Tired eyes

That is what we have been seeing at our house. VERY tired eyes, tired brains, tired mouths, tired hearts, tired everything!! I don't know how I was so naive, but somehow I thought that I was going to have motherhood down with not too much work, considering I have spent 3+ years working with kids and babies 12 hours at a time, almost 40 hours a week! I had NO idea how much more went into a baby of my own. Apparently I was forgetting that at work I go home after 12 hours. It is a new concept to me being on the job 24/7. My mind never fully rests because every waking second I am thinking about Cooper and if he is comfy, warm, hungry, happy, the list goes on!
haha this picture of these two makes me laugh-they both look a little distraught..


However..Cooper loves to hold my hand at night while he eats. He smiles almost every night as he is drifting off to sleep, and gets this pleasant look on his face like "my life is so good." we hang out in the mornings when we are home alone together and he makes great company. He looks very cute in his pajamas, especially with a case of bedhead. Nothing in my life has given me more satisfaction then to see that he is finally gaining his very first fat roll (under his chin). Every once in a while he will stop eating, and just look up for a second like he wants to say hi..it makes the time spent so worth it..


When I was feeding Cooper today (which usually takes about 8 hours of my day) I was taking a break from TV and the kindle and listening to some Taylor Swift mix on you tube. Her "Never Grow Up" song came on, I have only heard that song once before. It took the words right out of my mouth...if you haven't listened to it you should! There is a little something I love about looking at Shawn's tired eyes. Maybe I don't even mind staring at my own in the mirror..because those tired eyes staring back only mean that we are lucky to be living through a stage in life that is very rare and passes way too quickly. Our sleepiness is proof that everything in our world is now controlled by someone else..and it feels pretty good

I have to be honest, when Cooper starts sleeping through the night..as GRATEFUL as I will be..there might be just a small part of me that wants to hear him cry in the monitor for me again at 3 am, so I can go pick him up and rock him to sleep with his sweet little hands tucked safely inside their mittens. I thought I loved that garage sale rocking chair before, but I had no idea. I will take it with me wherever I go for the rest of my life, because now it holds the memories of long nights of team work, rocking our first boy to sleep..
Life has started to calm down and we are making progress..We love this little boy and I sort of already wish we could push pause, tired eyes included.

Someone new to love.

Meet sweet little Cooper Shawn.
He was born 7/30/11 weighed 7 lbs 3 oz and was 21.5 inches long. He has captured our hearts over the past 11 days.




We closed the door on our cute little home the morning he was born knowing it was the last time we would be there without our little boy..it was such a weird feeling!


His birthday was such an exciting day for us! It's easily one of the best days of my life. I was 2 whole long days past my due date and we could NOT wait to just look at his face and hold him! Shawn was over the top excited all day, and seriously the best person I ever could have had by my side. Whenever I got nervous he was super calm, and he made the whole day easier for me, making sure everything was taken care of. Being interested in the medical field, Shawn was involved and intrigued by the whole process asking my doctor questions I wouldn't have ever thought of-Along those lines, I have to apologize if you are one of our wonderful friends or family who have came to visit, only to be greeted by Shawn showing off pictures of my placenta, it's not like that's personal or anything!


Cooper came home with very dark curly hair, it has lightened up since then..It's amazing how much older he looks to us already. He is a very calm baby, he gets so relaxed just laying awake on his boppy listening to people talking around him. He falls asleep the second he is in the car or his stroller. He has the longest wingspan I have ever seen on a baby, and I work with babies! The photographer and nurses at the hospital never failed to comment on his extremely long and skinny arms and legs, and huge feet and hands. We know exactly where that comes from. He loves his hair being tickled, and of course he loves to eat..


It feels different to me just walking through the door of our house knowing Cooper is here. I love hanging out with him all day and seeing teeny tiny glimpses of his personality coming through. We are so grateful to have little Coop in our lives, and appreciate every second we are able to enjoy with him! We have had the most amazing friends and family support and feel so taken care of. Thanks to everyone who helped us out and were excited for us, it just made the whole experience of adding to our family that much better. It's funny how complete I felt like our life was just the two of us, and now I wonder how I ever felt that way without this boy around.

After what seems like the longest wait in the world, we are now very proudly Team Allen plus one. Despite the sleepless nights, we are grateful to be that way.

The Waiting Game..

Now that we are within weeks of little Allen's due date time seems to be just standing still! Everything is ready to go. All the sudden we have this surplus of free time that is really weird for us. My family went to Idaho for the 4th, and we were very sad that my doctor told us we should stick around here. However, we saw friends that we usually don't have time to see, and we had a barbecue at my dads. It was a very fun weekend..


