10.11.09 ~ Connor's Blessing Day ...

Nate and I made the quick decision to go on a road trip and visit my family in Salt Lake! We realized that we could easily just travel with Connor since Nate was out of job at the time, and I on maternity leave. So a week later, after general conference, we ended up in Salt Lake for a few days. I absolutely LOVED seeing my family. My mom was thrilled to be able to see Connor again, and I enjoyed being surrounded by a big family all the time – so many people to chat with, and kids running around like crazy – it’s music to my ears. ☺

At Aubrie's Oly High Soccer Game ...

Nate hanging out with some of our nieces ...

The other reason we decided to go to Salt Lake was the fact that Nate was nice enough to let us bless him there so my family could be involved. The Sunday we were there was also my brother Jeff’s homecoming, so it was a very special day. Nate did a great job blessing Connor (I’m so glad I’m the mom and not the dad) – I'd be so nervous. The blessing was given so beautifully, and I started balling right away. I loved being able to have my brothers (and bro-in-law), uncle(s), and my dad in the circle. I could feel the Priesthood power so strongly. It was very special and Connor was quiet through the whole blessing as well. He is a very good baby overall and hardly ever cries to begin with, so I wasn’t expecting too much to come out of him at the time. Connor was also wrapped in both Paul and Cindi's (Nate's parents) blessing blankets that they were blessed in when they were babies. It was a very special way to have the Jorgensen side of the family involved while being in Salt Lake. Thank you Cindi.

Connor in his blessing outfit ... his hands got lost in the sleeves ...

Grandpa and Grandma Colton holding their 13th grandchild ...

And of course, later on when we are celebrating at home with friends and family, he poops in his blessing outfit and leaks all over the side of it! Isn’t that always the case? Baby leaks poop on outfit and has baby acne on his/her blessing day? ☺ It was a very precious, memorable day …

10.08.09 ~ Connor at 1 Month Old ...

Connor is now roughly over 10 lbs! He is growing quickly, and Nate and I are both excited for more interaction from the little guy. He actually responds with a tiny smile at rare moments like in the picture below ... probably just gas, but it's still cute ...



This is Connor's "contemplating" picture ... or most likely his "pooping face" ... the great thing about newborns is they give a lot of cute faces. I sometimes find it hard to put the camera down because his face changes so often and I find all of his "faces" absolutely adorable ...

09.30.09 ~ Connor Loves Bath Time ...

... And I must admit, I love it too ... He is so adorable when taking a bath and he really seems to like it. I love how good he smells afterwards ... all "baby lotioned" up and all clean ...



My mom did the filming while visiting in Colorado ...



He doesn't like the "aftermath" of a bath so much though ... so cold after getting out of the warm water ...

09.29.09 ~ Connor at 3 Weeks Old ...

Connor turned 3 weeks old today ... and he is in the "baby acne" and "dry skin" phase - his little pimples and flaky skin layer is all coming at once right now, but we still love the guy. He is absolutely adorable and has been such a joy to have in our home ...

Connor loves to sleep on his daddy's tummy ... it is one of his favorite spots to be in life right now ...

09.30.09 ~ Grandma Colton Came to Visit ...

This past week, my mom has been here in Colorado! She came to help take care of me and baby Connor for a week, and it was such a joy to have her so close. Here are some highlights from the past week while she stayed with us ...

Going on walks was a great outlet for me to get out and feel good about myself. My mom really helped motivate me to go walking and enjoy the outdoors. It was absolutely beautiful weather for the most part while she was here, so we enjoyed some wonderful time together out walking and talking ...


We visited the Botanical Gardens located near downtown Denver ... there were many gorgeous flowers, plants, ponds, and fountains ... it was a gorgeous day to be outside, enjoying the Fall weather ...







We took a drive up in the mountains to Vail, Colorado, to see the leaves change color. The aspens were all a vibrant yellow and, once again, it was a fabulous day to be outside and enjoy the Fall weather ...






Thanks so much Mom ... for the night feedings, the walks, the comfort and faith you gave me, the dinners, the groceries, and most of all ... thank you for coming! I love you! You are the best mom ever.

09.22.09 ~ Connor at 2 Weeks Old ...

Connor is now 2 weeks old! We had a 2-week check-up with our pediatrician today, and he weighed in at 8 lbs, 3.5 ounces! My baby boy is growing so fast already! I'm happy to see that he is eating well and we have no problems in that department ...

09.20.09 ~ Mr. Funny Face ...

"I'm wide awake and lovin' it!" ... Baby Connor

09.19.09 ~ When Will it Ever Fall Off? ...

So this umbilical cord stump is so close to falling off, and Nate and I can't wait. Why, you ask? ... Because of the SMELL it gives off! Whewee! So awful ... I think it accidentally got a little wet when I gave Connor his sponge bath the other day, and now it has been really stinky. Don't worry ... it's not infected or anything, and it is drying up wonderfully ... it just stinks like crazy! Like I said, can't wait for it to fall off. Only a couple more days of alcohol rubbing and drying up ... and hopefully it'll come off sooner than later!

09.15.09 ~ Connor at 1 Week Old ...

Isn't he the cutest baby ever? Yeah, I know ... I'm biased, being his mom and all ...

09.14.09 ~ Connor's First Hiccups ...

Connor had the hiccups ALL the time while in my womb ... not surprised that he has them all the time now too ... these were his first set, and he gets the hiccups at least twice a day now, if not more ... so adorable.

09.13.09 ~ Connor's First Sponge Bath ...

Connor didn't like the sponge bath so much. We are excited for his umbilical cord stump to fall off so we can give him a nice, warm bath, rather than washing part by part instead.

09.09.09 ~ Connor's First Night Home ...

