Team Up With Me

Ask yourself these questions:

Are you dissatisfied with your current job? (or do you love your job, just not your income?)

Do you consider yourself money oriented, ambitious, persistent, loyal, or a hard worker?

Do you enjoy helping others?

Ok, that may sound a bit like a commercial, and I suppose it is in some way.  I am looking for people that fit in any one (or more) of these categories.  We are on the road to financial freedom, and we want to take you with us.  Join our team and learn how you can reach your goals, realize your dreams (seriously!) and help other people do the same.  I promise, it's not too good to be true!  Email me for details, because really I'd love to work with you! jennieadams922 at gmail.com

Also, if you don't think you fit, but know someone that might, send them my way!  I'd love to meet new people!

*I won't be turning my blog into a place to promote my business.  I just wanted to put this out there once, so if you follow/read for updates on my adorable child, no worries.  Mostly, I'll still just be posting about him and our lives with him.  Thanks for understanding.

A Blog Post

I really want to provide a meaningful post for y'all today...  But seriously, I'm kind of at a loss.  But here's some random stuff anyway.

My baby turned 6 months old.  Sometimes I hold him while he's sleeping and I just stare in wonder.  He has grown so much.  When he was born, he weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces, and he was 21 inches long.  He was squishy, like a little sack of flour.  He sat there like a bump on a log.  (And I was in love with him from the moment he was placed into my arms).  Now, he weighs in at 15 lbs, 10 oz. (not quite double his birth weight) and is 27 inches long.  He has a personality, and the only time he even remotely resembles a sack of flour is when he's sleeping in my arms and I'm staring at him... which is probably why I go into such a reflective state when I stare at him.

Last week, we started "solids."  I say "solids" because it's really a puree.  I made sweet potatoes for him first, in honor of Thanksgiving.  I think the first feeding went as well as could be expected.

Guys, I've got like 100 of these... but I'll spare you and stop here.

He's still mastering the "open your mouth to let the food in" thing... which is weird, because he really gets it when it comes to nursing.  I guess eating is a skill you have to learn, and I guess I should just be glad it isn't even close to as painful as him learning to nurse was... (aka, not painful at all)

Speaking of turkey day, I made this adorable shirt for Bennett... the night before Thanksgiving.  I know, I'm totally on top of things.

I don't know why, but that bow tie on the turkey doesn't show the right color... it's purple.  Also, it's pinned on, so if I happen to ever have a girl about this size at this time of year, I can just move the bow to the head... see?  I told you I'm totally on top of things.  :)

On a not related note, Steven and I started a business of sorts (maybe "entered a business" would be more accurate).  We're still figuring it out, but if I can get my tush in gear and work, it is going to be GREAT.  I really love the products we get to use, and I'm also excited about it because it has the potential to be the only income we need, thus giving us the freedom to do the things we want to, no matter how little money that gets us.  Ahhh... the dreams for the future...

Ugh... one more thing.  I have been feeling like crap lately... mostly I'm so tired I have no desire to get out of bed (and I wouldn't except for one very adorable face... see photos above).  I thought more than once I might be pregnant, but after that proved not the case, I started thinking about why the heck I could feel so crappy.  I decided to get my thyroid checked.  I should add that when I got home from my mission, I was told that I had hypothyroidism... and that I'd most likely have to take medication for the rest of my life.  I cried.  I was only 22!  I wasn't supposed to need medication to make my body work right!  It wasn't fair!!!  Then, a year later, and after I'd come to terms with the whole thing, we got a new nephew who was born with thyroid problems.  I felt a little silly about my situation... at least I got 22 years med free...