We watched the Sugarhouse fireworks and neighborhood post-fireworks from the roof of our garage..don't worry there was a ladder, and I was very careful, it was worth it until a tree blocked our view and we had to climb ALL the way back down..




we had multiple days just the two of us, knowing they could be the last for a while. I was reminded over and over again why I love being with Shawn so very much-he makes everything in my life just a little more fun..and soo now that the celebrations are over, it's back to real life, and back to the waiting game...anytime now little man--



A little country music, a little barbecue, a little fireworks, a little time for bare feet and laying on the grass, a little 7 peaks..Life is good. How can it not be in the summertime..nine months pregnant or not!

Two grateful people..

Yesterday all day as I was cleaning and putting things away from our showers I kept thinking over and over how grateful I was. When we first found out we were going to have a new little Allen in the fam we were so excited-but nervous! It was overwhelming thinking about all that a baby needs, and all that we had to accomplish before he came! We had a list of things that were happening "before baby" comes, including Shawn taking the MCAT and applying to med schools, which was a big financial and stressful event in itself. However, thanks to good family and friends, we officially have pretty much everything we need for baby, and little by little our long list of "before baby" chores have been crossed off. I wish I had more pictures and more time, but here is a few from both of my showers, one thrown by my most favorite sister-in-laws, and one thrown by my sister and some good friends..I didn't get very many good pictures from my shower here but my sisters made it soo cute, as usual..





We have stayed busy the past few months and they have gone by way too fast! We went to California with Shawn's family, Shawn took the MCAT, I went to Arizona for a quick day for my shower, we have been to Idaho for Emily's wedding, and this week Shawn is the birthday boy..


Speaking of the birthday boy..on our drive home from California I was in heaven with my feet up on the dash..(swollen feet this time I might add). Some people think we are crazy for the time we spend in the car-while we were driving we realized plane tickets half the time in the end would have been cheaper anyways. Since we have been married we have been up and down the west coast and spent I don't know how many hours in the car.

We have driven to Seattle, we took a detour on the way home and laid on the grass in a beautiful national forest in Oregon, we have driven to Idaho and Arizona to visit our families, we have driven to the beach in California to celebrate our anniversary, to St. George, Vegas and Lake Havasu-and every time we pull the car back into the driveway of our tiny little house I am amazed that after 12 or more hours in the car I can still be wanting more time, just to look out the window and chit chat with my best boy. Just one more thing I am very grateful for..


It is very exciting to walk around the house and know that everything is prepared for our new little arrival. It is extremely humbling to think about all the help we have had to get everything done, and gather all that we need. It is bittersweet to know that we are hanging up our car keys, and our spontaneous road trips are over for the time being..we are settling in, kicking off our shoes, and enjoying the last few weeks we have just the TWO of us. Thanks to everyone who has been excited for us, given us advice, came to showers, and helped us out..we love our friends, and even more our families!

Little Sister's Wedding

Today we came home from a fun weekend in Idaho. We have loads of laundry to catch up on. we had blueberry muffins and turkey sandwiches for dinner because we have had no time for groceries. Shawn has been studying for hours for the MCAT which he takes this week (with a few seconds of sneaking in and checking the score of the NBA finals) and I am just sitting here looking at what a beautiful night it is on my front steps. Of course there are a thousand things I could be doing with my time.. Instead I came to one of my favorite places, my blog world.

We went home this weekend for Emily's wedding, it was so adorable! I love my Emily. I love the memories I have of her growing up, and I can't believe she is married. She looked so pretty yesterday, and I couldn't help but think about how grateful I am to have her in my family. She is always up for anything that has to do with sports or the great outdoors. She has definitely had her days when we wished we could strangle her, she has a lot of nerve, and isn't afraid to do or say what she wants. To be honest, sometimes I actually wish she would share a little of the nerve she has with her more chicken sisters like Abby and I.

Before Emily got married we had a quick group hug in the bridal room..I loved having all my favorite girls around me at the same time. I had for a second a weird feeling of pride, that these sisters were mine. They are all so cute and so fun in their totally unique ways. It's hard to believe that little Abby (who is taller then me actually) is the only one left to get married!

We definitely have our moments sometimes-we get momentarily annoyed about make up and clothes, or bathroom time, or conflicting schedules, but really it is short lived. We love each other,and we will still always be there for each other no matter what. We will be there when Ab gets a softball trophy that isn't even important to her, we will roll out of bed and watch her play volleyball, we will be there when Soph turns one, and when she learns to crawl and walk, we will be there when someone has a hard day or the best day of their lives. At the end of the day there is nowhere I would rather go home to then a place where all of them are, with no work schedule, or school schedule, or obligations to fulfill.



