Friday was mom’s Birthday, and we have decided to start a new tradition, Movie and BBQ day. Every year from now on we will see a new movie and have a Barbeque for her birthday. This year we went to see Wall-E. Which is just about the cutest movie I have ever seen. As an added bonus Jess took Addie for the afternoon so I was able to just watch the movie without worrying about her fussing or needing to be changed. These are my two favorite trailers:




After the movie, I came home and picked up Addie and went back down to “Grams and Gumpas” house. Dad BBQ’s Shishkabobs, and of course Addie was very popular. Grams gave her a bath and lulled her off to sleep using the same techniques she used to get me to sleep when I was a baby. The glow on their faces when they are holding her is amazing! I have some pictures of her in her little Tigger robe that I will upload in a few hours (they have to be emailed to me, they are on Mom’s camera). So be sure to check back, they are well worth it!

Addie is just getting so big, she is very interested in the world around her. she is almost holding her head up and has learned how to shift her body to look at different things. She has also taken a liking to her “little pooh”. It is a rattle that fits around her wrist. She holds it close and rubs it against her face. She understands texture. It really is amazing how fast she is growing.

Thursday was the start of the 2008 Utah Arts Festival. We were very excited to take Addie to her first one. While she just slept the whole time in her carrier, Jess and I enjoyed walking through the Artist Marketplace. Jess had a new found interest in the photography and I enjoyed learning more about what aspects of a photograph are created by certain changes in a camera.

We stopped and watched the belly dancers from Blue Lotus, and gazed for a while at the Earth Harp.

We weren’t able to stay too long, as Addie started to fuss, but we did get our fix of The Pie Pizzaria. All in all it was a good time and Addie was definately a hit, people stopped us to ask how old she was and tell us she was just the most precious thing they had ever seen!

So before Addie was born, I had plans to save the newspaper from that morning. I didn’t. So thanks to the wonders of the internet and the Salt Lake Tribune Archives, I was able to pull up all the headlines from June 11, 2008 (although I would have to pay for full articles, which I won’t…) Here are the keepers.

Paul Rolly: Utah liquor laws snatch fliers’ spirits
June 11, 2008
Direct flights between Salt Lake City and Paris will bring great economic and tourism benefits to Utah, giddy state officials have said. It also may have an unintended downside, due to Utah’s, let’s say, uniqueness.
With Utah’s strict liquor-control laws, it is illegal to bring booze into the state from abroad, even for personal use. All alcohol must be purchased from state liquor stores.
Ahh yes, glory be our liquor laws… weren’t we trying to increase tourism in Utah??

Orem beetle-spraying to resume
June 11, 2008
Treatments to eradicate an infestation of Japanese beetles are scheduled to resume Friday in Orem, state agricultural officials say. A smaller area will be sprayed because fewer beetles were found last year when treatments were initiated, reducing the 250-acre treatment zone by half.

Mine to expand beyond copper
June 11, 2008
Besides copper, the Bingham Canyon Mine is about to become a major supplier of molybdenum and rhenium. Rio Tinto, parent company of mine operator Kennecott Utah Copper, announced Wednesday that it will invest $270 million into a molybdenum autoclave process (MAP) facility. The pres- surized heating facility will improve Kennecott’s ability to extract molybdenum, a by-product of copper production.

Most at public hearing favor doing away with private club memberships and fees
June 11, 2008 Posted: 2:53 PM-
The majority of people attending a public hearing today on Utah’s liquor laws said the state should do away with private club memberships and fees to boost economic development. Fifty of the 60 people signing an attendance sheet indicated they wanted to abolish the 1960s law requiring imbibers to join a private club and pay a fee before they can buy a glass of wine or distilled spirits. Utah is the only state with such a requirement.

Zoo to celebrate 48th birthday of elephant
June 11, 2008
A 48th birthday celebration for Hydari, an African elephant at the Hogle Zoo, will take on added significance Saturday, following the Monday morning death of The Philadelphia Zoo’s Petal. With Petal’s passing at 52, Hydari – known affectionately as “Dari” by her keepers – is now the oldest African elephant in a U.S. zoo.

