A Few Pictures

Naomi's First Christmas-2010

Jack Frost Nipping At My Nose

Every year my parents would give us each a book with a small inscription in it. I treasure those books and they sit on my bookshelf today. Dustin and I thought it was important to continue this tradition with Naomi. I was having a hard time finding a book that I felt captured Naomi's personality. After some significant searching, I remembered the book Snowmen At Night.

 

Snowmen At Night is a great book that captures the imagination. Have you ever wondered what that snowman you made earlier in the day does at night? This wintertime mystery is explained in a magical way that I know Naomi will love. The inscription Dustin wrote reads:

Naomi-Your mother and I gave you this book for your first Christmas. You were only six months old, a smiling, laughing little baby. Even though you were just a babe, I read to you every night in my arms.  Tales of caterpillars, farm animals, pajama time and much more. I will read to you for many years to come. I hope you enjoy this story of what snowmen do at night. I love you with all of my heart.
Love, Mom and Dad
Christmas 2010

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve 2011-Naomi Grace

Six Months

We LOVE her...

laugh
smile
fingers
squeal
eyes
chubby cheeks
curiosity
persistence
toes
alertness
babble
EVERYTHING!

Happy Birthday Auntie M

To my Sistah who is kind, thoughtful, creative, smart, funny, a good dancer, a confidant, pretty, adventurous, loyal, honest, and so much more. I love you.
P.S
I love you more than twist cones, a Volvo, and kisses.

Veterans Day

My Dearest Dustin-
Thank you for answering the call of duty and serving this wonderful country and her citizens. Thank you for the sacrifices you made and continue to make that allow me to wear what I want, sing what I want, and worship where and what I want. Thank you for calling me every day no matter how tired you were. Thank you for the letter you sent me on Valentines Day. Thank you for telling me everything was okay even when it wasn't. Thank you for being brave. Thank you for being courageous. Thank you for being kind. Thank you for being a friend to all. Thank you for reminding me to look forward to Sunday drives and snowboarding at Beaver. Thank you for telling me you loved me every day. Thank you for being a soldier.
Love always,
Libby

Dustin in Iraq

Dustin with an Iraqi Soldier

Hats Off to Naomi's Laugh

Dear Uncle Rico-
I learned to laugh recently. I laugh when my Mom and Dad tickle me. Especially when they tickle my neck and my sides. I laugh when Auntie M plays peek-a-boo with me. I laugh when Daddy gives me raspberries on my feet. I laugh when Mommy tries to imitate my noises because only I know how to make them. I laugh at the ribbons Aunt Grettle gave me. Today my Daddy did something especially funny and I laughed really hard.
Love,
Naomi

Dr. Office Fun

Today I took Naomi to the doctor's office to get a rash on her stomach checked out. She has had this rash for a few weeks and no lotion has been able to rid her of her red, scaly tummy. Before the doctor came in to check her out, Naomi started doing this.

After Naomi was done squirming around on the table, the doctor determined it was just excema. Nothing a little Eucerine can't fix. After the doctor left the room I got Naomi dressed and she decided she needed to see the stuff that was making such a wonderful noise. So she did this.

My mom had a great idea to give her a roll of wax paper for Christmas. That's a great idea considering how much fun Naomi had at the doctor's office.

Halloween

Naomi's First Halloween

not so happy monkey

one angry monkey and one sleepy giraffe (Megan)

Gee Wiz

we sure miss this kid (Elder)

a lot.

Pumpkin Patch

Last October Libby and I wandered around the pumpkin patch in search of the perfect pumpkin to place on our porch for Halloween. While searching we realized that we would have a baby to bring with us the next time we picked pumpkins.


On Wednesday we went to a local pumpkin patch with Naomi and picked three large pumpkins to carve. As Naomi is so photogenic, we took well over a hundred pictures. Here are a few of the better pictures.


The joy Naomi has brought into our lives is beyond anything Libby or I could have imagined. We are so grateful for her contagious smile and her sweet spirit.

Nursery, Cousin, and a Unicycle

This weekend cousin T came to help Dustin with Naomi's nursery. When our house was built, the home-builder came in with a paint sprayer and painted everything beige. Trim, doors, walls, and ceilings. Since Naomi's nursery is the first room that we are doing in our house, we thought we should do it right. It will have a white ceiling, green walls, white wainscoting, and laminate maple floors. It is a gender neutral nursery so we don't have to repaint it for future children. There is a lot of work to be done, but Dustin and T were able to remove all of the baseboards and trim, remove the switchplates, remove the closet doors, and get the first coat of primer on the walls.

Naomi really likes T and spent the weekend smiling and giggling at him. She loves playing peek-a-boo using his Dodgers hat and loves when he swings her around in her Jonny Jumper. This afternoon all four of us had a picnic near the lake. When we finished we took T to the skate park in Daybreak. It is not a traditional skate park, it is skateable artwork. T was able to unicycle over a few of the elements in the park. We were glad that T came to work and play with us this weekend and look forward to him coming back.

