ramblings of a sleepy mind

Courtney is here!

2011-02-04T23:03:00.005-07:00

I have a ton of catching up to do on the blog, but for now I'm just going to focus on one important person. Courtney Diane Anderson is here. She was born at 9:51pm on Thursday, February 3rd, 2011. She was 8lbs, 12oz (at 38 weeks!) and 21.5 inches long.

Whew, where to start? We knew that she was going to be a big girl. Nate was a chunky monkey too, and at her 26 week ultrasound, she was already measuring over 6lbs. Doing the mental math, and accounting for machine error, I was looking at a 9.5-10lb baby! So, we had a couple more ultrasounds than usual to track her weight gain. Not that I minded, I LOVED seeing pictures of my sweet baby! Dan and Nate came to each ultrasound, and Nate seemed to really enjoy seeing pictures of Baby Sister. At 37 weeks, she was still looking pretty big, so we scheduled an amnio to see if her lungs were developed enough to induce. She was, so yay!

We were scheduled to come in on Thursday at 3pm, but at 9am I got a call from the hospital. They were running ahead of schedule and said I could come in early....as soon as I was ready! So I made few phone calls to find a sitter for Nate-he ended up hanging out with Ashley Coon and her girls, then spent the night with Suzanne over at Dad's house-took a shower, and headed over here. By 10:30 I was checking in. The labor itself was pretty uneventful. I got the pictocin, they broke my water, and I got the epidural. On the plus side, I didn't have an annoying extra guest in the room talking about World of Warcraft this time. It was just me and Dan all day. I did get loopy goofy from the epi, as usual. But I don't think I was too bad. Mostly I just looked at Dan and said "we're having a baby" in a really sappy voice. Oh, and I apologized for forgetting to start a pot roast in the slow cooker. Dan looked at me like I was nuts and actually may have told me I was nuts to be thinking about that right then. The nurse (Lois) smiled and told him to let me worry about the roast, that way I wasn't worrying about the labor. She was awesome! Bob the student nurse was cool, but less awesome. It took way too long and way too many sticks to get my IV in. I was not a fan of that particular process. But he did good, and he had a great patient rapport. I think he'll do well. He wants to be an ER nurse. But back to baby. She was sunny side up, just like Nate. But she turned really easily. I only had to push for 25min with her, and most of that was getting her turned around. Dan watched her crown, and he claims that he was exaggerating his reaction/facial expression for my benefit. But I saw what I saw. He got such a sweet look of awe on his face. I even saw him a couple of times when I was pushing and he thought my eyes were closed.

She was beautiful. Even though she was covered in that waxy vermix stuff. They put her right on my chest and let me hold her while Dan cut the cord. Then they left her there for a couple min. and just let me hold her and be weepy for a while. The boys both had lung issues, so I didn't get that chance with them. Devon had the meconium in his fluid, so they had to whisk him away and suction him; and Nate had the cord wrapped around his neck and needed a couple of min. of oxygen right away. She was perfect. She scored an 8, then a 9 on her APGARs, my highest scoring baby! :) And the only reason she scored an 8 at first is she didn't want to cry. She kept giving this tiny, mewing little whimper. Even when she got her first shot, and later, her first bath, she never cried. Such a mellow, happy little girl. Right off the bat she was alert and attentive too. Her little eyes were open, taking everything in. I feel so blessed to have her in our family. During the pregnancy, I got a blessing and was told that Heavenly Father chose her specifically to be a part of our family and that she is one of his choicest daughters. I was also blessed to know that Courtney is going to be with us for years and years, and that Heavenly Father knows what we've been through, and is watching out for us, and mindful of the trials we have been through. It is such a comfort, and really helps me to think of Heavenly Father as a solicitous parent. He knows what we've been though. He let us find our way through, gave us space to grow and learn; but at the same time, he wanted to help us and make it better. Now that it's past, He is watching over us closely and doing what He can for us. I can totally see my Dad doing the same thing. It's what a good parent does. Children can't be isolated or protected from hurts or trouble. But, you give what support you can and watch extra close and remove what pain you can. I don't know if that makes sense, but it does in my sleep deprived brain.

As I type this out, Courtney is almost 26 hours old. She has had her hearing screen and passed with flying colors. She is about to be weighed again, and have her PKU stick :(. She is a champion nurser, but a reluctant burper. She spits up because she holds her burps in, just like Nate did. Actually, I just had to take a break from typing because she was fussing again, and needed to burp. That was pretty much the only reason she cried today. But let me tell you, she has a set of lungs on her when she wants to be heard. Other times, she just whimpers and whines. Dan started calling her "Kitty" because he was holding her and she kept making these mewling little whimpers. He said she sounded like a kitten :) He is so smitten with his daughter. You can see it in his face whenever he holds her. I can't say that I blame him. I'm pretty taken with her as well.

But that's nothing compared to Nate's reaction to Baby Sister. He is so stinkin cute. But I'll save that for another post. It's late and I'm sleepy

What we've been up to

2010-06-23T12:37:00.002-07:00

I have not been very good about keeping this blog up to date. Truth be told though, there isn't really a lot to report. We are still trying to buy a house. Hopefully things start to turn around on that front. Dan is still in school, enjoying his summer school professor much more than the professor who taught his programming class during the regular school year. He is doing so much better and is much less stressed than the first time he took the class.
Nate is getting so big! For Father's Day we made a build a bear monkey named Mikey. I recorded Nate saying "I love you" and put it inside. Dan LOVED it! He almost cried when we gave it to him. So I'm counting that as a win :) Nate is getting to be a little chatterbox. He says Mom, Daddy, Elara, please, thank you, up, down, cookie, chickee (chicken), hi, bye, Jesus, amen, NO, yes, treat, fishie, doggie, go; he roars like a lion, growls like a dragon, and says more stuff that I can't think of right now. He is getting very talkative and is really good at expressing himself and his desires. Oh, and he also says soda. That's not one of my favorites. I actually wish that he didn't know that one.
He is loving nursery and church. He doesn't put toys in his mouth as much as he used to :) and he will now sit still and fold his arms during prayers. He is so darn cute. When we have family prayers, I pause, saying "in the name of....." and he looks up and exclaims "Jesus" then I pick back up again, and he says amen. He also loves to look through his books and find pictures of Jesus and fishies. He is a young man of varied interests.
I love watching Nate grow. He is such a goof. And he is determined and smart. He finds ways to achieve his goals. Some goals that I object to are climbing onto the pool table, climbing onto the counter to get cookies, climbing out of his high chair, climbing into or out of his crib and catching Princess. You may have noticed a theme there. Climbing is one of Nate's favorite ways to pass the time. He and Elara play very well together. They also scheme together very well. One day they had been climbing onto the pool table and throwing the balls. I kept getting after them, and eventually took the picnic table -their means of climbing onto the table- putting it in the kitchen and closing the door. The kids worked together. They each took one end of the table and walked it through the dining room, down the hall, and back to the pool table. They're smart and they're organized. Watching them together makes me kind of glad I didn't have twins. I don't know how well I would do in that particular situation.
We are currently preparing for the Anderson Family Reunion. This weekend will be nuts. Friday I am headed up to Show Low for Uncle Chet's funeral. Saturday we are cleaning the church building and going to Ricky's (Nate's friend from swim class last year) birthday party. Then Sunday, after church we leave for the reunion! Yay! I am looking forward to seeing Tim, Diane, Kami, Sara, Jack, Madi and P.J. Nate is getting excited too. I don't know that he really knows what's happening, but I keep showing him pictures of family members and he likes that. Plus, whenever I talk about the reunion or camping I put on my best excited face and that gets him pretty jazzed too.

living scriptures

2010-05-27T09:31:00.003-07:00

there's a cool giveaway. For posting a link to their facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/livingscriptures

I love Living Scriptures. Dev had 2 DVDs and really enjoyed them. Now that Nate is getting a little bigger, I'll be getting some more. Way better than Elmo, or Curious George. After all, these are good, solid gospel lessons. :-)

remembering Grandpa Adams

2010-05-10T14:45:00.002-07:00

Hey everyone. I started up a new blog for Grandpa Adams. It's:
rememberwhen-orsonglen.blogspot.com
My intention here is that we can all share our stories and memories of Grandpa Adams, and his family members. Because I love to reminisce and to share stories, and I would LOVE for Nate to know how important his great-grandpa was to me, even though he won't be able to meet him in this life. And, I like to hear stories that other people have about him. It's interesting, to me, to know the "other sides of Grandpa".
A few years ago at the family reunion, I won the dollar raffle prize. It was a geneology cd. Well, I was looking at it last night and came across a funny story from Grandpa's childhood. I'll put that on his blog later tonight. But it got me thinking, and it was the inspiration for my new blogging endeavor.
I want everyone to be able to be a contributor, so if you send me your email address, I'll "give permission" and hopefully we'll all be able to share.

and now I can talk about it

2010-04-19T02:10:00.002-07:00

Well, it is now Monday. Yesterday was not as terrible as I feared it would be. It got off to a rocky start and I did NOT want to get my butt up and go to church. I did though, mainly because I hadn't set up a sub to teach our class. Dan and Nate stayed home and I headed off to Primary. I didn't even go to Sacrament meeting, just Primary.
Today is one of those days that makes me so grateful for my calling. The primary kids are great, and I love their sweet Spirit. For me, it's easy to feel the Spirit so very strongly when I'm around the kiddos. And today that was my saving grace. I did fall apart a little and had to dash off to the bathroom during singing time. "How could the Father tell the world of sacrifice, of death? He sent His Son to die for us, and rise with living breath." The sound of a room full of sweet children's voices singing those words really got to me. And when I had composed myself and walked back into the Primary room, Anna took me back into the hall and gave me a hug. And that simple gesture of friendship was enough to help me get through the rest of sharing time. By the time church was over I was feeling so much better and so much stronger. Then Brita sought me out to make sure that I knew that I was in her thoughts today. It was great to feel so loved and so supported today. And it was what I needed.
As I was about to head out, I remembered that I needed to write down a phone number to schedule an appointment to renew my Temple Recommend, and luckily was able to catch brother Haws as he was headed out. He did my interview right then and there. And when he asked me if I have a testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, I cried. And said yes. Today the Atonement touches me in a very special way. It's not focused on as much, but Christ suffered not only to atone for the sins of mankind, but more importantly, to feel every pain and hurt so that He can empathize and comfort us in our sorrows.
After church Dan and I took Nate out for a fun filled day. We kept really busy and he had a great time. All of a sudden I was struck with the thought that we should take some flowers to the cemetery for Emma. The thought just popped into my head, so I made the suggestion to Dan. We had the hardest time with that. Not just emotionally, though that was rough too. But logistically as well. I had never been there, and Dan hasn't been back since the funeral 3 years ago. So we called mom & dad to get a general idea, but still couldn't find the plot. So we called Justin & Sara. Turns out the marker hasn't been placed yet, but Dan found the general vicinity. There were 2 unmarked plots next to each other. So I pretended that one was for Dev. I didn't realize at the time how difficult it would be for me, not knowing where he was buried. I am glad that we went, and I am glad that things worked out the way they did.
Afterward we took Nate to the park and let him run around for a while. It was an emotionally draining day, but much better than it could have been. Then, this evening while I was sitting at the computer I heard voices outside the door. At first I thought it was Suzanne, but no one came in, and then there was a knock at the door. Imagine my surprise when I opened it to let the Gregg family in. Anna and the kids had walked over with cards and hand drawn pictures for Dan and me. Pictures of our family with 2 little boys playing together. I have pictures and drawings of my family with Dan Nate and I, and I have a beautiful picture that Sidney gave us after the accident of Dan, Devon and I standing outside the Temple. But tonight was the first time I saw a picture with my two boys together. And even now, just thinking about it is bringing tears to my eyes. I can't begin to say how special that was to me. The love and support that has been extended to me today has helped me so much.

today is the day

2010-04-05T23:55:00.002-07:00

ok, so it's almost tomorrow. Which means that tomorrow is almost today. And when tomorrow is today it will be the day. And the day is a Tuesday, just like it used to be. And I don't want today to be tomorrow. I don't want it to be the Tuesday day. It still hurts. And it still sucks. And it's year 3. And it's year 6. And it hurts. And it sucks. And I don't like it. And I just want it to be the day after tomorrow. And then the day after the next Day. And then the day after the next Day. But I don't want it to be the day after the next Day because that's the last Day and then it's more days than Days. And it doesn't seem right. This year has been full of Days. The day that the tide turned and someone else officially had more Days. And now the Day that there are more days than Days. When does this stop sucking? Why does it have to suck? Why do these stupid Days keep coming? I wish I could just skip them all

Tucson

2010-03-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been a BLAST!!! Originally Dan and I had planned to head out to Illinois for Spring Break, but as it got closer, we realized that we couldn't quite swing it financially. So we went on a 3 day trip to Tucson with the Maltbys. I have never vacationed in Tucson, the last time I was there was probably for a chess tournament back in grade school. We ended up doing a lot, and there's actually fun stuff to do down there.
Monday morning we left. I had gotten a grand total of about 3 hours of sleep because, as usual, I procrastinated packing and whatnot until the very last possible minute. We met up with the Maltbys, who had left the night before, at Sabino national park for a nice hike. The weather was beautiful, and the hike was a lot of fun. Well, it was a baby pseudo-hike. We only went about 2 miles round trip on a paved path but still, it was nice. We ended up leaving the paved trail to sit near a stream that ran about a hundred or so yards from the path, and the kids loved it. Nate and Elara both ended up muddy, though not too wet, and I did my best to get some fun pics. Meanwhile, Dan was smoothing a huge stick. It was allegedly a "walking stick" for Nate, but I'm not buying it. Especially since it was about a foot taller than Nate. The more likely explanation, in my opinion, is that Dan wanted to play with a stick, and his knife, and that was the easiest way to do both.
After that, we headed to the Titan Missile Museum. It's an actual bomb missile launch place that has been preserved as an historical museum. It's actually pretty cool, the only downside being the need to chase small children around. Basically I missed most of the tour, running after Nate. But what I saw was pretty neat. And I got some cute photos of Nate at the control panel of the missile launch pad.
The next day was just as much fun. We went to Reid Park Zoo (got in free with our Phoenix zoo membership) and got to see the cool animals. The tiger was marking his territory, so he walked up so close to where we were. Made for some great pictures :) And I loved seeing the polar bear. But then again, I'm kind of a sucker for zoos. While Kathleen, Elara, Nate and I were visiting the animals Dan and Ed were at the telescope store getting a new filter or something. Poor Dan said that it was really cool for the first hour or so, then he fell asleep in a chair! Ha ha, that made me fun. But he said that was still better than the zoo. We did meet up with the guys for a picnic lunch at Reid Park, then the guys headed back to the hotel again while we fed the ducks. They were so bold. One duck came right up to us and stayed there. Nate was going out of his mind. He kept pointing in every direction saying "duck". Well, that one really bold one came right up to him and tried to eat the goldfish cracker right out of his hand! Nate was doing alright until I freaked out (I mean, come on, a duck bit my baby!!!) then he started crying. But goldfish and time heal all wounds. And so we moved on to the children's museum. That was rocktastic. Nate and Elara had a really great time! I thought it was awesome. I have to say, the next time we find ourselves in Tucson I am definitely taking Nate back! Tuesday evening we went to a really yummy Mexican food restaurant. It was different from anything I've ever had. Kathleen said that it's gourmet Mexican food, and I believe it. Yum! But I don't know if we would necessarily make it back there. It was a really nice place. They don't get a lot of children, so there aren't any booster seats or high chairs. And, it's a little pricey. But it was really good! :)
Wednesday was our last day. So we checked out of the hotel and headed off to the Sonora desert museum. It was like one part zoo, one part botanical garden and one part museum. Kathleen got a membership, so I think that she and I will probably end up taking the kids there for a day trip.
All in all we had a really great trip. Tucson was lots of fun and there was more to do than I thought there would be at first.

realizations

2010-03-10T00:40:00.002-07:00

ok, so out of nowhere this thought just hit me. Devon was 2 when we left Joel. Nate is almost a year and a half old. That means that he is getting close to the same age/size Devon was when we left. The reason that's significant is because Joel wouldn't give me any of Devon's old baby things. So I don't have his first blankie or tiny onesies and things like that. The things of Devon's that I have start at age 2 for him. So I haven't had to go through the Devon boxes that have spent the last 3 years in storage. All of a sudden this realization hit me like a train...like a train filled with a ton of bricks. And as I type this, I made another realization. On May 1 there will be a whole new suck-tastick landmark. As of May 1 Devon will have been dead for longer than he was alive. He lived for 3 years and 12 days....and May 1 is 3 years and 13 days from the accident. Oh my gosh. Wow. My chest hurts. My chest literally hurts as I sit here thinking about this. I miss my little man. I miss him and my heart hurts, and it reaches down to the bottom of my soul and tries to rip it out of me. Why? Why is my heart beating-albeit painfully;but beating nonetheless-when my sweet little boy's heart stopped almost 3 years ago? I haven't hit this hard in a long, long time. Wow, I thought I was better. That it was still going to hurt, but that I was past the: chest hurting, paralyzing, bawl my eyes out, curl up in the fetal position in the shower and sob til the scalding water turns to ice and eventually numbs me-type pain. I am the mother of two boys. Two very sweet, very active, very accident-prone, bumped and bruised boys who love me and their Daddy and Princess the dog. So why do I have one sleeping child and one fading memory? Why do I have one child I can hold and kiss and a picture on the wall? This sucks and it hurts, and I can't do this. This is one of the nights that I haven't had in such a long time. One that in my vanity I thought I was past. It's times like this, when I'm bawling my eyes out--and trying not to let the stream of snot running down my face touch my lips--times like this when I almost begin to listen to the dark little voice. The one that asks why? Why this? Why me? The one that plants doubts. Is it all real? Do I really get to have him again? Is there really a loving Heavenly Father? And if so, why did He decide this had to happen? Why? Is he really doing work on the other side? Is that just a fantasy I tell myself to get through the day? The dark little voice asks what's the point? And is any of it Truth? Sometimes, when I'm feeling a little strength, I think of prayer. But the dark little voice asks why? why pray? The dark little voice says there's no point. There's no God. And even if there is, He doesn't care. Besides, what good will it do? Devon will still be gone, it will still suck, it will still hurt. And if I do feel better, isn't is just me deluding myself? as the shrink said, just bargaining...making myself believe that I can be a good enough person and then have Devon with me again?
Then I take a step back. I go and blow my nose, and wash my face. And think about how empty my life would be if the dark little voice is right. And I think about how I felt in the Temple when Dan and I were being sealed. I was pregnant with Nate, and he was going nuts. He was moving around so much the whole day. Before he was even born, he was a spirit, a sweet little spirit who was excited and happy that his parents were going to the Temple. We were Sealed as man and wife, for time and all eternity. Then, we were Sealed as a family with Devon. And I know that at that time, my sweet boy was there. Both my boys were in that Sealing room, and both of their Spirits were so happy. I had an experience that day. As I was in the Bride's suite, waiting, for the first time I understood. Without his death, Devon would not have been Sealed to Dan and me. There is NO way Joel would have given his permission. There was a purpose. The day that I went into court for the custody part of our divorce, I received a Priesthood Blessing. I was told that "Heavenly Father knows the righteous desires of your heart and wants Devon to be a part of your new family" The purpose of his death was to bring him into my forever family. It's the only way it was going to be possible. On that day I had a conversation with my Father in Heaven. I remember telling Him that I understood, but I still didn't like it. Like a bratty child, I told Him that I was glad that Devon could be mine forever, but that I still was mad at Him for taking him. And do you know what He did? He gave me a big hug and a feeling of peace-it didn't take away the pain, but did lessen the sting-and he gave me one of the most powerful spiritual experiences I have ever had. Kneeling in the Sealing Room I looked up at Dan and I didn't just see the representation of infinity, eternity. I saw my family. I have given birth to 2 sons, but I saw my daughter's face.
And as I look back and reflect on the brightness and light, the dark little voice goes away. Doubt cannot stand up to the light of knowledge or the bright shinning light of faith. Yes, there is a reason. Yes, there is a purpose. No, it doesn't automatically make everything all better. It does still suck. I still miss Devon, and he is still gone. And sometimes I'm still that bratty girl telling her Father that she understands it's all for the best, but she isn't going to say thanks b/c it sucks, and it's not fair. Luckily, although I am that bratty girl, I can get away with it because I have a Heavenly Father who loves me no matter what. And the pressure and chest pain is gone now. I can breathe. Ok, the pressure may not be totally gone, but the snot trail is. And the sobbing is done, and I'm not currently curled up, shivering in the shower. So I think I'm in a much better place than I was an hour ago. And that's the power of faith. I truly pity anyone who tries to go through this life without it!

plagues and pestilence

2010-03-06T00:00:00.002-07:00

Well, this stinks. Last week Spencer was sick, and now so am I. It all started Thursday afternoon. It was a day, much like any other day. I felt the soreness and stiffness in the muscles of my back and legs. But I attributed that to the fact that Anna and I had been walking each night for the past 2 weeks. And I am far from peak physical condition. The afternoon wore on and the children's babbling wore down my patience instead of filling me with the warm, fuzzy glow that it usually does. You see, on Tuesdays and Thursdays I watch Elara and Ed drives Dan home from school. It's a system that works out...usually. By 5pm my energy was gone. By 6 I was counting the minutes till Dan and Ed got home. Needless to say, I denied Suzanne's request to babysit Lilly for the evening. My dear, sweet man brought home jello, pudding, and chicken noodle soup for me. Huzzah! And, forgetting my disdain for the fruit, mango sorbet. Though I must say it was quite tasty in the smoothie he made for me, choosing ingredients that would diminish the mango flavor. As the evening wore on, my fever rose and spiked at the impressive 102.7 degrees. Through the discomfort and the pain, I wept. And whined. This did not endear me to my sweet husband, but in spite of his annoyance, he made me lie down so he could rub my sore back and legs. And he got me a cool washcloth to dab at my fevered skin.
Brutish taskmistress that she is, Anna answered her phone with the phrase "you're not cancelling on me again!?" Ha, ha. Anna is far from harsh. But the phrase is a direct quote. One that stemmed from the fact that I had called on Tuesday and Wednesday to cancel. Once for dinner plans, and once for scrapbooking class. But I digress. Anna had to be called because I was, in fact, canceling our plans to go walking that evening. Though she was quite understanding when she found out I wasn't feeling well. She's classy like that.
Today I thought I was feeling much better, but the simple act of driving Dan to school and waiting the 2 hours for him to get out proved to be more than I was capable of. By the end of the afternoon my energy waned. And once we got home, I took to my bed again. Leaving my sainted husband to care for the overly energetic toddler who had been cooped up all day. As the sun set and the moon rose, so too did my fever. Apparently it is somewhat vampiric in nature. It seems to be strongest during the night hours. So, here I sit, chronicling the details of my illness into the wee hours of the morning. My one hope is that I will be well by Sunday. Much as I enjoy lazing about, fighting off the infection wracking my body, it would break my hear to miss church-especially Primary. I love those kids, and I would be so sad to miss even a single lesson; to miss a single opportunity to teach those sweet spirits. Each of the kiddos has had interesting spiritual insights, and to feel the Spirit in Primary is so strong. Each of these children is so recently sent from the presence of our Heavenly Father, and the Spirit I feel in Primary dwarfs the feeling I have in any other place, save the Temple itself. Then again, they are 5 year olds. And their conversations are hilarious. One boy in particular stands out. He is smart, and amiable, and precocious. He's also the one who asked if I was having a baby. Apparently I'm "just so fat. And when ladies have babies they get pretty fat." I can't help but laugh thinking about it.

the single food diet

2010-02-18T22:42:00.002-07:00

Lately Nate has been on a one food at a time diet. It has been great fun. His first love was meat. Meat of every flavor, cut, cooking technique, as long as it was meat. So imagine my surprise when I put a plate of pulled pork in front of my carnivorous son just to see him chuck it over the side of the high chair. Over the next few days, subsequent meals met the same fate......^let's have a moment of silence for those brave chicken tenders, pieces of roast, ham, pulled pork and hamburger.....Nate had moved on to the all fruit diet. For about a week he lived on bananas and grapes. His average was 3 bananas/day. His record was 12. It was probably good for his potassium levels, but I worried about the balance of his diet. So, each meal I spent 10-15 minutes trying to coax him into eating something else before giving in. In a moment of desperation, running errands with a hungry boy and nary a banana in sight, I pulled into the drivethru. I ordered the 10 piece chicken nugget meal, and it changed my life. Not only did I get the sweet, refreshing Dr. Pepper (a balm to my frazzled nerves), but Nate ate and LOVED the nuggets. He ate one and asked for another!--actually he yelled "MoM" and pointed toward the bag, demanding "that". With minimal effort on my part, the 10 golden, peace-bringing, ambrosial nuggets were gone. Nathan had left his beloved bananas for the new intrigue of McDonalds. And now, the peace-bringing ambrosia nuggets have turned on me. No longer are they a beacon of hope. They have simply filled the honored spot bananas once held. And, instead of making a trip to the grocery store twice a week for a couple bunches of bananas, filled with nutrients and potassium, I find myself in the accursed drivethru once, twice, sometimes 3 times a day.