We were sent home early (on Wednesday night rather than Thursday afternoon) because everyone was trying to have their babies on 09/09/09 ... that was my actual due date but I am so glad we didn't actually have him that day! It was very stressful and was a madhouse at the hospital. We were happy to go home early ... I was recovering well and Connor was doing great ... even though I was a little nervous. It was nice having nurses take care of your every need and scary to think we'd be all on our own here on out ... but it wasn't bad at all and actually very comforting to be home again.

I think Connor likes being home ...

09.08.09 ~ Connor Nathan Jorgensen ...

Connor Nathan Jorgensen has arrived! He was born at 12:40am in the morning at the Parker Adventist Hospital on Sept. 8, 2009. He weighed in at 7 lbs., 6.4 ounces, and measured at 21 inches in length. His head measured at 14 inches ... big head! My epidural wore off at the end, so it was extremely painful ... the actual pushing and the "sewing up" afterwards (3rd degree episiotomy - yikes!), but it was all worth it to have this precious baby boy in our lives.

We had quite a scare at the end of labor as well. Connor was born with the cord wrapped around his neck and body... the doctor worked extremely quickly to get it off of him once he came out, but he didn't have a heart rate. I, of course, didn't know this was all happening (I was in so much pain by this point) until later that night when Nate had filled me in. He had just been deprived of oxygen the last couple of minutes when he was crowning. Dr. Tyler said it was the cord that was around his body - it had been pinched at the last couple of pushes and that is why she had to immediately "snip" me and get him out as quickly as possible ... so thankful that she did. It was the best sound in the world when I finally heard that baby cry (it took him a minute) - he had a lot of fluid to get rid of, so it was a soft, gentle cry. It was so precious to hear him for the first time.

The nurses then took Connor to the NICU to monitor him for a bit - just because of the "cord" situation - but they brought him back in to the room a half hour later, saying all was well. His apgar score was a 9 and throughout the stay at the hospital, the nurses/doctors said all his tests were turning out perfect. He is completely okay - so luckily, the last part of pushing was just a scare and nothing more.

Major conehead ...
... and good thing I had just gotten a pedicure two days before, eh?


Connor getting weighed in ...


So precious ... just had the gunk put over his eyes that they do after a baby is born ...


Seeing my baby for the first time ... a moment to remember forever ...

09.07.09 ~ Going into Labor on Labor Day ...

For our first time experiencing this, I think labor went really smoothly ... I had started labor on Labor Day ... ha, ha, ha ... around 9am in the morning. I had just finished mopping the floor - the last thing on my "to do" list before our whole place was spotless. Perfect timing, eh? Nate timed my contractions that morning as I tried to just stay relaxed on the couch and watch the US Open on TV. Watching tennis through all of this really helped me - it was soothing to watch the ball being hit back and forth and it took my mind off of the pain. When I thought the contractions were lasting around a minute, and were around 5 minutes apart, we went to the hospital, which was around 2:30pm. They admitted us and told me to walk around for an hour and they would check my dilation. An hour later, I was dilated at a 4, and by 6pm, I was dilated at a 6. I then got an epidural and "enjoyed" the rest of my labor. Nate's family came and it was a joy to have them there as well. The only thing that was weird about my labor was the fact that my body kept shivering uncontrollably. The nurse said it was my adrenalin and my body just dealing with the labor. I was glad I couldn't feel any of the intense labor ... just some pressure every time a contraction came. I then quickly progressed and was ready to push around 11:30pm. I pushed for a little over an hour and the last 15-20 minutes, I could feel EVERYTHING!!! My epidural had wore off and I had run out of my reserve. So pushing was extremely painful, but very well worth it to bring this beautiful baby into the world.

Just got the epidural ... I feel great!


Nate's sisters and mom witnessed the birth ...

08.16.09 ~ Exactly 9 Months Pregnant ...

I'm bigger than ever, and definitely getting to that "uncomfortable" state. Just getting in and out of my car is a hassle, but it's exciting that I am getting so close to delivering ... hopefully. I just had an ultrasound done a few days ago, and everything looked good - he is so much more developed and I would have posted another ultrasound picture of him but we didn't get very clear pictures. We found out that the baby is around 6 lbs, 3 ounces right now ... so he'll most likely be in the 8 lb. range by the time I have him ... hopefully not too much bigger! Nate and I are so excited - I can't believe we are only weeks away from having this baby!

08.15.09 ~ Baby Shower Time ...

Today I had my baby shower and it was such a blast! My mother-in-law, Cindi, hosted it at her house and it was all so cutely decorated with baby decor. I am so appreciative to those that helped make it such a great party - Cindi, Kristen, Nicole, and Jacqui - thank you! And it was so great to get so much love and support from family and friends!

Opening presents ...



Yummy refreshments ...


Playing games ... guessing how big my tummy is ...

08.09.09 ~ Camping with the Jorgensens ...

This last weekend Nate and I met up with the Jorgensen family in Pike's National Forest, located just a little over an hour from Denver. We camped at Kelsey Campground and it was absolutely beautiful. It was such a wonderful weekend and it was filled with great fun, family, and food! We had a blast ...

Playing "Mexican Dominoes" at night ...
... I won 11 out of the 13 rounds the first night! That has never happened! I was lucky, lucky ...



Nate's sister, Aislinn, reading her book - one of the best things to do when camping ...

Cindi and Paul, celebrating their wedding anniversary over the weekend ... 30+ years they've been married! Congratulations!

Nate just got his new head lamp for this camping trip, and he wore it constantly! He would occasionally blind us with his blinking light, but I still love him ...

Now that I am almost 9 months pregnant, this is what I did most of the time ...
... it was an extremely relaxing weekend. Thank you Jorgensen Family for planning the trip and letting us tag along!