In The Car With Naomi

I don't know if it is being a first time parent, anxiety, or both, but I worry about Naomi when she is in her car seat. It's probably because I can't see her due to the rear facing car seat. We have tried two different mirror systems that are supposed to allow us to see Naomi, but they were not compatible with our car. It was driving me nuts not being able to see her so I solved the problem using something almost everyone has, a cellphone. I simply reach over the car seat when we are stopped at a red light and take a picture.

Bottle Anyone?

Dustin and I are in dire need of a good date. Thanks to some solid advice from cousin E, and some serious dedication from Dustin we are going on a date. Why you ask would this be so hard? The answer my friends is that my sweet Naomi would not take a bottle (apparently, nursing was the only option for her). We tried everything we could think of including five different types of bottles. The Cadillac of bottles of course promises to be the best choice for your baby. That best choice cost me eight bucks. Well, Naomi does not like Cadillacs, she likes Fiats. 98 cent Fiats to be exact. The least natural, least expensive bottle is what suits her fancy. Between cousin E's wonderful advice and Dustin's persistence, Naomi now takes a bottle. She does not love it, and spills a lot of it on her shirt, but she will do it if there is no other option. It just so happens that Saturday there is no other option. Dustin and I are going to a movie while Aunt K watches Naomi. Let this be a cautionary tale to myself that next time we have a baby, Dustin will give he/she one bottle every day so we don't have to fight this fight again.

Happy and Full

Okay, I know I have posted a lot of videos but there is a reason. Reason: Naomi's best performances happen at home. This results in a lot of stories to friends and family about how funny, cute, and talkative she is. So, here is the video to go with the story I told you that Naomi talks and talks when she is done eating.

Tickling Naomi

Today was a great day. We really enjoyed General Conference and spending time with family. Naomi and I went to visit Grandma Great this afternoon and Naomi put on quite the show. She laid on the floor of the front room and squealed for forty minutes. When our visit was over we went back to Papa's and Nana's house where she talked to Nana for a few minutes. After the Naomi show was over, Papa rocked and sang songs to her. This is what she did when we got home.

Coming Home

Naomi loves coming home. She is quickly becoming a homebody to say the least. Whenever we get back to our house from an outing Naomi has a lot to say. She squeals, talks and wiggles all over the place. The trick is getting it on camera. If she can see the camera, her performance comes to an abrupt halt. Today, we finally got Naomi's jubilation upon arriving home on camera.

Jonny Jumper

Naomi has been trying to figure out how the Jonny Jumper works. The first time we put her in it she was not quite ready and just flopped over.

Take One

I put her in it again today and she really enjoyed it. She was able to support herself and even jump a few times.

Take Two

Wells Family Reunion

Last weekend we went camping with the Wells side of Dustin's family. Usually Dustin and I camp in a tent but with Naomi we decided to rent a pop up tent trailer. It was really nice to have a heated space to sleep at night and a fridge to keep our food cold. It was good to see our nieces and nephews and visit with family members that we had not seen in some time. Our favorite part was the impromptu baseball game with Grandpa Wells as umpire.

Our Camper

Dustin pitching to Ryan

Our little family

Herriman Fire

On Sunday September 19th a huge fire was started at Camp Williams during machine gun practice. It went up one side of the mountain and came down the other into Herriman (the city one block away from us). We had no idea there was a fire until Auntie M called us and asked if we could see the flames from our house. We could, and they were huge. By about ten o'clock p.m. the smell was unbearable and the smoke was thick so we went to stay with my parents. During the course of the fire over 1000 homes were evacuated and three homes were destroyed. Our house was never in any danger, but it was still scary having a fire just five miles from our home.

This picture was taken at the end of our street

Gluten Free Baking

Gluten Free Skillet Cornbread

Dustin was diagnosed with Celiac a little over a year ago. Celiac disease is a permanent intolerance to gluten that results in damage to the intestine and is reversible with avoidance of gluten. Gluten is a mixture of different proteins that give all of the foods you love that doughy, elastic texture. Gluten is found in wheat, barley, and rye. Subsequently, wheat, barley and rye is found in an annoyingly large amount of foods at your local grocer. It would take forever to name all the foods that contain gluten, but if it is processed at all, chances are it has gluten. When Dustin was first diagnosed with Celiac I asked the doctor what foods he couldn't eat. He gave me the short run down of a "dude's" favorite foods. Bread, pizza, cereal, and beer.

I have avoided Gluten Free (GF) baking for two reasons. One, I was pregnant for the better part of a year and would throw up if I went near the kitchen and two, GF baking is rather expensive. You, my non Celiac reader can just throw all purpose flour into a bowl with a few other ingredients and make a wonderfully moist, springy, and delicious cake. If I did that with GF baking I would create something that resembles a hockey puck. GF baking requires several different varieties of flour: brown rice, white rice, sorghum, tapioca, and baking mix. Each flour gives the recipe a different texture and flavor. To achieve a texture and flavor resembling non GF baking, you mix flours together. Last night, to Dustin's delight, I dove into GF baking head on with the help of The Gluten Free Goddess. The result was scrumptious! I made cornbread to go with a tortilla soup. Dustin and I both agree that it is better than regular cornbread. It was soft, moist, sweet, and spicy. I can't wait to try baking a chocolate cake later this week.