Doctors are ok

2010-01-21T17:17:00.002-07:00

Today Nate had his rescheduled well check. After the craziness of last week I wasn't sure how well today was going to go over. He did see Dr. Garret for a second in the hallway. She was surprised to see that Nate did not require her services to remove his suture, but said that it looks ok. The entire office was shocked when I told them that he had ripped it out on his own, and that it fazed him so little that I'm still not entirely sure when exactly it happened. Poor Stephanie (the MA) was being super careful with him today, and we just reused the measurements from last week. As Dr. Lichstinn said, it's unlikely that he's grown all that much in a week.
Nate was so funny during his exam. He refused to even look at Dr. Lichstinn, and whenever she spoke to him, he turned his head and put his arm out. Do you remember the whole "talk to the hand" thing from the 90's? That's what it reminded me of. She did end up referring us to an eye doctor to lance the stye on his eyelid-which is another appointment I'm not looking forward to. Then she left us to wait for Stephanie to do his shots. After the exam, Nate was starting to regain some of the trust in the whole doctor experience. He was playing in the room, running around, racing his truck and reading his book. When Stephanie came in again he even gave her a smile. Until he went back up on the exam table and saw band-aids. He was freaking out and after the shots were done, he reached down and pulled one of his band-aids off. He gave Stephanie a horrible death glare and threw the band-aid on the ground. Then he grabbed my purse, walked to the door and started chanting "go, go, go ma-ma go"

Doctor Drama

2010-01-14T20:51:00.002-07:00

I've got to start out by saying that I have the most active, most daring, most accident prone little boy. Today Nathan had his 15 month old well child check up scheduled. We got there about 11 minutes late and almost weren't seen. Oh how I wish we hadn't been seen.
The medical assistant got as far as weighing him (22.5 lbs) and marking his head and feet to get his height. When she tried to get the measurement of his head he reached up to bat the tape away. And my dear son--my one-of-a-kind baby, my mischief maker, my trouble magnet--managed to cut himself on the metal tip of the measuring tape. He got the underside of his middle finger, in the crease where it bends. Dr. Lichstinn said that it was a superficial cut, but it would not clot. It kept bleeding and bleeding so Dan held Nate in his lap and kept pressure on Nate's finger. No matter what it kept opening again and again, every time Nate opened his hand, or bent his finger. Dr. Lichstinn finally uttered the phrase that made my blood run cold. "It looks like he's going to need a stitch. It's not bad, so we probably won't need more than one. Let me check with my partner, Dr Garrett." I had to repeat the whole thing because the first time my mind kind of shut off after the word "stitch." My poor baby got his first stitch at 15 months old!
As those who know him can guess, Nate was not a fan of the restraint that was necessary for the procedure. He screamed the entire time, and afterward he refused to even look at the staff. Usually he's flirting with the medical assistants, the scheduler, the girl at the front desk and anyone else he may see. Today he wouldn't even accept an otter pop from the MA who put his band-aid and gauze on after he got sewn up. He did finally take it from Daddy after giving her the stink eye and eying the otter pop suspiciously. Speaking of gauze and band-aids, that has been a whole other battle. Before we even got home from the Dr. office he had removed both. The gauze was wrapped around 4 fingers and his wrist, like a glove. He tore at it with his teeth and ripped it off his hand. Then he slipped the band-aid off his finger and started poking at his stitch. And though I did eventually get him to quit bothering his finger, I have been unsuccessful in every attempt to get him to leave a band-aid on his finger.
Oh, and the other plus of today's insanity: Nate was unable to go through with his exam, so we had to reschedule. After all that fun, we didn't even get to do what we came there for. And now I know that he is going to freak out and wail the minute we go back. He was already associating the Dr. office with pain b/c he's had shots with his last few check ups and a few visits just for shots. So when Dan took him in last month to look at his feet and walking, Nate freaked out and started sobbing when his pants were taken off. Luckily he didn't get any shots, he just got to walk around and play. So this time, when we got to the office, he was cool with being there. Next time, he will get his stitch removed, have a check up, and get shots. There's no way he's ever going back without screaming and freaking out.

Bah humbug

2010-01-07T23:44:00.002-07:00

This week Dan and I got "the Bishopric Call" for the second time. We get to give a talk on Sunday. Yay. Can you read the sarcasm in my typing? Our topic is "the scriptures" and I have no idea what I'm going to say. On Monday Dan missed the call, and when he checked his voicemail he let me know what was going on. My first instinct was to very emphatically say NO, NO, NO WAY! But the nagging voice in my head kept repeating the main line from Sunday's Primary lesson. "Choose the right James, always choose the right" And I thought that if I'm going to be teaching a bunch of 5 and 6 year olds to always choose the right, I should start doing it myself. After all, if I'm going to be a teacher, I should lead by example, right? So my emphatic NO turned into a grudging ok. Then, as the days went by I thought of Lamen and Lemuel. They, like Nephi, started out doing what Lehi and the Lord told them to. But they did so grudgingly and they ended up being cursed, not blessed for it. And I realized that I need to have a much better attitude than I actually do. So, I am trying to think of what on earth I'm going to say, and have a better attitude as I work it out. As you may or may not have noticed, I'm still struggling with that part. Actually, I'm on the computer instead of preparing my talk right now.

Dan's Birthday fun

2009-12-28T02:51:00.002-07:00

I'm trying to be better about posting on the blog, but I'm still kind of behind. Dan's 25th Birthday was on Saturday. He did have to work, but we managed to have lots of fun before hand. He had his free grand slam at Dennys, got a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and then we went mini golfing. I haven't been mini golfing in years, I had forgotten how much fun it is. The best part is that we had Nate with us, and he LOVED it. The lady at the golf counter gave Nate his own putter that he carried around and tripped over, and we found an extra ball in one of the water pond thingys. So Nate got to putt around with his own putter and ball. Dan worked with him so much and Nate actually putted a hole, with a considerable amount of help :D
It was so much more fun than the first time we went to golfland together. In the positive addition column, Nate was discovering the joys of mini golf. Another considerable plus was that it was just the three of us, and there was no one hitting us with her golf club. Nate managed to make it all 18 holes without clubbing either of us once. A much better track record than his aunt who managed to hit her date, and Dan with clubs and balls, and then smacked me intentionally just so I didn't feel left out, I guess.
When we got home we found out that Cristi had dropped off a birthday cake for Danny. He was excited b/c his birthday usually gets overlooked what with all the festivities of the Christmas season. I was a little bummed b/c it interfered with my plans to surprise my husband with either a home made layer cake or an ice cream cake (I hadn't completely made up my mind yet) when he got home from work. Needless to say, that didn't end up happening. After all, what's the point of making a cake when a 9x13 cake is dropped off for 2 people? Luckily everyone has been home today, so we've put a small dent in it. But I'm probably still going to end up throwing half of it out. So, if I had made or bought a cake, it would have been that much more waste. Oh well, c'est la vie. After all, I'll have another chance next year for a meaningful gesture for my husband on his birthday. But the important part is that Dan appreciated it.
As I said, Dan did end up having to work. So that sucked, but on the plus side, they let him go early. Yay! All in all, Dan says that he had a good birthday. I got him a board game that he's been wanting. It's called small world, I think. We haven't played it yet, but I'm sure we'll pull it out soon. Dan says it got good reviews and what not, so he's really looking forward to that.
And that's about it for birthday festivities. At least that's it for my "family-friendly" blog ;)

Christmas fun

2009-12-27T00:51:00.002-07:00

This year Christmas was so much fun. Nate and Lilly were actually old enough to appreciate the decorations, unwrapping presents and the fun that we had. Last year Nate was only about 10 weeks old, so he slept through the festivities. This year he was intrigues by the Christmas tree, and while he wasn't mesmerized by the lights, he did enjoy all the walks we went on to go see them.
It was so funny to see Lilly and Nate on Christmas morning. Nate got a cool riding toy shaped like a car with working horn, key and driver side door. And he and Lilly both saw it at the same time. And they both thought it was AWESOME. That led to some tears, some possessiveness, and some heartbreak, but it was funny too. Lilly edged Nate out of the way and climbed in. Then Nate tried to climb over the hood to get in. And later when Nate was riding, Lilly threw herself across his lap and tried to push him out. It sounds violent, but it was cute and funny at the time. By then end of the day, they had gotten over it, and the fact that it was declared an outdoor toy (at which point it was removed from the living room) helped a lot. Nate loved that Grandpa Adams took him to the house at the end of Plata to see the lights, and let him ride his new car the whole way.
Dan and I got a "night on the town" from Dad and Jane. So on Monday we're going to Charleston's for dinner and AMC for a movie while Nate stays at "Grandpa's babysitting service" Dan and I haven't had a date night since....hmmm......wow. I know it was before Nate's birthday, I think it was even before I saw Julie & Julia back in September. I have a hard time leaving Nate for any period of time. Actually, for our first date after Nate was born Mom pretty much kicked us out and said she was watching Nate. He was 4 months old. Oh, and speaking of Mom, I remembered, Dan and I had a date night when she was in town. Just before Halloween. We went to Olive Garden and Mom and Sara took Nate to the Lines's ward's trunk or treat. He had a sleepover that night, and I was freaking out. It was the first and last time he's been away overnight.
Anyway, Christmas was fun. Grandpa and Aunt Sharon stopped by and gave us a Christmas card, and Dan's birthday card. That was nice because Dan had to work, so he missed seeing them on Christmas Eve. Ryan came over too and joined us for dinner. Cristi and Matt even dropped in. They came right as I was making a blueberry pie for dessert. That was pretty comical. I was visiting with the Dixons and my pie crust sat too long and became unmanageable. So I ended up improvising a crumb topping that ended up working out pretty well. But it didn't keep in the juices as well as a top crust would have. So the pan that my pie was on in the oven was so dirty and baked on that I had to soak it almost a full 24 hours. And now I get to clean the oven too b/c the juices overflowed and splattered. But it was pretty good. And, bonus, since the Dixons's visit threw me off schedule the pie got put in late, so it wasn't ready for dessert, so I got it all to myself later. Trying to be positive and focus on the whole more pie for me angle vs the no dessert for Christmas dinner angle.
All in all, it went pretty well. As usual for holidays, I was in the kitchen most of the day. But I was super stoked that I had enough nice bowls and serving spoons, so there was no plastic on the table. And I got to use my china! Dad even pulled out some placemats and cloth napkins that I didn't know he had. I loved it. I'm such a dork, but I LOVE pretty presentation. It makes the food taste better. And it brings joy to my soul!
I think that's my new favorite saying. Pretty much everything brings joy to my soul lately. Sweet potatoes, pretty food presentation, sleeping in, nap time, a clean house, spending time with family, etc....
OH, and I almost forgot. Dan decided that he wanted to carry on his dad's tradition of reading How The Grinch Stole Christmas for Nathan. So, on Christmas Eve Nate stayed up way too late, and Dan read it for him before bed. It was so sweet. I really enjoyed it. Nate ran around and tried to steal the book and beat us with it, but I think he liked it too. He's not much of a story reading kid. He just doesn't like anything that makes him sit still for any length of time.

How lucky I am

2009-12-16T02:41:00.002-07:00

I just feel so lucky and so blessed right now. I have a sweet baby---wait, scratch that. I have a sweet little man child. As much as I wish it wasn't so, there is no way I can still refer to my wild child as a baby. Except in the sense that he will always be my baby, even when he's 70 and a grandpa. Anyway, semantics aside, Nate is so sweet, and I am lucky to get to be his mommy.
I have a wonderful husband who loves me more than I deserve. How many people get to pretty much grow up with their best friend and soul mate? Dan and I met when we were 14 years old. Now, 10 years later, we're still good friends, and he still makes my stomach flutter. I can't believe that next month it will be 10 years since we met that afternoon in 5th period Spanish.
The end of the month marks the 3 year anniversary of my joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. One of the most significant days of my life. Some days I can't believe how lucky I am. Even after all the mistakes I've made, after all the deliberate bad choices I have made in my life, a way has been made for me to return to live with my Father in Heaven and with my family. I remember sitting in the Temple, and thinking "wow, I get all this, and all I have to do is be good?" It seems too unbalanced. I almost feel like I'm taking advantage of Heavenly Father. The blessings that I have received and that I have been promised seem like too much in return for the few, small things I've been asked for in return.
I have so much going for me right now. And seemingly small things make me happy. Like my Primary President sent me an email today. Sunday I got an email from her saying that the Primary had the responsibility for cleaning the ward building and asking for help, and apologizing for the short notice. Today's email said "Thank you! I know I can always count on the Andersons!" That made my day. I love that I am becoming the type of person who others find dependable. I know that hasn't always been the case. I don't know why, but it just gives me the warm fuzzies. I love it!
I LOVE MY LIFE!!!!!

they joys of raising a boy

2009-12-11T02:15:00.002-07:00

Sometimes you've got to just take a deep breath and remind yourself that you do, in fact, love your child very very much. Today was one of those days. Nate has been going nuts because he's been cooped up all week. Normally I would take him to the park, or to the library or even a quick trip to the store. But we usually get out of the house every day. This week I've been sick. Today I was happy that I actually got out of bed before 3. Luckily for me, the semester is winding down, so Dan has been home a lot more than usual. So, that was a big help for me. But Dan's idea of fun time with Nate is playing peek-a-boo or getting out toys and playing on the floor. Fun, but not exactly the type of activities that will burn off a 1 year old's excessive energy. Well, Nate took advantage of his inside time and perfected his climbing skills. He can now climb onto and off of the bed. I became aware of that fact when he climbed across my head and sat down on me with his soggy, stinky diaper. Let's just say that's not my favorite way to wake up.
Later in the day I was feeling much better, so Nate and I dropped Dan off to take his calculus final (which he thinks he rocked!!) and we went to Target and Ross. Apparently I was not quite up to a trip of this magnitude. So, I am standing in Ross, looking at blouses when I notice that my dear son is not only standing up in the cart (a regular occurrence for him), but he has also thrown one leg over the side of the cart and is trying to climb out. On the bright side, he was going down "safe" (on his tummy, using his feet to search for a ledge to stand on) like he does on the bed. Needless to say, that particular activity was strongly discouraged. Not that it did any good. He tried again, and again, and again. Nathan is nothing if not persistent.
On a more positive note, Nate's various bumps and bruises are all currently healed. I almost don't recognize him. But then again, it is more difficult to bonk and bruise when you're playing on carpet, a bed and pillows. I love my little wild child. I never know what to expect. He gives me little warning as to what crazy thing he is going to try next :)
Nathan is still nursing once or twice a day, and he's getting much less subtle about letting me know when he's ready. The best part is when we're out in public and all of a sudden he starts attacking my shirt, trying to rip it off so he can nurse. He's getting to an age where it's more creepy than cute when he tries to get into my shirt. I pity his future girlfriends. If he's that fresh with any of them, I foresee more scratches and marks across his handsome little face. But if he acts like that, I wouldn't blame any girl for slapping him :) Heaven knows I slapped his daddy when we were dating. . . though that didn't happen too often, Dan's a good guy. Most of the time. The downside to Nate still nursing is that he is still waking up in the middle of the night, though I've found that if I stuff his tummy right before bed he wakes up later. Usually I would just let him cry it out and put himself back to bed, but he shares a wall with Spencer's room and I don't want my little bro to have to deal with a shrieking baby at 2am when he's got to be up for school the next day.

Jane and Christmas decorating

2009-12-01T00:07:00.004-07:00

I met a new person today. Her name is Jane, and she's dating my dad. She is really nice, and pretty, and she likes the Tinkerbell store, and she has a cute purse, and she's a twin, and she's bad at playing pool. But the best thing about her is that I can't remember the last time I saw my dad so happy. Honestly, for that alone, she could be a serial killer and I would like her.

In other news, we decorated the Christmas tree today. Nate and Lilly were so much fun to watch. Lilly went out of her mind when she saw the tree all lit up. And they both got to put a couple of unbreakable ornaments on the tree. It was bittersweet. On the one had, it's nice to share these experiences with Nate. But on the other hand, I miss Devon so much. He would be 5, almost 6 years old now. I hung his racecar ornament from 06. And his snowglobe ornament from 08. And it hurts me that I have nothing for him from 07.

When Jane got to the house, Dad was showing her around, and pointing out the pictures on the wall. It was all smiles and jokes until we got the the Devon pics. No one said a lot about those pictures. I just said, "that's my boy" and got a huge lump in my throat and walked away.

This Christmas I have so much to be grateful for, and I know that I have been blessed in my life in so many different ways. But I also feel like I've been cheated. All these memories are incomplete. Someone is missing.

Nathan is 1!!!

2009-10-16T10:21:00.002-07:00

I cannot believe that my baby boy is already a year old. On Wednesday we woke up early and headed to the zoo. It was so much fun, especially getting to hang out with everyone. Kathleen and Elara, Marilynne, Jenna, Bethany, Michael, Bryan, Kamarah and Maelee, Trevor and Janelle all met up with us. We got to see the monkeys (still our favorite!), the lions, tigers, rhinos and so many other animals. It was awesome! And, on Monday we got to hang out with Ricky and Elara at the park. Nathan had such a fun week!
After the zoo on Wednesday we took Nate to Joe's BBQ in Gilbert. He ate his entire sandwich. From JOES!!!! that's huge. And that night Dan and I took him to the park to play. I think that Nate had an awesome birthday. He was all smiles and grins throughout the day. And, on the plus side he wore himself out and went to bed at 7:15
I just can't believe how much my little man has changed over the past 12 months. He went from a tiny baby, completely dependent on me for everything to an independent, walking, talking little man. He's walking several steps at a time, though he still prefers to crawl. He has mastered the art of climbing, and enjoys jumping off the things he climbs on. He's a talkative, babbling little boy, who imitates me and the things I say/do. Like in the car, when we get stuck at a light, he yells "go" from his carseat. Or, if he gets upset with something I do he points his finger at me and makes an angry scowling face. He furrows his brows (like I do when I scold him) and shakes his finger at me. It is so cute!
I love watching Nathan get into things. Even though it makes me nuts, it's fun to see him make discoveries. He knows that if he opens the cabinet door he can pull out a stack of bowls. And if he turns them over, he can bang on them like drums. Or, if he twists his body after I unbuckle his carseat straps, he can free his arms and climb out. He is also starting to be able to figure out where his toys are kept and how to get into them. I love seeing his mind work, and seeing his looks of concentration until the light bulb goes off and the connection is made.
I LOVE my little boy!

frusteration

2009-09-18T19:01:00.002-07:00

Ugh, today has been........interesting. Something that should have been so good and so happy turned into a big source of frusterations and hurt and negative emotion. I know that the negatives will fade and the awesomeness of the situation will shine through, but right now I'm just so irritated! I don't know why I'm surprised when people act in a manner consistant with their personality. I guess what really annoys me is the glaring hypocrisy. If I had done what this person did today They would have trash talked me to everyone we know and been pissed and refused to talk to me for a week or two, and would have brought it up every now and again, especially whenever a similar circumstance arose. I handled a similar situation with as much tact and compassion and consideration for their feelings as I could, and still got a negative reaction. Again, news that should have been a source of extreme happiness and joy turned into me standing there for 10 min. hearing about how it was crap and how everyone else did the same thing, and how this person was constantly wronged. I got a "oh, well I'm happy for you, but can you see where I'm coming from? It just sucks. And at least you actually came out and told me, persons x, y and z never even told me, I'm always the last one to know and I have to hear it from someone else." blah, blah, blah. I'm sorry that what you want didn't happen on your timetable. But for goodness sake, that was my day. Why does everything have to be about you? Fast forward to today: this same person has found the most impersonal, uncaring way to spread the word to the masses. Would it really have killed them to wait a day and share the news in person? Then go ahead and slap it up all over internet land. Whatever
As I said, I really am happy for this person. I know that this is big news for them, and that it's something they've dreamed of for years now. I'm irritated at how I heard, not what. Grrr

fun itmes in the ER

2009-09-17T12:28:00.002-07:00

Well, last night was a fun-filled ER adventure. After 2 days of Nate not being himself, Dan and I took him into the ER. Poor little guy, he was really warm and listless. We went to the park and he didn't even want to go down the slide or crawl in the grass! I tried 3 different times to get him into the pediatricain (and was stuck on hold for at least 15 min each time). Darn swine flu!
But when he started throwing up as well, I took him in. We got there and he had a fever of 104! (and, to prove that he was serious, he threw up on his dad twice before they even got his temp taken) I was so freaked out. We were never even in the waiting room, they took him back immediatly.
I can't help but feel guilty. I knew that he hadn't been feeling well, but I just told Suzanne to give him plenty of fluids and a cool bath before bed, and I went out for a GNO to see Julie and Julia. I left him for a night and come home to a sick baby with a ridiculously high fever. And as we were at the hospital and they told me his temp and his weight (almost a pound less than normal) I felt like a terrible mom. For the second time I left my son for the night and ended up in an ER room. At least this time I got to bring him home with me. As if I didn't already have enough neurosis and paranoias.
I will admit that I got slightly hysterical. (Sorry Sara, hope it wasn't anyone you know in triage). My voice went up about 4 octives as I shrieked "that's really high!" (in response to the temp), and "he's lost over a pound?!?!" (when they weighed him). Luckily Dan was able to calmly talk to the hospital staff while I cried in the corner.
We were whisked off to the back, and Nate was given a bed immediatly. He got a suppository that dropped his temp like a rock off the Empire State building. Then, just as he was starting to feel a little better, and have a tiny bit of energy and not just lie there like a lump, not caring what happened to him....he got a catheder, and they took a urine sample. Let me just say that he was NOT enthused with that process.
It seemed like forever, and I was really freaked out, but we finally got the results. Turns out it wasn't a UTI. And he was only slightly dehydrated, so he didn't need an IV either. It's just a virus, and he needs fluids, rest and tylennol. Thank goodness!

pitter patter of little feet

2009-08-18T18:52:00.002-07:00

well, the day I've been dreading came last week. I can't believe I've been suck a slacker that I didn't post about Nate's first step for a week! Last Monday (4 days before he turned 10 months old) Nate took his first step when Kathleen came over to drop Elara off. I couldn't believe it. I mean, yeah he's been standing on his own pretty well lately, but I didn't think that he would be taking steps so soon. I mean, he wasn't even 10 months old yet!
He hasn't done it much since then, but he is standing and looking like he wants to walk. He gets all excited and tenses up like he's going to take a step, then he bends his knees so he's in a crouch, then he stands back up again. And he keeps that up until he finally falls back to his knees and crawls around again. It is so cute.
I just can't believe how big Nate is getting all of a sudden. I mean, my baby is growing into a little man.

2009-08-04T21:08:00.002-07:00

This Sunday we gave Nate his FIRST HAIRCUT!!!!! Dan was getting tired of the mohawk that Nate sported everytime his hair got wet. And the crazy bedhead he was waking up with. So, I finally gave in.

"What is this strange buzzing sound near my head?"

"Why is my hairs on the floor?"

He's a handsome little man boy now. He looks more like a little boy than a baby boy and it's breaking my heart! I love seeing him so big and seeing all the things he can do now that he couldn't do a few months ago. But at the same time, I kind of miss the baby phase. He's just growing waaaay to fast.

Finally updating

2009-07-30T22:15:00.003-07:00

Wow, I can't believe I haven't updated since April! Well, since last time I posted a lot has happened. Nate and I have been going over to Jennifer's or Marilynne's house to scrapbook almost every week. I love seeing my pages come together, and imagining looking back at all the memories I've been chronicling.
In June Nate and I went to visit northern California for Grandpa Anderson's 80th birthday celebration. It was a lot of fun. We got to meet some family members that I hadn't seen since Dan and I got married, and who Nate hadn't met yet. We also got to spend a lot of time with Dan's aunts and uncles. And I really feel like I got to know them a lot better.
Afterwards, Uncle PJ came to visit us for a week and a half. Nate loved it, and Dan was super stoked to spend time with his little brother. We got Spencer, Dan, PJ, Brian, Tyler and a couple of Spencer's friends together and they had a halo party.
Lilly had her first birthday party and it was fun. Even though it could have been planned better. We were at the splash pad from 2-4. Turns out the water is shut off between noon and 4pm. So, that was great fun.
Nate has been in swim lessons for the past 4 weeks, and he LOVES to swim. He is like a little fishie once he hits the water. He can do big arms, big kicks, blow bubbles, hold onto the wall, and do monkey arms. He's not the biggest fan of floating on his back, but he loves splashing and singing songs.
Last time I updated Nate was crawling. Well, he's still doing that very well. But he's now standing, cruising, climbing stairs and getting into mischief every chance he gets. He recently cut his fourth bottom tooth, and his 5th and 6th top teeth. Which brings him up to a whopping 10 teeth!!! So, once they grow in, he'll have more teeth than Lilly! It probably won't help. After all, she's still biting him. But now he pushes her down too, so I guess that's progress. My baby doesn't get pushed around, now he can be the bully too. :)
Ok, I think this is long enough. I will try to be better about updating the blog. Lately I've been sucked into the world of facebook. And, as I've mentioned before, I can only support one online addiction at a time.

For Nate

2009-04-28T09:01:00.003-07:00

Hi sweet boy. This is another letter from Mommy to let future you know what you're up to at 6 1/2 months old. Right now you're alseep, taking your morning nap so that you'll be well rested for a fun day of playing on the floor at Aunt Marilynne's house while Mommy scrapbooks. I'm about to pick up the photos I ordered. Just picking out my favorites, there are 154 picutres of you in the past 6 months!
Let's see, hmmm. Well, you've been getting better and better at crawling and babbling. I swear sometimes that you're saying mama and dada. I know that you're not quite big enough to actually say it and mean either me or daddy. But it's really cute. And watching you crawl around is so funny. You get up on your hands and knees and rock back and forth, or sometimes you plant your face into the ground then drag yourself forward. Then of course there's the circle crawl where you see something (usually Princess) and drag yourself around in a circle. You work so hard, and you move so much, but you don't get very far.
I've been singing primary songs for you and so far Popcorn Poppin on the Apricot Tree seems to be your favorite. I think it's the gestures. I love to see your face light up when you hear IIIIIII looked out the window, and what did I see?. By the time I've gotten to window, you're usually giggling. Everyone comments on how happy you are. I've even been asked if you ever cry. Nate, you are such a sweet, happy little boy. You smile and make happy faces at strangers in grocery stores. And you make new friends everywhere you go. I can't believe how lucky I am to have such a sweet little boy. I love you so much.

