memorial day 2011

as in what seems to be tradition now, josh and i hosted a casual memorial day bbq at our community pool. this is becoming one of my favorite holidays--good friends, yummy treats, and great sun!

little p chillin' with grandpa

jimmy and larae hanging out poolside

auntie jess taking peyton for a dip

family time in the water!

angelo and vanessa being sweet together ;-)

yup! we sure did bust out a round or 5 of penny can!

little "hailey boo" having a ball!

uncle josh...being "fun" uncle josh to little man joel.

girl time! :-)

thanks to everyone who made it out for the afternoon. as usual, hoping to make summer barbecues a more typical activity! as always, the more the merrier! :-) join us next time!

my playtime...

have you HEARD the opinions people have about breastfeeding? four words. OH. MY. GOSH. PEOPLE.

since i've become a parent, i've begun to have exposure to the world's thoughts on "everything parenting". a big topic of discussion is breastfeeding. i won't go into the details, you can google it for yourself and get an abundance of differing opinions. me, personally? i thank the Lord every day that i'm physically able to breastfeed my daughter. it's not easy, and it's not for everyone, but peyton seems to like it, i love the benefits of it, and daddy loves the money it saves us!! so for now, baby gets teet :-)

now for the contraversial part. yes, i nurse in public places. i try to consider others--for example, i do my best to not nurse over someone's dinner at a restaurant (although, family has had the unfortunate chance to experience this), or hold off a while if there is a more well-suited place to do it, like a "family's room" or "mother's room", but i'm not afraid. it's not because i can't pump. it's not because i don't have bottles of milk at home.

it's because when i'm done, i can turn my hooter-hider around and play superhero for a few minutes while someone else burps my child.

on parenting

last week, on one of our morning walks, i made the decision to go ahead and push it a little harder, as my 6-week-post-partum date was approaching. (for those of you unfamiliar with what that date signifies--it's the goal date for which "all normal activities may resume". that's right--ALL NORMAL ACTIVITIES! get your mind out of the gutter--i'm just excited to work out again!!) therefore, that morning walk eventually turned into a morning jog. yay!!

it was quite the sight, really. peyton was in the jogger, june was on her "short leash" (yes, kind of like the short bus, but without all the window licking), and i was "jogging" as if i'd never run a step in my life. we started with a super slow pace, because i didn't want to overdo anything, ya know, in case i accidentally broke a sweat or something strange like that... and within a tenth of a mile june shot me a look that seemed to say, 'i thought we were done with this nonsense of running at an uncomfortably slow pace when you got yourself knocked up, mom!' i tried to ignore it and keep going, but another tenth of a mile later she flat out STOPS. she does this lately, thinking she's the one who decides where and when our walks are over, and i like to think i can pep talk her out of it. but this time, i couldn't. nothing i said got her to move.

"june, you LOVE being outside. what's going on?"

"june, don't'ya wanna get rid of all this pent up energy you have?"

"june, see this tummy? mommy NEEDS to run. seriously."

"june, there's a bunny farm at the end of the trail."

nothing was working. so, i did what any good dog owner would do. i thought real hard, identified her biggest insecurity, and capitalized on it. she hates to be left alone, so i dropped the leash and ran away from her, leaving her and her attitude behind.

she followed me.

i won! but the bigger victory was that i picked up yet another valuable lesson in parenting. because dog ownership is how i acquire all my parenting skills.

one month old today!

*peyton reese*

you are the most wonderful and amazing gift your dad and i have ever been blessed with! thank you for bringing so much JOY and LOVE to our lives. we a.d.o.r.e you, you know, and we relish in every moment we get to $pend with you (or...$pend bragging about you...)! every glance, movement, sound, facial expression, and touch of yours is priceless and will becherished by the two of us. (oh, and we know june cherishes them, too...!)

happy ONE MONTH birthday to you, our beautiful baby girl!!

all our love and more,

mommy and daddy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*cutest backside ever*

*sleepy, but not sleeping. shocking...*

*mommy loves this cuddler*

*junie keeps an eye on you*

*what are you looking for, peyt?*

*no, really, what's in there?!?!?*

*you and daddy love "after work" time!*

*mmmm, kisses for the baby girl!*

happy easter!

