First Injection!

Here at Case Western there is a free clinic where students can go and volunteer to get additional exposure to dentistry. I decided to go yesterday and see if I could help out. I had heard that during the evenings we could assist dentists performing extractions. I showed up thinking that I would assist and nothing else. Our first patient came in, sat in our chair and the doctor came over and looked at which teeth needed to be pulled. The next thing I know the doctor was looking at me and telling me to pull tooth 5, 6, and 7 (keep in mind that this would require some local anesthetic, which I had never done on a real person before). I went with one of my good friends and we both looked at each other and then at the doctor and quickly let him know that we had never done anything like this before. He didn't seemed to be too worried and just said, "No problem, I will show you what to do and then I am sure you can go ahead and do it." So before I knew it there I was needle in hand and doing my first injection. It was awesome!! I have to admit though my hand was shaking out of control. To make things even more interesting, after we had done the injections we also were notified that we could go ahead and pull the teeth as well. Neither one of us had ever pulled a tooth but we figured what the heck how hard can it be after giving an injection on a live person. So after a little tugging and pulling I pulled tooth 6, my friend pulled 7, and the doctor ended up pulling 5. All in all it was an awesome experience and I can't get enough. I went again today and was able to do part of a root canal, do another injection and some scaling and root planing. It is so awesome to be able to get this kind of experience so early on in my education and I hope to continue taking advantage of it.

New York City!!

We were lucky enough to visit Claire and Dustin in New York City this past week. I have been dying to go there and it was more than I expected. We had so much fun! They live on the corner of Broadway and Wall Street, right in the middle of all the craziness! It was so fun to be able to stay right in the thick of things. We drove our car here which is about an 8 hour drive and left it in a parking garage that was completely over priced (most things in NY are). We almost died trying to maneuver our way to their front steps to unload our luggage!! Good thing Justin was driving because I would have freaked out. No one pays attention, they just go. And I'm sure they had no sympathy seeing our Idaho license plates!!

Our first day we went to the Manhattan temple. Claire was nice enough to watch Jack for us. It was different than any temple we have ever been to. You have to take the subway there and it is on a super busy intersection. It is so noisy and busy outside and then you come into the temple and it is completely quiet and peaceful. It really gives you the perfect escape from the busy city life you can't find anywhere else. It was the most beautiful temple I have ever seen inside. We have been lucky to go to quite a few different temples out here and this one was so different. The detail and the way they decorated it was gorgeous.

Me on the crazy busy street outside the temple.

We met Dustin for lunch and ate at the Grand Central Station. It made us think of the movie Madagascar where they escape from the Central Park Zoo and try to get on a train at Grand Central Station. It was beautiful inside.

Then we went to the top of the Rockefeller Center. You could see all of New York! The city is much larger than I even imagined. It's like you are in a completely different world...so fun!

I love these pictures with the Empire State Building behind us.

Me with Central Park in the distance.

Down at the South Street Seaport. You could see across to the Brooklyn skyline from here.

This is the view from on top of their apartment building. The big empty spot in the sky is where the World Trade Center would have been. It is crazy to think about that day and what happened while you are looking at the exact spot they would be standing. I am glad Claire and Dustin didn't live here at that time. They live only a couple of blocks away.

Time Square....that place is crazy! There are so many people and huge advertisements everywhere. We walked past the set of Good Morning America, The Today Show and the NBC studios.

Jack was not feeling good and had a fever the first day we were there. This is pretty much what he looked like all day. All he wanted to do was lay on your shoulder which Justin was loving. This is the only time he will just sit and cuddle with you. I felt so bad for him. Luckily he felt much better the next day and he was much happier.

We walked across the Brooklyn bridge. This was one of our favorite things that we did. This is the view of New York from the pier on the other side.

Jack was just loving being able to be out of the stroller and walk around. We were so busy going and doing and seeing that he didn't get to get out and play around much.

Such a cutie!

We rode the Staten Island Ferry and were able to get nice and close to the Statue of Liberty.

The Statue of Liberty poking out of the top of my head. :)

All of us at Central Park.

The big brass bull.

Ground Zero.

Dustin was so good with Jack! He held him and pushed him and carried his stroller up and down the stairs to the subway all weekend long. It was a nice break for us and good practice for him! :)

Saying goodbye to Claire. Thanks again for the awesome trip! You were great tour guides and excellent hosts!

It was definitely one of our favorite trips we have ever been on. We want to take advantage of being so close to the east coast while we are here and this was the perfect way to start!

Bath Time

Cheesy grin :0)

These are the only two pictures I have where you can see Jack's teeth coming in. If you click on the top one, it shows his top teeth and the bottom picture shows his bottom tooth! I am a little sad because I love a baby's toothless grin.

