what I've been reading lately

Nursing a baby 6-8 times a day (and 3-4 times at night, still!) has me spending a lot of time just sitting or laying around - especially since I seem to have a slow eater. (It still takes him 20-40 minutes to eat and he is almost 5 months old!) So... I've had plenty of time to read lately. Here is a list of what I've read since having Nolan and a little bit of what I think of each one.

The Mistborn Trilogy - by Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson is also an LDS author, but his genre of choice is fantasy. Scott loves Sanderson and most of his books. When we were first married, he convinced me to read "Elantris". I actually really enjoyed that book, but I've always had a harder time getting into fantasy books (besides Harry Potter, of course :). Scott has been wanting me to read this series FOR EVER, but I've always had something else I've been reading. He even convinced my entire family to read them before I ever got around to it! But since Scott got the trilogy for Christmas this past year, and I was currently stuck at home with nothing to read, I decided to give it a shot. And... turns out it is a pretty good series!

I can tell that Sanderson planned out the entire trilogy before he started writing because everything fits together perfectly! Tiny details from book one end up being hugely important at the end of book three. All the characters are interesting and develop differently as the books progress. I also really enjoyed the magic system that he created. Its intriguing and fairly elaborate. The books tend to start out somewhat slow with a lot of descriptions and explanations and then the last 100 pages or so are action packed - so just be aware you won't want to put it down once you get to that point! Overall, I would recommend them to anyone! - Even if you aren't a huge fan of fantasy!

[Mistborn: The Final Empire: 4 STARS]
[The Well of Ascension: 3 STARS]
[The Hero of Ages: 4 STARS]

The James Potter Series - by G. Norman Lippert

This fan fiction was written by G Norman Lippert and is based off of JK Rowling's Harry Potter series. Because he uses many of Rowling's characters and her magical world, she still owns the rights to the series which means he can't publish for a profit. So the good news is...these books are free to download! I read them off of Goodreads on my iPod - so convenient! So far, he has written 3 books - I hope he goes on to write more! They are about James Potter, Harry's first born son.

As I first started to read, I had a hard time accepting the books. The author just isn't quite as good as Rowling. He is from the US and is attempting to continue writing in Rowling's British tone. But he sometimes throws in vocabulary that just doesn't sound quite right. As I got farther into the series, I stopped noticing! I'm sure it was a combination between an improvement in his writing and me getting used to his style. Despite this, I really enjoyed Lippert's addition to the overarching magical world. He attempts to describe how magic is possible using "technomancy". It really is kind of interesting.

Te first two books are set at Hogwarts just like the Harry Potter Series. I especially enjoyed the second book - I think its my favorite overall. The third book is set at the wizarding school in the US. Lippert really did his own thing in this book - inventing a new school, new government system, new wizarding sport, etc. However, I kind of missed Hogwarts and all of that so I have mixed feelings about this one. Overall though, I think for fan fiction, it is pretty good! I would recommend it for any Harry Potter lover!

[James Potter and the Hall of Elder's Crossing: 3 STARS]

[James Potter and the Curse of the Gatekeeper: 3.5 STARS]

[James Potter and the Vault of Destines: 3 STARS]

Dean Hughes Novels

Promises to Keep: Diane's Story

Dean Hughes is an LDS author and most of his books are centered around fictional LDS characters. He is most known for his series "Children of the Promise" and its sister series "Hearts of the Children". My grandparents had both of these series and growing up I loved to read them when we visited them during the summer. "Promises to Keep" is the the story of what happened to one of the characters in "Hearts of the Children" after the series ends. I really enjoyed this book especially since I was already familiar with most of the characters in it. [3.5 STARS]

Midway to Heaven

This is another book by Dean Hughes. It is about a recent widower and how he deals with the older singles scene and with his youngest daughter falling in love. It was a quick and easy read but entertaining as well for those familiar with the LDS culture in Utah. [2.5 STARS]

Before the Dawn

This novel by Hughes is a little bit different than the other two in that it is set during the Great Depression. Actually, one of the things I enjoy about Dean Hughes is that many of his books (including the two series I mentioned earlier) can be considered historical fiction because they are set during historical events and he includes some good information about them as well. Anyway, the story is about a widow who is raising her two teenage children and taking care of her farm. She doesn't get a long very well with her ward, but is called to be the Relief Society President. I loved hearing about her struggles in her calling and how she was able to overcome them. [3 STARS]

Other Books..

