2 great years

HAPPY TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO ME AND ASHTON!!! i always say this... but how did i get so lucky??? here's to 60 more happy years!

christmas

christmas was so fun this year with a baby! with both of our families living here we do a lot of running around. on christmas eve we go to the wittwer family christmas eve at my grandparents' house. then christmas morning we started off opening our own little family presents to each other, then we went upstairs to open presents with all of ashton's family. after that we went to my grandparents to have our annual christmas breakfast. then we opened presents with my family. after that we rushed back to ashton's parents' for lunch. then we had to rush back to my parent's house for the norcross family christmas dinner. we had three huge meals within 5 hours. yikes! so much fun! i love christmas and i am sad it's over, but on to 2010!! let's get january out of the way to move on to funner months please :) hope everyone had a great christmas! at the end i added a picture of me and my friends at dinner on wed. love you girls!

photography blog

ok so i know everyone and their dog are trying to do a photography business, so right now ashton and i are doing it for fun! check out our blog and let us know if you want some FREE pictures!!! :) http://nikellandashtonsphotos.blogspot.com

one crazy year

THE BEST PART OF 2009!!!!! see picture above

i can't believe that it was one year ago today that i swapped chromosomes with ashton (yes i know the exact day and time) but i didn't find out until january 6 :) it has been an amazing/crazy/scary/exciting year. let me tell you it was scary being pregnant and having your husband run out of work a month after you find out, and then me only having a job that pays 9.45$/hr blah! but we pulled through and we have a beautiful little baby girl, and STILL have a bit of money left. oh the blessings of paying your tithing! we never even had to touch my lifetime savings account. i have no idea how we did it, but i am so happy! i may not be rich, but i get to stay home with my little girl, which is the best and rewarding job in the world! i have an awesome husband who works so hard for our little family! i really know that money isn't what makes you happy all you need is love! haha so cheesy, but could not be more true! anyway i just thought i needed to make a post since it was a year ago since i got pregnant. i thought graduating college made me feel cool, which i also did a year ago because i got pregnant the day i graduated, but being a mommy???? that was way more cool! i am so greatful for my inlaws for letting us live in their basement. i know they probably don't like it at times, but they would never complain and if they didn't let us live here i have no clue where we would be right now. i am also thankful for my parents, i know they would do anything in the world for us. and i am thankful for my challenges that i've had this year, they only make ya stronger. it's been a great year! i hope 2010 is just as fun and crazy! (but hopefully doesn't involve me being pregnant hahahhaa) bring it on

vote for sophie!!

go here and vote for sophie pretty please!!
Hi,
I just entered my child in the "Parenting - Baby and Child Model Search contest" and we need your vote to help us win!
You can view my entry and vote for me here:http://modelsearch.parenting.com/contests/voteformyentry/129266?sk=Zi23slThanks and wish me luck!
Nikell

vegas

we just had the best weekend ever. you really still can have fun when you have kids!! we went to vegas saturday night because eric was singing for a christmas party down there and ashton was helping with it. we got to stay at caesar's palace saturday night. the rooms were awesome! we are not used to classy stuff :) there was a two person jacuzzi, which was awesome! then the next day we did some christmas shopping, i had to go to my favorite little baby clothes store. aren't little girls so fun?! then on sunday night we stayed at the excaliber since rooms were only 28$ a night. quite a downgrade from caesers i must say! then we also got to go see cori's new house and her cute pregnant self. so fun! we also go to go see ashton's old mission companion and his family. it was such a fun weekend and having sophie with us made it even more fun. she loved the bright lights of vegas! and to top it off we won enough money to cover the expenses for the whole trip! ;) nice! sorry i dont' have any pictures we are having camera issues. boo

sweet dreams

sophie has slept in her cradle next to our bed in our room with us since she was born. so after three nights of sophie tossing and turning and waking up every two hours (blah) i figured out that every time ashton and i moved or coughed or snored (ashton) in the night she would wake up. i think because her cradle is so close to our bed. so i finally had to be a big girl and let her sleep in her own crib. i did a trial run the other night and just put her cradle right outside our door. it went ok, but last night i put her clear in her own room in the crib all by herself. then i turned up the baby moniter as loud as it would go. i could even hear her breathing!! hahahaha (to future mommies in my opinion a baby moniter is a must have! i got the cheapest one from target only $30 and totally worth it!) well much to my surprise she slept until six in the morning! wow! too bad for me, i didn't take advantage of this, and i was up checking on her about a total of 15 times through thenight! but now that i know she isn't going to die in there, i think i will sleep like a champ tonight, that is if her sleeping through the night wasn't a one time thing. one thing i hate about baby moniters is that i feel like i am going to hear a scary voice through it saying "i've got your baby...." ahhh! ashton thinks i am crazy.

you know you're a mom when....

lately i have been thinking about how much being a parent changes your life. here are some things i have been thinking....