Summertime swim fun

2009-04-22T23:08:00.002-07:00

Today Nate and I went swimming for the very first time! We went with Kathleen and Elara, and we all had so much fun! Nate and Elara had a blast, and by the end of the day we had two waterlogged babies. Nate thought that kicking his legs underwater was the coolest thing ever. At one point I was supporting him as he floated on his back, and he started kicking and smiling so big. Then, with me supporting him, he kicked and moved his arms like he was actually swimming, not on his back, with his tummy down. Does that make sense? It was like I would swim freestyle. He also enjoyed putting his head down and trying to drink the pool water like he does in the bathtub. He did not, however like the taste of chlorine. It was so funny to see him dip his head down, take a sip, then spit it out and shake his head. The funniest part was that as soon as he had finished spitting out the bad tasting water I saw him trying to do it again. Needless to say, I lifted him up and out of the water, but it was cute, nonetheless. We also floated around the lazy river for a while. Nate really enjoyed that, but he wasn't so keen on the parts when water dripped down on us. He was so cute in his little swimsuit. And, I learned well from the camping sunburn incident. He was lathered up so well that he still smelled like sunscreen even after his bath!
I have to admit that it was kind of difficult at first. I guess I'm glad that Nate was born last year, and not the year before. Last summer Dan and I got used to being in pools again. I'm glad that we did because it made it so much easier to take Nate this summer. I'm happy that Nate and I went swimming today. He had so much fun, and I feel like there's hope that I won't be "that woman" the one who people point to and whisper "she was never the same after the accident" Now I can't wait for Desert Oasis to open so that we can go to a pool more often b/c I would happily drive a mile to the pool once a week, or more. However, I am not at all likely to make the trip waaaaayyyyyyy out to where we went today as often!

6 months old!

2009-04-14T10:41:00.002-07:00

My baby boy is 6 months old today! I can't believe how fast time has flown by. Nate went from a tiny, helpless baby to my big, crawling, solid food eating, smiling, babbling boy in such a short time. Last month he was 27 inches long and almost 16 pounds, when he was born, he was 20.5 inches and just over 9 pounds.
In six short months, Nate has done so many things. He's visited Grandma Adams twice. He's had his first Christmas, driven cross country to visit family in Illinois. He's been to the zoo more times than I can count. He has also mastered rolling, smiling, laughing, eating (and spitting) solid foods. He is currently learning to crawl, and is constantly expanding his babbling vocabulary.
I love to see his little face light up as I walk into his line of sight. He recognizes me, Dan, Lilly, Elara, Suzanne, his Grandpa, and Uncle Spencer. And as soon as he sees one of us, he smiles so big and sometimes lunges towards the person he wants to be held by. Nate is such a happy little boy, and he amazes me everyday. I can't believe how blessed I am to have been trusted with such a sweet baby.

Crawling

2009-04-12T12:30:00.003-07:00

Nate has been trying his hardest to crawl, and I think it's adorable!

you can track his progress by the position of the orange egg. He didn't get far, but he worked for every centimeter!

What's new in Anderson Land?

2009-04-07T15:28:00.002-07:00

It's been crazy for us lately. Yesterday was surprisingly less sucky than I expected. Yes, I did have a couple of mini meltdowns, but all in all we were too busy for me to dwell.
Dan got a pharmacy tech training certificate, and he had an interview today. Fingers crossed! He thinks he did well, and we should know by the end of the week. I am so happy for that b/c he has been getting really discouraged lately. And, on the plus side, he would be working with Rob Garbrik, an old high school buddy. So they would get to carpool and hang out, and reconnect. Bless you, facebook for bringing long lost friends back together again!
Lilly has been spending a lot of time with us too. About 3-4 times a week, I watch her while Suzanne's at work. It's a lot of fun, but it's draining too. It really makes me rethink my original position of wanting to have another baby so soon. 2 kids in carseats is HARD! Of course, now kids are in carseats for like 15 years, so I guess it'll happen sooner or later.
Speaking of Lilly, this weekend I made a dress for her, all by myself! I was so proud, and I got really excited. So now I have another dress cut out and 5 more fabrics picked to make into dresses. It's so much fun! And it's easier than pants b/c I don't have to worry about buttons or snaps or elastic. Those are the banes of my existance. Though I really should get around to making Nate some cute things too. It's just that dresses are so much fun, and I went overboard and bought Nate so many clothes already.
Another fun update: Dan was called as the ward choir director. I think it's so that we don't leave early, since the choir meets after church, and we have a tendancy to skip out, especially if Nate isn't feeling it. I don't have a calling yet, but I know I'll end up helping Dan however I can. The funny thing is that I was actually planning on joining the ward choir b/c Dan and I decided that we are going to be a lot more involved in the new ward. That was one of our big issues in the old one. We got too "comfortable" and in a rut. And it was established early on that I was shy (right after the accidnet), and that never really changed. 2 years in that ward, and we never were asked to give a talk, or to say a prayer. Heck, we didn't have callings for over a year (asked to be released from Activites Comittee-again, right after the accident. I just wans't ready to plan fun activites for other people's kids. Especially since the ward Christmas party was so significant for me and Dan and Devon). Then, everyone kept confusing us with Sara and Justin and thinking we moved. So Dan wasn't even assigned HT. Now, we've been in this ward for about a month and Dan has a calling, we were asked to give the prayers in Sacrament Meeting, and we're going to the ward luau this weekend. I think that's some pretty good progress. Now I just need to get in the habit of VT. I've never been good about going. Honestly, I feel bad for my companions over the past 2 years. But, from now on, I'm going, and I'm going every month. That's my pledge to myself! Well, that's what we've been doing. And once I find the camera/computer cord, I'll post some newer pics.

Happy Birthday Devon

2009-04-06T18:08:00.003-07:00

5 years and 10 hours ago one of the sweetest little boys was born. You all remember last year, I started posting fun Devon memories here on the blog. Well, I've decided to do it again. Ever since Nate was born it seems like we've been thinking of Devon more and more. I guess it's pretty normal though, after all, we all compare what our kids are doing with what their older siblings did at their age, right?

So, here's some fun Devon History:
Devon was born at 7:55 on a Tuesday morning. He was a beautiful baby with a head full of hair. At the time, we were living in Flagstaff, but he was born here in Phoenix. We left the hospital on Thursday and went home after Easter. I know I've got some pictures somewhere of Devon "hunting" Easter eggs at the ripe old age of 5 days old. Maybe one day Mom will start talking to me and I'll be able to get them :(
At 8.5 months old he said his first word. At Christmas dinner he looked up, said mama, looked right at me, said mama again, and turned back to his mashed potatoes. Everyone had been talking, and it was pretty loud, but as soon as he said it the first time, the room went silent. And as people were turning to each other asking if he had said his first word, he repeated it. Best Christmas gift EVER!
I don't remember what age it was, but Devon took his first steps in my parent's living room. Mom had the Elk hide laid out, and he was standing next to the couch, leaning on it for support. All of a sudden, he lunged forward and took his first 8 steps. The most impressive thing about that was that he actually stepped over a fold in the hide. I was amazed.
At about 10 months old, he had his first haircut. Following Hopi tradition, his Uncle Spencer shaved his head. He wasn't a big fan of the clippers, but the mohawk Spencer gave him initially was really cute. Spencer shaved his head that night too. Well, he originally had a mohawk as well. But no one believed that he asked and Mom said that he could keep it, so the put him in a headlock and shaved that off too.
By the time Devon was 1 year old, we were living in Mesa. He had 2 birthday parties b/c the house was too small to fit both extended families.
For his second birthday we went to the park. The ramada wasn't reserved, but we were able to find a grill next to a picnic table and I called Dad and asked him to bring the folding table an some chairs. Meanwhile, I rushed to Walmart and bought the dozen folding chairs they had. At least everyone got to have a place to sit, right?
His third and final birthday party was also at a park. His best friend was there, his grammy and his aunts too. And his Daddy. It was such a great day for us. Even with Mom there being hateful and rude. He had his Cars pinata and was thrilled with the candy that came pouring out. The picture from his mortuary service was taken that day.

Devon was always a sweet, happy boy. He loved going to "school" (daycare) to see his friends, at least until he met Emma. Then he would rather play with her. He loved going to nursery and would proudly show me things he made in there. One of my favorites was when they learned Jesus is the Good Shepherd, so they glued cotton balls to a sheep outlined on a piece of paper. He made me pet it and told me, "Mommy, soft"
Of course he wasn't always "soft" with animals. He was known to stand with his hands on his hips and yell "Shut up Rosie" at Princess and Bandit. (Thanks again Justin)
He loved to stop and smell the roses. Literally. And he didn't limit himself to roses. Any flower, or bush, or blade of grass growing in a crack in the sidewalk had to be sniffed and appreciated. I was significantly less enthused about kneeling on the sidewalk on Dobson and smelling a blade of grass as cars whizzed by and drivers looked at me as though I had lost my mind. But I'm glad I did, it's a favorite memory of mine now.

Well, I think this particular novel is long enough, so I'll end here for now. Besides, Nate wants some attention, and I don't think he's going to stop pulling my hair til he gets some

Chompers!

2009-03-19T11:32:00.002-07:00

Today we were getting ready and packed up to take Nathan's first camping trip. Nathan was sitting on the kitchen counter as I packed some yummy grapes and strawberries. All of a sudden, I looked over at him, giggling as usual and noticed something strange. It almost looked like he had succeded in getting something off the counter and into his mouth, as he had been trying to for the past 30 min. Well, I looked in his mouth and couldn't believe what I saw. 2 white sopts on his bottom gums. My big little man child has cut his first 2 teeth!!!!!

I've been a slacker

2009-03-15T16:25:00.002-07:00

Ok, I know that I haven't posted in forever, and I'm sorry. I did have a post about our trip to Illinois last month, but the computer ate it. Long story short, we drove 26 hours the week before Nate turned 4 months old to visit the Lines family, and celebrate Jackson's second birthday. We had so so much fun out there. We got to party like rockstars with Jack, Dan and I went on a group date with Sara and Justin and a bunch of couples in their ward for Valentines Day, Nate got to be babysat, so that his mom and dad could go on our first date since he was born, then he was babysat again so that we could go on our second date since he's been born. We had a lot of fun visiting everyone, and we got to do a lot of fun stuff, like visiting the orchid show at the St. Louis botanical garden, and we went to the St. Louis Zoo!!! You all remember how much I LOVE zoos. :)
Since we've been home, lots of stuff has been going on too. Nate keeps growing and growing and growing. He is currently 27inches long and 15 lbs. 13 oz. He continues to be a happy little boy, filled with wonder at the world around him. He has started some solids, and can currently eat rice cereal, carrots, butternut squash, and sweet potatoes. All of which I have made for him. Yay!
We are also spending more time with Nate's cousins lately. Lilly is growing like a weed, and now stands with support, and pulls herself up. And we're going to visit the Phoenix Zoo with cousin Elara next week!! Yay! (you may remember that I LOVE zoos, I just thought I'd point it out in case you couldn't tell)
Oh, and Farmer Nate is growing a garden. We planted some bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, butternut squash, tomatoes, onions and basil so far. It was so cute, the day we went to get our seeds and plants, I dressed him in just overalls, and Farmer Nate was off to get his plants. He mainly does supervisory jobs. I lay his blanket out on the ground with his toys and he watches to make sure that we're planting his garden properly.
Well, Nate wearies of all the typing. He's now summoning me to play with him!

lil smarty pants

2009-02-08T16:30:00.002-07:00

I absolutely CANNOT belive how big my little man has gotten over the last few months. Today at church someone asked how old Nate is, and I realized that he's almost 4 months old. Seriously, where has the time gone???? He's just tooo big. Holding his head up on his own, recognizing me, Dan, my dad, cousin Lilly and Spencer. And today I noticed that he knows exactly what's going on at lunchtime. I was getting ready to feed him and as soon as he saw my reach up under my shirt, he got all excited and strated making little fishy faces, opening and closing his mouth. He figured out what I was doing and what it meant for him! I love my little guy, all 15lbs of him. That's right, 15 pounds!! He's ginormous! And while I love seeing all the new things he can do, and watching him grow, a part of me is sad that he won't just stay my tiny little baby.

Picture marathon of Nate and his cousins

2009-02-05T16:17:00.003-07:00

A week and a half ago, when Nate rolled over for the first time, his cousin Elara was spending the morning with us. She is such a sweetie! She's a little older than Nate since she was born late in September.
I thought it was so cute. They both rolled onto their sides and started babbling at each other.

And they had tummy time

And when Nate gave up in frustration, Elara looked over and offered moral support. "Come on Nate, you can do it. It's easy"

Both enjoyed a bit of binky time as well

And this week we've been watching Lilly, she's quite a bit older. She's already 7 months old, whereas my little guy (my 15pound giant little guy) is only 3.5 months.

Lilly was fortunate enough to be born with a full head of long, luxerious hair. "Hey man, what's up with your head? It's all bald!"

At this point, I'm getting Nate dressed to go to the zoo. When I left to pick Lilly up, Nate started crying, so Dan got out the formula and mixed him up a bottle. Turns out he wasn't really all that hungry, so I took the mostly full bottle, set it aside and started dressing Nate. Lilly crawled over, picked up Nate's mostly full bottle and went to town on that bad boy! Way to go Lilly, that'll teach Nate to leave his bottles laying around!

The animal in the back is a wallaby. This was soooooo frusterating b/c everytime I got the kiddos to look at the camera, or smile or anything, the wallabys in the background would hop away.

Lilly, 'hatching' with the other osteriches

Nate was almost eaten by a lion

And the two sweetest, most precios pearls

The monkey started out in the bush behind them, then jumped onto the rope RIGHT NEXT TO DAN & NATE!!! Literally less than a foot away.

So, that's pretty much what we've been up to lately. Nate and Elara had a good time together.
I'm glad he has a cousin so close to his own age. And Lilly is always fun to hang out with. She's working on her 3rd and 4th teeth!!! So cute when she smiles and laughs. Nate can't wait for summer to get here so that he can go visit his other cousins, Madi and Jack!

first food

2009-02-02T00:28:00.002-07:00

Nate is getting waaaayyyyy too big. The night before last, I mashed up some of the zucchini we had for dinner and fed him a couple of baby bites. After he got over the initial shock of a different texture and taste, he seemed to really enjoy it. I had been thinking that I want to put off solids for as long as I can, but I think Nate is reay for them.
It's so weird. With Devon I remember being told that babies don't need any solids until they are 6 months old. Now everyone is starting solids at 4 months. And I powdered that little bottom whenever he started getting pink. Now I hear that powder is bad for babies b/c they can inhale it and it can bother their lungs.
I just feel weird that my mom info is already outdated. I mean, Devon was only born 5 years ago. Shouldn't I still be in the know?

Big Boy!!!

2009-02-01T18:09:00.002-07:00

This is my 3 month old baby, holding up his own bottle all by himself!!! This happened while I was on antibiotics for a week. Dan was feeding him on our bed when Nate reached out and pushed Dan's hand away, and held up his own bottle all by himself! All by himself!!!!

craziness......

2009-01-30T00:51:00.003-07:00

Ok, I know that I've been a major slacker around here lately. What can I say? I can only support one online addiction at a time! LOL...anyway, I have recently discovered the wonderful world of babycenter.com groups and messaging boards. And it takes a lot of time to keep up with all 3257 people on all the boards I'm a member of.
Although I have been busy in real life too. Monday, Dan and I watched Elara in the morning, and we had SO much fun. She was such a happy, fun little girl and the two kiddos had a bunch of fun together. On a related note, Nate rolled over for the first time on Monday. I know that he's been mobile for a while now, but I've never seen it. He's just always in a different spot and different position when he wakes up vs. when I put him to bed. So, on the one hand, I was really really excited to see him roll over. But, his timing sucked. I was holding Elara, sitting on the ground with my legs crossed. Nate was on a blue mat, covered with blankets when he rolled over and fell onto the tile! I freaked out and managed to scare both babies into a frenzy of tears and screams, but Nate wasn't hurt at all.
In other news, my brother, Spencer, has decided that he wants to be a chef, so Dad bought him a Williams Sonoma cookbook. We decided to make braised lamb shoulder chops, that took over 2 hours with prep/cook time. So, when we were all done and we plated up the food it looked delicious. The meat was sooo tender and the sacue was delicious. The only problem: neither of us had ever eaten lamb. Turn out, we don't like lamb. So, after all that, we ended up going out for McDonalds! Good times. At least we got a funny story out of it, and Dad really loved it.

grapefruit

2009-01-20T00:59:00.002-07:00

I've got to say, I LOVE the sweet, deliciousness of grapefruit. They're 3 for a dollar at Sunflower Farmer's Market right now and I've been averaging 2-3 per day. It's just something about the yummy goodness that I can't resist.
My advice for today: eat a grapefruit. It will make you happy in your soul!

check out this cool giveaway

2009-01-17T22:00:00.002-07:00

This stroller is so super nice. Everyone needs to check it out. It's really customizable, and seems like a top-of-the-line product. I may not need it right ths minute, but I still hope I win b/c in the next 18months I bet I will use it! :)

http://inevergrewup.net/giveaway-25-bumbleride-indie-stroller/

Goofy, Giggling Guys

2009-01-16T14:52:00.003-07:00

I recently figured out how to shoot video clips from my camera. That was a couple of weeks ago, around Christmas time. Now that I've realized how to put them here on my blog, there's no stopping me. Muah, hah, ha......

Seriously though, I love this. Especially the part where Dan wipes Nate's drool off his chin and onto his shoulder.

Bad Steroids

2009-01-16T02:31:00.003-07:00

I've got to say I do NOT enjoy taking steroids.
I picked up a bug somewhere the week after Christmas. I thought it was gone and done, but it came back to kick my trash this week. Long story short, I ended up in urgent care b/c I couldn't get an apt, and my throat/face/mouth was so swollen I looked like a chipmunk and couldn't completely close my mouth. Turns out I picked up a bug that's been going around. Apparently this particular bug likes turning from a cough/cold into bronchitis/laryngitis which it did in my case. So, when I find out where/who this pain in the butt bug came from I'm going to kick their trash!!!
This makes the second night in a row that I took my steroid pack (fights the bronchial infection) and was totally wired. Last night I was up til 5am cleaning and doing laundry. Tonight it's almost 3 am and I'm just settling down. The worst part is that with the meds I'm on I can't nurse. So Nate gets primarily formula for the next week cause I only had a 2-3 day reserve in the freezer.
I just can't figure out where this crap came from. I haven't been around anyone I'm not related to lately. And everyone I know obviously knows that I have a baby so I can't imagine that a friend/family member would knowingly and willingly expose my infant to such a nasty illness.
I just hope that I don't end up with a diminished supply by the end of the week. I will be INCREDIBLY PISSED OFF if I end up having to give up breastfeeding and switch to formula.
Well, enough of this sleepy, crazy rambling (as a result of the steroids and Nate's schedule I got a grand total of 4 1/2 hours sleep last night). I think I'm going to lay in bed in the dark until I get too bored to stay up any longer. Happy Thursday to all, and to all a good-night!

the holidaze

2009-01-08T12:44:00.003-07:00

Things have been going pretty nonstop around here. The Andersons and the Lines's were here for Christmas, and that was a BLAST!!! Sara, in an effort to "get back at me for stealing her birthday" decided to bless baby Madi in our ward with Nathan. Little does she realize that I thought it was awesome. I've been to quite a few baby blessings in my day, and I've always thought that they were pretty cool. But having my own son being blessed was such a new experience. There is literally nothing that I can compare it to, and I was in tears. I am so, so grateful for the restored gospel and all the ways it blesses my life. I am also grateful for my sweet husband who does everything he can for our family and makes sure that he is always worthy to exercise his Priesthood. I'm also grateful for the love of my family. My dad even came, all dressed up in his Sunday best. And my Aunt Patty. She may not understand my beilefs, but she came to support me and my son on a day that was special for him.
Later that night, we had 'second Christmas.' That grew to definately unexpected proportions. My original plan was to have Mom and Dad, with all their kids/families at Dad's house with me, Dan and Spencer. It turned into a 'the more the merrier' type deal with Sara's in-laws, a friend, Dan's grandparents, etc. I was worried about feeding everyone, but we ended up not only having enough, but having leftovers too. It was my 'second Christmas' miracle.
Speaking of miracles, Dan and I got the oportunity to go out, just the two of us, to the Temple. Dan ended up getting sick, and I went by myself with the extended Anderson fam. Poor guy. I had an awesome time though. We haven't made it to the Temple since Nate was born, almost 3 months ago. And I've not been with a family group doing family names before. That was a really special feeling. Somehow it was a different feeling, knowing that these were people I night have met, had I been alive and in the family a hundred years ago, versus doing work for some random person. I know that we're all spirit siblings, but it's neat to feel like there's a connection. And Sara promised to help me do the work for my own family after she pointed out that on mom's side, I'm the first who can do it all. Wow, that feels like a big responsibilty, but Sara says it'll be worth it. So, we'll see how it turns out.
New Year's Eve was so much fun. Every year, Dan's extended family gets together and plays board games to bring in the new year. This year I was watching Lilly for Suzanne, she went to Tempe Town Lake, or the block party, I think. Either way, she came along, and she and Nate were fun, but challenging. I managed to play apples to apples, balancing Lilly's bottle with my chin as I threw out and drew cards. I fed Nate while playing the bean game one handed, and when asked for a binky for Nate, I produced one from my pocket, along with Lilly's socks. After the kids fell asleep, we played Catch Phrase until the wee hours of the morning. We only broke it up because both babies woke up crying around 4am. So, we said our good-byes, returned a happy, alert Lilly to her sleeping mother, and headed home.
Well, I think this has been quite lond enough, so I'll end here for now. Starting late next week we'll have internet in our room, so I should be able to post more often and hoepfully avoid these novelesque ramblings!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T09:21:00.002-07:00

Merry Christmas to all! May your day be filled with happiness, family, friends, and love!

From our family to yours,

The Andersons

Update before Christmas

2008-12-20T03:33:00.002-07:00

It has been insane around here lately. Dan and I are trying to get our stuff together and over to Dad's before his folks get into town for the holiday. But that's not going so well. I'd say that about 60% of the packing is done, but I still have to reorganize the storage unit, move Nana's stuff back into the condo, finish packing, finish my holiday crafty projects, and continue to care for my small child.

**Update, I wrote that first paragraph, then I was sent to bed by Dan because like and idiot I was still up at 3:30am, Saturday. Not that it did a whole lot of good, I just got off the computer and kept boxing stuff till almost 5.

Today we did an insane amount of moving. We dropped off a couple things at Suzanne's place, then got most of our bedroom furniture, all of our clothes and almost the entire kitchen moved over. Pretty much all that's left over here is the computer, and some various little odds and ends. Actually I had to dig though boxes and a suitcase right before we left Dad's place because I realized that we had no church clothes over here, and we also moved all of Nathan's stuff, including diapers and wipes! Major shout out to my aunt Patty, I don't know how much we would have gotten done without you, your CRV and your dolly.

So, I'm feeling much better about the move, but most of my crafty projects won't be done till after Christmas. But that's ok, because I'll just enlist the help of Sara and Mom. Muah ha ha...(evil laugh) that was really my master plan all along! Just kidding.

Oh, and another update that most people haven't heard about yet is my current state of employment. I got released to work by my ob, and by the Dr. that diagnosed me with the tendinitis, I spent all day getting the forms filled out, Dr's signatures, etc. Then, when I went into my meeting with the HR people, I ended up turning in my badge. Don't get me wrong, Pepsi was a great company to work for, and I've got a lot more positive to say about them than negative, but I just really would rather stay here at home with my little man. I don't want a repeat of the situation with Devon where I was really hard core, and never had any time to spend with my family. Dan was happy to hear about my decision because he's been wanting me to be able to take care of Nate, but he left the choice up to me. This does put a bit of strain on us for now, but long term it will be a lot better. I've decided to get back into school, so I'm signing up for a couple of online courses next semester. With any luck in just 18 short years I'll actually finish! Just kidding, but seriously, with the class load and schedule I've tentatively mapped out I'm looking at 6 years, minimum... :( But after that I'll have an actual career and won't have to work 14 hour days in a warehouse, and I could go faster, but I really do want to take it easy and have time to spend with the family. After all, families are forever, but jobs come and go.

On a more fun note, on Tuesday night, we all went over to Dad's to decorate the Christmas tree, and drink hot chocolate and apple cider. It was a blast! But the dog has already knocked off about half a dozen ornaments. Nate and Lilly like looking at the pretty lights. Nate likes that almost as much as he likes ceiling fans. And they are both getting so so big. I can't even imagine how much Madi has grown. And I seriously cannot wait to see everyone for Christmas. The Lines's fly in on Christmas day, but the Anderson's won't get here till the Saturday after. Oh well, as long as they're here for the baby blessing, I'll be stoked. Speaking of which, I send texts, and as I uncover more phone numbers I'll try to call and make sure everyone knows, but we're blessing Nate on the 28th at 1pm in the Keating building. Spread the news.

Nathan had his 2 month check up on Friday and he has continued in his trend of growing like a weed. He weighed in at an impressive 13.4lbs, and measured 24.5 inches! Such a big boy. He seemed to enjoy the exam, he kept smiling and cooing at the doctor, but he wasn't so thrilled with the nurse. My poor baby got his shots. And he was not a happy camper. Luckily he bounced back pretty quickly and by the time we were headed out the door, he was dozing happily.