The Usual Rules - by Joyce Maynard

The Unusual Rules is an historical fiction novel about a girl dealing with the death of her mother after 9/11. It is an interesting experience reading historical fiction about an event that you lived through. I surprisingly happened to be living in the US during the attack and I still remember it like it was yesterday. But, I was living across the country - and I know that my experience was no where near as terrifying as it was for those living in NY and DC at the time. It was interesting to read a novel about a girl who was approximately the same age I was at the time, but who was far more affected than I was. It has some really sad parts, but overall is a good story. [3 STARS]

Crossed - by Ally Condie

Crossed is the second book in the Matched series by Ally Condie. I really enjoy the utopian/dystopian genre. It might even be my favorite. But I sometimes get tired of the fact that most of them are young adult fiction. I'd really like to read a good dystopian novel with adult language and depth. That is how I was feeling when I read this book. So, most of my criticisms for this book are based on my attitude when I read it. Overall, I didn't think it was as good as the first, but it was a good read! I did get a little bit tired of the love triangle after awhile... [3 STARS]

the fourth month

Height: 26.25 in (90%)

Weight: 17 lbs 9oz (90%)

Head circumference: 17in (75%)

I can't believe my baby is four months old! He has definitely started developing his little personality this month and it is so exciting to see him turn into a little person!

This month, we spent a lot of time with family. Katie and Rory spent a couple of weeks here with Carter.

My mom wanted to have a photoshoot with her too grandbabies..

Carter just wanted to eat Nolan's hands.. :)

Best uncle ever? The babies aren't quite so sure.. ;)

Scott's brother Chris and his wife Suzy and their three kids came into town as well. Nolan got to meet three more cousins and his aunt and uncle! We also took Nolan and Carter to meet their Great-Grandpa Butterfield who is 90yrs old. He isn't doing that great and is now living in an assisted living home. We were lucky that he was very alert when we came to visit and he was excited to meet his great-grandbabies.

This month, Nolan slept SO well when we were staying with my parents, but as soon as we came home, he had a major sleep regression! He didn't want to take ANY naps and he is up ever 2-3 hours at night. It can be SO exhausting! Last week, we had a night like this and every time I finally got him to sleep and then finally got myself settled and about to fall asleep (sometimes it takes me awhile) he would wake up again! I'd probably gotten about 2 or 3 hours of sleep all night in little bits here and there and it was 6:30 in the morning and Nolan woke up again. I knew this time it was late enough that he would be up for good and I was SO exhausted that I had a mini breakdown! I just didn't think I could make it the whole day on no sleep (even when Nolan does take naps during the day, they are never longer than 45 min, which is not long enough for me to take a nap as well). So, my wonderful husband decided to use one of his very few days off so that he could stay home and take care of Nolan so that I could get a little sleep. He even took him out of the house for a couple of hours so I could have some uninterrupted sleep (I always wake up whenever Nolan makes the tiniest peep anywhere in the house). I think it was one of the best two hours of my life! :) It is amazing what even a little bit of sleep can do for you!

Other milestones/interesting developments:

- Nolan has discovered his toys and loves to play with them! He grabs at everything now!
- He especially loves his stuffed giraffe that Scott named Soggy - I'm sure you can guess why :)
- He drools all over the place! (maybe he is teething?)

Ready to go to a work BBQ!

- He is so interested in everything! It makes it hard to nurse because he gets distracted all the time. I have to nurse him in our room with no distractions - which means I can't do anything and Scott can't be in the room.
- He laughs when Scott or I are playing with him/tickling him
- He loves to look at books but gets frustrated that he isn't coordinated enough to turn the pages himself. His favorite is our Book of Mormon Stories Board Book
- He likes to look at himself in the mirror and sometimes gets upset when we go away from the mirror.
- He doesn't like tummy time very much - but this has helped him learn to roll! I've learned that when he gets upset on his tummy, I can just leave him a little bit longer and he will roll over! He can roll from his tummy to his back from both sides. So far the only time he has rolled from his back to his tummy is on our bed when he is waiting for me to feed him. I'm not sure if he can do it on the ground yet.
- When he is on his tummy, he is constantly trying to go places. He gets his feet and knees up under him and tries to push of the ground - but he hasn't learned how to use his arms yet so he doesn't really go anywhere. He is just barely starting to push up with his arms. Maybe he will be an early crawler! ... I guess its time to start baby proofing!
- He found his feet!