So, then when I got pregnant, the doctor watched my levels and adjusted my medication accordingly.  I never, ever, felt adverse effects from having this thyroid disease, I just took the medication because the tests showed I was lacking in the hormone.  My last prescription from my doctor still has 3 refills which will last me 6 more months, and that was when I was planning on visiting a lab to get my levels tested again.  Enter feeling really crappy.  I called the only doctor's office I'd been to since moving to Lehi (an OB/GYN), explained my situation, and asked for a lab order.  It was granted, and when the results came back, they called me and said that my levels were so (uh, high? low? I can never remember...) that the doctor wasn't comfortable touching it... basically they were like "uh, you better go see someone who actually knows what they're doing here" and gave me a referral.  Mystery solved!  Well, sort of... at least I know what's robbing my family of the dinners that I've planned out (if you thought I have felt like making dinner, you would be wrong).  And what's making it impossible for me to want to get anything done.  I haven't seen the doctor yet, so I still feel like I want to sleep all the time... but at least I know why.

That may have been a TMI for some... sorry about that if it was.  I'm just really excited to feel better because taking care of a baby when you don't feel well is super fun. 

Tags

My son is fascinated with tags.  He chews tags on everything and will tip himself over trying to grab a tag that's just beyond his reach.  I think lots of babies are like this, which is why someone invented those cute tag blankets that you can buy.  But seriously... I am not in a position to pay even $10 for a little blanket that has cute tags all around it.
What's a mom to do???  Well, my first thought was that I could make one.  (Actually, my first thought when I want or need just about anything is "I could make that")  I'd just have to go to a quilt shop and buy a bunch of "by the yard" ribbon, a little minkey, and be on my merry way.  Then I remembered that I really don't have any extra money right now (payday is so close...) and when I get a project in my head... well I kind of obsess over it until it's done (unless that project's name is 'quilt for my bed,' then I might drag my feet a little... but I have the fabric, so one day, it will be done...It's just so BIG).  In other words, I really wanted to do this NOW... he's obsessed with tags NOW... why can't we have some extra cash NOW?!
So, as I was trying to get my stinker to sleep tonight, I formulated a plan.  This project was taking over my mind, and I have other things to do, so I needed to get it done so I could think about other things.  (Like what I need to do for my new job to actually make money...)
I won't bore you with my whole thought process, but I'll show you some photos of the process... eventually.
First, I stole tags from various items of clothing.  Most of it was in my sewing bin, and the items are waiting for me to get creative with them, a couple of the tags came from t-shirts I had in my drawer (who reads tags anyway? I could have stole from every shirt in Steven's closet and he wouldn't have noticed... but I didn't need that many tags, and I digress...).
Then, I located a piece of fleece.  It was originally purchased (from the remnant bin) to make the inside of a knitted hat warm and soft (the yarn I used wasn't very soft or thick).  I used some more of it a few weeks ago for Steven's Lost Boy costume.  What I had left was the perfect size for what I wanted to do.
I had a little trouble figuring out what to pair with the blue fleece, but when I was cutting tags, I spotted a polo shirt that we bought at DI for Steven, but it ended up being too... tight? short?.. something... and it was in my "do something creative with me" pile.  It was perfect.  Light blue, with stripes.  And soft.
I also gathered some other fun-textured things: gold ric rac from last Christmas (stockings), elastic, ribbon... I wanted some variety.
Then I cut the 2 fabrics to the same size and got to pinning.  I'll let the pictures tell the rest:

 

This was a BEAST to sew... given a do-over, I would find a different way to do it that didn't include sewing over the button (placket?)

Haha, I left the pocket functional :) I think I'm very clever...

All done!

I decided to help hold the two pieces together in the middle, I'd add some fun buttons.  Don't worry, the anxiety mom in me came out and said I should probably be really careful about this and I sewed them on there GOOD.  And I'll probably let paranoid mom check the integrity of the button sewing job frequently, to make sure they aren't going to pop off and try to go down the baby's throat.

Guys, I was so excited when I was done, I almost wanted to go and wake up my sleeping son to see him play with it.  But, cried himself to sleep tonight... that's how hard it was to get him to sleep (I can almost never let him do that, it's just too sad for me... except when I've tried everything else).  Plus, waking a sleeping baby (that's not in danger) is, like, 100 kinds of stupid, I'm pretty sure.  So, tomorrow will be like Christmas... I'm just not sure for who. ;)

Halloween

Bragging time.  I'm not gonna lie, that's all this post is going to be.