YOU KNOW YOU'RE A MOMMY WHEN....

-you suddenly become the best singer in the world and can insert your baby's name into any song.

-you can sleep with one eye open.

-you go into your favorite store (target) skip your formally favorite adult clothes and accessories section and go straight to the baby section.

-you get excited to see poop because you know everything is working right.

-you make a diaper last as long as possible because you have calculated that they each cost about... 0.30$

-you have to wake up about 3 hours earlier than you need to be somewhere. suddenly 9 am church is not your favorite church time anymore.

-you are a professional booger getter outer

-anytime you are in a public place and someone walks by your baby and coughs you give them a crusty and cover your baby's face with a blanket (maybe this is just me?)

-at first you check your baby to see if they are breathing every 15 minutes, then after about a month you get tired and get over it

-you get excited about opening a new pack of binkies because you get sick of the old colors

-doing your baby's laundry is fun

-you get excited about the smallest things, like watching your baby reach for a toy for the first time.

-seeing your baby smile can make you smile no matter how mad you are.

-you will do ridiculous things to see that little smile, maybe even act like a monkey?

-you don't like to leave the house because it's too much effort.

-you have to schedule an "appointment" to be able to have sex with your spouse... (sorry maybe too much info???) hah

-you buy your baby lots of christmas presents, wrap them, and put them under the tree even though they are too young to even open them or care.

-your baby wants to eat whenever you are eating.

-you never knew you could care so much about one little person. when they are sad you are sad, when they are happy you are happy, when they are sick you would trade them places in a second!!!

-you get SOO EXCITED when you hear about other pregnant girls because you think of all the fun stuff they are about to experience.

-you blogstalk other people that have a baby around the same age as you

-you think you want time away from your baby, but while you're gone you call every fifteen minutes to check on them.

-you try to recruit all your friends and family member to reproduce too. c'mon your just trying to find playmates for your baby!

-suddenly your cats that you "thought" were your "babies" get neglected. poor kitties.

-fart sounds are funny.

-you no longer wear your lotion, baby lotion is your new favorite scent!

-you spend an extra 10 minutes on the toilet reading because that might be the only time alone you get all day.

-everyone else's baby's poo and spit up is disgusting. but your baby's is not.

-spit up becomes your new everyday accessory.

-you can tell the difference between your baby's cries. they have a fake one, hungry one, tired one, bored one, and mad one.

-you already forgot how bad contractions hurt.

-you can change a diaper in complete darkness

ISN'T BEING A MOMMY THE BEST THING EVER???

p.s. don't forget to add your email to the post below, going private!!

private

so i am thinking about going private so the entire world cannot spy on my little sophie :) please leave your email if you want to me to add you! thanks!

Dodge Family Pics

We had a fun Thanksgiving this year. We were able to go to Ashton's family dinner in Cedar and mine in Santa Clara, so that was nice. Usually we can either do one or the other! We had the whole Dodge family together so we got some good pictures.

thankfulness

i guess i'll jump on the whole "thankful post" train. mostly because i feel like i have tons to be thankful for, and this is the perfect time of year to remember everything i am blessed with...
-SOPHIE of course! and a direct quote from ashton, "the best thing to ever happen." and i could not agree more!
-more about sophie, the fact that she is such a good baby! i don't know what i would do if i got one of those cry all the time babies! i would not be able to handle that! just one hour of her crying straight when she got a bladder infection was too much for me!
-a beautiful basement to live in for FREE and the opportunity to catch up and build our savings.
-amazing families that we can live so close to and hang out with all the time!
-ashton's friends, they are amazing. they would do anything for him, and i am thankful they influenced him to be the great guy he is today!
-the fact that ashton has a job. sure he had to start THE DAY sophie was born, which was so hard, but how i could complain???
-my education and all the doors it has opened for me..... someday maybe it will pay off. i jsut need to be patient
-my parents. having a baby makes you appreciate them so much more!
-ASHTON the best husband and daddy ever! how did i ever get so lucky?!?!?
-my friends, i am not the best at making new friends, but i still have my longtime ones i know that i could go to for anything and i know we'll be friends until we die!!!!
-i know i would have never said this back then, but i am thankful for the five years that ashton and i got to spend dating and that we didn't get married right away. we had tons of fun experiences and i had some growing up to do!
-my brothers, they are all so unique and fun i just love them.
-my experiences, good and bad. they have made me a better person and hopefully a little bit smarter!
-a totally easy and fun pregnancy! it just makes me want to have ten more babies!
well there is so much more! but i'll save that for another day. everyone have a happy thanksgiving and remember everything you are thankful for!!!

unfortunately, fortunately

lately around our house it' been this....................

