Thanksgiving and a Promotion

We had a great Thanksgiving holiday last week. We traveled to Las Vegas to spend it with Jaclyn's family. We had a great time showing off Austin, visiting family members and friends, playing games, watching movies, and doing some Christmas shopping. Jaclyn's step-brother, Michael also returned home from his mission in Portugal so we were fortunate enough to hear some stories and see pictures of the lives he touched there. Austin was great traveling; he slept well on the road and in Grandma Sally's playpen and did great with everybody holding him. Maybe he be a people person when he grows up. It really was a fun trip for all of us. It was hard to come home and leave all those loved ones for a few months. (We are spending probably spending Christmas with my family in Vernal.)

In other news, I was promoted at work this week. GravityPeople made some changes in the HLM team this week and I was one of six to get promoted to a high level. (HLM is Hiring Lifecycle Management, basically, our process of helping clients hire people.) Instead of just looking up resumes, I will also be the first contact for candidates on the phones. I will also get to call people to try and recruit them for open positions. (When I say recruit, I mean call people who may not be actively looking for a job, but have the qualifications we are looking for. For example, they may be doing a similar thing at a different company, but may not have resume posted.) The cool thing is that the other five people who got the promotion have been around much longer than I have. I am the most junior person in the company but still given the promotion. That made me feel good. I've been in training this week with an exec from SF to learn my new roles. Oh yes, the promotion does get a pay raise.

Being a Dad

Last night was my first real babysitting experience with Austin. I mean, it was our first chance at home alone while Jaclyn was away at Mutual. (Jaclyn was called on Sunday to be a YW Advisor, which she is very excited about.) This was the first time I watched him by myself other than when Jaclyn is napping/sleeping.
It was pretty fun. After giving him a bath, I put his pajamas on and fed him. I accidently fed him too much. I had a bottle for him and it was about 2/3 full, so I thought that was probably enough. I didn't realize the botte was 9 oz instead of the normal 5 oz, so he had a feast. I payed for it in when I was burping him and he spit up all over the burpcloth, his PJs and my shirt. I laughed and went to go change his clothes for the sixth time that day. (He had a good streak of messing his diaper or spitting up or peeing on his previous outfits.)
When Jaclyn got home, she calmly told me that he normally eats 1-2 oz at a feeding, not the 4 or 5 I gave him. Oops.
Overall, I had a great time with him. He is really cute to watch and cuddle with. Nothing better than being a dad.

P.S. I have started the new "Song of the Week" feature this week in celebration of me buying my first country CD. This week's pick, "These Are My People" by Rodney Atkins.

A Few Firsts

I can't believe it's been 3 weeks! Time goes by so quickly. Austin is doing so well. We've noticed his eyes can focus a little more, that is, enough to make eye contact with me. It's really cool. A few other milestones: his first real bath, first trip to the grocery store, first week at church, and first Halloween.

Also, another important milestone: sleeping through the night! For the first time, Austin slept the whole night (10 p.m.-7 a.m.) Halloween night. I was surprised and a little worried, but at the same time, it felt SO good. Lucky us, he slept through the night again last night. We hope this is a trend that will continue.

Enjoy the pictures!