So, rewind to... well kind of to last October, when I knew I was pregnant and almost wanted to announce earlier than planned just to have a super cute Halloween costume.  Instead, last year was kind of a flop.  Guess that's what happens when you think about costumes, like, the day of Halloween.  I was ashamed to call myself a lover of the holiday last year, but I digress... I began thinking immediately of cute family costumes we could do for this year.  Yeah, I plan that far ahead (you're talking to a girl who bought a temple dress with an empire waist and extra room in front to accommodate a large pregnant belly... and I wasn't even dating anyone! p.s. that dress TOTALLY worked up until the last time we went to the temple about a week before he was born... it was a smidge tight that time).  I had SO MANY ideas.  We didn't know if we were getting a boy or a girl, so I had several for either situation.

Then, I guess we need to fast forward to... uh, July?  I started seriously thinking about Halloween again.  I had narrowed my list of possibilities to something like 4 ideas.  I presented them to Steven, and we decided that the most fun would be the Football, Football Player, and Cheerleader.  I was kind of leaning toward that one because when I was in Jr. High, I kinda really wanted to be able to be a cheerleader.  But I lacked both skill and money (cheer is not a cheap sport... is there a cheap sport?)  Plus, turning my baby into a football was going to be SUPER easy.

I had the skirt down, All I had to do was make a box pleated skirt with blue on the outside and white on the inside (thank you internet for teaching me how to do this).  I finished it, and I was pretty much in love.  The top wasn't too difficult either, but it was a little intimidating until I figured out just how I wanted it.  AND until I found the perfect sparkly tank to use as the bottom.  I think I grinned to myself like a fool the whole way home from the store that day.  *There was a slight tragedy.  My "A" started peeling off after the first time I fed Bennett with the costume on, so I tried to use my mom's iron to stick it back on, and it melted the shirt a little.  I seriously wanted to cry, but I had already done my makeup and there was no way I wanted that much mascara running down my face.  It's not really noticeable, but the worst part is that I had several promptings to sew the thing on rather than just rely on the spray adhesive, but I brushed them off... lesson learned, I hope.*

 I sewed the "laces" onto the onesie that I had dyed brown (before I even had the baby? like back in April, I think... and I think I did it to make this, but just for going to football games... which ended up not happening this year)  Added a white long sleeve onesie underneath, and whipped up some of those cute baby leggings.  Done.

Enter football jersey.  We thought, "hey, let's just for fun check locker 42's website and see how much a replica jersey would be."  Enter choking sounds, and sudden turning of wheels in my head trying to figure out how not to spend $90 on my husbands Halloween costume.  I honestly don't know how many times I thought I had bitten off more than I could chew with this one, but it turned out fabulous!  I am SO proud of myself.  I bought 2 $9 shirts from Walmart for the fabric (a search at Joann's was fruitless, I tell you), and some $10 spray adhesive.  Made up *rough* a pattern by cutting up an old t-shirt into the shapes I needed... and voila! $30 Halloween costume.  *Bonus: The jersey at Locker 42 just said "16" on the back... Steven's says "Stoddard" and "1" on the back.  Much cooler. (If you're dying to know what it looks like, you can see here)

I ended up making my pom poms out of a white plastic tablecloth and some totally awesome ribbon.  Total: <$2.

Ok, so all of this was very awesome.  I was super excited for it.  But then, I found out that our ward might be actually some other religion that doesn't celebrate Halloween because there was NO ward party.  Not even a trunk or treat.  Boo.  (not like a ghost says, like what you say to a stupid ref...)  I was NOT going to waste all my hard work on nothing to do for Halloween.  Enter my wonderful mother who happened to mention her ward party.  YAY!  Somewhere to go and show off the costumes.  It only meant I had to have them done by the 26th instead of the 31st, but remember how I started in July?  Yeah, not even a problem.  We had fun, the only hitch: a very tired baby and we had to leave earlier than I wanted to.  PLUS on the actual holiday, we got to go trick or treating at Steven's {very awesome} work.  It was warm, and we escaped with way more candy than we should have.  I love candy.

It's hard to get a baby to look at a camera that isn't doing anything remotely interesting... and is 15 feet away from him... we may need to get a photographer for this kind of shot...

