Thing #3 that I love about Cuyler

So my number three thing I love about my sweet husband is: 

Cuyler is an amazing singer

So to be honest this is one of those talents I always wanted my husband to have. However, I tried not to want it too bad because I didn't want to be disappointed if my husband didn't sing. Well lucky me. I love Cuyler's voice. Really, it makes me melt. I have always loved listening to him sing. Although he may not believe it, I love that he sings at the top of his lungs when walking down the street or when we're out shopping or anywhere else in random public places. I'll admit that I was a little embarrassed by this at first, but it's only because I'm not a huge fan of having attention like that drawn to myself. But truly, I do love it. I love that he harmonizes with me when we sing to the radio, when we sing hymns for family home evening, or even when we sing lullabies to Lyla (talk about a lucky baby!). There have been a number of times where people sitting near us at church will come up after the meeting and tell Cuyler what a beautiful voice he has. Cuyler surprised me and sang to me (while playing the guitar) at our wedding reception. That was the sweetest, most romantic thing. I could listen to Cuyler sing all day. I just love it!

Thing #2 that I love about Cuyler

I love Cuyler. And as I said before, I love him for MANY reasons. So thing number two that I love about Cuyler is: He is an awesome dad

I love, love, love watching Cuyler be a dad. He is so sweet with Lyla and has been since before she was even born. When I was pregnant he would talk to my belly and say sweet things to our little Lyla. He would sing to her and play his guitar (he still does this, which she loves). He would rub my belly and get so excited when she would kick back. Now that she is here, there's not a day that goes by that I don't see him being sweet with her and making her smile.  He loves to play with her and make her laugh. He encourages her to learn new things and is so proud of her when she succeeds. He even changes diapers! ;) It is apparent that Lyla thinks her dad is pretty awesome as well. She usually wakes up before him in the mornings, and as soon as she catches a glimpse of him, she is climbing all over me trying to get to him. She gets so excited when he finally wakes up, and climbs all over him, jabbering and smiling. When she's upset, he sings to her and it calms her down. Her eyes light up anytime he walks into the room. It is clear that this little girl loves her daddy. And she obviously has him wrapped around her teeny little finger. Cuyler is an amazing father and I LOVE that about him.

Thing #1 that I love about Cuyler

I love Cuyler. There are lots and lots of reasons why I love this man. I'm going to tell you thing number one why I love him, but that doesn't mean it's the number one thing I love about him. Well it is definitely up there, but that would be too hard to choose just one number one. It just means there are more things to follow. So... (drum roll please)... thing number one that I love about Cuyler is: Cuyler makes me laugh

Ever since those days 5 years ago in the MTC I have loved Cuyler's sense of humor. He is a really funny guy. Also, he is silly. He knows how to make me giggle over the silliest things. Another thing (post mission of course), he is a pretty good tickle fighter. Although for the record, I have won a fair number of tickle fights in our marriage. He has a way of making me laugh that no one else can . And I LOVE that about him.

Catch-up: Part FINAL :)

Okay, so I am officially over a year behind on this blog. I was thinking about just giving up on the past and moving forward from this moment. However, this is kind of a journal for me and honestly a lot of what I write on here is just for my own memories. So… if you don’t care what we did a year ago, just scroll to the bottom which talks about what we’re doing now, or wait for my next post (which hopefully will show up soon!). If you are at all interested (and don't mind reading an extremely long post), read on.

March 2011

One thing Cuyler and I have enjoyed about living in Arizona, is that Phoenix is full of sports. Spring time is extra fun for baseball fans, as Phoenix is the home of Spring Training each year. Aside from the general fun of Spring Training, Cuyler and I were happy to have both of our parents come to visit and attend games with us. My parents came out and we went to a LA Dodgers game, and then Cuyler’s parents came and we attended a San Francisco Giants game. Can we say family rivalry?

So apparently since I'm a Meade now, I'm automatically a Giants fan 

(I'm okay with this)

Cuyler and his Pops

Also in March we were overjoyed to find ourselves pregnant again. I'm sure you are all so surprised ;) Read on and you’ll hear more about that.

I also went to my first hockey game ever in March. The San Jose Sharks played (and beat) the Phoenix Coyotes.

Go Sharks!

April 2011
April was full of my second round of morning sickness and… my last month of grad school!!! It was very busy and exhausting but so worth all of it. I don't think anything else really happened, as there wasn't really time or energy for anything else to happen.