Well, I think that pretty much catches everyone up on what we've been doing the past week or so; it's been insane. But, with much effort on my part, I believe I've handled it well. Usually in stressful situations I kinda snap and my poor husband bears the brunt of it. He made me promise that I would make an effort to stay calm and pleasant during the move, and I have been trying my hardest. I will admit that I was snappy last night and I did make some pretty snarky comments that I regret. But all in all, I think the worst I got on the evil, mean,monster, troll scale was probably about a 4.....which is awesome considering moves alone usually get me to an 8(we did 2 in a week! Ryan, then ourselves), and unfinished crafts approaching the deadline are about a 6, and having people seeing my home in a state of disarray causes a 4-5 (and we've had 3 non-family people over in as many days), not to mention that I had to get rid of both kittys. I would have expected a total system melt down by now. Just goes to show, the power of prayer! :)

Drama, Drama, Drama

2008-12-14T04:37:00.003-07:00

Let me just say, to start, that I should never, never, NEVER make plans. It just doesn't work out. Like this weekend, for instance. I had planned to go to the Anderson family Christmas Gingerbread house making party/get together Saturday morning. Followed by seeing Zoolights in the evening with Suzanne, Joe and Lilly. Alas, it was not meant to be....
Late, late Friday night, as I was making a fruit salad, and washing out the pan I planned to make cinnamon rolls in for the brunch in the morning, Nate woke up. He was absolutely inconsolable until he finally fell asleep about 10 min. before Uncle Ryan called. It's actually lucky that Nate kept us up all night because otherwise we wouldn't have been awake to hear that Ryan and his roommate, Jay (a very mean boy who I've known since grade school and who threw rocks at me when I rode my bike by his house one time), had gotten into a fight and Ryan had been thrown out. So, instead of being sound asleep at 4am, Dan, Nate and I were off to Maricopa.
When we got home, with Ryan in tow, we all decided that we would spend Saturday morning packing and moving Ryan's stuff into Nana's condo (where Dan and I are staying). So, I call my dad and ask to borrow his truck, and I look up UHAUL places to see how much it will cost to rent a trailer. Dan was the first to crash. Both he and Ryan pointed out that it didn't make much sense to get the truck too much earlier than the rental place opened. Well, I spent 2 hours trying to wake Dan up so we could get an early start. At 10 am, after texting to say we couldn't make the gingerbread get together (after I had even made my own gingerbread), having my dad call to confirm that we were actually going to need his truck, and entertaining a now fully alert Nathan, I fed the boy and we both fell asleep. Needless to say, I was less than thrilled when my husband tried to rouse me a mere four hours later, citing a need to get going.
Luckily for us, Spencer was willing and able to lend a helping hand, and the 5 of us (Nate included) headed back to Maricopa, and from 3 to 6 we loaded up all Ryan's stuff. Since we didn't get back to Dad's til 6:45, I had to call and cancel Zoolights with Suzanne too. Which really sucks because I've been looking forward to that for the last two weeks, and with restarting work next week, who knows when I'll be able to make it. Oh well, que sera, sera. I will also admit to being more than a little concerned. Because we still needed the truck, and Spencer had plans with his friends, and he had already arranged with Dad to use the truck, I ended up having to swap cars with him. So he has my poor Corolla, out who knows where, doing who knows what, up till all hours of the night.
And the fun didn't stop there. Once we made it back to the condo, Dan was having way too much trouble backing the truck and trailer up, Nate was screaming and I ended up having to take over. Luckily I learned how to back up the tractor/trailers at Pepsi before going out on maternity leave. We got the truck and trailer unloaded, and then brought a load over to Dad's because Dan and I are actually in the process of moving in with him for a couple of months. You see, this summer when we were in Illinois, Nana kicked us out not once, but twice. Then promptly forgot and couldn't understand what my problem was. But, that's Nana for you. Oh well. So, we agreed to be out by the end of the year, but since we don't know if Dan's going to get the internship yet, we don't know where we'll be living. So not only can we not buy a house, we can't even really sign a lease and move into an apartment. So, we're off to Dad's.
Currently we are moving Ryan's stuff in, our stuff out, and trying to get Nana's stuff out of storage and back into the condo. Simultaneously. And if that's not stressful enough, add a 2 month old into the mix.
Sorry if I sound a little bitter, but I am! Seriously, all I wanted to do this weekend was build a gingerbread house, see some Christmas lights, and help Dad put up his Christmas decorations. So far I've missed two, and I'll miss the third because I'll either be unloading/rearranging or else I'll just be too exhausted. Either way, that tree is going to be trimmed without me. :(

The annual crafty insanity

2008-12-09T04:59:00.002-07:00

It's that time of year again. I've purchased patterns, and enough material to cover a football field. Ok, maybe not quite that much, but I do have bout 30 yards of flannel and 15 of fleece. Only to discover, after cutting two separate projects, (I cut two projects because I lacked the motivation to get up and drag the sewing machine out of the closet. Scissors and fabric were all in the same room as the TV) that my sewing machine is on the fritz. I think it will be an easy fix. I think I just put it back together wrong. I had to dissassemble it to try to get Dad's Jeep doors under so I could fix the windows. Turns out it was all for nothing becuase I couldn't get the doors to fit anyway, and I think I screwed up putting it back. At least I hope so. Because I don't have time to send it in to the repair place. Actually I think the repair place I know of closed down. Hmmmm......guess that means I'll have to figure it out myself. Or break out a yellow pages. Either way, I'm still up at 5 o'clock on a Tuesday morning.

Why I'll never shop at Charlotte Russe again!

2008-12-06T13:44:00.003-07:00

This is definately a ranting post. Yesterday was the worst retail experience I think I have ever had. And I was at Wal-Mart on Black Friday! Suzanne and I had run all over town searching desperately for jeans that would fit. It's taken 4 years, but we finally found good jeans at Charlotte Russe. But from there on, things went steadily downhill. First of all, there was only 1 person who could do each job. But they weren't in the area near their job. So, every time Suzanne wanted to try anything on, she had to track down an employee who would call the person with the fitting room keys (who was nowhere near the fitting rooms).
That was bad enough in and of itself, but then we saw the shoes. And neither Suzanne nor I can resist the siren song of shoes. So, we had to find another employee to cal the shoe person. We each asked for 1 pair of shoes from the back. She wandered around for about 10 minutes, then walked back up to us to reconfirm what sizes we needed. 15 minutes later, she comes back with one pair of shoes. When I asked about my boots, she said they didn't ahve it in my size. So I asked for the next size down b/c the fit was a little loose, and I thought I could maybe make it work. 20 minutes later, we noticed her rearranging shoes on display. And when I asked her about my shoes, she looked at me like I was speaking Swahili. It took 3 times repeating my question, and showing her the display shoe before I saw that light of recognition in her eyes. And she told me that they didn't have the next size down either; then she walked away again. At this point, Suzanne and I have been in the store for over an hour with our two kids. The kiddos are so done, I've changed two diapers, placated a crying, starving Nathan, and I'm beginning to go out of my mind.
So we finally get to the checkout line, and when I tell the cashier about our experience (actually I just touched on the 20 min shoe search, and how she didn't bother telling me they didn't have the shoe), she smiles a big, fake smile and appolgizes, saying that we certainly deserve the highest level of customer service. I've given up at this point, and I just wanted to get out. I will admit that when she asked in her syrupy sweet voice if I wanted to donate a dollar to St. Jude's Children's hospital for a ten dollar off coupon, I snapped at her.
I may have said something to the effect of how I didn't need a coupon because I wasn't coming back. Then I thought of my little sister in line behind me, and I changed my mind. I paid the stupid dollar to save my sister ten. What can I say, I'm a giver. Dan and I took the kids toward the food court because the grown ups were just as hungry as Nate, and they're sick of the store we've been in for an hour and a half.
Thus began Suzanne's solo adventure. It turns out the coupon they sold me was only good on purchases of $50+ so she had to find something to make up the difference. It took 2 tries because the first time, her total came up to $47. After she finally made it over the $50 mark, they told her that the coupon isn't good until the 18th. And she asked to speak to a manager. Turns out they gave her the assistant manager. In an effort to explain our shopping experience, this woman patiently pointed out "well, it is a Friday." What? Excuse me, but since when does that make sense. So only 6 days of the week require good service? Friday it's every man for himself? Eventually, Suzanne got to talk to the actual manager who first offered to give her 10% off her purchase instead of the coupon. Which is a savings of $5. But it's not even that good when you take into account the extra crap she went out and found in order to hit the $50 minimum, and the fact that I paid a dollar. So, in the end, after about another half hour, Suzanne got her coupon, and got a couple bucks off a few items that the cashier had told her the wrong price for, but no appology. Jut the explination that "it is a Friday"
So, that's why I won't shop Charlotte Russe again! (which is a shame because I'm not looking forward to another search for jeans Suzanne likes)

Thanksgiving Day Fun!

2008-11-30T07:24:00.004-07:00

In case you couldn't tell, I love getting shots of my little guy and his "big yawns" also, "big stretches". Whenever I notice him yawning or stretching, I comment on how big it is. But I think I take it too far because last week Dan yawned, and I exclaimed (in a voice usually reserved for Nate) "Wow, big yawns for Daddy" and Nathan wasn't even in the room.

Our Thanksgiving morning started out at Grandpa Adams's house (it's crazy to me that when I say that now, I'm talking about my dad instead of his dad. Love you Grandpa, and we miss you too). Lilly and Nate were all buckled up, ready to go. Dad had them sitting on the table, and he was playing with and rocking them both simultaneously.

This sweet boy, making his debut on my blog is Hunter Adams. He was born on September 28th, 2008. Making him 2 days younger than Madi and 16 days older than Nate. Isn't he a cutie?

Daddies and their babies. I love seeing daddies and their babies.

Aunt Tina and Nate. She and I were actually pregnant at the same time. Her little boy Connor is about 5 months younger than Devon was. And she was the only one who was impressed that I kept my pregnancy a secret. (mainly cause she didn't want to tell anyone about her own!)

Mikaila.....I can't believe she's almost a teenager. I remember her in diapers. One of my first memories of her is from when her little sister was born. Tina, Mike, Mikaila and the new baby, Leslie lived in an apartment in Mesa, and Mikaila was only a year and a half old. She and her sisters were so precious and soooo freaking cute when they were little. I remember when she was so shy it took most of Saturday each family campout to get her to talk to me or give me a hug without running to her mom. And now, she's holding my baby, and about to turn into a teenager!

Here's sweet baby Hunter again, with his mommy, Megan. That messes with me more than anything else. She's about Suzanne's age, but I saw Suzanne a lot more than Megan, so I've come to terms with her growing up (kind of). But Megan I still see as my little cousin, so it really trips me out to see her with her own sweet little boy. I keep thinking she's way too young, but then it hits me that she's the same age I was when Devon was born.

From left to right: Connor (sweet, funny little guy with an insane amount of energy-seriously I'm getting tired just remembering how much he was running, and playing and bouncing off the walls-and a very active imagination; Leslie (still can't get over how much she's grown. She's a big help to Grandma, she had a hand in making the rolls, turkey, stuffing and potatoes for dinner), Me and Nate, and Mikaila. Sometimes, when I don't want to face the fact that the girls are growing up, I close my eyes, imagine younger versions of them, and ignore all the pictures I have of them at their current age. It works, but the next time I do see them, it's a HUGE shock. And I ask who they are, and cover my ears, chanting "it's not them, they're so much younger."

My little family with Grandma Adams. I've got to say, I LOVE my Grandma Adams. She married Grandpa when my dad was 16 years old, and spent many many happy years with him. And she's been my grandma my whole life. I remember her Pillsbury dough boy figurines. She would let me play with them sometimes, and that was always special to me. She's also the person I can call randomly for a recipe for zucchini bread, or for "really soft sugar cookies that call for cream of tartar in the recipe....you know what I'm talking about, right Grandma?" She's the person I called, from Illinois to find out the difference between liquid and powdered pectin, and she didn't hardly even laugh when I told her I was canning peaches on the other side of the country. (at 9pm)

This year, the biggest thing I found myself giving thanks for was my family.

Dan, you amaze me. You patiently listen to me tell you the same stories for the 587,890,356th time. You are an amazing father. Just like you were before. And I know that you love both of the boys the same. And I don't know if you realize how grateful I am that you saw Devon as an added bonus, instead of someone you had to take, if you wanted me. I'm grateful that you have been here for me through all the craziness of last year. And that you had patience with me through my insanity during the pregnancy. I know I wasn't exactly the easiest person to be around at times. I am thankful for you, and for our roles within our family, but I'm also grateful to you for the way you remind me that even outside our parental roles, you still love me, not only as your children's mother, but also-and more importantly-as your wife.

Nate, I can't believe how incredibly lucky I am to not only know you, but to be your mommy too. Though I sometimes get scared that you're going to be like your big brother, I do my best to treasure everything you do. I love you so much, and I love your tiny laugh....heh, heh, heh (it's the deepest sound you make! and it's so sweet). Just looking at you, makes my heart melt, and I am so grateful that Heavenly Father trusted me enough to send you to me. Because I watch you, and I know that you are a very special little boy. Thank you for coming to live with us, and for helping to fill a spot in my heart that's been hurting.

Dad-I never really appreciated how much you do for me, or how you've always been there. But looking back, I see the sacrifices you made for me, and for our family. You are an awesome example to me of the kind of parent that I want to be for my own children, and I'm sorry that I took you for granted for so many years.

Suzanne-you have been through a lot, and come out stronger for it. I know that I can count on you to do anything you can for me. I appreciate that. I know that without your willingness to watch Devon, I would have had a lot more trouble than I did, and I know that you're also willing to take care of Nate if I ask. Or to volunteer. I love you, and I'm glad you're my sister.

Spencer-Hey dorkus, I love you, and you make me laugh. hard. a lot! Seriously though, you're a good kiddo, and you've always had a generous nature. I remember when you were 5 or 6, you had saved up some money and used it to buy a present for Mom. Don't worry though, I won't tell any of your friends.

Mom-I met the woman I call my Mom when I was 14, and I was interested in her son. Mom, I love you so much. I don't know if you really understand how grateful I am for everything you've done for me over the years, and for all that you've been to me. Even back then I was closer to you than I was to my own mother. And that day you saw me crying in an IHOP, two years after breaking your son's heart, you called me over, bought me breakfast and listened to my go on about my troubles with my husband, and held my son in your lap. You are such an amazing person, and I have always felt loved by you. I am so grateful to you for helping Dan. Everyone else told him to be careful, and that it was probably best to forget about me, because I had hurt him so badly. You were the one who told him to go for it. You saw that we loved each other, and that we needed each other. And you understand why a certain someone can still make me cry. And when I feel like crap, totally worthless, you make me see how special I am. You've been able to make me feel like I have value as a person since I was a teenager. I love you.

Sara-I am grateful for the friendship that I have with you. Whether we're comparing notes on our kids (or husbands), shopping, swapping recipe ideas, or gossiping about wack-a-doodles I always love talking to you. Sometimes I laugh at your craziness (like cloth diapers, even Ryan thought that one was funny). I miss you so much. I wish we could see you guys more often, but for now I guess I'll have to settle for talking to you on the phone every day or two.

Kami-You're like another sister to me. I think that your testimony is amazing, and you help support me sometimes. Your faith is so strong, and so solid, and no matter what crazy crap is going on, you can usually see the eternal perspective. I've been trying to follow your example lately, and I've been so much happier for it. You're also a lot of fun to hang out with. Ah, the glories of Ross and Nordstrom's sales. And pedicures. If not for you and Sara, there's no way I ever would have tried that one.

Cristi-I am very appreciative of the special relationship we've shared over the years. Looking back, I can't help but laugh at all the stuff we did. Like the "smurf" incident that Valentine's Day I had a date with your brother. And the time I came to you with 3 different colors in my hair. Or the time we got that crazy idea that we were going to make church dresses for each of your nieces! We hadn't even finished your dress (I still have to put the sleeves on, if I can find it). Our friendship is going on a decade old, and it has been filled with fun, laughter, and a few incredibly dumb things that seemed like a good thing at the time.

This is getting long, and I've made myself cry. So to wrap things up, I'm also grateful for a kind and loving Heavenly Father who trusted me with another of his choice spirit children, in spite of what happened. Jesus Christ who died for my sins so that I can live forever with my husband and our children. The holy scriptures that help me to know how I can be a better person, and how live according to God's will, and they make good bedtime reading, Nate already enjoys scripture time. I'm grateful for my own health, and my healthy family. I'm thankful for my job-it's not a fun job, but it allows me to provide for my family, and it provides really good insurance that has helped us a lot this year. And I'm thankful for the three years that I got to spend with a very special little boy who taught me so much about love, and looking out for/taking care of the ones we love. He saved my life when I was headed down a very bad path; if not for my son, I would not be where I am today. And I am grateful for my memory. It's selective, so I remember good, and happy times like they happened yesterday, while the painful memories fade away.

who does Nate look like?

2008-11-26T09:14:00.000-07:00

Deep in thought, Nathan asked me, "Mommy, who do I look like?"

" Do I look like my big brother?"

"Take a good look, do I look like Devon?

"Or like my cousin Jack"
"Maybe I look like cousin Madi"
"or Lilly"
"Mommy, do I look like Uncle Spencer? Please tell me I don't look as dorky as Uncle Spencer."

I'm not quite sure sweetie, but we'll find out.

1: I'll put up a poll to see what everybody thinks.

2: As far as mommy and daddy go, this nifty tool can tell us. According to the look-alike meter, you look equally like Mommy and Daddy. And according to Mommy and Daddy, you are loved equally by us both too.

Anderson Look-alike Meter

2008-11-26T08:29:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Family search - Free family tree

Family fun

2008-11-25T07:23:00.006-07:00

Do you see what I put up with? My husband take up his half of the bed, and my 6 week old son takes up my half. Where am I supposed to sleep???

He gets away with it because he's just so darn cute :)

I LOVE to see Dan holding and loving and cuddling and snuggling with Nathan. It just melts my heart.

See what I mean?

This is from our family trip to the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch. It's this place in Gilbert where they use reclaimed city waste water to create different habitats, and they treat the water and can use it again...I think. Anyway, it's very educational. There's trails (short, the two we went on were under a quarter mile each) with signs and plaques filled with learning. It's basically like a nature walk in the middle of Gilbert. I had fun, but then again, I'm kind of a nerd like that. Nate didn't get much of an experience, but there's also a playground, and an "excavation site" (a huge sandbox where kiddos can dig up fake bones) Not to mention the carious critters. we saw a bunch of birds, there's a pond with ducks (also for urban fishing), we saw a bunny, and there was a herd of cats.

The reason we came was Dan had to for a biology assignment. That part sucked because the professor's "detailed, step-by-step" map/directions of the area and where to find the info needed for the worksheet was totally off. We ended up having to retrace our steps on both paths, almost to the beginning. But on the plus side we got lots of exercise.

Nate was exhausted. sitting in a stroller really takes a lot out of a guy

So, that's what we've been up to. Luckily for us, Grampa Adams is taking a Biology class too. The cool thing is that Grampa needs to go to the zoo for his homework, so we'll probably come along to help him out.

We'll have lots more pictures of that trip too. And Thanksgiving. Nate is really looking forward to his first out-of-town trip. And he's going to get to meet Great Grandma Adams too! Like I said, I'll get pictures up as soon as I can. This pushy blonde keeps nagging me about it, and threatening me. I know I shouldn't give into terrorist demands, but she just never drops it. (Even though she hasn't posted new pictures all month...hypocrite!)

Pizza Shenanigans

2008-11-22T19:42:00.005-07:00

Well, as the title suggests, the topic of this rambling session is of the betrayal of the beloved food item, the pizza.
This evening, the wife and I decided that we were going to go to a favorite restaurant known as "Oreganos". The topic on my mind was that a person simply could do no better than a 10 inch, deep dish delight called "Numero Uno". So, I suggested it to my wife, and lo and behold we were off to the pizza palace.
First of all, if a person decides to go to a restaurant on a Saturday night, he/she seriously needs to get his/her head examined. The wait alone was 20-30 minutes, and if you have ever ordered a deep dish pizza at "Oreganos" (which I had), you would know that the time to cook the pizza will be roughly 40 minutes. Honestly, the entire endeavor took us nearly 2 hours to finish. Secondly, and much more importantly, the pizza itself has always tasted a little different to me, but I never had thought about it since it was sooooo good. Well, I convinced my wife to fore go her normal pasta garbage, for a manly (or I suppose in her case womanly), helping of Mid-Western goodness. Who was I to think that such a beloved friend of mine would end up being a caesarion Brutus, stabbing my family in the back. I mean, he was always such a pleasant pizza, granted very unhealthy, but reliable in the taste. I suppose that is why the shock of such a betrayal has hurt my wife and I so very much, because it truly is the person, or should I say pizza, you least expect. You see, as I was contentedly enjoying the company, and yes even the taste of my dear friend, my wife noticed something was a little different. Much like in a murder mystery where the inspector first notices that the woman in the red dress is holding something very sharp and dripping with something red, my wife noticed that this specific pizza was tasting a little different. "NAY" I exclaimed in sheer horror that my wife would accuse my friend of such an offense. "Nay, I say unto thee. My friend has always been honest and loyal. HOW DAREST THOU, accusing such an honest and true pizza. Was it not he that chased away the hunger that I once felt so deeply? Was it not he who dispelled all notions of mediocre '5 Dollar Pizza'? Surely you canst not deny the love it has for thee. Surely..." Well, deny she did, three times if I am not mistaken. For shame...
Well, even though I had a deep love for my friend, I could not deny my wife in pursuing her action, asking the waitress what is wrong with the crust of the pizza.
"Fermentation, it tastes like it doe." Rachel said (imagine a bad British accent). "I'm a bread conisure. I makes me bread, tastes me bread, and loves me bread. And THAT is an impostor." WHAT!?! A proverbial Duck in Bread's clothing!?! Well, the fine hostess explained that the pan was greased in a very fine layer of olive oil, and perchance that was what would be wrong. "MANAGER!" Rachel screamed! "MANAGER, GET ME THE MANAGER!"
Well, the poor manager ran as quickly as if a rabid dog had developed a taste for man blood (or meat) and was on his trail. Meekly, kneeling down, he bravely asked what could possibly be the matter. "Your dough is bewitched!" Rachel bellowed. "Bewitched I say! I tasted fermentation and I say its been BEWITCHED!"
The manager bent his head down, in almost a whisper said well that could be because of our secret ingredient.
Wait a minute, secret ingredient? It has a SECRET ingredient? What possible secrets could my beloved friend withhold from me, his nearest and dearest friend.
"We pour in just a hint of Bud Light..."
...
...
What?!?
What?!?!
WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
How could that be???
How could the pizza withhold such vital information???
No, it can't be...
Why?
Why!?!
WHY!?!
Why did it have to be HIM???
There were so many other pizzas with sub-par ingredients. How could it not tell me? Why would it do this?
I asked the Manager to please tell me it was not so...
This could not be happening. There was just no way that this could be real. A joke, yes he must be telling a joke! HA HA HA!!! What a fine jester he must be. But a joke it was not, and the truth was finally revealed. It was there, all those times I had held it. Bit it. Loved it...
It was evil.
At the core, it was evil...
The Bible teaches that Satan will tempt you with fine things, but THIS, THIS seemed too far.
Well, the sin dealer, aka Manager, did give us the pizza for free, but honestly what man would want it now. The truth was revealed. There was no way to deny it.
So, here I sit, typing out my pain. Is there no real love in the world? It feels as though my faith has been shaken.
As my wife has so aptly but "I feel betrayed. They lied to us. They used vile 'trickeration'."
I suppose all I have left now is my other love, Taco Bell, but the world seems, just a little bit darker...and...a little more lonely.
Some final advice, for those who believe that love still does exist, know who your eating. Know it well, and know it true because sometimes your world can be destroyed. Sometimes, the ones you love the most can attack suddenly striking at you in your nearest and dearest places, your heart (tear).
This is Pirate Dan signing off, Good Luck...

I need an intervention!!

2008-11-19T02:07:00.003-07:00

I've got problems. Not that it should be news to anyone. But seriously, I've got issues. Just ask my husband, he can tell you. I know that certain topics and certain situations will raise my blood pressure, anger me, get me all frazzled, hurt me, and may even make me cry. Yet in spite of my knowledge, I can't stop myself. I still call/email my mom. I still said hi to her when I saw her at the grocery store. I still blog surf to sites that raise my blood pressure and prompt calls to others to tell them what crazy stupid thing was posted lately. And lively discussion about said stupid craziness. When I know I'm being provoked by someone who just wants attention, even though I know that person's favorite type of attention os contentious attention, I still bite.
So it should come to no one's surprise that I was surfing the Internet and found myself on a site with a thread about the boycotting of Utah over prop 8...in CALIFORNIA. That just doesn't make sense to me. So I posted a coupe comments on their threads.

boycotts do work. Just ask Anita Bryant!
I agree, but why exactly do you want to boycott a state? As far as I can tell it's because members of a certain religion (note, members...people, individuals, not the church itself) were against a proposition in a different state. What exactly are you trying to prove here? By that logic, people should boycott Italy anytime Catholic people do something you don't like.

and....

80% of the money behind the campaign to ban people from getting married came from donations and orchestrated hatefulness by Mormons and the Church of LDS in Utah.
EDIT: 80% is disputable. It's at least 48%, but this doesn't factor in small (>$1000) donations or donors who haven't been 'outed' as Mormons.
I would like to know where you're getting your statistics? After all, numbers are different all over the internet, and lots of other organizations, and even gasp other churches, such as the Catholics were in favor of the propostion passing. As for factoring in "small (>$1000) donations or donors who haven't been 'outed' as Mormons.", why should they be "outed"? I donated a small amount of money to Mitt Romney's and then to John McCain's campaigns. (not that it should matter, but I was baptized at St. Timmothy's Catholic Community, and attended Mass there from the time I was an infant to after graduation when I moved out of the area) And I did it because I wanted them to succeed, not because my religious leaders told me to.

I added the part in parenthesis because I wanted my point to be made without just being shut down immediately because I'm just one of the meddling, idiotic, rights crushing Mormons. And, technically, nothing I said is untrue. As I said earlier though, I need help. Because now, instead of getting some of sleep I so desperately need, my blood pressure is raised up super high, I'm too upset to get to bed, and I'm waiting another 6 minutes so that I can post another comment!
HELP!!!!