A week or so before Halloween, Steven dropped a bomb.  "There's a 'by team' costume contest at work."  Me: slowly "ok."  Him: "Our team's theme is Neverland."  Me: *breathes deeply* "ok"  Him: "I have to be a lost boy."  Me: -_-

How much stinking time did I just spend on this very awesome football jersey?!  Ugh.  But he assured me that we could still go as our family thing at the trick or treating (we did, *happy face*).  I didn't really think anything else of it, since I was focusing on the costumes I'd been planning for months.  Enter October 30th, 8 pm.  I find my cute husband in the closet trying to figure out what to wear to be a lost boy.  I decided to help him out.  We came up with something pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.  And his coworkers thought it was awesome, so... basically, it's awesome.

My Lost Boy

Who would have thought it would be my husband that needed 2 costumes?  Usually it's a kid.  And usually, it's a want, not a need...

Anyway, you can bet the wheels are already turning for next year.  I've got some ideas, but I have no clue what we'll end up with.  *Sigh* maybe I'm a little obsessed.


****Side note from Steven****
I just have to say that Jennie is amazing and I don't know how I would do anything without her to help me. The lost boy costume turned out great, and the thing she did not mention was that we WON the group contest at work. I figure you would all like to see the picture as just me you can't tell how awesome we were.

New Friends!

I originally opened this new post to start a post that I will be publishing sometime in the future... but then I remembered that I wanted to write about my new friend that I made today!
First, I have a few confessions:
I am SO lonely.  I absolutely adore my husband and my son, but I feel extremely isolated.  I couldn't figure out why.  I still don't really know, but I'm getting an idea...
Maybe I like feeling lonely?  I don't know, but I have fed into that feeling, and just end up whining about it like all the time. 