May 2011
In May it became official… I graduated and received my Master of Social Work degree. Feel free to refer to me as Master Sarah from here on out ;) My parents and grandparents came to Arizona to celebrate with us, and my sister and her hubby also attended the festivities. It was a happy day and I appreciate everyone’s support in helping me achieve that big goal (especially my awesome husband).

 Some of my grad school friends, Jenn and Ami. We did it!

Our baby came to the ceremony too! ;)

 Hooray!

 

The awesome people who came to my graduation ceremony 

We also got to attend some baseball games in May and throughout the summer. We cheered for the Diamondbacks unless the Giants were in town ;)

Go Giants!

June 2011

In June we got to take a little road trip to Utah to attend the wedding of Cuyler’s friend Spencer to the beautiful Maue.  Cuyler was a groomsman, but in my opinion he was the best man ;) We took advantage of being in Utah and visited friends and family along the way. We also celebrated Cuyler’s 23^rd birthday while on the trip. It was so fun to be able to spend time with so many people that we love.

The wedding party

Also in June, my baby bump started to show a little bit. It was kind of exciting and made it all feel a little more real.

This was somewhere around 15 weeks

Also in June Cuyler began the journey to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a sports radio broadcaster. He began a program where he studied and recorded his own shows, and then met weekly with a local broadcaster who critiqued his shows and taught him some cool stuff about the broadcasting business.

July 2011

I hit the half way point of my pregnancy in July, and was feeling huge already... I had no idea what huge was.

This was somewhere around 20 weeks
I know, I looked tiny ;) but I'd never had a belly before so I felt huge

Cuyler's mission president and wife came home from their mission at the beginning of July, and they happen to live in Arizona. We got to attend their homecoming and spend a little time in their home with some others from their mission. It was fun seeing Cuyler with all of them, and meeting President and Sister Hansen.

Texas Houston Missionaries

As a graduation gift to myself (and thanks to all of the awesome people who gave me money for graduation), Cuyler and I took a trip back east to visit my brother Davey and his family in New Jersey, and do some touring as well. We were able to visit Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and New York City. We were even able to take a little detour and visit Cuyler’s grandparents in New York. I could go on and on about this trip, but since I’m trying to be brief here I will save that for another blog post (haha let's see if that ever happens).

 The Liberty Bell

 Lovin' each other in Love Park

 Our adorable nephew Nathan... Cuyler trying to convert him to be a Giants fan ;)

 Jersey Shore ;)

 Washington D.C. Temple

 The White House

There were some big security measures going on for some reason, so we couldn't get any closer than this

(that's my brother Davey, his wife Tracy, and son Nathan)

 Grandma and Grandpa Meade :)

 Cuyler flashing his dough at the New York Stock Exchange

 Times Square

 On top of the Empire State Building

Cuyler and Me with cute little Nathan :)

About a week after our trip I turned 26! Cuyler took me to dinner the night before, made me dinner the night of, bought me some nice things and made my day wonderful.

August 2011

In August I finished up my internship with LDS Family Services. This was bittersweet because I loved working there, and loved my supervisor and co-workers, but it was exciting to be moving on to new things. The day after I finished up at LDS Family Services, I started my first master’s level job with the Crisis Nursery. On the same day I started this new (full-time) job, I also started the third trimester of my pregnancy. This made for an exhausting three months, but being so busy helped time pass very quickly which was nice.

Cuyler was still just plugging away at his job at Star Metal Fluids and working hard on his broadcasting program. One thing that was really nice is my new job was just a few minutes away from Cuyler's, so we were able to commute to and from work together, and got a couple extra hours of time together every day (although most of the time Cuyler was asleep in the passenger seat next to me. Haha. At least I got to take the carpool lane!)

September 2011

Cuyler and I celebrated our first anniversary in September by buying a new ottoman for our living room! Romantic, huh? Also, we had a special night out at a super fancy restaurant thanks to a gift from Cuyler’s mission president.

At Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

                On the 17^th my best friend Megan got married to the handsome Chris Allen. Cuyler and I traveled up to Idaho to be at the wedding and I was one of Megan’s bridesmaids. It was a wonderful day and made me so happy to see Megan so happy. 

The beautiful bride and her bridesmaids

(best picture because you can't see my swollen ankles)

 At the end of the month we had a baby shower extravaganza! My sister Laura was also pregnant and due 3 weeks before me, so we each threw a baby shower for the other and all in the same day. I think we were both ready to collapse by the end of it all, but it was a fun day.