...with love,

peyton reese

mommy and daddy love

these sweet moments with baby are worth every sleepless night...

peyton's first two weeks :-)

lots of people have been asking for more pictures of peyton to be posted. so, in an effort to please all you demanding folks... here you go!

thankful for an iPhone

because how else would i capture these unplanned precious moments...!?

welcoming peyton reese johnson!

on april fourth, two thousand eleven, josh and i were blessed with our precious little miracle, peyton reese.

the day was nothing less than thrilling. it was long, and yes, parts of it were painful and uncomfortable, but i wouldn't trade any of it, as we got to meet our beautiful baby girl when all was said and done.

this was our day, in bulletpoints.
* admitted to the hospital for an induction early in the morning
* managed about 2 hours of contractions without an epidural, then "gave in"... (best decision of my life, btw...)
* had about a thousand and seven visitors (which we LOVED, although entertaining was not easy for me, but everyone seemed to entertain each other quite well!!)
* ate ice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
* the nurses must've liked me because they snuck me a blue popsicle. HIGHLIGHT OF MY DAY :-)
* watched josh tweet every hour
* made "progress", then didn't make "progress", then made LOTS of "progress" and all of the sudden it was TIME TO PUSH!
* pushed for about an hour
* drove our anxious family and friends nuts as they waited outside for the "big news"
* at 9:50pm, josh grinned and said "IT'S A GIRL!!!" (which we totally weren't expecting...but what an amazing surprise, and just about the greatest thing everrrr!)
* at 9:51pm, fell in love like never before... my heart just hurt.

peyton reese, at 7 pounds, 13 ounces, and 20 and a half inches, was immediately cared for by the NICU team as she was born with meconium in her lungs. as they worked to stimulate her and suction her lungs, we waited a very long, and very quiet 20 minutes before getting to meet her, hold her, and be assured she was okay. it was tough, but josh and the doctors were all handling things so well and so calmly that i had no choice but to stay calm and trust that everything would be alright. and our strong little girl was a total trooper and made it through okay. thank the Lord!

I WANT SO BADLY TO SHARE THE FEELINGS I FELT ON THAT DAY, BUT I CAN'T PUT THEM INTO WORDS. of course, seeing our baby girl for the very first time was the most amazing experience ever, but it was also SO MUCH MORE than that. i want nothing bad to happen to her, ever. i don't even like hearing her cry, struggle or fuss, not even for a minute. i want her to be more than happy and joyful every second of every day. and i want her to know how much she is loved by her parents, and by all the wonderful people in our lives. i am beginning to understand the love of a parent, and it truly is indescribable and like no other love...

josh and i are thrilled to have baby girl peyton in our lives. forgive us if we can't express our love for her in our blog. but know that we are spending every minute showing our love to our baby girl. and we hope our friends and family get tons of opportunities to love her, too!

our first family photos

when peyton was 6 days old, we spent the day with josh's family and had his sister, jacqui, snap a few shots of the three of us. we are so thrilled to be a family of three.

let me tell you... this little girl is our world...

Riiing!!! Riiing!!!

My phone rings the other day and this is the conversation that takes place...

-------

Josh: Hey dad!

Dad: Hi Son.

Josh: How are you?

Dad: Good, thanks. You?

Josh: I'm good. What's up?

Dad: Hey, let's go ahead and clear the air here. You know I love you, right?

Josh: Yes, of course...

Dad: And Gigi knows I love her, right?

Josh: Yes... (Where is this going???)

Dad: Alright, now that we are clear on that, you should know that I'm not calling for you anymore. How's my GRANDDAUGHTER!?!?! Hahahaha

--------

Gotta love my dad!!! Seriously... it says so in the Bible.

c-town

we've waited weeks and weeks and weeks for our favorite show "cougar town" to come back on the air. and tonight... it's back!! we'll be cracking open a bottle of wine tonight at 9:30 to celebrate the return...!

What A Glorious Day!

All I can say is WOW! Words cannot express the joy a baby brings. After a long 15 hour day in the hospital little Peyton Reese Johnson was born. At 7 lbs. 13 oz. and 20.5 inches long, she had all the doctors, and especially Mom and Dad, saying, "She's BEAUTIFUL!!" Announcing her to a group of people waiting not-so-patiently in the hall, was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I am so glad we were able to share the day with so many wonderful friends and family. Thank you to everyone who was here in the hospital, sharing their encouragement on Facebook and Twitter, and sending up prayers on our behalf. We wouldn't have wanted the day to go any other way.