The Pool

I am happy to report that Jack's second time to the pool actually resorted to smiles instead of tears! He really warmed up to it this time and seemed to be having fun. We are just glad that he seems to like the water now...we were worried after the lake and the first time to the pool where he was all tears.

I LOVE that belly! And you can also see his cute little ribs...you would think I don't feed him but I swear he eats as much as I do!

His cute little chub on his back...I love babies!

Jack

Here are some fun videos of Jack. He is pretty cute, I must say! :)

He loves to dance! Anytime that music comes on, he gives a little shake. Even during sacrament meeting! :)

Summer fun

Last week we went to Lake Erie with some friends to cool off when it was 95 degrees!! The heat has been pretty bad this past week. Jack was having a great time until we decided to take him to the water.

You know how they say "A picture is worth a thousand words"? Well this one tells it all. He did not want anything to do with the water! It was so funny, and sad because he was sobbing. He would NOT let go of us at all. We tried three separate times and each time we got the same reaction. It probably didn't help that the water was FREEZING. We made him take a little dip a few times to cool off, but other than that, he wouldn't have anything to do with it! We took him to the pool today and he started warming up to the kiddie area. We decided that we need to keep taking him so that he can get used to the water because we both love it! Justin's family is big into boating and I know that Justin will carry on the tradition. You better get used to it Jack!

As soon as he was back on land he felt much better. The funny thing is, he would not leave our blanket. He put his foot on the sand twice to test it out, and never ventured off again...

except when Lucy pulled out the snacks!

Thanks Denise!

Justin's mom, Denise, made this awesome sampler for Jack. You will have to click on it to see the detail...it is insane! She is extremely talented. She spent hours and hours putting this together and a matching one for cousin Connor. Thanks Denise! We love it, and it looks super cute in Jack's room!! :)

Jack is One!!

Our little Jack has been so much fun!! It seems like he should still be a little newborn and now he is walking, saying words and even getting mad when he can't do or have something he wants. He has been the best baby!! He plays well, sleeps well, and eats well. He is usually very happy and makes us smile just by looking at him. I really can't believe that it has been a year.

His official birthday is June 8, 2007. To day we took him to the doctor for his 12 month check up. It was really sad because they had to draw blood out of his tiny little veins for allergy, lead, and anemia testing and he was sobbing the entire time. Not to mention his other shots they had to do after! Poor Jack!

Height: 30.5 inches long
Weight: 20.5 lbs.

He is getting so big!

One of his favorite things to do right now is go and watch Justin's softball games. He has so much fun playing in the grass and being around all the little kids. I can even get him to cheer and yell "Daddy!" He also loves the park, playing peek-a-boo, practicing walking, taking a bath, telling you what the different animals say, smelling flowers, reading books, singing, playing with his toys, dancing, playing outside, and every time I am cooking something he has to be picked up to see what I am doing.

Thank you Jack for being such a good boy! We hope you had a good birthday. You are growing so fast. We love to play with you and we can't wait to see what new thing you learn next. Happy Birthday bud! We Love you!
Love, Mom and Dad

Beethoven

I think we have some serious talent on our hands! :)

A big thanks to Justin's siblings! :)

Let me just start this post off with saying that I am not a dog lover. Never have been, probably never will be.

With that said, a few weeks ago, Justin's sister got a little yorkie dog. They had one while growing up so all three of them LOVE these little dogs. Justin was of course, completely jealous and continued to tell me that he needs one too.

Then, last night his brother, Ryan, calls and says that they have just purchased a little yorkie dog as well! They sent pictures to Justin's phone, and I will admit he is pretty cute. So for about an hour, our conversation kept repeating itself over and over and went a little something like this...

Justin: Let's go look at dogs on Monday.

Stacey: No. I don't want a dog.

Justin: They are SO FUN and everybody has one but me now!

Stacey: I'm sorry.

Justin: Why don't you want one?

Stacey: Because I'm not the one who even likes dogs and I will be the one at home all day taking care of it. Why would I do that?

Justin: You can train them in two weeks! Don't you want a cute little doggie to sleep and cuddle with? PLEASE can I have a puppy??

Stacey: No.

Justin: You are heartless!! You tricked me when we were dating.

Stacey: Whatever! What were my exact words when you told me you wanted a dog someday? I believe I said that I would rather chop off my right arm than get a dog. How is that tricking you?

Justin: You are a wolf in sheep's clothing! (The highlight of the evening)

Stacey: (Laughing hysterically) Whatever, can we say our prayers please and go to bed?! I feel like I'm talking to a five year old! You are just going to have to go visit Ryan or Steph's.

Justin: I will have a dog one day.