...... rather than this lovely face i love so much....

unfortunately, sophie has a bladder infection. fortunately we finally know what is wrong with her! after a few days of nonstop crying and sleepless nights (so unusual for our happy perfect little soph) we took her to the doctor. my hunch was that she had reflux. when we took her in the doc said that he read a study where a high percentage of babies that were taken to the doctor for unexplained fussiness had a bladder infection. i was thinking ya right, well i guess we'll see. sure enough she had blood, white blood cells, and bacteria in her urine. poor little sophie. just some advice for other mommies out there. if your baby is really fussy and you don't know why go get their urine analyzed! i'm just happy that my life isn't over and she's going to get better so i can actually dare to leave the house with her again. yay for doctors! one that finally took the time to do some tests to actually figure out what was wrong!

changin

i thought i'd do a little 2 month old sophie update. here ya go
-she can sit up in her bumbo chair all by herself, but she doesn't really like it.
-according to our inaccurate measurements she weighs about 12 lbs.
-she grows so fast she only gets to wear each outfit about one time :(
-she cries more than she used to, but still not very much.
-she would rather be laid on the ground than held, this makes me feel like a bad mom because i rarely get to hold her, but hey i figure if she's happy then it's ok...
-she is wearing her three month clothes.
-she's totally a daddy's girl.
-she sleeps a lot
-if she is ever crying i set her on her changing table and she instantly stops crying and starts smiling. i think it's wierd, but i can't complain about having a quick fix!
-she loves our "story time" i read to her and she smiles the whole time... until she falls asleep.
-she looks us in the eyes and smiles. real smiles.
-she still sleeps in her bassinet next to our bed. her crib seems so far away...
-i wake up in the night and her arms or legs are always totally sticking out the sides of her bassinet.
-i let her sleep with me in our bed in the mornings after about 6 am, something i said i'd never do, but i can't resist snuggling her.
-she is already so HYPER she gets that from her dada. her arms and legs get going a million miles an hour all at the same time. sometimes she just kicks one leg so my dad calls her kickstart like she's kicking a dirt bike.
-she loves to lay in her playpen and she laughs at the monkeys that hang above her in it.
-she always stares at the same spot upstairs at ashton's parent's house. baby jayden also stares at this same spot and so does poindexter the cat. this creeps me out. GHOSTS!!!
-she makes the cutest sounds when she sucks on her binky.
-but she'd rather suck on her hands than her binky.

ok enough already!! can you tell i love this girl? she's my best friend :)

sophie's blessing day

yesterday was such an awesome day! we got to bless sophie! she looked like a little princess in her pretty little blessing dress. she woke up that morning so happy she was smiling all day! we were nervous that she would cry during her blessing, but she didn't cry at all. ashton gave the MOST BEAUTIFUL blessing that i have ever heard!!! he is the best dad and i can tell he loves sophie so much! i love watching him with her, it's the most special thing in the world. i wanna thank all our family and friends that came. literally half of the congregation were people there for the blessing, it was awesome to have such good support. then we had a fun lunch after at our house. it was a great day thanks everyone!!!

halloween

ashton this might have been your costume, but i think it's a super hot look for you! ;)

can you tell that doonie is supposed to be my dad??

so i love halloween! it is the best holiday next to christmas! the day that you can dress however you want and no one can say anything!! here are our halloween pictures

frustrated

today i am frustrated. i finally made up my mind about going to pa school, and nothing seems to be working out. first, the school i was going to apply to added a class like one month ago to their list of prerequisites, which i don't have. they said that people who have already taken this class will be interviewed and considered first, and then if there are any spots left they will interview people like me. any spots left?? are you serious?? last year like 1,200 people applied to that school and they only accept fifty. i don't think there are going to be any spots left. second, it says that the deadline to apply isn't until march, but apparantley it's just first come first serve. they are already doing interviews for the school, and my application isn't even sent in to CASPA yet and after they get it it can take up to five weeks to send it to my school. i also have to have a letter of recommendation for a doctor i have been working or shadowing for, and i've only been doing that for 2 weeks, none of them know me well enough to give me one, and i thought i had until march to get that. well, it looks like i probably won't get accepted this year, which makes me sad :(:( i don't know if i'll still be able to go next year. my family is priority now, and so i don't know if i'll be able to go. i should have made up my mind five years ago that that's what i wanted to be and maybe i would have done things different. oh well. at least sophie always knows how to smile at me or make a funny sound whenever i am grouchy! thanks soph :)

tutu

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i am quite proud of these pictures. i took them myself, i made the tutu and the bow... not to mention the baby too! i love these pictures so much! vote on which one i should blow up big!

dad/grandpa's birthday party!

my dad turned fifty today! what a good grandpa and dad he is! here are some pictures from his birthday party

my baby is one month old today!