So, last Sunday, at our 1 pm meeting (I am super excited for January, because anything is better than 1 pm... except for 1:30 pm... but our building doesn't have a ward at 1:30)  Anyway, I digress...
Bennett was getting very tired, like babies do after being awake for more than 2 hours.  So, like a good member, I stuck out sacrament meeting until I got the sacrament, but then I left to walk the halls with my little cutie.  (Side note: Steven always offers, but since we teach primary and I can't leave the class with him, he gets to take the baby during the lesson, therefore, I get him before...)  My plan was to get my kid to sleep.  I could see it in his adorable little face that he was so tired.  Possibly overtired (which is not cool).  He had other ideas though, and any time I tried to sit and rock him, he just squirmed and grunted.  So, walk I did.  I happened upon a cute little guy in one of the foyers.  He looked bigger than Bennett, and I knew immediately that he was older because he was army crawling towards me.  I did the natural thing to do when a baby is looking at you: I talked to him.  His mom appeared (really not that long after he did, he was being watched, I promise).  And we started to chat.  She told me that my baby was cute (mommy-pride moment... I know my kid is cute, and I just love it when other people tell me he is.  It boosts my confidence that I make cute babies, haha).  It didn't take long to figure out that we lived in the same apartment complex, and that she has lived in the ward less time than we have.
Long story short: Bennett didn't get to sleep, but I found out where my new friend lived.  (Baby slept later, during sharing time...)
Fast forward to Wednesday night.  Relief Society Activity.  yay.  I used to love going to those things.  I've gone to every one that they've had since we moved in, but I just don't feel like I fit in.
Now, here, I have to stop and tell you about a conversation I had with Steven a few days ago.  We were discussing possible reasons why church was so different here.  And this was the conclusion we came to:  When we moved into the married student ward, we were welcomed warmly.  We had instant friends (besides the ones we already knew).  It was like we were adopted into this huge, fun family that loved us without knowing us and they got us.  I have to stress that our welcome to Lehi was not cold by any means.  Our first Sunday, we arrived pretty early and every member of the bishopric introduced themselves to us and chatted with us for several minutes.  At that point, I was feeling pretty good about the new ward.  But it kind of stopped there.  A few more people have made an effort to get to know us, but not many.  And it really doesn't help that we got called to primary right after we moved in.  But overall, the people in Lehi aren't very different than those we knew in Logan.
There is one difference though.  And we think that it's why our experience has been what it has.  It is this:  Married student wards are fluid, transient, and, generally, are not the same from week to week.  Family wards are stagnant, stable, unchanging (for the most part).  The difference is that the people in our Logan ward had A LOT more practice welcoming people in.  We're talking it's the only thing they do every week.  We don't think that the people here are any less kind, generous, loving, welcoming, or caring.  They are very much all of these things.  They just don't have the practice that is the natural result of living in a ward that is literally getting several new people every week.
Ok, back to my story...
I decided to go to the activity.  After all, how can I expect to meet people if I sit at home every day?  Also, sitting at home gets very boring.  I kinda hoped my new mommy friend would be there, but I was not surprised she wasn't.  It was a toenail painting party (it had a pretty cute spiritual message with it about testimony too).  I do know a few women.. haha, the primary presidency mostly... and they were there.  But basically, I didn't have a great time.  I had Bennett so Steven could work on homework while I was gone, and he was, shall we say, less than thrilled I wasn't holding him (or putting him to bed...).  A very nice lady tried to help by holding him.  I let her, but I knew the baby was just going to scream... which he did.  Anyway, I left the activity feeling worse than when I went.  Is that how it's supposed to go?  No.
I knew that something needed to change, and that that something wasn't going to be the women in our ward (I'm pretty sure they don't really need to change).  Singing my baby to sleep, I ran out of lullabies, so I started on children's hymns (honestly, I love to sing them as lullabies... my kid's going to know them before he ever gets to primary, and that makes me happy).  I was singing I am a Child of God and in the third verse it says "if I but learn to do his will..." and I just prayed silently "what is that?"  The answer came almost before I was done thinking the question and it was that I needed to go and visit my new friend.
It took almost all day because I had to have built-up courage and a happy baby at the same time.  It happened though, and this afternoon, Bennett and I left to check the mail and visit my new friend.  I was feeling confident until I got to the bottom of her stairs and looked up and saw her door.  I had absolutely no reason to knock on her door, except that I felt like I should.  No cookies (or other baked goods).  Nothing.  But I did it.  And she let us in, and we talked for about 45 minutes.  When I got up to leave, she asked for my phone number.  And then she said something that really confirmed that I was supposed to go over there today.  "I was thinking about it yesterday, and was like, 'can I go over there?' but I wasn't sure, and I didn't have your number, so I didn't." (side note: kinda glad she didn't since I'm pretty sure a tornado went through my home, and I really need to clean up after it...)
Somehow, I need to remember my "welcoming" skills, or I guess you could call them "friend making" skills.  It is totally up to me to cure this loneliness.  I can't sit like a hermit in my apartment and expect to feel better about my social life.  That would maybe be defined as insanity.
So, today, I am ending the day in higher spirits than I have in a long time.  And maybe this place isn't so bad after all.

p.s. I know that most of you have forgotten the passing reference I made to a future post at the beginning.  But some have most surely not.  No, I'm not pregnant.  And no, it's not some other big announcement.  Just a thought in progress (and I probably should have jotted it down because at this moment, I can't remember what it was...)

Family Home Evening

So, we've decided we really need to get our rears in gear and start doing family home evening consistently.  I kind of feel like October and April are my "New Year's" because of General Conference.  When I'm listening/watching, I'm mentally making a list of resolutions.  This time, having FHE, and studying all the talks from this conference were among the things that made the list.
I decided to kill 2 birds with one stone (sort of), and made an FHE schedule.  It required we start on the Monday right after conference, and we didn't, so today we discussed 2 talks.  The idea is that during the week, Steven and I independently study the talk of the week, then on Monday night, we will take turns leading a discussion about said talk.  I am really excited for the next six months.  I have always wanted to go through and study all of the talks from conference, but I've never made a plan.  Now, we have a plan.  And I think that we will find it is much easier to accomplish this goal with a plan!
Today, we talked about Elder Hales' talk and Elder Soares' talk.  LOVED them both.  Elder Hale's talk was just the perfect way to kick off our conference study because it was about conference.  I loved this line from it:

It created in me yet another resolution, and that is to share the gospel through social media.  I just think that there is so much *yuck* out there, that it needs to be countered.  I will be keeping my twitter account, and I will be using it to share spiritual thoughts. (I suppose you could follow me... but I don't remember exactly my twitter name that I ended up with. I'll get back to you on that... *ahem* @PinkGlitter922 hehe, I love pink and I love glitter)

Elder Soares' talk got me going on a distracted (but very good) study tangent. I ended up in Preach My Gospel looking at Christlike Attributes.  It's amazing how much differently my days are if I take the time to study the gospel.  

SO, we're off to a great start!  I know it won't always be easy, but my hope is to establish a routine in our home that will make it a place that is more conducive to having the spirit here.

October Updates

General Conference.

This time around went wwwaaayyy too fast!  We just stayed home, because, seriously… wrestling my baby anywhere else sounded like soooo much FUN!  We may try going to temple square for April, but that’s, like, 6 months away, so I’m not really planning it yet.

I really enjoyed the talks.  I also joined twitter on Saturday.  I’m still trying to decide if that was a mistake or not… anyway, I really liked reading the tweets during the sessions.  Someone said it was like conference cliff notes.  I thought that was clever. I think I might dedicate another post entirely to General Conference once they have them so I can read them (or maybe just after I listen to the talks again… which in all honesty will probably be after they’re available in print…)

A favorite quote from conference.

My FOUR month old!

I swear, the time is just flying.  He’s actually like 4 ½ months old now…

-He STILL hasn’t rolled over again.  Maybe he thought I was disapproving when I asked what he was doing that first time… I’m ok with him not rolling over yet, but I know it is close, so basically I turn on a video camera every time I put him on his tummy (I really want to catch it!) (Maybe that’s the problem?! He’s camera-shy?)

-He sits.  Sort of.  If I put him on the floor and position his feet good, he can balance for about 10 seconds.  (I really thought rolling came before sitting?)  Anyway, he loves to be upright so he can see everything going on (which is SO much at our house during the day… not).  I put him in his Bumbo seat, but I can’t put him there right after he eats, or else… well, basically I have to feed him again.  Something about the way he leans over the side (silly kid) puts pressure on his belly just the right way, and, well he turns into a volcano.  Super fun, I know.

-He loves being outside.  Seriously, he can be screaming, inconsolable, and teary eyed, and I will take him outside and it’s like… magic.  I took him for a walk in the stroller the other day… he made not one peep.  Just content to look around.  Same thing today when we went to temple square.  Silent.  I can’t even get him to crack a smile (which I think is weird… if he likes it so much, why won’t he smile when we’re there??)

-WE HAVE A BEDTIME ROUTINE!  Now, this may not seem like a big deal, but it is.  We have a routine and he knows it.  When we get to the end, his eyes droop.  I’m a believer.  ALSO, I don’t get screamed at (like I’m slitting his throat) when it’s time for a nap (most of the time).  It seems the ease of sleep has evened out: you see, a few weeks ago, bedtime was like a cake walk, but naps were walking on hot coals.  Now, bedtime isn’t quite as easy, but naptime is SO much easier.  Our current problem is waking during the night (not usually to eat, just to… cry?) and he cannot self soothe.  *deep breath* we’re working on teaching all of these sleep things, but it takes time and patience (especially since I cannot just let him “cry it out” that’s just not for me)… And the ability to take it one day at a time.

