Firsts

This is the first blogpost I am completing in several months, though it's not the first I've started. In my defense, we have been moving and all sorts of fun stuff. So without a lot of chitchat from me, here are some cute pictures of some of Carson's firsts. And yes, I am becoming one of "those" parents, but this is MY first, and I think he is the cutest kid ever.

July

I don't take enough pictures, but here are a few more of what we have been up to this summer:


Mom and Carson hanging out - we get to hang out a lot!


Dad and Carson taking a little snooze


Spending time with family - This is the first time Koy and Carson met. We were all in Eagar last weekend for the 4th of July, and I'm still not sure what Koy thinks of Carson. He is so sweet with him though and likes to give Carson knuckles. Carson cooperates, even though he has no idea what is going on.


Aunt Hilary and Grandma South FINALLY got to meet Carson.


This is us watching the Eagar parade on the 3rd of July! There is nothing like being home for Independence Day. We enjoyed spending time with quite a bit of family - though Jason and Jen and boys were greatly missed. We watched the parade, played outside in the grass and on the swing, watched fireworks, ate yummy food, played games, and had a good time. I love spending the 4th of July in Eagar because I'm reminded of who I am and where I come from. I love being from a town decked out in red, white, and blue. I love seeing flags everywhere. I love when people stop me in the grocery store and ask who I belong to. I especially love seeing everyone stand not only for the flag, but to honor the veterans who have fought for our freedoms. My Dad says the 4th of July was always his favorite holiday because he got a new pair of boots. I didn't get a new pair of boots, but I got to do all of the things I love. There's no place like home!

Trippin'

We've had a busy few weeks. Sam's sister graduated from high school the last weekend in May, and we flew up to Utah to be there. It was great to visit with family over the Memorial Day weekend and be there for her graduation.

Then about 10 days later we traveled to Utah again - apparently it really is the place. We were a little worried about Carson's road-tripping skills, but the little tyke did pretty well, despite some of our misadventures. We decided to split the trip into a couple of days. Well...we reserved a nice little hotel room in Kanab, and when we pulled our weary selves into town, we discovered they had given away our room. And there really wasn't much to be found anywhere. The lady at the front desk told us there was a room in "the valley". I know lots of "valleys", but I had no idea that she was talking about Orderville. Who knew? We headed up the road, and when we reached Orderville it was pitch black. No rooms...and no Best Western. So on we went. Upon arriving in Panguitch, we found a little dive to stay in. I cringed and expected the worst, but it was actually quite clean, just older than the hills. We had a great time when we finally got to Utah. My former roommate, Jennica, got married. Her wedding was beautiful, and we are so happy for her. We got to spend some time with Sam's family, and then we headed to Wyoming for my family reunion.

We spend four days in a cabin in the Uinta Mountains, and you will see that there is snow - yes, snow! - on the ground. We even found a little furry critter in our cabin trying to stay warm :) Carson was a champ, and he was loved on more than any little one I've ever seen. It was fun to show him off, and if I do say so myself, he was about the best-behaved child I have ever seen. I'm praying that doesn't change anytime soon - well, ever, really. We are back home in the Valley of the Sun and wishing we were still chilling with the fam. We miss you all!

2 Months

Our growing boy is now 2 months old! I can hardly believe it! In other news, both Sam and I celebrated a birthday this month. I know that I definitely feel older this year. Sam surprised me by getting tickets to the Glee concert. We went last night, and it was a fabulous concert. It brought me back to my show choir days, and I thoroughly enjoyed the singing and dancing as well as the high school angst and drama portrayed in the show. Thank you Natalie and Jennica for watching our peanut so we could enjoy a date!

Love Him!

To my delight, Sam caught this precious moment on video. You have to pause the music at the bottom to hear it, but this is the first time we heard Carson laugh. This might be the most beautiful thing I have ever heard.