What a crazy month it's been! I cannot believe that Sophie is one month old today! She is getting so big and chunky, and I love it! I am finally getting used to being a mommy. It seems like I have known Sophie forever, and I don't know what we ever did without her! Here is a quote from a book my cousin gave me that I like...

"When I first found out I was pregnant I was over the moon with excitement. Imagine this tiny little person with no previous thoughts or dreams- someone who I could teach about life, love, and the world. By week two after birth, however, I realized that I was not the teacher. Instead this tiny person was teaching me! Everyday I was learning something new about the selfless part of life- the place where your own needs come second or third; the place where sleep is something you do between feedings. How selfish we were with our time! I would never go back to being "just me." I love being a mom and the daily challenge it brings to not only teach our little princess, but also be taught be her. Enjoy every minute!"

Sure we have a lot of sleepless nights, poopy diapers, and spit ups but it's all totally worth it! I could sit and stare at her all day while she is sleeping. Anyway, here are some things about Sophie this month...

-when she's awake she'd rather lay on the ground on look around then be held

-we drag her everywhere with us! but we gotta get her used to going places!

-she took her first bottle from ashton like a pro! now maybe we'll dare to leave her with a babysitter!

-she gags on her binky

-she is so strong and can hold up her own head most of the time.

-she grunts and squeaks all night long... i can sleep through it, but Ashton can't

-she sleeps most of the day. but when she's awake she's really alert!

-she's going bald!

-she loves music and listening to her daddy sing and play the guitar

Love you Sophie!!! We couldn't ask for a better baby!

P.S. I finally filled out my application for PA school! Looks like I am SERIOUS this time! I hope I can get an interview!!!

my little sophie angel :)

so i guess i am one of those new mom's where all they can talk about is their baby! but hey that's my life now! so i have just been thinking back to the day sophie was born and i wanna write some stuff down while it's still vivid. i have always kinda wondered when a baby's spirit comes from heaven to their body. my mind has been trained to think scientifically so to me i've always thought that a baby became the baby the moment fertilization occurred because that's when everything about it is determined. and maybe it does? no one can really know. but now i might have a little different thoughts about it. when sophie was born she just had big bright eyes most of the time and she didn't really cry. she would just lay there and look around the room. it seemed to me like she knew exactly where she just came from and was actually smarter and knew more than anyone would think a brand new baby would. i think she really had just come straight from heaven. i still sometimes think she is like an intelligent spirit and remembers where she just came from and what she's doing here. she just can't communicate it because she's a baby. do you get what i mean? anyway enough with the cheesy stuff. sophie is getting big so fast! almost out of the teeny newborn clothes now. we took her to a restaurant for the first time this week, which she didn't really like. we also took her to church yesterday. she liked that. she slept through the whole thing just like her daddy! (jk) i've had a few great experiences getting barfed on, not spit up, barf. also some nice poop blowouts. i wish i took pictures! being a mommy is crazy! but i love it. it's scary to think that life will never be the same sometimes! but i think it's changed for the better! we love our little sophie angel and i wish she would stay little forever!

sophie's first week

i can't believe my little sophie is already a week old! i feel like she is getting so big already! we went to the doctor and she actually gained 10 oz. in week when usually they lose weight in the first week. she likes my milk i guess! the only thing wrong with her is that she has a little eye infection, but other than that we're doing great! she is so cute i love feeling her fuzzy little hair on my chin when i burp her. i also can't stop kissing the top of her head and he cheeks are so soft that when you touch them you almost can't feel them! i also love looking at her cute little eyes looking around when she's nursing, since that's about the only time she's awake. she also likes to peak out of one eye at us. also ashton is such a good daddy. she is already a daddy's girl. and i'm ok with that :) she loves it when ashton sings to her, she will just stare at him with huge eyes. i could not ask for a better daddy for my little girl, i love him so much :) everyone seems to think she looks like ashton. she managed to avoid the gigantic wittwer head, which i am greatful for, that would have not been fun to push out. but i PERSONALLY think she has my eyes and nose and ashton's mouth.