Until that happens we will live for the moments like this weekend, when we have a few whole days to enjoy each other's company. I was so tired at night, and still found myself awake until 1 or 2 am, just to listen to the details of the wedding plans, and of Emily's new life. I am so happy that Bronson loves her so much, to me that's all that matters. Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Mott. You guys are adorable, and we can't wait for a whole future lifetime ahead with both of you in it!


I had to put this pic up. Shawn and Tyler loved the after party, and they will be so happy to have another boy around to join in on their boy fun. They already have plans with bronson of shooting rabbits and catching crawdads..good luck with that guys.


And on an even better note, Josh came home from Iraq this month! He almost made it to the wedding but they haven't released him officially yet. We can't wait to see him this summer eventually, we never feel quite complete without him..love ya sgt Allen..Welcome home! We couldnt be more proud.

Sunshine for the SOUL

Welcome to our dear little teeny tiny home..No one ever really sees the inside of our house, except well, the two of us! Yet, somehow it thrills me to make it look lovely. Yesterday I set out on a walk down the street on a whim, with just myself for good company. Shawn was at work. I had 4 hours to waste the day away. I took advantage of it since I wont' have these days after our little mr is born. I found three second hand home consignment stores..just the place for a cheapskate newlywed mom to be. I decided to take pictures in my mind and attempt to recreate a few ideas to shed some summer upon our home..come take a peek :)


How can these love birds possibly be resisted? Especially when they are in just the colors of our front room, that's right they can't be. And since we are adding a new member, I didn't want baby Allen to feel left out. The Owl print is dedicated just to him.


And the whole wall..brightened up just a tad. Looks like a few frames need some straightening :)My own lovebird and I have been stars of this wall for far too long, for lack of any other decorations.


I am so happy to have summertime come visit Sugarhouse for a few days..please Mr. Sun be here to stay. Tell me your great ideas and summer decorations!! I eat it up. Someday I will look back and laugh about how much time I spent staring at the walls of about 900 glorious feet and wondering how I can beautify it just a little more..this place just makes me happy. I have to admit our whole world fits very nicely in here.

Busy Little Bee..

Or actually I think I'm a big bee now :)
Either way, Shawn has been busy with finals..boring. I hate it because he is gone night and day. I have found something new to fill my free time, no one will probably ever see these things in real life so I have to put them on here for a little validation! It took more work then I thought, especially the chair..Please check out the projects that have been my friends the past few weeks and done a great job of keeping me company..

This is the bedding my mom made a few weeks ago. I really tried to help, but in all honesty she would have been better off without me. Every time I see it I think about her being so excited and trying to teach me little things about sewing,and Aunt Abby staying up late after we were too tired to keep our eyes open and finish tying the quilt so I could take it home to Utah with me the next morning. I love those two they are the best with all the grandkids and neices/nephews.


This is an old lamp that my aunt gave us after we got married. It is pretty plain, but lamps are expensive and we are NOT rich..so I made it into a lamp that I liked just a litle more. Both of my feet went to sleep at the same time while i was making this lamp because I was kneeling on them for too long and it was the most pain I've ever had. way worse then any part of being pregnant.



This my friends is my very favorite! The best for last..again this is attributed to my MOM. Last summer we walked down to a garage sale and found this rocking chair. It was so comfy and it just seemed perfect for a nursery..the shape of the chair was perfect--but the fabric was HIDEOUS.


We dragged it all the way home, it was only $30. I was hesitant but she knew rocking chairs like this are hard to find for a good price. I bought the fabric to recover it and my neighbor came over to help me. I have to be honest, she pretty much ended up doing it while I watched, but I did my best to help every step of the way. It was much more physical labor then I thought, we had to use a complete set of tools. My back was killing me and I had cramps by the time we were done, I actually called in sick for the first time in my seven months of being pregnant the next day. I will NOT be recovering another chair anytime soon..but this is now my favorite thing in the nursery. I hope I can use it for a boy or girl so I tried to pick neutral fabric. It is so comfy and I have spent a lot of time making sure I am getting good at rocking in it.


I had lots of help with these projects but they kept me thoroughly entertained all week..Everything we have in our nursery is home made or from a garage sale except our crib itself. I still have a little table and a changing table to re-paint. Your nursery is made with love little boy, because your mom is saving her dollars! Even if me and you are the only two people who ever see it...
XOXO