Yeah, so I have basically zero self control. Cause I posted again. In response to one particluarly, *ahem* passionate thread.
After two people agree that a boycott would affect all Utah, including those who didn't care one way or the other about California's propositions, and one person says the gays are being whiny and that's not going to get them rights. Another person, Malcontent, says the Mormons took gay rights away. One of the first two says that the voters did. Malcontent responds that Mormons helped. The first person replies so did the voters, and the California voters didn't want gays to be able to marry. So people who want gay marriage have to fight for their rights. This is what Malcontent took from that:

"So did the voters, you know, the ones who made the decision at the polls?"
OK.
"Voters in California don't want gays to be able to marry, by a slim margin."
OK.'
"People in favor of gay marriage now have to fight to get their right back, but they need to do it right, they can't sit back and point fingers at mormons."
Sure they can. You admitted that mormons helped

All he got out of that was that Mormons were out to get California, and he was right, and the first person backs him up!!! He goes on a little more colorfully:

I say let's (mess) those religious fundamentalist (people who love their moms) up. They need to take responsibility for their actions.
Once we are done with the mormons we can go down the list.
... the mormons. Who ... cares about them anyway?
That's right. And right after you get the Mormons, maybe we can abolish democracy and elections. After all, without registered voters in California, this never would have happened

Malcontent was very passionate. So, since this is a family friendly blog, I edited a bit. My way is nicer, but I'm sure that if you put the effort into it, you can figure out the true spirit, and wording of his post.

October Pictures

2008-11-17T22:59:00.009-07:00

Miss Madilyn Dee Lines, on her first ever trip not only to Arizona, but her first trip to the wonderful world of Ross as well.
Grammy and Nate. I gotta tell you, Grammy's good. She got this little boy to not only settle down, but to fall asleep as well.

My sweet, sleep boy. Now tell me honestly, when was the last time you saw such a sweet, adorable little boy?

This was fun. Dan laid down, then got handed Madi and promptly placed her in the crook of his arm and cuddled her. To his dismay I thought it would be an adorable picture, so I plopped Nate down too and he was stuck like that for half an hour!

Grammy had a good time meeting Nate and getting to know him.

Even Suzanne joined in. When I told her Sara was in town, she got all excited and rushed over with Lilly.

That made Sara happy because she's been hounding me to put up more Lilly pics so she could see how much Lilly is growing. FYI, at her 4 month check up, she weighed in at an impressive 16 pounds!

Uncle Dan got to hold Baby Lilly too. Isn't she a sweet girl? I gotsta say, I love that little kiddo!

Jackson was being his usual, mischievous self. Poor guy had an infection in each ear!

Nate is sporting a cute, baby Spiderman onesie, with matching bootie socks. Goes to show that he inherited not only his daddy's good looks, but his love of Spidey as well.

Ah, Halloween. Daddy was a Vampire Ghoul, and Nate was the cutest baby pirate ever!

With eyeliner moustache! Ready to sail the seven seas. And pillage and loot every port from Port Royal to Tortuga. As long as he can nap on the way and he's home in time for Mommy to feed him and Daddy to put him to bed.

Mommy dressed up as Grandma Talahongva.....I mean, a witch. Not exactly like Grandma T. Mommy was a nice witch. Just kidding! (kind of) :)

Ok, so I had this big, long, well-typed out update on how we're all doing, but for some reason, my computer deleted it. So I'll be posting again soon with November pics, and Spencer's birthday. My baby brother turned 16 on Friday!!

A letter to Dan

2008-11-17T17:02:00.002-07:00

Sweetheart,
I love you so much. And I'm sorry that things have been so crazy lately. I've been paying a lot of attention to the baby, and I've let our relationship take the backseat. But no matter what happens, or what it seems like, I love you more and more every day. I am so grateful to you for everything that you do for me, and for our family.
Today when I woke up, you were bringing groceries in. And as I was still staggering around, trying to wake up without waking the baby, you got together stuff for lunch that was delicious. And knowing how much I like fruits and vegetables, you brought home more produce than anything else.
I can't even begin to count the number of times lately that I've been up all night and you took charge of caring for the boy so that I could get a little sleep. I know that's been happening a lot lately as Nate goes through growth spurts and all he wants to do is eat and eat and eat all night long.
You put off studying this weekend so that we could spend time with my Dad and brother. Even though you needed to get homework done, I wanted to spend Spencer's birthday with him, so we all went to the movies. And you stayed up Sunday night until 4am getting all your homework and studying done. You work so hard to do well in all your classes so that you'll be able to get your degree and find a good job that will provide for our family.
We have known each other since we were 14 years old. And no one knows me better than you do. When I was going through the typical teenage girl's drama with my mom, you were always there to hold my hand, and give me a shoulder to cry on. And I had more fun just sitting on the front porch swing after school with you than I would think likely. We had classes together, and study times that were more socialization than studying. No matter what I thought, or what the little voice in my head said, you never let me think bad things about myself. I had real self-esteem issues, but you refused to let me think I was worthless. The day we met it was the first day of the new semester, and I was sitting at my desk in Spanish class, crying. You could have chosen any other seat in the room. But something made you stop, and not only did you sit next to me, you talked to me too. Helped me pull myself together enough to get through the class. Poor guy, you had no idea what you were getting yourself in for.
And all through high school, you were the constant in my ever changing life. And you perpetuated some of those changes yourself. I started going to Seminary. And I LOVED it. But at the same time, I didn't like it much because of the choices I was making. So you helped me try to make changes. And every time I fell back into my bad habits, you were disappointed, but you still liked me, and you still tried to help.
Fast forward to after your mission. You knew that I had gotten marred, had a child and that I was neck deep in my old bad habits. You knew that I had made some bad choices and I was in a crappy place in my life. When you found out that I had left Joel, you called me up, and we met to talk. Like old times. I remember little from that night. I remember that I was terrible to you, and I said horrible things to you. I tried to push you away because I was convinced that I was a terrible person and I didn't want to drag you down with me. As usual, you refused to give up on me, and you refused to share my view of myself as a terrible person, and lost cause.
Now we've been married a year and a half. We have a beautiful, sweet little boy who looks just like his Daddy. And I have never been happier. You still make my heart jump a little when you smile at me. I still feel safest when you're arms are around me. And even when I'm at my lowest, and I start to think I'm worthless again, you still make me smile and laugh. You still make me feel good about myself.
I promise that now and forever, I will love you. And that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing will ever change that.

With a love that will never end, never diminish,

Rachel

A Letter to Nate

2008-11-15T16:40:00.003-07:00

My dear, sweet boy,

I wanted to take a minute out of our day to tell you that I love you. And I have loved you ever since your daddy and I found out that you were going to come join our family, almost a year ago. I have watched you grow, both prenatally, and in the short month you've been alive. And I have loved you the whole time. Even when you wake me up for the third time in an hour just to snack for five minutes and go back to sleep. And when I ask Daddy to hold you because you're making me crazy, it's because I don't want to lose my temper and raise my voice at you. It's not your fault that you cry. I know that's the only way you can verbally communicate. And while I'm getting more patience everyday, I still have a ways to go. But I still love you. I enjoy hearing your sweet coos and happy gurgles. I like making silly faces and monster faces with you. When you make happy faces at me, and I can see your milk stained tongue, it melts my heart; it makes me proud of myself for making you such good, yummy, Mommy Milk. I enjoy spending time with you, even if all we do is cuddle on the couch. You have grown and changed so much in such a short time. One month and a day ago you were born. You scored a 4 or 5 on your 1 minute APGAR. Your skin was pale white, you were in shock from the delivery, and you needed oxygen. 5 minutes later, you had gotten the oxygen you needed, your color was much better, you were crying, and you scored a 9 on your APGAR. You weighed 9 pounds, and 1.8 ounces. You were 20 inches tall. Yesterday you were one month old. Your beautiful eyes have changed from blue with some brown in them to all blue. I guess Grammy's and Grandpa Adams's light colored eye genes won out over Mommy and Daddy's brown eyes. At your well baby check up, you made happy faces at the doctor, and didn't pee on her this time. You squiggled and squirmed on the exam table, making it hard to see that you had grown to 23.25 inches tall, and 11 pounds, 7.5 ounces. You don't fit into the cute little outfit that you came home from the hospital in; as a matter of fact, your daddy dressed you in a 3month outfit earlier this week, and it fit!
And when I put you down for tummy time, please don't think I'm being mean. I know that I usually lay you with your head facing one way, then sit or lay on the opposite side of you. I'm not trying to frustrate you, I just want to encourage you to lift and turn your head. When you make it, I am so happy for you, and for the progress you're making. Tonight you even looked like you were trying to get your knees under yourself. That's one of the first steps towards crawling! I just want you to grow and develop, and be a happy boy.
This afternoon, when I was holding you, singing softly, you reached out and grabbed my finger. Your grip was so strong I had a hard time prying my finger out of your grasp. I hope that you will keep your strength. My hope for you is that you will be strong physically, mentally, strong of character, of will, and strong in your faith. I believe wholeheartedly that right now you have a recollection of the preexistance and that you're probably stronger in faith than I am because you can still remember what it was like to be in the presence of our Heavenly Father. As you grow, and as you forget what you used to know, it will be your daddy's and my responsibility to teach you what is required to return to live with Him, and with us, and your big brother again.
I will also try my best to tell you about your big brother. He was a sweet, sweet boy, and it makes my heart ache that you won't get a chance to meet him on Earth. I don't know if you met him before you came to us, but I suspect that you did.
It's not just me who loves you either. Your Aunt Suzanne, Grandpa, and Uncle Spencer all light up when they get to see you. Your Grammy, and Aunt Sara were so excited to come visit you, and they ask about you every chance you get. Everyone else who hasn't gotten to meet you yet, is anxiously awaiting their chance, and asking about you, asking for pictures of you, and telling me how cute and how sweet you look. There are people in this world who would walk through fire for you, who haven't even met you yet.
As for Daddy and me, we love you and we will do everything in our power to give you what you need and what you want to be a happy, healthy, spiritual, well adjusted, righteous, young man. It makes me happy to know that loud noises startle you. That shows me that you aren't exposed to lots of yelling. You know that your parents love you, and we love each other. I fully expect that you and your siblings will grow up in a home filled with love and happiness. A home where shouting and arguing are not the norm. That is my promise to you, my sweet boy.

With all the love my heart can hold,

Mommy

Settling in

2008-11-13T15:55:00.002-07:00

As is common in any new relationship, the past four weeks have been filled with discoveries. Nate, Dan and I have had to relate to each other, find what makes each of us tick, and find ways to peacefully coexist, while maintaining our three distinct personalities. Unfortunately for Nate, he has also had to adjust to a whole new strange world in which nourishment no longer flows directly into his stomach and he has to do things like breathing on his own.
As you might imagine, this has led to several differences of opinion between the three of us. Especially between Nathan and me. You see, Dan and I have been married and living together for a year and a half now; and we have known each other for almost nine years. Granted, that doesn't mean that we always see eye to eye, but we have a pretty good understanding of each other.
Nate and I, on the other hand, are not seeing eye to eye on much at the moment. This goes all the way back to his birth, and the time we spent in the hospital. He wanted to be held upright, perpendicular to the floor...he also wanted to nurse that way. I had no problem holding him, but when lunchtime rolled around, he got cradled in my arms, and started screaming. He also thought that in spite of his screaming, the milk should find its way into his mouth and down his throat without him having to actually nurse. Hunger eventually won out, and he tolerated being held parallel to the ground and nursing instead of crying. Score two for Mommy! But I lost my credibility before we even left the hospital. I think it was when I spent most of the night holding and rocking and singing to him, telling him that I would always be here, and that I wouldn't let anything hurt him. Then, early the next morning, I cheerfully handed him off to the nurse who took him to be circumcised.
Our differences of opinion continue. Nate did actually find a way to nurse sitting up, he wiggled and squirmed until, instead of being held up to my shoulder, being burped, he was latching on to continue his meal. Score one for Nate. We have, for the most part, figured out the whole eating process. Though he still doesn't seem to fully trust me. His latest game is continuing to nurse after he's full, holding as much milk as he can in his mouth, then smiling at me, turning his head and letting it all drool out of his mouth. Or eating until he makes himself sick, and spitting up on my shoulder in lieu of burping. It's as though he doesn't trust that the next time he's hungry, he'll be fed. Or maybe he thinks I wait too long to realize he's ready for a snack. But no matter how many times I tell him his tummy is full, he doesn't want to quit. And even though I know he's done, and that he's going to probably spit up on me-when he opens and closes his mouth like a little fish, and cries, squirming towards me, pleading with his eyes for just a little more milk before he wastes away-I fold, I fold like....um..like something easily folded. Score two for Nate.
We also disagree on whether or not he will self-destruct if he is left to languish in his swing or bassinet. Nate is of the opinion that if he is not being held, he should be lying next to one of his parents, being cuddled. He also seems to think that his bassinet is a vortex of evil and the only place he should ever be expected to sleep is on our bed. Personally, I think that he will survive being seated in his swing, or laid in his bassinet, or even put on the floor for some tummy time (actually, he's cool with tummy time). I believe that even if his bassinet is a vortex of evil, he is strong enough to prevail. And I believe that I'm sick of washing my bedding because a certain little guy is stuffing himself and spitting up all over my side of the bed!

My Kitchen...aka, the blender graveyard

2008-11-13T02:01:00.002-07:00

So I've been doing a lot of preparing and freezing of veggies and whatnot lately. Apparently this is causing a bit of a strain on the blending/pureeing machines that live in my kitchen. The first to go was the wal-mart brand blender. The bottom of the pitcher part was plastic, so the continued heavy usage caused it to melt to the power base. That was awesome. Just as I was finishing with the yellow squash, I smelled the strange burning smell of melting plastic. So I turned to my backup magic bullet. And halfway through the carrots, the motor went out. So all of a sudden I've got 2 pounds of steamed carrots, 2 heads of cauliflower, and 4 bunches of broccoli and no way to do anything with them. At least I hadn't started cooking the sweet potatoes or butternut squashes yet. Thought I do have to admit to being very disappointed. Very Very disappointed. Dan and Ryan were all excited about the new World of Warcraft game version, Wrath of the Lich King, coming out tonight. They decided to head to Wal-Mart and stand in line to get their copies. So, Nate and I tagged along and I got me a shiny new blender. With a food processor attachment. Yay.
Wow, that kinda makes us seem lame. My big thing today was getting a new blender so that I could finish pureeing veggies, and my husband stood in line for an hour with his brother to get the newest version of his favorite video game. of course that's not all we did today. I was all excited because I got to go out, and I brought a purse instead of a diaper bag. A PURSE!!! Granted, it was to the dentists office, and he drilled away at two teeth. But I took a PURSE!! And later Suzanne watched the little guy for us while I took the big guy to urgent care. He has had an ear ache for the past 3 weeks, and today it hurt so bad that he didn't go to school. He had an appointment for Friday, but when I saw him lying in quiet pain on the couch, I decided we should go tonight. Turns out that not only is his ear all red and inflamed looking, he has a wax build up that makes is hard to even see the infected part. But, every cloud has a silver lining. That made the second time in one day that I left the house with a purse, a PURSE, and NO diaper bag!!

Anderson family updates

2008-11-12T05:39:00.003-07:00

Well, it's been four awesome, fun filled weeks. And Nate is growing so much every day. Today I weighed myself holding him, then just me. And according to my bathroom scale, he weighs 11.6 pounds!!! How crazy is that? His one month check up is on Friday (a whole month old!!!) so I guess I'll see how accurate my scale is then. So, as for the life of the Andersons, Dan is still focusing on his school stuff. He's got a huge Bio project/test thingy next week. It's hugely study intensive, but not a lot of points. The teacher is kind of a butt head. He seems to like making his class hard for the sake of it being difficult. So, we've been seeing lots and lots of flashcards around here lately.
I have been a flurry of cooking activity. Since Frys was having such an awesome sale of chicken and roasts I stocked up. Over the course of 48 hours I made up like 8lbs of chicken nuggets, cut up two roasts for stew meat and fajita meat, repackaged and froze the remaining, roasted a whole chicken, pureed carrots, made a really yummy butternut squash soup, and made and froze some breakfast burritos. All while caring for a small child. He is the sweetest little baby. I absolutely love him. Not as crazy about his vision of me as primarily a human milk machine. But I love watching him in everything he does. From sleeping, to eating, to cuddling (usually with his food source!), even the confused look he gets right before he spits up, and the concerned look he get afterwards. It's as if he's calculating the nourishment he's lost via spit up; deciding whether or not he can spare it. I guess he figures he can't because he usually eats again right afterwards.
Nate is doing well. He has, however, decided that bassinets are for babies, and he is not a baby. Mommy and Daddy's bed is the resting place of choice for my little man. I've got to say, watching a little, almost one month old boy napping in the middle of a king sized bed is really amusing. He's doing well with tummy time and he can push himself up enough to go from laying on his tummy facing right to laying on his tummy facing left. Unfortunately, he really likes being on his tummy, and finds it relaxing enough that he tends to fall asleep. And with the whole "Always lay your baby on their back to sleep, or they will die of SIDS" train of thought currently being pushed by pediatricians, combined with my own unusually high level of paranoia regarding infant mortality, it kinda freaks me out. Dan actually came into the room one afternoon to comfort the crying baby and saw me, hovering over him, smiling. You see, he had been sleeping peacefully (on his back). So peacefully that I was worried that he wasn't breathing. So I watched him intently, then convinced myself that I was imagining the rhythmic rising and falling of his chest, so I pinched him to see if I could get a reaction. And Dan and I had a conversation about not letting irrational paranoia interfere with nap time.
All in all, we're doing pretty good. This week promises to be a busy one. What with my dental appointment, (actually kinda looking forward to fillings b/c I get to get out of the house without lugging a diaper bag, infant carrier, stroller, and infant), Nate's doctor's appointment, Spencer's 15th birthday on Saturday (my baby brother :( he's getting so big) it's gonna be crazy!

Modern day Persecution

2008-11-08T00:33:00.004-07:00

On the plus side, our Prophet isn't being tarred and feathered. However, a campaign of intimidation, ridicule, and mockery of church members in general is in action. I cannot believe the fallout for the Church over the passage of proposition 8 in California. The Pattersons, an LDS family that donated a large sum from their life savings, has been ridiculed relentlessly. One blogger asks mockingly"what's the bigger threat to their children, people getting married, or being broke?" I say, honestly, that the bigger threat is not people getting married, but people marrying others of the same gender. Not necessarily because of the choices of the individuals involved, but because the adversary has a more insidious plan. If that had passed, public schools would have to teach that an aberrant lifestyle is normal, and that deviant behavior is not only acceptable, but encouraged. Look at what's going on in Massachusetts. A doctor who, as a result of his moral feelings on the subject, felt uncomfortable assisting a lesbian couple in the process of insemination, referring them to a trusted colleague (his partner, in fact) was sued for discrimination. Successfully. During the proceedings, the judge even suggested to the doctor that he may want to consider a change of profession. A faith based orphanage (run by the Catholic Church) closed their doors rather than be forced to allow people who violate a basic tennent of their faith to adopt from their agency. Schoolchildren are being read books featuring families headed by two men or two women, and fairy tales in which a prince marries another prince after slaying the dragon. So, I ask you, what is the greater threat? The corruption of your children's education, the loss of your rights to assert yourself in your beliefs, the earlier loss of innocence (the children's teachings on 'diversity' and 'acceptance' begin in kindergarten, when most are only 5 years old)...or the loss of money that you had set aside for a rainy day? I've got to say, in this situation, the clouds are defiantly rolling in.

And now this nonsense about boycotting Utah. Claims are being made by those who opposed Prop 8 that the LDS church spearheaded the proposition, and that the "Mormons" snuck in and stole the election away from Californians who wanted to shoot the prop down. That's silly. Even if the Church wanted to influence the election and turn it against gay unions, the people of California: Mormon, Catholic, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist, Atheist, Agnostic, Episcopalian, Protestant, Jewish, etc. are the ones who actually walked into the polling places and cast their vote. Why are we the ones being reviled? Why not boycott California? They're the ones who did it. Why are angry people lined up outside the LA Temple, shouting at members who are trying to attend a session? I love going to the Temple, it is a very special, very spiritual place. And I honestly think that if I was being yelled at, I might just cry.

What I think is absolutely disgusting though, is the crass and abusive television ad that was aired. It featured two young men wearing white shirts, ties and suits with nametags labeling them as missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In this ad, the two young men force their way into the home of a 'married' lesbian couple (error number 1:Elders don't go into women's homes without another man being present) and proceed to destroy it. They throw things around, knock stuff over, and forcibly rip the women's wedding rings from their hands as the couple cries "what about our rights? We have rights" to which the young men reply "Not if we have anything to say about it" in a snarl. The young men proceed to tear through the home until they find and destroy the couple's marriage license.

I for one am happy that the people of California took the stand that they did. I just wish that certain others would admit that it was the choice of the people, and that no one was forced, coerced or brainwashed into doing it. And that to blame that State of Utah is ludicrous.

The cutest Grandkids ever!

2008-10-30T15:25:00.007-07:00

This year, there were three new grandbabies born. 2 Anderson kiddos, and 2 new Adams grandkids. You would think that would mean 4 babies, but this first cutie you see is not only an Adams grandson, he's also a Anderson grandson!

I just can't get over how freakin adorable this little boy is! We LOVE him!

Here's Baby Lilly and Baby Nate. They were the first and last of the babies born this year. They've got a Maltby cousin, an Adams cousin, and a Lines cousin between them.

And here's Grandpa Adams with his two new grandkiddos.

Here's Jack, Madi, and Nate. They are toooo freakin cute for words. Even though Nate is 2 1/2 weeks younger than Madi, they are the same size, and people thought that they were twins!

Here's the two babies together again. Aren't they too sweet for words?

This weekend we were expecting my mother-in-law in town to visit us and our newest member of the family. That was set up since before the little guy was born. What we weren't expecting was for her to bring Sara and her two kiddos along. We should have been more suspicious b/c she said she had rented a car, so we didn't have to pick her up from the airport. That made no sense, and Dan and I kept telling her that she should just cancel it, because we could drive her anywhere we needed to go. And then Sara's MIL called and invited Dan, me, Diane and Sara over for Sunday dinner. When Dan heard his sister's name on the list too, he thought Cindy had just misspoken and didn't mention it to me. So he was less surprised, but I was shocked when Mom knocked at the door holding a sweet little baby in her arms. I realized immediately what it meant, but Dan was confused. He thought that Mom had somehow snuck into the house, grabbed Nate, snuck back out and knocked on the door.

I do have to admit to being a little perturbed though. After all, Sara told Coree that she was going to be in town, but not me :( Oh well, it was a great surprise, and we had lots of fun over the weekend. Before they left, we took all three kids to Sears and got some pictures taken. Jack did well for an almost 2 year old with ear infections in each ear. Then the babies both had to eat before we could get their pics together. And we took some naked baby shots, and Nate peed on Madi, then Madi peed on Nate. So between the two babies, and Jack dropping his ice cream cone not once, but twice, we pretty much trashed the room we were in.

My great big boy

2008-10-23T19:34:00.002-07:00

Look at my sweet boy, all 21 and a quarter inches of him asleep on the ginormous king sized bed. I'd like to add that he had it all to himself for this particular nap.

Wait, what's this? Is something missing? Yeah, that's right, my little boy is growing up. His umbilical cord fell off today and now he's a big boy with a bellybutton and everything!

This one is from in the hospital. Little guy spent next to no time in his bassinet. Every chance he got, Daddy was cuddling and snuggling with him.

Isn't Lilly a big big girl? At only 3 months old, she's already able to hold her baby cousin.

Sitting side by side, you can tell these two are going to be good buddies. And that Lilly is excited to get to meet her sweet new baby cousin.

I've got to say, I love having a baby in the house again. It is so amazing to see how much he changes from day to day. I had forgotten how exciting it is to watch even the tiniest milestones being reached. Like today when I noticed that Nate's umbilical cord was gone, I proudly showed his daddy and then proclaimed that Nate was all grown up. That he's a little man now, not a baby anymore. As usual, Dan was able to point out that I was being a little crazy, and that at a week and 2 days old, Nate is still very much a baby. I just can't get over how much has changed in the past 2 weeks. And how different it is now that Nate has been born. And how awesome he is. As I've told Nate, he is literally the answer to a prayer, and he is a sweet gift from God.

it's all about me!

2008-10-23T18:08:00.002-07:00

Ok, so I've been going on and on and on about my sweet little brand new baby who I love so very much. But I'm still here too! Anyway, my biggest achievements are that I have managed to get caught up with my housework (almost), and I've lost that pesky water weight that had me swollen up to sausage feet and chipmunk cheeks. A whopping 11 pounds of water weight. So, that and the baby/delivery weight loss brings me to half of my pregnancy weight gain gone. Yay. The downside being that while it's an impressive number of lbs. gone, it was a very large number of lbs put on over the past 9 months. Now my biggest worry is that I won't lose all this baby weight before we get started again!
On a related note, I can finally wear my wedding ring again!!!!! The day I put it on was a day of great rejoicing throughout the land. Well, throughout my household......ok, maybe just by me. When I proudly held my ring adorned hand up to Dan, he asked where the baby was, and what I was doing. But when I did tell Dan why I was excited and why he should be too, he could hardly contain himself. He said, "good for you" and turned back to the computer, unable to hold in his emotion; not wanting me to see him tear up. At least that how I choose to remember it!
I'm doing well with this whole nursing thing too. My milk came in, and the engorgement phase is over. Also the horrible, horrible low back pain that I was feeling last week is finally over. I finally feel back to my old self, and I actually have more energy and zip than I've had for the past two months. Apparently it's easier to take care of the little guy from the outside rather than lugging him around inside. Though with that method there was less conscious effort. And less equipment. Over all, I prefer having him out in the world.
And that's all that's going on with me. for now. later I'll post again b/c Nate has some exciting news of his own!! Such a big boy.

Baby pics

2008-10-22T00:20:00.003-07:00

This is one of his first pictures. The reason he's so white is he was in shock a little from having his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. The tubes in the top of the picture are from the oxygen mask that he got for about 2 min.
Grampa with his two new grandbabies. Lilly and Nathan.
Mommy, Daddy and Uncle Ryan. Wow, I look like a doped up chipmunk!
This one was tough b/c I'm holding Lilly on the side with the IV still in my arm, and she's a big girl. It's the two cousins and their parents. Well, minus Joe, cause he wasn't there.
Daddy and Nate. And yes, that's pretty much the expression on Daddy's face every time he holds his little boy!