Lyla and Kaylee's first cousin picture
(I'm somewhere around 32 weeks here)

October 2011

In the beginning of October, my mom had a baby shower for me in my hometown. It was so fun to see so many people from back home and celebrate my pregnancy with all of them. Also, my awesome sister did  little maternity photo shoot for us. It's probably no surprise that this is Cuyler's favorite photo:

Giants family :)

Speaking of pregnancy, I started having Braxton Hicks contractions at the beginning of October, even though I was not due until November 16^th. By mid-October I was already dilated, and the doctor expected me to go into labor any day. That only increased the anticipation for our baby to arrive.

Halloween was pretty awesome. We went to our friends house for a party, and we definitely had the best costumes of the night (probably the best costume of my life). I guess you could say we went as a basketball game. Check it out!

The player

The hoop/stand

The ball :)

 We made my costume together (Cuyler actually did most of it) and it was a big hit!

November 2011

The month of November was filled with anticipation of the arrival of our newest addition. Contractions were as constant as ever. Cuyler and I were both working in downtown Phoenix (at least half an hour from the hospital with no traffic) and getting quite anxious as my contractions continued to get closer and closer together. I would often have contractions less than five minutes apart for hours on end (a sign that labor has begun and it’s time to go to the hospital), but apparently Lyla was just teasing us ;) We had two "false alarm" trips to the hospital before I quit working, and we finally decided to induce labor (I had been contracting for a month and a half!).

I think this was the night before my due date

Now I understood what it really means to be HUGE!

On the night of November 16^th (my due date) we checked into the hospital to finally have this baby. They induced my labor the next morning and after 11 hours of difficult labor, 3 of those hours pushing, the doctor determined that I needed a C-section.

In labor... before it got bad ;)

Cuyler all set for the C-section

Cuyler and I were not at all prepared for this, as it had never really crossed our minds that I would need a c-section. Thank goodness the medical staff were understanding and patient with us. I was able to be awake for the surgery and could actually feel the pressure of all of it (but no pain, thank goodness) which was crazy and kind of cool. Cuyler was able to watch the whole thing. At 9:43 pm our sweet Lyla Rose Meade was born. The first words out of the medical staffs mouth’s included things like: “wow she is huge!” and “no wonder she couldn’t come out on her own”. Lyla weighed 9 lbs 1 oz and measured 21 inches. Her 13.5 inch head was a little morphed from those 3 hours of pushing… she was kind of stuck :/ but don’t worry, it has all rounded out now.

Our BIG girl :)

 

Lyla Rose Meade

 Cuyler was able to cut the cord and watch her get all cleaned up, and then he brought her over so I could meet her for the first time. It was one of the most amazing and happiest moments of my life. I experienced a little piece of heaven in that operating room at that moment, and have been experiencing a little more of heaven each day since.

First family picture

We spent the next three days in the hospital, and both Lyla and I did really well. We got to come home on Sunday night, and the next day Cuyler’s parents came in to town. It was such a blessing to have them there to help me out, especially since Cuyler had to go back to work on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Playing around with Daddy already :)

Lyla and Mommy

All set to go home!

Thursday was Thanksgiving, and Cuyler’s mom made an AMAZING dinner for us. We had a great week with Cuyler’s parents and even went on our first little family outing with Lyla. We went to South Mountain for a little picnic and scenery. The rest of the time we just relaxed (which I needed!) and had a fun time together.

Lyla with Grandma

The DELICIOUS Thanksgiving feast and the awesome cooks!

Lyla's first outing to South Mountain

December 2011

If I thought last December was busy, I had no idea what busy meant. On top of the normal holiday hustle and bustle, we were trying to figure out how to be parents, Cuyler was still working full time plus getting ready to start school in a few weeks, and we were preparing to move at the end of the month. It was crazy.

At the beginning of the month we had a special visitor from Idaho. My best friend Megan came to help me with the adjustment to mommyhood. She spent lots of time with our little Lyla, allowing me to get things done and relax a bit. It was so fun having her stay with us and it helped me out a ton. Next time she just needs to bring her hubby with her and we can make it a party ;)

We celebrated Christmas in Arizona, which was such a blessing because I don’t think I could have handled traveling at that point. My parents came out and we spent Christmas at my sister’s house. Since Christmas was on a Sunday, and Cuyler was the ward choir director at church, Cuyler led the choir in a beautiful Christmas program. He did a great job (as always). It was an extra special Christmas having our little Lyla with us.

Merry Christmas from the Meade Family!

Christmas pajamas with cousin Kaylee

My parents stuck around after Christmas to help us pack up our house and get ready for the move.Thanks to them, and lots of help from family and friends on moving day, our move went smoothly and we were able to quickly settle in to our new apartment in Phoenix (closer to school for Cuyler). 