One Month Picture

I meant to post this picture awhile ago Carson is 1 month old here, and now he is almost 7 weeks! I can't believe how fast he is growing. He is starting to smile and make a few noises. He finally likes his bath. He still likes to sleep (just not for long stretches), and he likes his swing. We are pretty blessed to have a happy baby.

This was just a couple of days ago, sporting the cute outfit that Jason and Jen and the boys sent him. Thanks guys! The hair is a little unruly, but that's Carson's style :)

Baby Photo Shoot

These are just some cute pictures a friend of mine took. Carson is ALMOST 2 weeks old in these pictures. I also posted below about his blessing day. It's hard to believe he is almost 6 weeks old now! He's growing like a weed, and sometimes I wish I could freeze time. And other times I can't wait for him to sleep through the night!

Baby Blessing

On Sunday, April 4th Carson was given a name and a blessing by his dad. It was also Easter Sunday, and I can think of no better way to celebrate Easter than to bless a new baby. We were fortunate to have a small group of family in town, and we are so thankful to have had them here. Both sets of grandparents were here, as well as a few sisters, brothers-in-law, and some close friends. We missed those who are out of town (and that's quite a few of you!) Carson is named Carson Scott Blackham, after both of his grandpa's and his dad. They are all such good men, and I hope that Carson will develop the same qualities of kindness, strength, and priesthood power that these men have. We feel so blessed to have him in our home, and we love him more everyday.

Baby Blackham is Born!

I laughed when I got on our blog and the baby counter said "5 Days to Delivery!" Our little boy made his debut on Monday, March 15th, a few days ahead of schedule. I think he was trying to spite his mom, who is chronically behind schedule, or else wanting to be here for March Madness and some good Cougar basketball (which we are a little overdue for). We are so happy to have him here and healthy. After much debate and discussion, we have named him Carson Scott Blackham. I never imagined it could be so great to have a child. Don't get me wrong...it was definitely not all fun, but he is such a miracle. He is so perfect and so cute, and I don't think we could love him any more than we do.

For those inquiring minds who want to know the details, keep reading. For those who don't, just scroll down. I have certainly heard my fill of labor stories in the last several months, and I don't blame you if you skip mine. Last week I kept having thoughts of getting a few things ready JUST IN CASE our baby was born early. I didn't heed those too well, thinking I would have Spring Break to finish up those things I wanted to do. I had been having contractions on and off for several days, but I wasn't too concerned. Well, Sunday morning I woke up thinking that my water had broken - two days after I reassured my students that my water wouldn't break in class and that people's water doesn't really break that often until they are IN labor and at the hospital. Apparently I don't really know what I'm talking about, and that became quite apparent.

I pulled Sam out of a meeting to take me to the hospital. Five hours later, they couldn't confirm that I was in labor or that my water had broken. They sent us home. We came home and ate dinner, and contractions kept getting closer together. After two hours of 4 minute apart contractions we went back to the hospital. They sent us home again, and I'll admit that I wanted to pop off the nurse's head. She was nice, but not too sympathetic or reassuring. Apparently I was supposed to wait until contractions were 2-3 minutes apart - not what the doctor had told me, by the way. And she said I was ONLY in early labor. Lucky for her, I did not pop her head off, just cried a lot and came home.

They gave me Ambien to sleep the rest of the night before sending me home. I heard this little voice screaming in my head that maybe I shouldn't take the little pill, but I did. It was a horrible night, and maybe worse for my husband. I started hallucinating - apparently I thought I was Alice in Wonderland - and I got really sick. Then the REAL contractions started, and amidst all of this my dear husband tried to reason with me. He wasn't sure I could handle the hospital sending me home again, so he tried to make absolutely sure I was ready to go. I decided to tough it out for as long as I could. It was a long, sleepless night, and finally we went to the hospital at around 7 on Monday morning. Hallelujuah! The mean nurse was gone and the nice nurse was there. She didn't waste any time. I was dilated to a 7, and they got me an epidural right away.