Needless to say, we love, Love, LOVE our sweet baby boy, but it sounds like Daddy and Uncle Ryan are in for a beating because they just went into the room where Baby Nate is sleeping, and I hear the gentle pseudo-cries of a newborn on the verge of waking up 5 min. before Mommy was planning to go to sleep. Yup, there's the telltale cries of an awake baby. Curse you Daddy and Uncle Ryan.....curse you!!

Nate Updates

2008-10-21T18:14:00.003-07:00

Today was a busy day for me and the little guy. At the ripe old age of 1 week (1 whole week!!!), we were off to the doctor's office. That kind of sucked because his appointment was at 8:45 and he was up every hour on the hour to nurse last night. What can I say, he's got a limited skill set right now, but he's good at what he does. Which is why he went through 3 diapers during the course of his check up-he's just doin' what he does best, eat and poo. He currently weighs 8lbs, 15oz so he's almost back up to his birth weight, and he measured in at 21 1/4 inches. That actually surprised me, because I thought (and Daddy did too) that he was only 20 inches at birth. So, either they measured him wrong at the hospital, or he grew over an inch in a week. If that's the case, I'll have a baby the size of a five year old before he can even roll over! All in all the visit went well, though he was traumatized when he got his temp taken, and when they had to do the heel stick for his pku test. But, with a little time spent nursing, all was right in his world again.
He surprised the doctor with his advanced hand grabbing skills when she was trying to check out his ears and nose. All of a sudden, she looks up, startled, and said it looked like he was intentionally grabbing her hand, and he's strong. She said it almost looked like he focused on her hand, and then reached out to grab it, as opposed to flailing his arms around, realizing there's something there and grabbing it. But babies don't do that til 3 months. Personally, I think he did. He did something similar to his daddy where he reached out with both his hands, grabbed Daddy's hand and pulled it to his mouth. Dan says Nate kissed his hand, then let it go. Nate was also a little turkey during his check up, because when she went to check on his circumcision, he peed. But he did it just before the diaper came off so that there was pee coating his whole little area that she had to check. Thank goodness for gloves!
We also went in to Pepsi to turn in the paperwork needed to get the little guy on the insurance. And while we were there, I decided to pick up my paystubs, so Nate got to see the warehouse and meet a couple of the people I work with. They were all suitably impressed with his awesomeness and cuteness, and surprised to see me with a baby. He slept through that whole encounter, and just oozed adorableness. It's looking like I'll be going back to work around Thanksgiving time. My doctor's appointment is set for Nov. 25 and I got all the paperwork that I need to return to work. I also found out that the scary certified letter I got saying I had exceeded my 12 weeks of FMLA leave was just a reminder that they can backfill, but I was reassured by the HR rep that they aren't looking to fill my position, and it doesn't look like that will happen in the next 2 months. So it looks like I'll still have a job to go back to...yay!
Uh-oh, I hear noises coming from the other room. Looks like I've used up all my free time, and Nate's hungry for some quality mommy time.

I'm baaaacck

2008-10-17T16:20:00.002-07:00

Wow, this has been one crazy crazy week. And last night, for the first time since Sunday I got to sleep (I use the term loosely) in my very own bed! Dan got the fun part, putting up pictures, and using age progression technology to see how Nate will look when he's his daddy's age. And now it's my turn to tell the story! We went into the hospital Monday night at 10, and by 11:30 they had started me on Pictocin. And 20 short hours later, Nate was born! Turns out he was face up (one nurse referred to it as 'sunny side up') and they said that was the reason it was taking so long to make any progress. So, he had to be turned over, and since he's such a big guy his shoulders didn't make things any easier. He had shoulder distotia which I think is a fancy way of saying that they had to twist and turn and maneuver to get his shoulders out. The nurse 'helped' get him out by climbing up next to me and shoving on my tummy while I was pushing. Hey, whatever works, right? But that's not all....apparently Nate had also managed to get his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, so when he was born, they whisked him away, and he got some oxygen. That's also why he looks sooooo ghost white in his first few pics. He went from white to purple to pink in the course of about 5 to 10 min. And as they took him away, I grabbed Dan by the hand and told him "go make sure he's perfect" He was going to stay with me and hold my hand, but I pushed him away (it took so much arm twisting to get him to go to the baby) and demanded that he check on the baby. And pointed out that I couldn't check him out because I was basically paralyzed from the waist down.
We did good. I was able to deliver without an epesiotomy, and without having to have a c-section-which was my greatest fear for weeks beforehand. So now we're home, getting used to life with a baby on the outside, while our little guy gets used to having to do things like breathe and eat on his own. And let me tell you, he has got this whole eating thing down pat. He is a professional nurser! He's also good at napping (thank goodness) and he has his daddy eating out of his tiny little hand! :)

You can see what's going

2008-10-15T15:29:00.007-07:00

Well, unfortunately for the world, Rachel is unable to post right now due to the fact that she is in the hospital, so you have to listen to me. No, she didn't trip over a dog into a pit of venomous snakes, she actually decided to have a baby! THAT'S RIGHT! Nathan Daniel Anderson has finally deemed it necessary to grace us with his presence. Weighing in at 9 lb 1.8 ounces, our little football player has come!
Anyway, I know you are dying to see pictures of Nate and not listen to a sleep deprived fool, so here ya go. Enjoy!

This picture is of my cute little big guy

(yes he is both little AND big)

This is one of the first chances mommy got to hold him
This is one of the many chances Daddy got to hold him

(Daddy got to hold him MUCH more than mommy, at least initially)

Another picture of his cute face

(for some reason people say he looks like me, but I don't see it) Wait a minute...

Oh!!! Now I see it!

(little do you readers know that in a short time mommy will probably kill daddy for putting this picture up)

Well, that's our little miracle. Stay tuned for details! You stay classy World Wide Web.

Time for something different

2008-10-11T00:59:00.002-07:00

Lately I've been dedicating my posts to one four letter word. And it's time to move on for a time. After all, that's not all that's going on with us right now. And also because I talked to my cousin Bryan tonight and though he's not usually a blog reader, he saw my last post and, well...sorry Bryan.
Anyway, Dan and I are doing well. He is still fighting his way through school, studying like crazy, and doing great cause he's super smart. Although we did have a talk the other day about his video game habits. He started playing World of Warcraft again with his brother. You may remember we've had difficulty with this before. In an earlier post, I posed the question 'can a nonhuman be considered a mistress?' Well, it started out innocently enough, but one night when he finally came to bed and asked me if I was ok, and what the matter was, I replied "the game is stealing your soul" (because as everyone know, I'm not the type to be overly dramatic). Since then it's been lots better. We even got a brandy new board game called pirate's cove. We are into strange, specialty board games that I've never heard of, but they are way cool. We don't have any of the games I grew up playing, like Monopoly or Scrabble or Life, or Clue, etc. We have games like Carcassone (and all 5 expansions) and Pentago, a zombie game called Last Night on Earth (super super fun! we had a game night when a bunch of Dan and Ryan's high school buddies were in town, and two of them bought it as soon as they got home). Just goes to show how boring we are. I cross stitch, Dan plays WoW and together we enjoy a good zombie board game.
Hmmm, maybe I lied, there's really not a whole lot going on with me right now. Other than that which shall not be mentioned. (At least not right now). I can't wait til I'm able to travel again, cause I wanna go see Grandma, and also Megan and Hunter. (Suzanne does too). And I can't wait to see my mil-she's coming out a week or two after-----the event that shall not be named-takes place.
Funny story, I was at Safeway today picking up some stuff for dinner. When I got to the car, the driver's door would not unlock. I tried using the keyless entry, and using the key itself...I even opened the passenger door, reached across and tried to unlock it from the inside. Nothing worked. The other 3 doors opened fine, but that didn't really do me a whole lot of good. So in the end, I had to go in through the passenger side and crawl over to the driver's seat. And since I am so travel sized and compact, the seat was really close to the steering wheel, so anyone who was in the parking lot at the time was probably doubled over laughing. I know I would have been. The worst part is that when I got home, I still couldn't get the dang door open, so I had to crawl over the seat again....but when we went out later, Dan got it to open in under 15 seconds. How I loathe that door!
Well, that's my excitement. My day literally consists of sleeping, feeding and watering the animals, reading, light housework, sleeping, waiting for Dan to get home from school, playing with the cats, napping, eating, reading and sleeping. The biggest things I've done this week are going to the grocery store today, swimming today, going to Chandler Mall to pick up the new board game, and going out to lunch with my aunt Patty a couple days ago. That's about it.
But, I do think that soon something with my mom is going to change. At least I hope so. I've been thinking a lot about it lately. It started a couple weeks ago when Suzanne told me that Mom told her to tell me to give her back the spare Corolla keys. And I sent her an email saying sure, give me a call and we'll get together. Well, she still hasn't, but one night lately Dan gave me a blessing and we were both surprised to hear my mom mentioned, and I was told that she does want to know me and my son. And then, when my aunt and I went to lunch (we had Chinese) my fortune cookie said that someone in my background was going to be more co-operative than usual. So, it raises my hopes that change is in the air.

obviously I don't 'just know'

2008-10-10T01:56:00.002-07:00

Well, once again, I have driven into Scottsdale for no more reason than to wear a stylish hospital gown and submit to an internal exam by a friendly, cheerful nurse who smiles as I try unsuccessfully to crawl away from her violating fingers. I really should back up here...today, I thought (erroneously as it turns out) that my water had broken. Turns out that it hadn't, but I did get an update. We're now at 2cm and -2 position. But the worst part is that the nurse is convinced that the trickling liquid that I mistook for my water breaking, was in fact urinary incontinence. She was nice about it and everything, and she did her best to explain that it happens to lots of women, especially at this stage, and that it was nothing to be embarrassed about. But I swear to you all, here and now, that I KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was NOT the case! I know it with just as much certainty and clarity as I know that my husband, as a worthy Priesthood holder will give me a blessing when I do finally go into labor, and that later, he will bless and name our baby. And that our children will be born sealed to us, as an Eternal Family, and that one day I will get to see and continue to raise Devon. As you can see, I don't just think that I wasn't wetting myself, I KNOW I wasn't! (also, I happened to have laid out a towel to sleep on, just in case, the night before, so when I got home, I kind of double checked). The nurse did finally relent and say that it could also have been remnants of the plug and regular discharge, but I could see in her eyes that she still thought it was just plain ol pee. So, I was sent home, again...with the admonition that when the baby's coming, I'll "know"
Which I've got to say, is the most annoying sentence ever! The last time I had a baby was four and a half years ago! I don't just intuitively remember everything, and even if I did, this pregnancy has been very different than my last. And seriously, in what other situation would medical personnel use that phrase? "I think my appendix ruptured" "no dear, it didn't. But don't worry, if it does, you'll know"........or, "My arm feels like it's broken" "it's not, but come back if anything changes"
Anyway, I feel that I should point out now that I post this not necessarily because I think anyone out there in Internet-land wants to, or even needs to know, but mostly because my blogging releases stress and lets me chronicle my life events. And because I frequently read old posts and laugh. Sometimes, so hard that I experience urinary incontinence.

crazy crazy

2008-10-06T17:55:00.003-07:00

Today was yet another fun filled doctor's appointment. With no changes. I thought that after this weekend, there would be at least a little progress made. After all, on Saturday I thought I was going into labor that night!
After the baby shower, I came home and told Dan about the crazy lady at McDonalds. She apparently decided that she didn't want a Big Mac after all, and tried to back out of the drive thru. That would have been fine, but she didn't take into account the fact that I was in line behind her, and her actions led her to hit the corolla. But she did make a worried, nervous face, like she felt reeeaaallly bad when she saw me pull my big pregnant self out of the car to inspect damage. Everything was fine, and I felt ok, so I didn't think too much more of it, but Dan and I decided to go check it out and make sure Nate was still in tip top shape. He was. I was freaking out every time the monitor got louder, or quieter, or changed in any way, but the nurse said that it was actually a basically perfect strip. And that the hills were him moving, so it was a good thing; I was worried it meant that his heart was crazy irregular. So, everything checkout out ok, and we went on our merry way. But about an hour or two after we got home, I started contracting. At first it wasn't bad, but it progressed. And Dan came into our room to see if I was ok and was confused to see the various body contortions being employed to ease the discomfort I was feeling. When it got so bad that I was doubling over and crying every couple of minutes (neither of us has a watch, much less one with a second hand, so we weren't really timing anything) Dan put me back into the car and we sped off to the hospital again. As I said, we didn't have a watch, or any way to time the contractions, but as we were driving up the 101, I had one at McKellips that lasted most of the way to McDowell and another one that started about halfway between McDowell and Thomas. Dan did really great, reminding me to take deep breaths, and at one point, just to breathe at all, and talking about inane topics to take my mind off it. Since it was later in the evening, we had to go to the after hours entrance, and be buzzed in. And I swear, that's where I heard the most ridiculous question I've ever heard. "What can I do for you?" Lady, you are manning the after hours entrance to the birthing center. Exactly how many possible things could I want from you? Hmmmm, I'm not there to order a pizza, I'm not selling girl scout cookies at midnight on a Saturday night, I don't have a broken arm. I'm a woman 38 weeks pregnant who wants to come into the birthing center!!!! You can open the bleeping door...That's what you can do for me! The funny thing is that as we were waiting to be buzzed in, I had what was to be my last contraction of the night. So for the next couple hours, I sat there, exhausted, and listened to the baby's heartbeat again. And I could feel the nurse's judging eyes, knowing she was thinking that I'm just another woman who cries "labor" for the attention. The worst part is that I was STILL only a 1+, but I did find out that I'm 50% effaced, and that Nate is at a -3 position (+5 is crowning I know, and 0 is at the entrance to the birth canal, I think). So, at 3:30 am we made our way home and I slept in all day long, so I missed conference.
And while I'm on the subject, can I make a confession. I feel like I can tell you, because you'll understand, and won't judge me. And even if you do, oh well. At least I won't have to see your judging eyes like that nurse. I just have to say, it is a challenge to sit attentively through General Conference. I know that the talks are good and the messages and topics are pertinent to our lives, my life, right now. But I find it's soooooo easy to let my attention wander. And Mom, if you're reading this, skip ahead a bit, ok? ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ok, here's my biggest, dirty secret about Conference. If I know that I haven't been paying as much attention as I should have been, I will listen to the last talk like someone's got a gun to my head, and when I talk to my mil, and she asks, I will tell her that was my favorite talk. And I'll quote a line or two from it and say how amazing it was. Because I know she'll ask, and I don't want to ever admit that I was playing pinball on the computer and not paying attention. Though that method does have the potential to get me into trouble, especially if the speaker is talking about something like senior missionary work, or the importance of personal worthiness of Priesthood holders. ....................................................................................................................... ok, Mom, you can come back now! So, I missed Sundays sessions (I actually woke up and reminded Dan that the afternoon session started in 10 min, then fell back asleep again) but I'm going to get them online and I will watch them. Really.
Anyway, back to today. Dr. Hunt said that everything is all still the same. Third week in a row! But, since Nate is such a big boy (I've been selling him short actually, he's in the 96th percentile for his weight, not the 94th like I've been saying) she likes to induce in the 39th week. I really like Dr. Hunt. Because she says what she usually does, or what she recommends, then asks what I want to do. She left it up to me and Dan, and we decided to schedule the induction for next Tuesday. So, by next Tuesday (if not sooner) we'll have our giant little baby. Now I've just got to go exchange all his clothes for something a little bigger, like maybe 3T so he'll fit them. I kid. Actually I joke a lot, but his large size is starting to scare me. The nurse on Saturday was feeling my stomach and seemed surprised to find all baby, and very little squishy, fluid-filled pockets, and declared "he's a big boy all right" in response to Dan's question about his size. And, even though a lot of women's weight gain slows down or even stops in the last few weeks, I'm still gaining about 2 pounds a week. And the average baby gains a half pound per week in the last month. Well, Nate didn't get into the 96th percentile by gaining weight at an average rate. And about 4 weeks ago he was 6lbs, 15oz. Dan thinks he's going to be close to 10lbs. And every time he says that, I cry a little.

waiting, waiting, waiting

2008-10-02T13:34:00.002-07:00

As it draws ever nearer to the weekend, it becomes less and less likely that Nate will be here to join in the baby shower festivities. (good thing, cuz it's no boys allowed!) Honestly I feel like just before baby Madilyn was born, Nate was in a crazy race with her to be born. And once he realized he couldn't win, he settled back in and decided to wait a while. This week's doctor's appointment was slightly discouraging. Not because I haven't made any progress since last week (curse you, you lazy cervix!) but because last week the PA gave a misleading assessment. I thought I was at 2cm, but it turns out, it's just between 1 and 2, maybe closer....but Dr. Hunt says about 1 1/2...or a 1+. I realize this may be more information some need to know, my husband, for instance is slightly uncomfortable not only knowing that, but also with knowing how the doctor knows it. But hey, you made a choice today. I didn't hold a gun to anybody's head, if you're reading this, it's of your own free will and choice! Anyway, I'm still sitting around, waiting to meet my son...every day having a little more free time to remember a little more clearly events of 4 1/2 years ago, and how much fun labor is. I just keep telling myself that this time will be better. After all, odds are that Danny won't be in jail; he won't be leaving me between contractions for a smoke break; I won't have a crazy lady deciding that despite having regularly spaced contractions every 3 min I should be taking a shower, not going to the hospital; I will deliver within a few miles of the place I live, so even if I've forgotten to pack something, Dan can run home and get it and be back within half an hour (as opposed to 2 and a half hours one-way); and yet another super important difference: this time around I'll get a Priesthood Blessing.
In the mean time, though, it's boring just waiting. And waiting. And not wanting to cook, but knowing that if I get into the dinners that I froze, I'll be angry with myself. Then getting into the soup I froze as a lunch (my theory being that lunches are easier to make than dinners, so I won't regret its loss as much-I think my theory is flawed). So, in an effort to not only amuse myself, but to also keep busy, I've started washing baby clothes that I've been compulsively buying. Seriously, I've been like a crackhead, trying to score a hit. And Dan's trying to keep me on the straight and narrow, but I duck out of his grasp, or I hide. Heaven help me, I even fibbed about going to the bathroom one time at the Chandler Mall so I could check out Children's Place. And it doesn't even have to be boy clothes. The sales ladies at Jack and Janie smiled and chuckled to see Dan walk into the store and drag me away from an adorable, red, smocked dress with a bow at the waist. So, the upshot is that Nate already has more clothes than his daddy, and he's already growing out of them. I'm soo heartbroken. But, like a fool, I bought about a half dozen adorable little, little baby outfits, and as I was looking at tags, the newborn clothes say up to 7, or 8 pounds. And Mommy's Little Linebacker isn't going to get to wear them. Or if he does, he'll wear them for about half a minute, before we have a hulk-like moment of baby tearing through the fabric, pounding his fists argrily at the constriction, bellowing "Nate mad, Nate smash" as he rips the tattered shreds away.
Well, I obviously have waaaayyy too much time on my hands, I think I'll go refold baby clothes for a while.

another crazy, hare brained theory

2008-09-30T16:04:00.002-07:00

It's that time again. Time to unleash another crazy, hare-brained theory on the world. After dodging the Home Teachers for most of the month, Brother Turley finally cornered us this past Sunday and arranged to visit us today. When I say dodging, I kid..honestly. Our Home Teacher is really good about getting to us, and trying early. It's really our fault that it's the last day of the month, and he's coming tonight. We're flaky like that.
And it's not because we don't like the HT, or because we don't believe in the concept/principal of Home Teaching....To be totally truthful, more often that not, it's because I don't feel like committing to having a clean house, or having visitors. Though it does work out, because my Visiting Teacher is married to our Home Teacher, so that makes only one, instead of two visits to worry about.
So, that being said, here is my crazy hare-brained theory: I am slightly convinced that the reason for Home Teaching is so that once a month, the bathrooms are clean, the living room is picked up, there are no socks on the living room floor, the table is cleared, all my sewing/crafty supplies are put neatly away, the floors are mopped/vacuumed, the laundry and dishes are done and put away, all at the SAME time!
Not to say that I don't clean, it's just more likely that a couple of things on that list will not be done at any given time (usually the kitchen b/c no matter how spic and span I get it, the next day it's trashed again!). So, I think that the purpose of Home Teaching is to make sure that I have to clean up, spic and span every month.

**disclaimer-this is truly crazy Rachel talk, this is in NO way, shape, or form anything even closely resembling an even semi-official Church teaching!

YAY!!!!!

2008-09-27T00:14:00.003-07:00

I got calls today from my brother-in-law, my mother-in-law and finally my sister-in-law. Sara's baby was born today. As of yet, her name is to be announced. Personally, I'm still rooting for Madilyn. She is 19 1/2 inches long, and weighs in at an impressive 7lbs 8oz.
I'm soooo happy for Sara, especially after all the headache she went through to get the pleasure of having a c-section. From nurses who didn't believe she was in labor even though she was having consistent contractions 4 min apart, but wasn't dilating (because she never does...that's why she has c-sections) to the doctor that said it wasn't real labor, but come back if anything changes to the doctor who finally agreed to move her c-section up a week, but it had to be a black market c-section, under the table and off the books...they wouldn't schedule her earlier, but he said to come into the ER when he was on call, and he'd take care of her.
Anyway, from what I hear, my new niece is beautiful....but what mom doesn't say that? (and what aunt doesn't believe it?) And she looks like her mom and her big sister.
I thought for a minute or two there that maybe the cousins would be born on the same day, but Nate decided he doesn't want to share his birthday. I was at 2cm when I saw the doctor today (eat your heart out Sara!), and started contracting very irregularly as we were hearing the updates about Sara and the baby. Now Nate has settled down, and I'm going to try to get some rest, but Dan and I are both having the feeling that he's going to be a guest at his baby shower next week.

It's all in my head

2008-09-24T01:10:00.004-07:00

At least, I think it's all in my head....I hope it's all in my head. I've kind of got baby on the brain, more specifically, labor and delivery of a baby, on the brain. What with all the craziness that Sara's been going through lately, and going to visit Dan's cousin Kathleen (who just had her adorable baby girl Elara!) in the hospital, and reaching that all important milestone of "full term" myself, and the fact that my 2 pregnancy books are now focusing not on baby's development, but on labor and delivery, I've been a little preoccupied with the thought of Nate, and his upcoming birth.
And I'm remembering things. Like the fact that Devon came 22 days before his due date. And Nate is now 21 days from his due date. And that the two to three days before Devon was born, I was miserable, and I couldn't get more than a couple hours of sleep at a time. And that the day before Devon was born, I had horrible achy cramps in my lower abdomen all day long that got worse and worse, but didn't feel like contractions, just cramps. Besides, according to what I'd been told, real labor contractions would be more in the upper abdomen and work their way down, and false labor contractions would be in the lower abdomen/groin area. But I had them..ALL DAY LONG, and let me tell you, that in and of itself was not pleasant, but the fact that I was having that particular experience at the Madison Street Jail, while trying to bail someone out....well, let's just say that didn't exactly help matters.
That's only really significant because right now, at this very moment, at 2:58 am on a Wednesday morning, 21 days before my son is due to be born, I can't sleep. Not a wink. And for the past 3 hours, I have had horrible, achy cramps in my lower abdomen that are fairly consistent, but spike to more uncomfortable levels occasionally. And as I read my pregnancy books, and go to the online pregnancy sites that I like to visit, I've been looking at the lists of signs and signals of real vs. false labor, and the early signs of the first stages of labor.
Like I said, it's probably all in my head, but I can pick out a bunch of signs that make me sit up at night, worrying. (tee hee, I'm sitting up at night right now....but that's mainly cause my tummy hurts) As I said, it's probably a psychological thing, since Sara's been making threats against my life all week, if I go into labor and have Nate before she has Madeline on Friday. And since I'm at the uncomfortable stage of pregnancy and I'm ready for it to be done so I can meet my son.....Wow, I just arched my back and rubbed my stomach like I was doing the day before Devon was born; it's the only thing that relieves the discomfort.
Hmmmm, well.....I'm off for a 3am snack of raw veggies, water and fruit so that just in case we do end up headed to the hospital, (not likely) when they ask when/what I ate last I can tell them something that will impress them and make them think I've been a good nutritional monkey. After all, a bell pepper, apple slices with peanut butter, and a glass of milk at 3am sounds a whole lot better than some cranberry juice and sherbet at around 11. And it would probably be more productive to unload the dishwasher, or finish packing my hospital bag, instead of subjecting the world to my sleepy ramblings in the middle of the night.

*****yes, it was all in my head; 17 hours later, it's back to regular life. But not until after I scared Sara and Mom!

Which dwarf are you?

2008-09-22T23:16:00.004-07:00

I've determined that on any given day, my disposition can be expressed by answering a simple question. Of Snow White's Dwarfs, which one am I today?
Today, I am Sneezy from going through boxes of baby stuff, and because the cats are more clingy and attention needing than usual (they got spayed today).
I am Sleepy because due to the wondrous joys of pregnancy combined with the need to take the cats to the vet this morning, I got a grand total of maybe 3 hours of sleep last night. And because due to the many joys of pregnancy, I'm pretty much always Sleepy.
I am Dopey today, as usual. I can't remember a dang thing, and when I'm Sleepy, I have a tendency to be a little incoherent and/or rambly. I feel like a special ed 10 year old, trying to function as a normal adult sometimes. Also, I am a complete butterfingers which really sucks, because everything I drop, I've got to bend down to pick back up!
And, as usual, I am Grumpy today. Today, yesterday, the day before....Grumpy is one Dwarfism that pretty much describes me on a daily basis. I try to be sweet, and loving, but it's just not happening lately. Dan is looking forward to the baby being born not only because we'll have him then, but more importantly, I won't be pregnant anymore. So, then I can go back to being nice, and happy, and I won't be mean and sleep for 17 hours a day anymore. (he just thinks I sleep 17 hours a day, I try, but I'm lucky to get 7!)
Despite my negativity, I am glad that very soon we will get to meet our son. I can't wait to see him, and to hold him. And I know that I would do it all over again in a heartbeat (or a year, if Dan gets his way). I do know that I should be more grateful that I can have children, and that I've had an uneventful pregnancy, and a baby boy who is showing no signs of any illness or problems.

All are invited!

