Topaz 2012

We left Thursday, May 3 to go on the annual camping trip to Topaz with Matt's family.  It is almost a three hour drive, and Nathan was not thrilled about the idea of being in his carseat for so long.  Luckily he slept most of the drive.

We arrived down at Topaz around 4 and got all of the bikes unloaded and the trailers set up.



It was pretty windy and cool, and we were all tired from the drive so we ate dinner and went to bed early.  Nathan did great sleeping in the trailer, way better than we expected he would. 

Nathan and his sleeping bag

The next day we woke up early thanks to Nathan and Luke.  We had breakfast and then Matt and Dan left for the day to dirt bike with Matt's aunt and uncles.  Shayne, Brittany, Bryce and I stayed back at camp with the babies and Annie.

Annie and her little doggie booties

View from our campsite

We cooked dutch oven for dinner that night and of course, made smores and had a campfire. 

The next day Matt cooked his mountain man breakfast in the dutch oven for everyone.  It was absolutely freezing so Matt mostly cooked outside by himself while the rest of us waited in the trailer.



We spent most of the day hanging out at camp.  We all shot guns and went for walks, and Brittany and Bryce did get out for a short ride on their bikes.  Nathan and Luke had a lot of fun spending time together and always kept their eye on each other.

We let Nathan sit on Marty's little motorcycle and there is no doubt anymore about whether Nathan is a Kasteler.  I think in a few years he will be begging Matt and Grandpa Dan to take him for rides on their bikes.

By Saturday afternoon Nathan and Annie were completely exhausted.  They crashed together on the bed and slept the majority of the afternoon.

We ended up leaving Saturday night because we were all exhausted and ready for a good nights sleep in our own beds.  But we did stop at our favorite gas station just outside Topaz to get our Farr's ice-cream!  The trip was so fun and we can't wait for the next Topaz trip!



Six Months Old!

Nathan had his six month appointment on Saturday with Doctor Ferrarra.  I just love his doctor!  He and his nurse are so sweet with Nathan and are so good to answer all of my questions.  And this appointment Matt and I had a ton of questions.  I feel like Nathan has changed and grown more in the past two months than he ever has.

Nathan now weighs 17.5 pounds and is 27 1/2" inches long!  He is now in the 46th percentile for his weight and 82nd percentile for his height.  This is a huge improvement because he has always been in the 20th percentile for weight.

Sadly though the doctor diagnosed Nathan with eczema which he unfortunately inherited from me.  The doctor said that it is probably the reason he has stopped sleeping through the night and to put hydrocortisone on his skin and especially his back every night before he goes to sleep.  We also have to switch his baby lotion to cetaphil and monitor how long he is in the bath for.

Other than that the appointment went really good.  His doctor said to watch out because he should start crawling in the next three months and I'm so excited I can't wait. 

Matt and I Are Officially Co-Workers!

Matt has decided to join in on all the fun and work at Utah Property Management Associates with me!  My company posted a position a couple weeks ago and Matt decided to apply just to see.  Well Matt got called back, had two rounds of interviews, and had his official first day today!

Unfortunately I work on City Creek properties and Matt will work for a PRI property but our offices will be just down the street from each other and we will still see each other around and be able to carpool!

Leaving Town

Matt, Nathan, Annie and I are all leaving Salt Lake tomorrow to go camping for the weekend!  I am starting to get so excited to leave town and get a break from work but mostly I am excited to spend three and a half days straight with my family!

This will be the first time that we have taken Nathan anywhere overnight and so I am pretty nervous about that one.  But I am hoping for the best and can't wait to leave.  Tomorrow afternoon can't come fast enough! 

Working Mama

Growing up I always thought I would have a career.  I thought I would be older when I got married and even older when Matt and I started a family.  I guess that is the funny part about life and plans, that they never turn out the way you anticipated.

I am finding the task of being a working mother very challenging.  While I was on maternity leave I worried so much about returning to work.  I knew that I would have to allow others to help raise my son and that thought broke my heart.  I worried so much that we would lose our strong connection and that he would become more attached to his grandmas.

I have been frustrated and discouraged about this more than usual the past few weeks.  And then I was blessed with a tender mercy last Friday.  It had been such a long day and then I left work early to pick up Nathan from Matt's mom's house. 

When I got there Shayne was holding Nathan and said she had not been able to get him to smile all day.  She handed Nathan to me and I told him hello.  He put his hands on my cheeks, brought his face close to mine, and gave me the largest smile that he could.  He then began to laugh. 

Even though I have to allow others to help me raise Nathan and give up some time with him, I know that I will never have to give up being Nathan's mama.  We will always have that connection that has bonded us together from the moment I knew I was going to be a mother.  I am a working mama, but more importantly I am Nathan's mother, and that will never change.

Four Month Old Checkup

Nathan had his four month check up on Monday.  I love taking him in for these check ups to see how much he has progressed and grown.  My little stud has gained three pounds in the past month and is shooting up like a weed!  The doctor and nurse both commented on how he finally is getting some fat on him.

Nathan weighs 13.5 pounds and is 26 inches long.  He is in the 20th percentile for his weight and 60th percentile for his height.  He isn't rolling over but the doctor said not to worry and that he will figure it out soon.

The doctor also said that Nathan is small enough that he does not need to be started on food, but if we wanted to it would be fine.  Well Matt has been counting down the days to feed him food since Nathan was born so we went ahead and tried.  We gave Nathan sweet potatoes and he did great with the first two bites, then realized what was going on and then put up a fight.  He did better than I thought he would and we are going to keep trying.

  Nathan got his shots as well and was such a trooper.  He cried like crazy at the doctor's office and then on and off for about an hour.  We got him home and gave him children's Advil and within 20 minutes we had a happy playful baby again. I feel like I have been so blessed to have such a happy easy baby and I can't wait to see what is to come in the next few months.

Three Months Old!

My little baby turned three months old today!  I can't believe how quickly time has flown by and how much he has changed in such a short amount of time. 

He is finally growing hair on the top of his head and getting longer and skinnier by the minute.  Nathan is also smiling, laughing, and playing like crazy.  Even just a month ago Nathan wanted to be held more than anything and would cry if I put him down for too long.  Now he cries if I try to hold him for too long and will kick his legs until I lay him down to play on his mat.

He is sleeping so much better too!  The last few weeks he has been sleeping between six and eight hours straight at night and it has been absolutely wonderful!  Because he is sleeping better he is happier and awake more during the day too.

I think my favorite thing about my little bug right now though is the talking.  He started it up only about two weeks ago and just thinks its the greatest thing.  At first he was just cooing but now he is making all sorts of noises all the time!

Matt and I love our little man so much and are so grateful every single day to have him in our lives.  I can't believe how blessed I am to have such a happy sweet baby and I am excited to see how much he is going to grow and change in the next few months.