- He always wants to be sitting up straight! He can now sit for a few seconds before falling over. He still needs a lot of practice with this one! :)
- Sometimes I put Nolan in his carseat while I'm showering or eating etc, but lately he has learned how to get out! He wiggles and kicks his legs and slides out the front of his carseat (I hadn't been strapping him in before this!). I looked over at him the other day and his legs were on the ground and his head and back were on the bottom part of the carseat where he usually sits. Thank goodness its so close to the ground! I will now be strapping him in every time!
- Nolan has decided that only Mom can put him to sleep - no Dads (or anyone else) allowed!

Nolan sleeping in the big bed ... his favorite place!

My parents took a short trip to Bear Lake last week and asked us to watch their dog, Pookie, while they were gone. Nolan has finally started to notice her while she's been at our house. Whenever she is nearby he lunges for her. She doesn't like it very much and runs away whenever he is nearby. It will be interesting to see what happens as he gets bigger... :)

I've been looking at some old picture of Nolan lately and I barely recognize him! I can't believe how much he has changed in just 4 short months. It has definitely helped me learn to try to appreciate the moment, even when he wakes up at 4:30am (for good!) or when it takes 2 hours to get him to bed at night. We absolutely love our little guy and wouldn't trade him for anything. I'm also super appreciative of my awesome husband who let me sleep in both mornings this past weekend! It helped prepare me for last night, I guess ...Nolan was up 4 times to eat! My guess is he's going through another growth spurt. I guess we'll see after his next appointment!

Sorry this post was so long! :)

the third month

This month was pretty crazy for us! In May Scott started working for the American Red Cross as an Emergency Services Specialist/Caseworker for the Mountain Valley Chapter located in Provo. He does several different things, but his main responsibility is with emergency response. So the end of June/beginning of July were very busy for him with all of the fires going on in Utah. For two weeks, Scott worked long hours at work every day (including Saturday and Sunday) and would then come home and be on the phone all night long. This also meant all of the parenting/household duties were left to me - I felt like a widow! Needless to say, it was exhausting for both of us.

We "celebrated" our anniversary in the midst of all the fires. Scott was able to turn his phone off for a couple of hours and we left Nolan with my parents while we went out to eat. It wasn't much, but it was nice to have my husband to myself for a couple of hours during that time!

Although there was still one fire, Scott was able to take the 4th and 5th of July off. Katie and Rory and Carter were also in town so we spent a few days up at my parents house. We spent the 4th with my dad's family as per our tradition! We had a waffle, bacon, and egg breakfast; went to the Kaysville/Fruit Heights Parade (Nolan was not a fan of the fire trucks and ambulances!); had a BBQ at my Aunt Deanne's house; and went to some fireworks (my parents were kind enough to watch the babies so that Scott and I and Katie and Rory could go)!

On the 5th Nolan turned 3 months and officially grew out of his "newborn" stage. I can't believe he is getting so big so quickly! We also had family pictures with my family that day! I will have to post some of those when we get them! Unfortunately, we were taking them at about 7pm for optimal lighting - but it wasn't really optimal timing for the babies... it was definitely bed time so we did
As always, Nolan is growing so fast! Here is a little bit about him from his third month of life:

- Nolan is happiest at home in his element
- He smiles all the time, especially in the morning, but as soon as I take out the camera, they are all gone!
- He gets a little bit overwhelmed when there are too many people, sounds, or things going on - then he just kind of shuts down and become a little blob.
- Loves to stand up when we're holding him.
- Always tries to sit forward when we prop him up - and promptly falls over to the side because he can't hold himself up yet
- Still likes to be swaddled and rocked to sleep
- He has decided he doesn't like to be in his carseat, but he does like his stroller
- Nolan is now wearing 6-9 mo size clothes
- Loves listening to french nursery rhymes (his favorites are Frere Jacques and Allouette)
- He loves to look at paintings
- He has started swatting at his toys and can grab them once in a while, but not for long
- Learned how to pull out his binky, but can't get it back in - so frustrating for him! :)
AND! he rolled onto side at 11 weeks!

* PS... the photo upload isn't working for me right now, so I'll have to add the pictures later!