2008-09-21T14:56:00.002-07:00

Just to let everyone know, Suzanne is throwing me a baby shower on Saturday, October 4th. Everyone is invited, and it's going to be at her place (just like her shower was) probably in the earlier part of the afternoon, she hasn't quite gotten back to me on that detail. Invitations are going out, but just like her big sister, Suzanne is prone to putting off and procrastinating. So I'm supposed to share this info, and I think she may be making phone calls too, to make sure that enough notice is given. If you have any questions, call either of us, and if I don't know, I'll give you her number. I'm not putting any detailed info up like I did for her shower because of that David Santos incident. It really made me think about what I post, because while I don't really want to make my blog private, I also don't want to tell everyone with a computer and Internet access where my sister or I live, or how to get in touch with us!

Bed Bath and Beyond-why have you failed me?-I owe you an appology

2008-09-19T13:04:00.006-07:00

The following is not true. And I feel compelled at this time to issue a retraction of my angry comments against Bed Bath & Beyond. As it turns out, the shams and the decorative pillows that I thought had not been included were, in fact, folded into the comforter. I would like to apologize for my passionate outburst that turned out to be preemptive and incorrect.

AAAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!! This is a rant, which is very different from how I usually rave about Bed Bath & Beyond. I LOVE that store. It's filled with all kinds of homey stuff that I can bring home and proudly show to my uninterested husband. He's still trying to figure out why I brought home "stupid curtains that don't even cover the window" (valences), and "why is our bed covered with all these pillows? And why are two of them the wrong shape?" (euro pillows) He just shakes his head when I bring crazy gadgets like an avocado slicer, or a cherry pitter, or a salad bowl that you put ice in the bottom of to keep your salad crisp. Though he does like the dryer balls. Not that he uses them appropriately, he uses them as massagers, or cat toys.
Anyway, although I usually love BB&B, today they have pissed me off! The sheet/comforter set that I bought there 2 months ago on a day that I forgot my coupons totally fell apart. The comforter ripped, and the decorative embroidery on the pillowcases had a bunch of loose threads. Luckily they are super helpful there and they have great customer service and a really lenient return policy. So I was able to take it back, and I went with another set, because even though I loved that pattern, I'm mad at it for falling apart!
So, as I was getting ready to make the bed so I can get some much needed rest (after all, I only had 1 nap today :( --I know, I'm a wuss, but I'm ok with that) I noticed that a few pieces are missing. So, now I have to take this one back too, and exchange it for a set that has all of the pillow shams, and decorative pillows. After all, Dan loves that his bed is covered with "all these stupid pillows" (especially the ones that are the wrong shape)

Unusual accomplishments

2008-09-19T13:04:00.004-07:00

Over the past few days I have come to appreciate certain accomplishments that I never really thought about, and that are certainly unusual.
For instance, I never thought that I would be proud of the accomplishment of being able to pee in a cup without getting my hand dirty.
Or that as I enter my ninth month of pregnancy, I can still wear my temple dress with the empire waist, so I don't have to rent one.
Someone was able to walk by my in a narrow hallway.
Last night I got my husband and my poor, unsuspecting brother to eat not only whole wheat pasta, but I sneakily put some hated zucchini in the sauce too.
Dan and I went to the Temple today and I managed to stand up and get back down in a short enough time frame so that I was not the last one standing.
I only woke up twice in the middle of the night.

But, I don't want to leave the impression that I'm just some kind of super preggo, and infallible. So I'll let you all in on a little secret. I'm also ridiculously scatterbrained. Today I needed help from friendly workers in almost every stage. In an effort to dress myself, I got the order wrong and had to start over again! Twice!

I'm starting to worry

2008-09-17T21:39:00.002-07:00

I've realized something troubling about myself lately. I have little patience lately, and am very easily annoyed. I'm not pleased that the cats wake my every morning by whining loudly to be fed, even though their bowl isn't quite empty yet, and once I do feed them they look at their bowl and run off to play. And I find myself quite annoyed when the kittens rub up against my legs, begging for attention. I love it when they play together, or even when they're annoying the dog because that means that they aren't bugging me for food or water or attention, or love. Their total dependence on me for all their physical and most of their emotional needs is tiresome. And when they run underfoot, I'm likely to kick them out of the way before they trip me up. And I have no pity for them when they run underfoot and get stepped on.
I also don't have as much patience with my husband right now. I used to be willing to do simple things like get him a glass of water before bed. Now if he asks, I'm more likely to mutter under my breath and grumpily ask why he he can't do it himself. And if I'm already about to lay down myself, I may even throw something at him! And if he asks me where something is, and can't find it-despite my detailed explanation of exactly where it is-I'm now more likely to ignore a second request for direction, or just say too bad, find it yourself.
These traits are beginning to concern me. I have a baby coming in a month or less. And being resentful of small creatures that depend totally on me, is not a sign of good things to come. And annoyance/anger at the need to get up when I'm about to lay down, or to get up in the middle of the night is not going to serve me well with a nursing infant. Cause I can't even get Dan to get up for that one, it's all on me. Also disturbing is my total lack of concern/pity/empathy for small creatures' pain/discomfort.
Needless to say, some things are going to have to change

A rant

2008-09-14T00:11:00.002-07:00

Ok, I've just got to get a few things off my chest.
One: People who park in spots that aren't for them. Like the person who parks in a handicap spot who doesn't have a licence plate or even a rearview mirror placard thing. Also included in this group are people who have access to a rearview mirror thing and use it when the person it's intended for isn't with them. I knew a person who used to do that, and it always made me feel a little weird about it. Also, non-pregnant people who park in spots designated as "expectant mothers only" spots. I find it especially funny when it's just a guy or all guys who get out of the car. And when possible, if I see that, I make darn sure that I waddle my big pregnant self right in front of them, and I'll admit that I've been known to make it look like I'm really struggling with my bags as I walk to my car that's parked waaaaaayyy farther down. But that's just because I'm mean like that.
Two: Another car related one. I know that it's irrational and ridiculous, but I hate it when I let someone get in front of me, and I don't get the happy thank you wave. I mean, come on, I just saved you like five minutes of waiting to get across 3 lanes of traffic from a driveway to the far left turn lane, and you can't spare me four seconds to raise your hand in a wave of gratitude? What's up with that?
Three: People who are crazy and mean and get away with it. There's a couple of people like that in my family and extended family and in-laws. It drives me nuts that they can do or say something stupid, hurtful, and/or totally untrue and everyone just sighs and says, well, that's just how they are. That may be true, but I'm sick of pretending that it's ok, and not saying anything because they're just looking for attention and it's going to be a bigger production and more drama than it's worth.
Four: People who are just stupid in crazy efforts to get attention. Lately I've encountered a certain person who claims medical miracles, conditions that are not present, complications that arise from these nonexistent conditions, and then talks about how much they have been through and how hard the imaginary stuff has been on them. Normally I would just chalk it up to a crazy attention starved person with nothing better to do with their time, but this person is claiming conditions that I have actually dealt with, and conditions that people who I love a lot have had to suffer through and live with. And they way that this person talks and they way this person is acting feels like the severity of the condition is being cheapened and lessened. If even half of the stuff being "dealt with" was true, or even plausible my heart would go out to that person, but it's really annoying me right now. Dan keeps telling me to ignore it, and not to let it bug me, and that it really doesn't impact me in any significant way. He's right, of course, but man, it gets under my skin!

Whew, I've gotta say, I feel better now that I've gotten all that off my chest! Well, good night

Baby update

2008-09-10T21:36:00.003-07:00

He still likes having his hands up at his face

And look at that nose! I can definitely see the Adams influence there!

Today was my third ultrasound, and it was really neat getting to see my little boy again. I can't wait to see him in person! Everything is going well, and he continues to grow and develop. One thing does concern me though...today he weighs 6lbs, 15 oz......And he still has 5 weeks of growing to do! He's in the 94th percentile for his weight. And I am terrified! Because if he continues to grow at the standard rate of 1/2 a pound a week for the next 5 weeks, he is going to be a 9 1/2 pound baby! And while that's good for him, and a plus b/c he'll fit in all his little clothes right away, and it means that I've been doing something right these past few months to allow him to grow big and strong....BUT....that would mean that I would have to give birth to a 9 1/2 pound baby! The scariest part is that he's only my second. And typically you have bigger babies each time around (Devon was 7lbs, 3 oz born 3 weeks before his due date), so I'm scared to even think about how big my kids are going to be by the time we're done. Overall, I'm happy and grateful that he's healthy, with no signs of any problems, and he doesn't have a cleft palate like his uncle, or a semnicolsal cleft like his daddy, and like I said earlier, I can't wait to see him in person. I can't believe that it's coming up so soon, we've only got about another month to wait!

keepin it real

2008-09-08T19:31:00.003-07:00

As most of you know by now, I have no problem at all poking fun at myself. I try not to take myself too seriously. And luckily for me, Dan is usually willing to help not take me too seriously. Take tonight's dinner, for instance. Hang on...let me back up a little bit. We were lucky to even have dinner tonight because I have not wanted to clean out the fridge. I didn't do as thorough of a job as I should have before we left town for a month, so most of the contents had to go. And for me, cleaning out the fridge is not fun. I would almost rather change a newborn black tar goo diaper without wipes, or clean out a vomit bucket than clean the fridge. It's just one of those things. But I had to do it, because I couldn't go grocery shopping until I did, and we were running out of food. Yesterday I scrambled half a dozen eggs and ate a third of a thing of ice cream for dinner. As you can see, the pickings were getting slim. So today was "The Day"...I finally cleaned out the fridge and went on my way to the grocery store with my well organized list in hand. (I had to put that part in because I almost never actually make a list, much less an organized one; and even if I do, I usually forget it at home) After 3 1/2 rigorous hours of shopping, and making a youngish Hispanic guy feel bad I was finally done. (The guy parked in a spot designated for 'expectant mothers' and I had to park waaaaaay farther down, so as I walked past him, I waddled extra waddly and rubbed my large stomach cause I'm mean like that)
At Frys I found glorious ribeye steaks at a pretty good price, which I can't remember now, but it was under $5/lb, so the entire drive home I'm imagining a ribeye, grilled up all deliciously (bonus point-Dan does the grilling, so I wouldn't even have to cook them!) with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans, and a big, glorious salad with strawberry lemonade to drink. As you can tell, I really had this planned out....but when I got home, Dan had thoughtfully pulled out a pack of chuck shoulder steak to thaw because he thought that looked good, and he knew that I would need something thawed to make for dinner. And he looked so pleased with himself that I quietly put away the ribeyes, and started cutting stuff up for fajitas. Because when he saw that I had picked up tortillas, that's what he wanted. When the meat and onions and peppers were all sliced and cooked, and the cheese and sour cream were out, and refried beans were warming up, something caught my eye, and I announced that dinner was ready. And Dan looked at me strangely and said "We're having fajitas and potato chips?"
Apparently that's not a traditional pairing....mmmmm, ruffles!

Lilly and Uncle Dan, the Baby Whisperer

2008-09-05T22:49:00.002-07:00

Tonight Dan and I got to babysit for our niece Lilly for the first time. She is soooooo cute and adorable and darling, and precious and beautiful and cute! But I forgot about Dan's hidden super power. He is Dan, the Baby Whisperer. Meaning that he can hold an infant or toddler and put them to sleep effortlessly. No matter how wound up they may be, or how difficult they usually are to put down. So, in the first 5 minutes of her being here, Dan ended up holding her because I had to make my 586,387th trip of the day to the bathroom. And by the time I got back into the living room, she was out. Seriously, I don't know how he does it, but I am grateful that he can-after all, someone is going to have to put Nate to bed every night.

pictures

2008-09-03T21:00:00.006-07:00

Today has been a half day for me. I've been doing lots, but abandoning most endeavors halfway through. That's why I have a load of clean laundry unfolded in a basket, one in the dryer and one in the washer; a drainer full of clean dishes, and a sinkful of dirty; half an abandoned blog post saved to drafts; and pork chops that have been abandoned in a 30 min. marinade for hours while Dan and I eat canned soup. I also made a delicious bruschetta, then remembered that I don't have a yummy baguette to put it on, so I've been eating it with a spoon. So, in an effort to continue putting off moving the laundry to the dryer and finishing the dishes in the sink, and making up the cupcakes (I opened a box of mix, dumped it in a bowl and got the veggie oil out) for my Dad's birthday tomorrow, I've decided to post a bunch of pictures from our trip to Illinois.

I swear, Dan was in a much better mood most of the time!

My very first from scratch blueberry pie! Even Dad liked it, and he is not usually a fan of blueberries outside their natural, uncooked state.

This was at 6 Flags, Jack got himself all worn out, the guys had a blast, and Sara, Mom, Dad and I sampled the various culinary offerings such as huge turkey legs and funnel cake. Sara has an unnatural love for funnel cake!

Although you can't really see it in this picture, this is a terrified Grampy holding a sleeping Jackson in one arm and using the other to hold on for dear life! I didn't know it, but apparently Dad is scared of Ferris wheels, but he has no problems with the thrill rides/roller coasters.

This is a very sad Sara at Olive Garden. We went for soup, salad and breadsticks, but stayed for the never ending pasta bowls. And Jack decided that simply rubbing his tomato-sauce-covered hands on Sara's white shirt was not enough. (those spots could be controlled by the Tide pen that sneaky Aunt Rachel had in her purse) He moved onto finger painting, and Sara gave it up as a lost cause

A pool full of scouts, and my hubby. Can you tell which one is the 23 year old man in the pool full of teenagers? I'll give you a hint, he's in the back.

Dan and PJ at the St. Louis Zoo
Explorer Dan, searching...always searching

The Lines Family, featuring Justin-recently joining the ranks of overworked law student; Sara-sporting her Coach sunglasses and baby Madeline bump, Jack-chilling in the stroller, sporting the cute new hat that Aunt Rachel got him; and Madeline-who makes her debut in a month.
Dan, being a good monkey brother, grooming PJ

Another 6 Flags pic, with Jack hanging out with his fav uncle, sporting the way cool shades that Grammy got him

Jackson, "helping" daddy play the piano.
Another Jack pic, this time at the botanical garden.
Jack playing in a water feature at the botanical garden. This is the end of a progression from looking, running up to, splashing, drinking from, and finally putting his head in the fountain.
Jack and his other fav uncle, PJ

Jack was really into the butterflies. He kept wanting to touch them! And though you can't really tell, that's Justin in the brown and turquoise striped shirt, Sara is next to him, and Dan is holding Jack. A second before I took this pic, Jack was looking down at a butterfly, but he realized what tricksy Aunt Rachel was up to and looked up at the camera at the last second!

Wow, looking through these I'm realizing that I have a TON of Jack pictures. Guess I've got little boys on the mind.

Ummm, that came out wrong. I don't have little boys on the mind per say, at least not in a creepy, disgusting way. I just mean that with only six weeks to go, I'm really excited to get to meet my own little boy!

Home again, home again

2008-08-30T06:44:00.002-07:00

It's all done! The surgery went well, and Dr. Zacher removed Dan's gallbladder (which was inflamed to about twice the size of a normal gallbladder) and an almost golf-ball sized gallstone. He ended up staying overnight because of all the delays (he was originally scheduled for 2:45, then when we checked in they said 3:30, but they didn't take him back till 5:00!) where he discovered, to his delight, that jello is allowed on a clear liquid diet and that the hospital has a never ending supply available 24 hours a day! I felt so bad for him because the highlights of his day Thursday were that he got half a cup of water and some ice half an hour before surgery, and that he could have jello. Just to kind of reference what kind of day Thursday was. One bummer was that since Dan was in a semi-private room and he had a roommate, I wasn't allowed to stay overnight with him. The nurse told me that she could set up one of those hospital chairs that pull out to make a cot for me in the lobby area, or I could stay till midnight. Normally I would have been there, but Nate was not a happy camper that day. I don't know if he was concerned for Daddy, or if he was upset that he wasn't getting the attention or if he had no motivation what-so-ever and it was just a hard day. So, I headed home, avoiding the detours that the storm had caused (2 flooded streets and no less than 4 traffic lights out) and passed out in my own bed.
When I got back yesterday morning, Dan had progressed to a full liquid diet and was about to order his breakfast-cream of wheat, a fruit smoothie, hot chocolate, jello, Italian ice, strawberry mouse and orange juice. Not exactly what I would call "well-balanced" but it was much better than the lunch fiasco. Apparently we were overly ambitious in getting him started on a soft diet. The mashed potatoes were too much for him to handle, and after he got sick, he got the hiccups. Normally that wouldn't be an issue, but when you've just had an abdominal surgery and you have 4 fresh incisions, each hiccup generates enough pain to almost make a grown man cry. Trust me, I've seen it first hand. And he started asking for more pain meds after about an hour and a half (for most people the dose he was getting would have been good for about 3) so we weren't sure if we were in for another overnighter. Luckily, he started feeling better. He got up and we went on a couple short walks (the nurse said that would help more than meds), his hiccups cleared up, he got some more jello, and he was ready to go.
And man, when he was ready, he was ready! He asked for his clothes, had me round up all of our stuff in the room, put on his shoes and called the nurse to let her know he was leaving. She called for a wheelchair to bring him around to the front of the hospital, and he took another walk (pacing is more like it). I guess it took too long because next thing I know, we're standing in the hallway waiting for the wheelchair, then I'm heading down to get the car so that it's right out front as soon as Dan gets downstairs.
Our time at home has been mostly the same as our time in the hospital, except that now he has a much better mattress to lay in while he eats jello, listens to his iPod, and dozes. And I actually caught up on some of my sleep too. Not so much on the housework....but at this point I'd rather have rest than a freshly vacuumed floor!

P.S. for anyone who remembers that I was supposed to have a 3 hour glucose test (since my first was a little high) I got the results back and everything came back normal, so yay! no diabetes!!!

Update

2008-08-27T23:47:00.002-07:00

Late Saturday night, and into the wee hours of Sunday morning, Dan and I were in the ER finding out that he had a gallstone that was the cause of the intense, agonizing pain he was feeling. So bright and early Monday morning, I called a surgeon that Sara said was the best-trusting her vast ER nurse knowledge-and set up an appointment for this afternoon. We found out that Dan's gallstone is 1.8 cm long which, apparently is pretty big, and the surgeon wanted to take care of it right away. He said that they were lucky to even see it in the ER because a CT scan is better for finding kidney stones, and ultrasound is the best for gallstones. He also said that Dan has some inflammation around the gallbladder area that makes him think that the stone is blocking the passage for the bile in the gallbladder to get out. Apparently the gallbladder produces bile to help break down fats and whatnot for our bodies to process. And in some people the bile solidifies into stones. Now lots of people can have small stones that they don't even know about and that don't do any damage. But in some cases the stones get big, or they block the passage out-so the bile just builds up and the gallbladder gets inflamed and hurts. Also, gallstones that are 2cm or bigger can either cause or contribute to (don't remember quite which one it is) gallbladder cancer.
Anyway, the surgeon today very calmly and nonchalantly said that it needs to come out and what were we doing tomorrow. He actually would have taken it today, but we needed to preauthorize it with the insurance company. It's a good thing we got at least a day's notice because we had a heck of a time finding a worthy priesthood holder to give Dan a blessing tonight. Both our Home Teacher, and my cousin Frank are involved with the scouts so they were busy tonight; and the Bishop was with the young men-he was teaching tonight-and the rest of the Bishopric were super busy with interviews tonight, but it was taken care of. It was weird to me because I kind of take for granted that anytime I need a blessing, Dan is right there. But for Dan we actually had to leave the house. I am grateful though that it was just a matter of finding a few minutes in the midst of busy schedules. I can't even begin to imagine how it would be if we lived in an area where the problem was finding a worthy priesthood holder. Or how it would have been to have lived when the Priesthood wasn't on the Earth.
So, having prepared spiritually, physically, financially, and scholastically (Dan got to call his professors after having taken the pain meds-probably not the best planning) I have good feelings about this surgery. I just want for Danny to stop hurting; I hate to see him wince in pain and try to hide it so I don't worry about him. And he's looking forward to being off pain meds and not being loopy anymore!

Home again, home again

2008-08-24T17:07:00.002-07:00

Whew, it has been insane trying to get home from Illinois. First off, we were supposed to leave Wednesday, but the airline lied to me. I had called three times to verify the pet policy and I thought I was good to go. But when we got there and were trying to check in, they said it was going to be an extra $200 and we needed pet reservations. So, we rescheduled our flight for Saturday and I called a therapist I talked to right after the accident. Long story short, my kittens are officially "emotional support animals" and as service animals, they fly free!
Saturday night we got into Phoenix to find out that Suzanne had to work, so we didn't have a ride anymore. But all's well that ends well, right? Luckily we were only waiting about 45 min before we got it all worked out. The real fun came later!
When Suzanne finally got off work and dropped off our car, Dan and I headed to the ER. He had been having pain in the right side of his abdomen that got worse and worse as the day went on. Four hours and two doses of morphine later, the final verdict is Gallstones. Dan thinks that we're cursed because whenever we come home from Illinois, he comes back broken. The last time, it was his back..this time he gets to have surgery! Yay! Just kidding, he's actually not that excited about it. He's actually pretty nervous about it. And the really fun part is that as he was doubled over in pain, all of a sudden I contracted so we were both holding hands crying. Apparently Nate is a sucker for attention, or just very sympathetic. Because when Daddy's hurting, Mommy gets to too.

Illinois

2008-08-12T20:23:00.002-07:00

Woo hoo, we finally made it. Dan and I drove his dad's truck out all the way to Illinois last week, and what an adventure that was! We broke down outside Gallup, NM and spent the night in front of a Chevron gas station, then when we got up in the morning, the truck started right up and made it all the way to the mechanic. With a diagnosis of loose battery connections, we were on our merry way again. But it kept happening, until finally in Oklahoma we replaced the battery terminal and kept chugging along. We did have to go back to a mechanic in Oklahoma City though because the problem was not totally fixed, and the check engine light came on. But the auto parts store guy was really nice and recommended a local mechanic who was not only very nice and helpful (he listed a couple of ways to get the truck to 'limp home' so we could deal with it later, and he offered to talk with our mechanic back home to prove he wasn't trying to screw us over) he also stayed an hour past closing time to finish replacing the fuel pump so that we could get back on our way! So, if you're ever in need of a mechanic in Oklahoma City, I reccomend AJ's right behind the rt. 66 used car lot. After that, the truck ran like a champ and we made it into town Wednesday afternoon.
So far we've been super busy, we saw Fiddler on the Roof at an outside city theatre, and we've been to the zoo, and we've played board games, and tonight I made my first attempt at a homemade pie whose filling does not come from a can! We're also going to tour the university campus in case we decide to move out here, and Dan's going to try to get in touch with some people at Boeing who can help him get into a program next year. And we have a really pushy realator that I accidentally contacted when I was browsing around because I've been looking at houses in both Mesa and Illinois since we're not sure yet where we'll end up. He's sent me pages and pages of property information and I think we're going to look at houses next week even though Dan and I both told him that we're not even sure that we're moving out here, and if we do it won't be untion next year. So all in all, it's been really busy and fun and insane! And it will only get more so because Ryan is leaving tomorrow afternoon and he'll be out here by Friday, so our visits will overlap until we leave on Wednesday! The only part I'm sad about is that I'm going to miss the LemonAID festivites in Arizona, and my in-laws house is very, very secluded and out of the way, so I can't set one up out here :(

I'm an adult...=(

2008-08-01T11:25:00.003-07:00

I realized yeasterday that I no longer fit into the 'kid' category on outings. You know what I mean, when you go out as a family, or large group to a fun place, like maybe Sunsplash and all the kids are all full of energy, running around, getting to be the first one in line for the coolest slides...and the adults are lagging way behind, walking at a leisurely pace, content to watch the kids go down the same slide five times in a row, and decided that for them, once or twice is enough. Yesterday Dan and I took PJ(his 15 year old brother) and Spencer (my 15 year old brother) to Sunsplash, and that is exactly what happened. Granted I am pregnant, and not supposed to go on most of the slides anyway, but I never thought I would be the one sitting on the side of the kiddy pool with my feet in the water, waving as everyone else rode down the slides. And getting pizza while the guys waited in line for crazy rides, thinking that even if I wasn't pregnant there's no way I would go down that thing. And searching for PJ to remind him that it's time to reapply the sunscreen (he burns if someone draws a picture of a sun and puts it near him). It made me kind of sad, to be perfectly honest. I was actually hanging out in the kiddy part of the park at one point thinking about how much fun a small child would have, and trying to decide at what age Nate would be able to come and play.
Even with all of that, it was an awesome fun day. I had never been down "The Cauldron" aka, the toilet bowl slide. And all three of the guys went on the big v-shaped slide where you basically sit on an inner tube and slide down a steep incline, then up the other side, and back and forth until you run out of momentum. It's the big white and red thing that you can see from the freeway. Dan freaked out and screamed Holy ____!!!!!, and PJ forgot to keep his bottom up, so he bumped it and said ow, very loudly. Spencer says that everyone still in line was laughing at him. And Spencer was shaking so bad and looking so terrified that the slide attendant asked him 2 or 3 times if he was sure he wanted to go. The other really funny thing was the lilly pads in the kid area. There's 6 or 7 floating green pads that are tethered to the pool bottom in a straight line. Spencer and PJ had a competition to see who could get the furthest without using the ropes above for balance. Spencer won the first time, but the second time, PJ made it all the way across, then slipped on the landing and went across the foam pad like a slip 'n slide. When he stood up, he said 7 triumphantly, so at least he wasn't hurt. Dan was so funny. You see, the bigger the person, the more difficult it is to make it across and to keep your balance. And Dan is significantly bigger than the average small child. But he's also significantly more determined than the average small child, so he did make it across....much to the amusement of everyone around the pool. About half the adults were shouting encouragement, and the rest were laughing their heads off. One guy was literally holding his sides laughing!
As I said, it was a fun day. The only down side is that I didn't bring a camera to capture all the fun.