And now for the part everyone wants to see. Let me introduce you all to Peyton Reese Johnson!

on the impending arrival of baby j

fortunately or otherwise, our next few blog posts will likely be centered around little baby j, filled with tons of pics and silly stories about the joys and struggles of being new parents. and i hope you all enjoy the photos and videos as much as we enjoy the moments. i'm sure many of you will be a part of those exciting times.

however, in these last moments before we meet baby j, i thought i'd take some time to "journal" how i'm feeling.

it's 10:15pm on the evening before we head to the hospital to be induced. baby j decided to stay past curfew (3/27/11) snug in it's home, and we finally were forced to schedule our little one's arrival. for tomorrow. april 4, 2011. but is that really all that shocking that we'll have a "scheduled baby"? as a project manager, i'll say having this event "scheduled" has been somewhat nice. it's given me extra time with the love of my life, and even a little extra time to put real thought into what goes into the hospital bag (or the "go-bag" as josh and i call it... too many episodes of "criminal minds"...).

a lot of people have asked if i'm excited, and i feel bad that my excitement isn't plastered all over my face, and that people are forced to ask. but, as you can tell, the excitement is coupled with all these other feelings, and together they must manifest as a face of utter confusion. YES, i'm excited. YES, i'm nervous. YES, i have no idea what to expect. YES, i'm relying heavily on my husband to be there for me every step of the way. and YES, i'm praying my heart out.

as much as i look forward to this next (long) season of our lives, i already know i'll miss the life josh and i have built as husband and wife. thankfully, i've spent the past few weeks reflecting on just how wonderful our two years of marriage have been. i'm happy to bring our baby into this family we've built--i just pray that we've created a foundation solid enough for him/her to thrive upon. i am looking forward to having my heart grow big enough to love our baby AND my husband (and our dog, of course...) but i will always be thankful for our years together as a couple. i love my man to pieces...!

my first substantial few hours of contractions began early this afternoon. i know they were the first few, but they were already painful. its is a feeling i've never experienced before, and one that scares me as i think about a day full of paints that get stronger and closer together. and, as if that's not a scary enough thought in and of itself, there's also the pushing to look forward to... HOWEVER, i'm not the first person that will do this. and the reward we get in the end will be worth every wince and groan. God has been my source of trust and strength and will continue to be throughout the big day. i already know i have a lot of people praying for baby j and i, and for josh, too. and i'll continue to ask for prayer for the doctors and nurses, and all those who have a hand in bringing our child into this world.

i picture seeing our baby's face and little body tomorrow, and it's an overwhelming thought. who has been kicking me all this time? who's the night owl that doesn't let me sleep!? and who will be the most amazing little gift we get to hold on to for years to come...? will he look like daddy? will she look like mommy? how can we immediately begin to show him/her how much we love him/her? tears of joy will be flowing, and i can't wait to share the joy with my husband, my family, and my friends.

it's going to be a while before we do this pregnancy thing again. so as i sit here and write, occasionally interrupted by a strong stretch from baby j, i'm doing my best to remember this feeling. not to mention... remember this silence :-) for tomorrow, we'll be given an amazing little gift, our life's purpose will change, and our world will never be the same. and for that, i am beyond thankful to Him who gives life.

Psalm 139: 13-18
13.for you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14.i praise you because i am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, i know that full well.
15.my frame was not hidden from you when i was made in the secret place. when i was woven together in the depths of the early,
16.your eyes saw my unformed body. all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17.how precious to me are your thought, o God! how vast is the sum of them!
18.were i to count them, they would outnumber the grainse of sand. when i awake, i am still with you.

(i apologize that this post is somewhat "blabberish"... i just had a lot of feelings that i wanted to share, and keep for myself, as well, and as my mind is all over the place tonight, so is my blogpost. thanks for understanding...!)

The baby is coming! The baby is coming!

Baby J is due in 4 days. FOUR DAYS!!!! Lately the baby has been moving like crazy. I've spent hours holding Gigi's stomach feeling the baby's movement. A few times I thought for sure it was trying to figure out an escape route. It is seriously the most excited I have ever been. The anticipation of his or her arrival is killing me. I cannot wait to see it, let alone hold it! While I know it will turn my world on it's head, I am looking forward to it more every day.

Okay, enough of the doting dad going on about how excited he is, let's get on with the fun stuff. There are only a few days left to submit your guess for the baby pool! While some of you have submitted your guess, there are still quite a few of you who haven't. Let's get those guesses in people!!! You don't want to miss out on changing the first diaper the prize we have for the winner! If you need a refresher on the rules, click here for the orignal post.

Since we can't tell everyone everything all of the time, if you are wanting up to the minute updates you can follow one or both of us on Twitter. Click here for Gigi's page and click here for Josh's page. If you aren't so curious about our mostly meaningless ramblings, just keep checking back here and we'll keep posting pictures and sharing what we can!