Lyla with Gramps and Grandma Lisa

January 2012

Cuyler picked back up on his college career in January. He is attending Arizona State University, in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. He is continuing to pursue his dream of becoming a sports radio broadcaster. With this, Cuyler sought out involvement with the sports department of the ASU radio station. Through that, he had the opportunity to do a weekly sports update on ASU radio. He also had multiple opportunities to call basketball and baseball games for the radio station. It was really fun to listen to him on the radio throughout the semester.

First day of school picture (tee-hee, I'm such a mom)

Because he is so awesome, Cuyler continued to work part-time while in school, so that I could stay home with Lyla and be a full time mommy. This is the biggest blessing and he is the best husband and daddy for working so hard to take care of us.

Lyla and Mommy

February 2012

On February 5th, our sweet Lyla received a blessing at church from her Daddy. Family and friends came to support her on her special day. 

 Family that came for Lyla's blessing

The men who participated in giving the blessing
(minus President Hansen who had to leave early)

In February Cuyler sought out another opportunity to build his resume in the sports broadcasting arena. He got involved with a student-run sports TV show called Sun Devils Sports Night. They did a weekly half-hour long show, where Cuyler participated each week in different roles including reporter, analyst, anchor, and even camera man. You can check out one of his shows below and more at http://vimeo.com/user10488032

And of course we celebrated Valentine's Day :) Cuyler took the night off from his normally busy Tuesday night activities, and we went out to a Greek restaurant for dinner. Lyla got all dressed up and joined us :) When we got home Cuyler made me chocolate dipped strawberries (YUMMY!!!) and we watched a movie. It was a great night!

March 2012

In March Cuyler started doing a podcast with a couple of other guys he met through Sun Devils Sports Night. They did weekly episodes throughout the rest of the semester. Now I'm not the biggest sports fan, but these podcasts are actually pretty entertaining and I would highly recommend checking them out! Listen to the one below and go here http://sdsn9thcircle.podomatic.com/ for more.

April 2012

April consisted of more school, more work, and more Lyla being adorable (of course). We took Lyla to her first Giants game as they played in Arizona for the Diamondbacks home opener. The stadium was packed and she had a little bit of a hard time with the crowd and the heat and the noise, or maybe she was just mad because the Giants lost. We also got to go to another Diamondbacks game with our friends Ami and Matt later that month. Lyla seemed to enjoy that game much more.

 This is how Lyla felt about the game

Don't worry, she cheered up after a while

Go Giants!

D-backs game
(as you can see Cuyler still supports his Giants, even when he isn't at a Giants game)

May 2012

Cuyler got a job offer to sell pest control for a company called Eco Shield this summer in Chicago. We decided this would be a good way to earn some money to help us get Cuyler through the next year of school. So, after only 4 months of living in our new place, we packed up and moved again! Hooray, moving, my favorite! Not really, but luckily we didn’t have to take everything since the apartment is furnished and we will only be here temporarily. Thank goodness for my mom who came out and entertained Lyla so I could focus on packing. Tough job for a grandma to come play with her grandbaby for a week ;)

Lyla and Grandma having fun

We headed out the first week of May, barely survived the 3 day drive, and here we are now. We live in Naperville, IL, just about half an hour outside of Chicago. It is beautiful here and we are really not missing the triple digit Arizona heat.

 Lyla drove some of the time so daddy could rest ;)

Dinner break

These precious moments made for a quicker trip

Check out this gem we found on the side of the road

This is where we live. Pretty, huh?

Cuyler is working hard, 6 days a week. He is doing well, but truly appreciates every minute he gets to relax. Lyla and I get a little lonely without Daddy around, but we enjoy going for walks and enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery. We are working on meeting new people so we can have friends too. Oh, and my awesome mission companion Bere lives only a half hour away, so we’ve had one visit from her and hopefully we’ll have quite a few more! She and Lyla really hit it off too.

Out for a walk with Mommy

  

Our little bug

 Our little Eco Shield baby 

(I'm thinking they should start putting these pictures on their fliers instead of those creepy looking bugs. This cute face would definitely draw in more customers.)

Bere and Lyla :)

One more thing, I enjoyed my first mother’s day as a mommy so much! I took the day off from all responsibility and just enjoyed relaxing and spending time playing with, and cuddling my sweet baby. Cuyler made all the meals and did the dishes, and just let me enjoy being a mommy for the day. It was the best J

I love being a mommy!

So… now that I’m FINALLY caught up, I am recommitting to stay caught up on this thing. I’m hoping to not have to just do monthly overviews, but to have the chance to do some fun posts too. So, we’ll see. Thanks for following us J