Recognizing blessings

2008-07-28T22:41:00.002-07:00

I feel that this is important to post because I think that way too often in life, we overlook the little blessings that come from obedience. At least I do. You may remember the cute little bassinet that I found on Craigslist and was trying to talk myself into buying in a previous post. Well, I finally managed to talk myself into it on that Sunday, but I decided not to call about it because it was Sunday. But, when I went to look up the posting bright and early Monday morning, it was gone. And I was heartbroken, so I turned to my husband for solace and comfort. He's a good guy, but at the time I didn't want to hear "I'm sorry honey, but you did the right thing and you'll be blessed for keeping the Sabbath."
I did decide at that moment that I really wanted a bassinet, otherwise I wouldn't have been so devastated that I missed out on that one, so I continued to scour Craigslist and a few days later I found another listing. As it turns out, it was the same bassinet that I saw originally, but it was $25 now instead of $45. And as we were heading home from picking it up, I turned to Dan and said those three little words every man wants to hear: "you were right"
The funniest part is that he had no clue what I was talking about, so I had to remind him of his words of comfort to me. Then he smiled to himself and said, "hm, I'm pretty smart" and commented on how he was proud of me for remembering that and for recognizing the blessing and being grateful for it.
Because seriously, we can say things like that as much as we want, but unless we actually see and recognize the blessings that we do receive, no matter how small, or easily overlooked they may be; we're never going to show the gratitude that we should feel from being rewarded for making good choices. If I hadn't realized that good things came from not calling on Sunday, then the next time, maybe I would have thought that it wasn't worth it to wait.
And I know that it may seem like I'm blowing this into a way bigger deal than it is, but I'm trying to get back into mommy-teaching mode so that I can raise another happy, grateful little boy who takes 5 minutes to say his 'thank yous' then goes straight to "Jeese Chrise, men"
(Not to mention that I myself can always use another refresher course on gratitude!)

just another late night rambling

2008-07-24T01:16:00.002-07:00

It's 1:15 on a Thursday morning. I have a final in 11 hours. I have to call to have the truck towed to the shop in 7 hours. I really should be asleep right now. I had a full day, not only did I go all the way to the distribution center to get new garments for Dan and myself, I also drove to Ikea and went to the grocery store for fruit. For some reason I just can't get enough fruits right now. In the past two days I've eaten over half of a huge Costco package of cherries, and about a third of a huge Costco pack of strawberries. And today alone I've had 4 nectarines, a plum, an avocado, a Naked juice, a berry smoothie, and a couple hand fulls of cherries. I actually didn't even plan to go to the store today, but as I was driving past Sunflower farmer's market I had the uncontrollable urge to stop and stock up on all the delicious fruits inside. I guess that's a good thing. Devon only wanted chocolate, but Nate is more into the healthy stuff. Speaking of Nate, he's the reason I'm awake right now. For the past hour he has been kicking, and moving, and pushing from the inside out. He finally settled down a little, and I thought I would get to bed when he started moving again. Not a big movement, just enough to notice it. And rhythmic too. That's when I realized that he probably settled down for the night, but now he's got hiccups! So at the moment, I'm weighing the pros and cons of even trying to get to sleep since I know that in about 45 min I'm going to be up again anyway to go to the bathroom. Seriously, there were a lot of aspects of pregnancy that I did not remember until I was going through them again! I don't mean to complain though. I'm happy to be pregnant, and I can't wait to see Nate, and to be able to hold him in my arms and show him the world and all the wonderful things in it-well, maybe not all the wonderful things, stuff like swimming pools can definitely wait! I'm glad that Dan and I have the blessing to restart our family, it just hasn't felt right since Devon's been gone. And I can't wait to have another little one running around, seeing how much mischief he can get into. I'm just done with this whole pregnancy thing. It'll be nice when I can sleep through the night again instead of waking up every hour and a half, two hours to go to the bathroom, or to deal with a leg cramp. Even though I know I'll still be waking up every couple of hours with a newborn, at least it's not for an issue that causes me physical discomfort. I'm also looking forward to being able to see my own feet again. On any given day I couldn't tell you if I'm wearing my black shoes or my brown shoes unless I get really lucky and actually remember what I put on an hour ago, or if I'm sitting down with my legs in front of me. It will also be awesome when I can fit into my shoes. At the moment I fit exactly 2 pairs of shoes, one brown one black-and they're a full size bigger than the other shoes in my closet. I actually don't mind that I don't fit any of my regular clothes, my maternity stuff is super cute, and I love it. Some of the dresses I may even be able to wear when I'm not pregnant anymore. Although I will enjoy being able to wear pants/skirts/capris again. Nate does NOT like anything cutting into his "area" and when he's not happy, he usually finds a way to make sure that I know it.
I am also looking forward to not being a complete hormonal wreck all of the time. Tonight I got mad at the dog for sleeping under our bed (that is actually valid, she drags bones and stuff under and I hate to clean it up-and she snores and it's creepy in the middle of the night, and I got her her own little bed with her own little pillow that she only uses about half the time) Anyway, I got mad and chased her out from under our bed, telling her to sleep in her own bed. And I came out into the living room to get support from Dan, who by the way does not care at all where Princess sleeps, and told him that I had had enough of "that dog" and that he needed to deal with her. Long story short, Dan told me I was overreacting and that it wasn't a big deal where Princess sleeps-I ended up sobbing, accusing Dan of wishing he hadn't married me, yelling that it was too late because we're married, sealed, and having a baby and he should have thought about that sooner, and questioning how we were going to raise our children if he couldn't back me up on something this simple. I think I also pointed out that to get "that dog" out from under our bed I had to lie on my stomach and poke her with a broom handle. That turned into Dan caring more about "that dog" than me and the baby. And I think I also said something about the dog already trying to hurt the baby, so how were they going to interact once he's born, and asking if Dan was still going to take the dog's side. Because if it came down to it I was going to choose the baby over him and "that stupid dog" I would never admit it to him, but Dan is right, and I get kinda crazy over the stupidest things. For instance, when I was looking at cribs to try and figure out which one I want for Nate, I saw the picture for a convertible crib that was made up as the full sized headboard and rejected it. I liked the way it looked, and I loved the crib, but when I saw it as a full size bed I thought that it looked like the kind of furniture that would be in the room of a teen or young adult of questionable moral standings. And I told Dan that I didn't want my baby to be tempted to 'make bad choices' because of the crib that I picked out for him. I don't even remember why I thought that it was inappropriate as a headboard, but I spent the next few hours trying to engage Dan in a conversation about how we were going to raise our children so that they make good choices, and what we would do, and how we would still be supportive if they made bad choices. Dan was not as concerned. He just kept pointing out that Nate isn't even born yet, and in any case it's a crib and Nate won't still be using it into his teens. And that even if he is using it as a headboard in his teens, what kind of girl, no matter how loose her morals is going to want to entice our son to make bad choices in a crib? For anyone else, it would be the completely wrong thing to say, but somehow Dan diffuses my overreactions by putting his hands on my shoulders, looking me in the eye and saying "Honey, you're being crazy" I honestly don't know why that works; I think it may be because it makes me laugh and then I have a much harder time freaking out or being mad. I honestly don't understand how I ended up with such a great guy. He puts up with a lot from me, and he takes good care of me. Though it is kind of annoying when he sends me to bed-I may be sleepy and need the rest, but I don't necessarily want to be told to go to sleep! And no matter how ridiculous I'm being or how much I'm overreacting, or how upset I am, he knows how to settle me down, and how to make me laugh, and how to make me feel better. He's cute too. Today I was sewing in our room and he surprised me by bringing me a strawberry, topped with whipped cream. And he puts my sodas in the fridge so they're cold, then bring me one without being asked. He also makes me drink water because he knows how cranky I get when I don't. And sometimes when he thinks that I'm asleep, he leans over, kisses me on the forehead and whispers 'I love you'

Random Funnies

2008-07-23T20:43:00.003-07:00

I recently came across something that I just had to share with the world. A month or two ago, Dan and his brother Ryan were spending a LOT of time playing Mario Kart on the Wii. The following are real, actual quotes that in the heat of racing were shouted out in my living room. Some of Ryan's were really funny because he was trying to quickly substitute the expletives in his vocabulary-which I appreciate.

"That's the gayest gay I ever gayed"
"Strategically placed bull crap"
"Way to drift, no drift"
"pow em, Pow em, POW em good!!"
"You didn't stay crunchy in milk"
"I'm being gayed very badly right now"
"On the bridge is a great place to drop your banana"
"They're gaying me all over the place, man"
"You're a fool".."a delicious fool"..."he's got a point there"
"Just stay sexy, it's all you need to do"
"I'm a rocket man"

With the exception of "he's got a point there" (that was directed at me, because apparently I seemed to doubt that Ryan did in fact have a point about being a delicious fool), all these comments were made by brothers, addressing each other. Which is what makes 2 of the last 3 comments even funnier in my opinion

Now I know that I can't just tell funnies about Dan and let myself off the hook...that's just not nice. My funny involved a twist on the classic "my dog ate my homework" excuse. Tomorrow is the biology final, and all of our online activities and quizzes were due last night by midnight. So the professor had all of our pre-final scores available, and a bunch of people saw her after class to get their grades. So, in front of the crowd of students, I have to ask my question about my grade. You know that it's going to be rough when you start a conversation "I know this sounds stupid, but..." Last night while I was doing one of the chapter quizzes, my kitten ran across the keyboard and submitted it when I was only 4 questions in. I got a 16% on that one. After everyone finished laughing, and commenting on how that's an original one, the teacher agreed to use the grade from my second attempt on that one. I think the worst part about it was that after I said it was going to sound stupid, Dan stated loudly that it sounded stupid because it was stupid.

should I or shouldn't I?????

2008-07-19T21:24:00.004-07:00

here's my latest predicament...Ever since I've seen my sister's super cute and awesome bassinet that she has for Baby Lilly, I have changed my way of thinking. I used to think, what a waste-it's just an extra piece of furniture that takes up space and can only be used for a few months anyway. But seeing Lilly and her bassinet, I want one for Nate now. I see how useful it is for Suzanne, and how Lilly can nap, and Suzanne can wheel her from room to room. And I think I would like to have Nate have his very own little bed in our room so that I don't have to get up and walk all the way down the hall in the middle of the night. I've been browsing Craigslist because that's my newest obsession, and I found this:

Now, is this or is this not the cutest ever? I love that it's a gender based, but it's not overly little boyish. And it's cute and frilly without being over the top. The best part about it though is that it's only $45!

And now that I've seen it, I want it....I want it bad. My only problem is that I can't quite seem to talk myself into it yet. As you can see from my last post, I don't really have a lot of space in our bedroom, but I still want it. And, to get a little bed thingy that has walls so that the baby can sleep in bed with us safely would cost about $50, so this is really more econical. Not that I really need either. After all, Devon slept in bed with me without all that new-fangled, family bed safety stuff and he turned out just fine. Ok, let me rephrase that. He never had a problem or safety issue in that aspect.

I think that I will end up getting it, as long as no one else snatches it up before I get tired of trying to talk myself into it. I just need help convincing myself I guess.

A day in my life:

2008-07-19T12:49:00.016-07:00

I just know that everyone out there in Internet land is dying to know what, for me, makes an exciting Saturday. So I decided to post today's events.

1:30am-I realize that it's 1:30 in the morning, and the friendly people at Oasis Bedroom never called to tell me when they're coming.

2:00am-I realize that they're probably coming in the morning, before 11 and that I should get to sleep.

3:00am-I finally put down my latest cross stitch project and turn off the light.
3:30am-I finally turn off the tv and go to bed.

8:30am-I ignore the alarm going off until Dan gets up and shuts if off (it drives him way more crazy than me, so I can usually out wait him)

10:39am-the people from Oasis Bedroom call saying that since they can't get anyone to answer the door, they're leaving and want to know when I want to reschedule
10:40am-I am dressed and running to the door!

~~~~~from this point on, I have pictures to more vividly chronicle the remainder of the morning

As you can see, Dan and I had to quickly get everything off the floor while the guys were backing up their truck. And the bathroom area was the easiest to cram stuff into. Unfortunately for Princess, when I asked Dan to get the animals out of the way, he thought the bathroom would be a good place for her, so she was the last to be freed.

the kitties were a little luckier, they got the closet. But as you can see, Felix was already plotting her escape. For some reason, none of the animals like to be confined. The cats, for instance, love to get into my closet and bat at the ties on my dresses, or long skirts, or Dan's ties. But when we put them in, and shut the door, they cry like they've been beaten.**

**no kitties were beaten during this or any other process

As the kitties were crying, and contemplating escape, and Princess was waiting patiently for her own release, the burly, tough, and helpful Oasis Bedroom guys were setting up our awesome new furniture!

Before we knew it, our room was all put together (just ignore the stuff that's still in the bathroom area) and it was time to free the critters.

"Hey, I think I found a way out"

"Hurry, let's make a break for it. Here she comes again!!!!"

Both Felix and Snowball were much happier to be playing again, but Felix still kinda looks suspicious of me.

3:15pm-I turn to Dan and say "promise me"

"promise what?" "just promise" "tell me what" "PROMISE!" "OK, I promise" "YAY!!!! Let's go to the Temple" "that's what I promised?" "yup" "why wouldn't you just tell me? I would have said yes" "it's more fun this way"

At which point, Dan rolled his eyes at me, and started changing into nicer clothes.

3:30pm-off to McDonald's for our traditional pre-Temple snack (every time we've gone we've stopped McDonalds on the way)

3:45pm-Baptisms!!! (I had never done them before, and Dan hadn't done baptisms in about 7 years)

5:30pm-All done-with warm, fuzzy, happy feelings.

7:00pm-off to the game store to pick up a brand new board game because we're geeks like that and a wild night for us consists of snackies, Hogan's Heroes playing on the TV, playing board games till we're too tired to keep our eyes open. (Or at least until I'm too tired to keep my eyes open)

Memories

2008-07-16T19:08:00.001-07:00

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Baby stuff

2008-07-12T02:12:00.002-07:00

Dan and I are getting really excited about the baby, and we've been busy getting things ready for his arrival. Last week Danny actually braved his worst nightmare and came with me to Joann to pick out the fabric for Nate's bedding set. Let me just say, that was an adventure. Dan doesn't quite get the concept of matching fabrics (by color, pattern or even weight-trying to pair a light cotton print with a flannel). And he doesn't see the necessity of patterns. He seems to think they're mainly suggestions and can be easily altered or even ignored.
We've also been busy assembling our teddy bear pirate crew. So far we have bears, a dog, an elephant, a monkey, a frog and a lion. And Dan has been making rudimentary sketches for the wall mural. He's got a pirate ship, an island with a treasure chest and palm tree, a whale, a shark, a sea monster and who knows what else before all is said and done. I can't wait til we have a place of our own and can actually paint the nursery however we want to! In the mean time, we got some toy pirate ships and Pirates of the Caribean action figures to use as decorations in his room, and as toys when he's big enough to play with them.
The only thing is that Dan is starting to get kind of jealous because Nate's wardrobe dwarfs his own. He pointed that out as I brought home yet another stack of adorable outfits for Nate. Actually, Nate has more closet space than Dan, and he was using Dan's unused space on his side of the closet until that ran out, and now I'm trying to find another place to put Dan's clothes. That's when Dan drew the line and said no more.

running, but not getting too far

2008-07-11T22:50:00.002-07:00

I guess I just need to vent a little bit right now. I'm just getting so sick of Arizona. And the valley. It's always been home to me, and other than the 2 years I spent in Flagstaff, the farthest I have ever lived has been Alma School/Elliot in Chandler to Dobson/University in Mesa. So I've been here literally all my life. My 2 siblings, 5 of my cousins, my son, my niece and I were all born at the same hospital in Phoenix. This has always been my home and I've never been able to even contemplate leaving.
Until now...I'm just sick of it. I made an overly dramatic comment to Danny today and was laughed at for it. Not that I can really blame him...I said that it feels like Arizona is sucking out my soul. In hindsight, it really is a ridiculous thing to say...but that's how I was feeling today. I'm just so tired of living here. And maybe it's just me trying to run away, but I want to get out of here. I'm sick of turning on the radio and hearing about the pool fence give away and how you can nominate someone who needs a new pool fence. Or hearing a firefighter give the drowning statistics and plead with parents to "watch your kids around water." The worst radio ad is the one where the little girl talks about what she wants to be when she grows up. She sounds like a happy little girl, full of life and energy. Then a serious adult voice comes on and says "don't destroy her dreams, watch kids around water." I hate that one the most. It's like saying that parents who have suffered the loss of a child to a pool drowning have somehow deliberately set out to crush their child's dreams and ambitions. I mean, seriously, who comes up with this crap? Or the billboard with a smiling little boy sitting on a pool deck, being checked out by a paramedic with the caption that reads "we got lucky...this time."
And my dad knows that I've been looking into buying a house right now, so when the house on the corner of his cul-de-sac came up for sale, he let me know. It would be really cool to live there, it's just four doors down from his house so Nate could see Grandpa and Uncle Spencer all the time, and I grew up in that cul-de-sac (from age 7 to 18), and the last people who lived there added an RV gate and did some outside renovations that look really really cool. Plus, the inside is pretty nice too. But it has a pool in the backyard. And that's just not something I'm down with right now. I just feel like I need to get away. And I know, I've heard over and over again that after an emotionally traumatic life changing event you shouldn't make any big decisions for at least a year. It's been 15 months now and I still want to get away. The worst part is that I know that by next summer Nate will be at least somewhat mobile. He won't be able to unlock deadbolts or open pool gates like Devon could, but he will be able to get around on his own-at least to some extent. And I don't know that I can actually handle another summer here. I mean, it's bad enough that I see and hear all this crap right now. I just don't want to deal with it when I have a little baby too.
I just don't feel happy here anymore. It's great when I can get out of town, like going to Grandma's house, or visiting Dan's family in Illinois. When we were out in Illinois a couple of weeks ago I felt great. But it was like a weight came down on me as soon as we got off the plane in Phoenix.
Don't get me wrong, there's lots of good things about Phoenix. I know that if I left I would miss my Dad and Spencer. And especially Suzanne and baby Lilly. And I would be really disappointed not to be able to go to the Adams family campout every year. On the other hand, I'm tired of the Talahongva drama too. Mom and I still aren't talking, and I know that Florine would just as soon spit on me as say hello. Patty's cool, but not a really big part of my life. And today when I went to visit Suzanne, Sarah and Monica took off as soon as I got there. I haven't been out to the reservation since the funeral, and I really don't have much desire to. I guess I'm just feeling like there's not a whole lot holding me here anymore. It used to be home, the place I was familiar and comfortable, the place my whole family is, and I would never have dreamed of leaving or going too far away to be able to visit the reservation. I always said that I would never move out of state, or if I did, the farthest I would go would be one of the four corner states. But I want to get away. I don't know if I'm trying to run away, or just to start over.

Whew, what a week!

2008-07-11T12:51:00.002-07:00

And here I thought that I was going to have a relaxing, slowed down less hectic time now that I'm on leave, just sitting around, going to Biology, catching up on all the deep housecleaning and naps that I haven't had time for. Boy was I wrong!
As I said earlier, baby Lilly had to go back to the hospital for a fever and jaundice and what not. Well, she still isn't out yet because they found out that the cause of her fever was that she has a UTI and they wanted to keep her on antibiotics and under observation. So, we've been visiting Suzanne and Lilly a lot, and I've got to tell you that little girl is ADORABLE!!!!!
Also, Dan and I finally got rid of the horible medievil torture-like mattress that has been inflicting horrendous ammounts of pain and discomfort on us for the past year. And while we were at it, we got a whole new bedroom set! But it got help up in the shipping so we don't get it for another week. Wow, it's sad that the highlight of my week was my new mattress being delivered...that being said, we also have been moving a bunch of old Nana-furniture into storage to make room for our stuff that's coming in. So, Dan, the man in physical therapy for a weak back, and I-the pregnant one who isn't allowed to work right now-had to enlist lots of help. Cristi and Matt came over and helped, but it was Spencer who really saved the day. He's a trooper. He ended up staying the night and helping again the next day-after playing board games with Dan and me all night!
What with all that going on, and the kitties going back into the vet for another ear mite treatment, and deciding for some crazy reason that since I'm home now I can make the baby's crib bedding, I've decided that it would have been more relaxing had I stayed at Pepsi!

SOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-07-04T23:38:00.004-07:00

I haven't posted this yet for three main reasons.

1. I wanted to finish "the rest of the story"

2. Others needed an opportunity to be the first to say anything

3. it has been an insane, crazy, hectic week!

But the cool, exciting news is........

This is my niece, Lillian Eternity Serrano, at an impressive 3 days old. She was born at 8:20pm on Sunday, June 29th (hmmm, I know that day has some other significance....maybe Maylee can remind me) weighing in at 8lb, 3oz and measuring 21inches! My dorky sister didn't tell anyone she was even in labor until 8:30, at which point Dan and I raced to the hospital to see her. Isn't she precious????

She came home on Tuesday (again, I just got a text that afternoon saying btw, we came home this morning!) Ans she and her mommy were doing great!

The past few days have been a little less certain and more hectic though. Thursday morning as her parents were getting ready to take her to her first doctor appointment, she was running a fever. So I picked the little family up and took them in earlier than originally anticipated. The final diagnosis was dehydration (she was down a full pound!) and jaundice. So, she's been back in the hospital but she got a blessing, and lots of fluids, and lots of attention & love (all the nurses keep commenting on her, calling her a doll-not to mention Suzanne and Joe have been there talking to her, and using every opportunity to hold her and talk to her-also Dan and I have been in to see her everyday). Her Billie Ruben (jaundice) level went from 23 (yikes!) when she got there Thursday to just 9 as of Saturday morning, and Friday night she was back up to 8 pounds!

Right now we're all praying for a quick recovery so that Lilly can go home again with her mommy and daddy all happy, healthy and strong. Not that it would take much on the happy part. She doesn't even cry when they try to get blood samples, or cath her, she just doesn't like the goggles she has to wear in the incubator and tries to push them off!

The rest of the story

2008-06-30T18:16:00.003-07:00

Every one better hurry and read this because Dan may ask that I take it down later. This is the "rest of the story" that I alluded to in my last post.
So, we're getting ready to fly out Sunday afternoon. Dan's back was still hurting like the dickens from the intensive knot busting session of the night before. It was so bad he didn't even make it to church, which really upset him. He was given another vicoden which he obediently took, and "Silly Dan" was back again. I had packed and lugged our bags out to Dad's car when I decided once again to try to persuade Danny that we really did need one of the adorable little kittens to come home with us. I offered him a dollar if he said yes, then Mom offered him 5. That wasn't quite enough, but he whispered to me, asking if he could have $50. Because that's a lot of money. I said sure, why not and went in search of Felix.
For this next part, you have to understand that Dan is not a cat person. He's into dogs and has never actually had a cat before. That being said...as we were looking for Felix, he spotted the little white kitten and said he wanted that one. He named her Snowball and asked if he could bring her back too. Three bites and several scratches later (she was one of the least domesticated kitties-but he had to have her because she was his kitty and he loved her) I delivered her into the waiting arms of my overjoyed husband and continued my efforts to find Felix.
Snowball wriggled her way out of Dan's grasp and he almost cried. He was worried not only that he might have dropped and hurt her, but also that she didn't love him. Long story shot, Dad and I recaptured her, got Felix and put them both into a cat carrier that Mom found in the garage and headed to the airport.
Dad waited after dropping us off to make sure that the cats would be ok. We really weren't prepared to take them onto an airplane and didn't even know what the rules and regs were. "silly Dan" is very child-like and enjoys much more simple pleasures. He kept wanting to open the carrier and hold the kitties. So, as I explained to the ladies at the ticket window that the cats were only 7 weeks old and they were from the same litter, and that my husband was very attached to them, and they were his comfort item, "Silly Dan" was telling about how the kitties love him, and they're sisters and they're going to go on an airplane with us, and how he hoped they would like Princess, and Princess is our dog, and she's old, and since Mouse died last year she doesn't have any friends-just him, and me. The I asked if he could be a big helper and write our information on the luggage tag, and he was really excited to help. The ladies looked at me, and then at him, and then at each other, and told him that it was ok, and of course his kitties could go with him.
Our next adventure was security. Somehow Dan's driver's license was missing from his wallet, so he had to go through extra security. We got separated at that point, and I had to be the one to ask that they search his Temple bag privately, not in the middle of the airport. But he was happy because he got to hold the kitties and take them through the metal detector. Because, as he told the security lady, if the kitties went through the x-ray then their bones would show, and they might not like that. I got a sympathetic glance from her too. They took him into a private room to pat him down and search his bag, and it was taking forever. I finally had to leave him there because they were calling for final boarding for our flight. I have to say, the security lady was really nice. I told her what was going on and why I had to leave, and she told me exactly where the gate was and promised to send Dan on his way and tell him to hurry.
The guy at the gate wasn't so nice though. I got there just before they were closing the door, and told him that my husband was caught in security and he was about a minute and a half behind me. Fifteen seconds later, he said they couldn't wait any longer and if I wanted to get on that flight I would have to leave without him. At this point I was almost crying, and I was pleading with him to wait just one minute..the girl at the desk said that would be ok, but the guy started to close it up anyway. At that point I saw Dan walking contentedly down the hall and yelled at him to run, but the guy closed the door as I turned to tell him Dan was almost there. Danny got there like 10 seconds later, and the girl reopened the door and cooed over the kittens as Dan tried to regale her with the exciting story of their lives and our airport experiences. So we were able to get onto the l-shaped hallway between the building and the plane, and the guy was mad. He told us that we would have to run down to the plane because he didn't have all day. Mind you, I'm almost 6 months pregnant carrying 2 bags, and "Silly Dan" has the kitties, but zero sense of urgency. We did make it on the plane and I offered a silent prayer of thanksgiving as Dan showed the flight attendants his kitties.
When we finally landed in Phoenix, most of the effects were wearing off, and Dan was not so happy anymore. I think what upset him the most was when he asked what he had gotten out of it to let me have a kitten, and I told him that he had negotiated to take Snowball too.
"A cat?! You talked me into getting a cat by giving me a CAT!!!!???!!!"