant they stopped the contractions and sent me home. The contractions came back about an hour after we left. BUMMER! Wednesday wasn't horrible but I was still having contractions. They were getting worse but still not close enough to really worry about. We went back to labor and delivery around 6 pm that night. Again they watched me for an hour and sent me home. Still the contractions came back about and hour after we got home. Then thursday morning rolled around. I tried my hardest to relax and just take my mind off the pain but at 11 am I was done trying. I called Andy home from work and we went to labor and delivery one  more last time. They watched me for an hour and in that time I went from being dilated at a 3 to a 5 and from 90% to 100% effaced. They decided to admit me and give me the epidural. I was so exhausted by this point that Andy had to help me stand up to go to the bathroom before we went into the delivery room. I Andy could tell you how nervous I was about getting the epidural cause I went from being really out of it to asking the doctors and nurses a million questions. Once the meds started working (around 1:45 pm) I was so relaxed and pleasant it was almost like a whole different person. I took a nap for a few hours and at 7 pm I was fully dilated and they had me start pushing. I pushed for a total of an hour and a half with a 20 minute break in the middle so the doctor could deliver another baby. At 8:51 pm on April 4th, we had a beautiful little boy! :) He weighed 6 lbs 12 oz and measured 19 in long. Since he was early he was rushed to the nursery where did did a lot of tests to make sure he was healthy. About an hour later I went in and watched with Andy his first little bath.

Boy oh boy am I a lucky mom! He is so precious and the greatest blessing in our lives. I am really grateful that our Lord and Savior is trusting me with this beautiful child. I can already tell how much I've grown and how much I want to grow and become a better mother and woman in the Church. I love him so very much and can't wait to raise him in the Gospel.

Announcement Number 2!!

So I went to the doctor's office this week. And... we got to see the sex of our baby. 

WE'RE HAVING A BOY!!!

I am so excited! I always wanted a boy first because I never had an older brother. :) I'm very nervous because I know next to nothing about boys (I have 3 sisters.) But I am very excited for the new life we will be bringing into our family. Such a wonderful blessing to be able to have one of God's precious children come into our lives. I know there will be a lot of struggles and many sleepless nights that follow but with the help of our Lord and Savior, family and friends, and many prayers we will make it. 

Love to you all!

Tayci 

Announcement!!

Drum Roll Please...........

WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!!!

THAT'S RIGHT! WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!!!

As you can see in the picture, the dues date is May 4th, 2013. We are so excited!!! We went to the doctor today and they did the ultrasound. I was so nervous because I have had three dreams about having twins (a boy and a girl.) When we looked at the monitor we saw only one so I was relieved. Andy looked the same. It was so great to have him there with me! We saw the little heart beating so incredibly fast. It was breathtaking. I couldn't really believe this little person was inside of me. (Aside from the occasional morning sickness and exhaustion that is.) Andy and I are so grateful for this chance to be parents! It's going to be a wonderful experience and I look forward to updating you on how the pregnancy and family is growing.

The Holidays

Our first Christmas together was wonderful. Andy got sick Christmas day and gave it to me a few days later. But other than that we had a great time. We got a Kinect from Santa and we love it!! We played tennis on the sports season 2 game and the next day I was very sore. Haha.

After Christmas we went to El Paso, Texas for the Sun Bowl. I know I'm not a Utah Utes fan but I couldn't let my husband and brother-in-law have all the fun without me. The trip was so long!!! We drove the whole way there and back. It was about 28 hours of driving round trip. HOLY COW! The Utes won the game in overtime so it made the trip worth it. here are some pictures. :)

Check it out!!! Glory road. :)

I was super glad we went because of the history of UTEP. It was awesome!

EPIC. HAIR. CUT.

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So after we went to Disneyland in August I cut Andy's hair and I messed up a little so we had to cut it shorter than the norm. Well, he has been growing it out for 4 MONTHS!!! That's crazy cause his hair grows fast. I usually cut it every 5-6 weeks. Oh boy. On December 13th he actually let me cut it. SO EXCITING! I was very happy. 

Before #1

Before #2

Before #3

The pile of hair after. (with a random piece of plastic from our bathroom floor)

AFTER #1

AFTER #2

AFTER #3

Oh it looks so so much better! I like it the most when it's about 3 or 4 days after the cut. Then I'm used to it and he looks like a nice guy. Haha. :)

Family Pictures

Every fall  my side of the family takes pictures for the year. This year we went up Hobble Creek Canyon here in Springville. It was super fun because the little kiddies were adorable up there!! Well here they are...

This is the whole group! One more of these then I'll show you the little family sub-group pictures and then my favorite of the kids.

The Barlow family. Christopher, Rene', Ethan, & Maggie

The Anderson family. Ricky, Marissa, Kambri, & Lucy

The Mecham family. Andy & Tayci

I know it's far away but it's all us girls in one picture. I love my sisters!!

Here's the little kid pictures I love!

Ethan and Kam playing with a caterpillar they found!

Chris and Ethan on the bridge. SO adorable!

Kam looking at the caterpillar.

The two little ones, Lucy and Maggie. Haha I love that Lucy looks like she's attacking Maggie.

Here's the Maggester! That's what I call her. I hope when she gets older she doesn't hate me for it!

And Lucy. Her smiles were few and far between but this one is priceless!

That's it. :) I hope you enjoyed looking at my family!