It's a Moose! Or is it Meece?

We spent the weekend at the cabin with a few friends from USU. Like old times, we chatted about nothing in particular, played Settlers of Catan, and relaxed. Early Sunday morning as we were getting ready to come home Dustin spotted a moose. Thanks to a great zoom feature on our camera, we were able to get this shot of a mama moose and her baby on the east side of the cabin.

Sooooo Cute!

A wonderful surprise was waiting for me in the mailbox today. Naomi's ten week old photos! All of them turned out fabulously, but here are some of our favorites.

Photos by April Bladh

Goodbye Uncle Rico

Yesterday Elder Richard Clark Fetzer left to serve a full time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He will be in the MTC (missionary training center) for three weeks and then depart for Seattle, Washington to seek out and teach people the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am excited for him but can not begin to express how much I will miss him.

Richard and Naomi at his setting apart

Shots! What Shots?

A few weeks ago I took Naomi to get her two month shots. M came with me because I was pretty sure it was going to be hard for me to handle. It was. Being the wonderful sister she is, M stood next to Naomi during the shots to comfort her. I sat nearby and all I saw was her head turn really red and then heard her scream like I never had before. She was pretty miserable for a few hours but later that day she did this.....



Oh, how happy I am to be a mother!

All in a Century

Naomi - 6 weeks old/Grandma Great - 100 years old
A Century Apart

Summer Happenings

Between feeding Naomi every two hours, cleaning, exercising, cooking, and other various obligations it is rather hard to sit down and write a post. We have had an incredible summer beginning with the birth of Naomi and ending with Richards entry into the MTC in ten days to begin his service in the Seattle, Washington mission. So in a nutshell, I present our summer:

July 24th-25th
We went up to the Cabin with our friends Erik, Bridgette and their daughter Megan who is eleven days older than Naomi. Both girls happily slept while we went about cleaning the cabin before we left. We are forever grateful to Grandma and Grandpa Haglund for providing such a beautiful place to work, play, and relax.

Naomi and Megan

July 26th-August 2nd
The first every Clark and Jeanne Fetzer family reunion was held in Yachats, Oregon. A small town of about 650 people along the Oregon coast. We stayed in a beautiful little cottage a short walk from the beach. To get to the beautiful cottage there was a four hour drive from Portland in a red Suburban. Naomi had never been in her car seat that long so we stopped a few times along the way. If you have to stop to feed a baby, the Oregon coast is a fantastic place to do just that.

August 11th-14th
After we got home from Oregon we went back to the cabin with Erik, Bridgette and Megan. We picnicked at Smith Moorehouse, shopped at the outlets, grilled some killer stakes, made hair bows for the girls, and enjoyed good company.

August 15th
Naomi's baby blessing was held in our home on Sunday, August 15th. 32 of our closest family and friends came including both of Naomi's great grandmothers. The blessing Dustin gave was wonderful and thoughtful. We are grateful for our sweet Naomi and thank our Father in Heaven for such a wonderful daughter.

The Many Faces Of Naomi

Fourth of July at "The Lot"

Lions and Tigers and Naomi "oh my!"

We went to the cabin to celebrate the Fourth of July sans fireworks. We've had so many visitors come to see Naomi that it was nice to escape the city and just be with our little family.

Happy Birthday To You-Cha, Cha, Cha

Happy 19th Chardo!

A Name For Our Baby Girl

Naomi Grace Tallerico

Born 10 June, 2010 at 9:09 p.m.
7 pounds 3 ounces, 20 inches long

BABY IS HERE!!!

Nesting

My mottto/sanity is defined by the saying: Everything has a place, and there's a place for everything.

I don't know how old I was when I started nesting. Experts say it happens a few months to several hours before you give birth, but I have been nesting for years. When we bought this house we were sure there was enough storage space. In reality, there is. We just have too much stuff. Between duffles full of Army gear, camping gear, and snowboarding gear we could fill a whole wall of our garage. Not to mention the impressive collection of tools that Dustin has acquired since we got married, a bike, a huge snow blower (it's on tank treads), a lawnmower, gardening tools, a freezer, bricks and lumber. There is more, but if I think about it too much I become a grouchy nester. It will take some ingenuity, engineering, and luck to organize our garage so that everything fits, including a car. Luckily, I am married to a hard worker who enjoys home improvement and is excited to build an area where his tools will reside. In the meantime I remind myself that the baby won't care if the car fits in the garage and she certainly does not care that everything has a place, and there's a place for everything.

Seventeen Days and Counting

37.4 weeks pregnant

Home Improvement

Since buying this house a little over a year ago, Dustin has really enjoyed doing home improvement projects. Last summer he built a deck off the kitchen and this summer he built beautiful retaining walls/planters across the front of our house. Here is a before and after.

Before

After