-We finally bought size 2 diapers yesterday.  Begrudgingly.  At his 4 month checkup (which went WAY better than the 2 month, by the way) he was 13 lbs 14 oz.  Size one supposedly goes up to 14 lbs.  I was like, “One more box of 1’s?  Please?”  But we got on the scale and weighed him (you know, weigh yourself, and then weigh yourself with the kid…) before we went to the store… Little stinker gained a whole pound.  I relented and bought 2’s.  Here’s my beef: I pay the same amount, yet I get like 30 less diapers.  I wanted to keep his little bottom… well, little, for a while.  It’s cheaper.  I have to say though, every time I change his diaper now (still finishing off the 1’s) I feel like we made the right choice… they might be getting a little tight…

-My kid dances.  It’s hilarious.  He’ll lay on his back and kick his legs and move his hips and arms.  Sometimes to a beat (if there is one… mostly he’s dancing to the silence).  And with a big smile on his face.  He also sometimes dances if I’m holding him in a standing position.  It’s a great bicep workout. ;)

-The strap of the binky was made for chewing.  Duh.  As was every part of the binky that is not the silicone nipple…

-He greets me with the most adorable grins in the mornings.  Seriously, if I ever woke up grumpy (which I don’t… guess I just like mornings), I would not be grumpy anymore when I saw his sweet face.  It would be impossible.

-I don’t have to feed him at church (most weeks) anymore!  Hallelujah!

-Pediatrician says I can start solids.  I say I can wait to add the stress to my life.  He doesn’t need them yet, and I’m not ready to give them yet.  Period.

-Some of my favorite clothes are getting too small.  And by too small, I mean too short.  My child is in the 83rd percentile for height, but only the 16^th for weight.  He is tall and skinny.  Everything still fits great around him.  It’s just that up and down him is getting a little stretched thin…  *sigh* he’s going to be one of *those* kids… you know the ones that can’t find anything tall enough that is also small enough around…  I guess I better get practicing on my sewing machine.

I just love him.  I feel so incredibly blessed that I get to be his mom, and that I get to stay home with him.  I know some are not blessed with that luxury.

At the park, first time on the swing.

"Mom, give me that phone! I want to eat it!"

Omnomom...

Primary

I'm still struggling a little with this.  But I do love our kids.  Maybe there's something in conference for me about this...

Postpartum

That word has always had a gross annotation for me, not sure why… anyway, I just want to say that I thought that my super sniffer would, you know, go away, once I wasn’t pregnant anymore… NOPE!  I can definitely still smell incredibly well.  Awesome, right?  Yeah, except for when the neighbor kids decided it would be fun to play… in the dumpster??? They must have stirred it up good cause when we got home from Temple Square today, it smelled like… garbage.  What really is awesome is that I can tell if my son has a poopy diaper without being very close to him.  (Strange, the things we find awesome when we become parents, no?)  Also, my hair has gone completely wacko.  First, it *almost* all fell out (ok, ok, I exaggerate... slightly), now it's growing back in... my hair line looks like I shaved it, and now it's growing back in...  Good thing I got bangs to cover it up.  And then, something I wished for actually came true!  It's growing blonde again!  But I have this weird stripe of dark between when I dyed it last, and when I had Bennett.  It's so odd...

You can kind of see it here.

Christmas

I know it might be a bit early to be saying that word… but I do an ornament exchange with my Sisters/Mother-in-Law around Thanksgiving.  Any ideas for homemade, inexpensive Christmas tree ornaments would be welcome.  I have a pinterest board with ideas, but if you have a stellar one (or even just a good one) let me know! 

I also need to start thinking about making Bennett's stocking...

Halloween

Seems like the more appropriate topic.  But I don’t have much to say except I’M SUPER EXCITED FOR IT!  I’m working on our costumes, and don’t even worry about it, there will be an entire post on them… be excited with me, it’s ok.   (Remember 2 years ago?  It’ll be almost this awesome… since I have no idea how I’d beat actually being mistaken for the thing I dressed up as…and almost not winning the costume contest because of it)

Hmm… I think that’s enough updates for now.  I was recently made aware of an extraordinary idea to make a time machine to do things you want but still get the sleep you need… and since that hasn’t been invented yet, I should probably go to bed so I’m not tempted to ignore the baby’s cries when he wakes up in the night morning…

Tender Mercies

My aunt connected me with this article.  I cried.  Every day, Steven tells me that I "do so much" and I usually just feel like all I did that day was battle my baby to sleep, and I am SO exhausted.  But this article buoyed me up a little.  My very favorite part of the article was the last statement:

"Take a deep, slow breath. Close your eyes and measure your day not as tasks, but as feelings, as sounds, as colors. Exhaustion is part of it. And it’s true, you will get “nothing” done. But the hard parts will fade. The intense, burning love is what remains, and it is yours to keep forever."