Tomato outbreak is reminder to follow food safety tips
June 11, 2008
A salmonella outbreak linked to raw tomatoes serves as a reminder to take extra care with summer fruits and vegetables. More than 20 people have been hospitalized as the government investigates the source of the tomatoes responsible for the illnesses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Utah confirms 2nd case of salmonella infection
June 11, 2008
Utah health officials have confirmed a second Utahn has become ill with salmonella after likely eating a tomato in New Mexico, where the outbreak was first detected. The person was not hospitalized, but is thought to have passed along the illness to a family member in what has been ruled a secondary infection, said Charla Haley, spokeswoman for the Utah Department of Health.
Vietnam memorial wall to open today in Ogden
June 11, 2008
The Wall that Heals, a traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial that begins a four-day stay in Ogden today, is a half-size replica of The Wall in Washington. But it still covers a patch of asphalt nearly the length of a football field on the southwest side of Ogden’s Newgate Mall.
The wall includes the names of 58,240 men and nine women who died serving the United States in the Vietnam War and is one of four traveling the country.

There were 149 articles listed on her birthdady. Some contianed sports scores, some letters to the editor… Nothing major happened on her birthday, which is good. Now the day can be all hers.

So with my whole six hours at work today, I have nursed 3 times. I decided to make the most of this nursing and blog…One handed. I am getting pretty good at this one handed stuff! I guess I could be one handed working right now too. Sorry Shirley.

Anywho, I am in the office this week a little more than part time while Shirley is Boozin up the Arts Festival with the “Brew Crew”. Yesterday I was not so sure this was a good idea. Addie cried almost nonstop for the first 2 hours. I felt so bad Not only for her, but for my co-workers. There was nothing I could do. She was gassy and her poor stomach felt like it had rocks in it. All I could do was wait until it all passed.

Once afternoon hit, it was pretty much smooth sailing. She only fussed when she was hungry or needed to be changed.

Today, I had a game plan. I fed her just before I left (The car always gets her gas bubbles out), then again as soon as I got here. I also brought a vibrating bouncy chair. This has been a LIFESAVER! I nurse, burp, and bounce. She LOVES it. It lulls her right off to sleep and keeps her that way. (Thanks Karl and Dao, I would be lost without it). I only wish I had discovered this miracle worker a few days ago.

She loves her Papisan swing, but it is big and bulky and doesn’t move easily from room to room. The bouncy chair is about as big as her car seat, so it is totally portable.

Thank heaven for little miracles… and little girls!

NO MORE BILIBED!

Dr. Kasteler called this evening and said Addie’s Bili score is 11.5, down another point since just yesterday. I guess those hourly feedings last night and 1/2 hour diaper changes paid off. This is great news because just yesterday we thought she we be on the bed through Wednesday and possibly into Thursday.

I held her for 45 minutes as soon as I found out. I kept weeping tears of joy and kissing her little head. Jess held her for well over and hour and only gave her back to me because she needed to be fed. We will be moving her cradle from the living room to the bedroom, I know it means less sleep for Jess and I as a whole, but the stress that has been lifted from our shoulders should more than make up for the lack of sleep.

I finally feel like a real mom. I can hold and cuddle and love our baby whenever I want. I can console her and comfort her when she is upset. I am a mom.

Well It’s 12:30 and time for my nightly post. I sit here on the couch and she lay there in the bed, awake. Quiet. She is looking at her hands, at the towels that surround her, at anything and everything she can. Her big blue eyes are so interested in the world. For now, the fight with the bed is over. She will drift off to sleep, hopefully without tears, hopefully without stress.

We also brought the dogs home today. They have been staying with Grandma Steph while we adjust to having the baby at home. We were a little nervous at first but they both did amazingly well. Tank just sniffed her and mostly lost interest. She watches us interact with Addie and just looks curious and confused. Chopper sniffed her, licked her, made a strange noise and then lay down. He continues to be curious and whine, but does not get to close.

I am reminded of Disney’s Lady and the Tramp when Lady meets the baby for the first time…only a little clumsier.

Addie had a doctors appointment today, they pricker her foot to check her Bilirubin levels. She is down to a 13.5, but that is still to high. So we are still on the bed for another 2-3 days. I have to go get her blood drawn again tomorrow (poor thing, she hates labs already).

So it turns out she is not the best sleeper. I created the last post in the hospital but was not able to put it up until just earlier as the wi-fi was not fast enough to upload pictures. So here is an “after 24 hours” update.

Adeline Joy Bennion was born this morning at 3:35 am. She weighed in at 6 pounds 13 ounces and is 20 1/2 inches long. Her APGAR score was a nine and everyone is just amazed at how alert she was right from birth.