I can honestly say I have never been more ready for a shot to the spine. I swiftly went to sleep, and after some much-needed rest, I was ready to have a baby. My mom and dad had driven down from Eagar and had arrived by this time, and my sister had come to the hospital. It seemed that we waited for quite awhile for the doctor to get finished with a c-section, but by the time the doc was ready, so was baby Carson! It didn't take too long at all to get him here. He came fast, and he was pretty healthy - despite a few potential complications.

I don't think I'll every forget the feelings I had when I saw our little baby boy for the first time. It's really unbelievable that we can bring little spirits into this world. They are so perfect and innocent. I am so thankful for the plan of salvation and for families. Sam has been a rock through it all too. I couldn't ask for a more supportive, loving, and helpful husband. He's already turning out to be a great dad, and it's pretty awesome to see him taking care of our little guy. It was also nice to have other family members there, and I am especially indebted to my mom for becoming our live-in nurse/maid/cook for a few days. I have a much greater appreciation for what she went through (without an epidural!) and I am so grateful for her help and support.

My Valentine

I prefer to think of myself as spatially challenged rather than a bad driver. I think it's because of my poor eyesight, which I attribute completely to my father. So Dad, my occasional "spatial challenges" are all your fault. My most recent spatial challenge - at least the most recent with proof - actually occurred several months ago. I tore the driver's rearview window off of my car when backing out of the garage. I haven't been in a real hurry to fix it because frankly, it's much easier to back out of the garage without the extra appendage. I have been driving without a rearview mirror for awhile now, and I hardly notice it's gone. This morning I woke up and drove to church without looking in the mirror, as usual. As I slid into the bench next to my husband, he leaned over and whispered, "Did you get your Valentine's present?" I nodded and told him the flowers were nice. He looked at me funny and asked if I had already broken it off again. First I had no idea what he was talking about, and then he explained that he fixed my mirror. I felt like an idiot for not noticing, but I was also happily anticipating what my car would look like WHOLE. After church, to my surprise and joy, I got in the car, LOOKED IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR, backed out of the parking lot, and drove home. Oh happy day (for me and for the other drivers on the road)! What a sweet husband I have.

In other news, we are happily anticipating the arrival of our little boy. We might have him named. We at least have it narrowed down (and Titan and Stone are out of the running...unless he's born on April Fool's Day, in which case I might have to let Sam name him). We had a wonderful baby shower yesterday. We so appreciate everyone's work and kindness. I think we are ready to have this baby now! I am super excited to get his room all set up and put together. And I am more excited for him to get here. I think we're close enough that we can start counting down the days!

I'm Late...I'm Late

These days I am starting to feel like the rabbit in Alice and Wonderland. I am not sure where January has gone, or December for that matter! We had a fabulous holiday season. We spent Thanksgiving in Orem with the Blackhams, and we spent Christmas in Wyoming with my side of the family. I only have a few pictures, and the rest are on Sam's phone. My iphone skills are lacking, and I don't even know where to begin trying to transfer pictures, so please forgive the sparseness. It was wonderful to be able to spend so much time with family. It was especially nice to be at my grandparents in Wyoming for Christmas. It has been a long time since my family has all been together (ALMOST all the cousins were there, and everybody else made it!). It was also great fun to have little ones around on Christmas morning. We had lots of yummy food and lots of presents and lots of laughing and being together. I am so thankful for family and the time we get to spend with them, even though it's sometimes few and far between.

We are also anxiously awaiting the new addition to our little family. I can say anxious now because our car seat/stroller came this week. We can bring him home now! His nursery is a work in progress, but we are getting closer. I am hoping for that spurt of energy that I hear comes at the end. We start childbirth classes this week - crazy. I didn't think the end would ever come, and now I'm nervous and anxious and TOTALLY IMPATIENT. We still have 7 or 8 weeks to go (or more if he's running late...and with his genes he probably will be). But it's nice to be on the downhill slide. And that's what's happening in our neck of the woods.