If there are any other new (or not so new) mommas out there that feel like I have for the last 3 months, read the article.  And cry with no shame. :)

Well, I took the plunge!

I made my own laundry soap, that is.  It was easy.  Well, not "buy pre-made" easy, but it certainly wasn't difficult.  It took me about a half an hour (and I think that's just because I grated the soap and then ground it up to powder...), and now I have soap for... well, honestly, probably at least a year.  We'll see.
I wish I had some good advice to give anyone who is considering doing this, but I'm not really sure I do.  Maybe after I've used it for a while I will have some words of wisdom for you all.  I do believe that it will save me money (though I'm not sure how much... I should figure that out.)  The one thing I would say to someone thinking about making your own laundry soap is this:  Call a grocery store bakery (I called Smith's) and ask if they have any frosting buckets.  A lot of the blogs that I read about homemade laundry soap said that they bought a large container to put it in, but the 2 gallon frosting bucket from the Smith's Bakery was big enough (barely...).  And it was FREE!  And I don't know about any of you, but if I'm out to save money, I don't want to be spending money on things that I can get for nothing.  Call me crazy.
Anyway, I'll probably give an update/review of the laundry soap sometime in the coming months (weeks? I don't know).  In the mean time, if anyone who lives around here wants to try using some without "taking the plunge" I'll be happy to let you sample it to see if you like it.

I've Learned...

Being a mom is hard.  I knew that, but I don't think you can really know that unless you've actually tried it.  Being a mom is also very rewarding.  I also knew that, but as with the hard thing, I don't think you can know that for real unless you've been there.

I've realized recently that my baby is just... well, growing.  Much to my dismay.  Just kidding.  Sort of.  I look back at pictures taken when he was only days or weeks old, and I marvel at how much he's grown since then.  Putting away baby clothes is so sad!  (I actually saw an outfit at Kohls that is the same as one I had for him as a newborn, but bigger... I almost bought it so I could pretend...)  He is (well was at his 2 month check-up) in the 95th percentile for height.  My kid is tall.  Putting him in "3 month" pajamas is not possible.  He's wearing pj's that are size 6 months.  He looks way more comfy, but... He's just so TALL!

I figured out this morning that he doesn't like being swaddled anymore.  I should have taken a hint when he would SCREAM whenever I would try to get him to sleep.  I think we were both frustrated.  I would just sit there in the chair and let him cry it out, until finally he was apparently too exhausted to care whether his arms and legs (well usually just legs... he's good at getting his arms out) were immobile.  He would whimper until he was finally out, and I'd put him down.  This morning, I realized that he was kicking in his bed until the blanket was off his feet.  And then he sprawled.  It was pretty funny.  And a light bulb went off in my head.  Maybe I should try not wrapping him up at all.  (which made me sad because I FINALLY found some blankets I felt I could wrap him in without him cooking...) Well, I did.  I just held him horizontal in my arms, put his blanket next to his face, and it was like magic.  Seriously.  He was asleep in seconds.  I didn't even have time to get up and take him to his bed so he could fall asleep there.  I sat there in shock, just staring at him and feeling really bad about all those times we sat there just being frustrated with each other.  I can only hope that next time I need to learn something, it's not so long before I figure it out.  Life will be much happier if it isn't.

My mom gave us a bumbo seat.  I love it.  He likes to sit up, but if I'm being honest, there are things I should  be doing during the day, and I can't just sit and hold him upright all day (as much as I'd really love that... anyone know why the cleaning fairies haven't made it to my house???).  He lets me know when he's sick of it too... and it's pretty hilarious.  He just yells.  And if I go up to him and talk to him, he sometimes stops, but sometimes he just looks at me and keeps yelling until I pick him up.

Bennett is pretty consistent with sleeping through the night (unless, of course, I'm not consistent with putting him to bed when I should.  Interesting how if he is up too late, he gets up more during the night...).  I just need to get good at going to bed when he does so I can fully benefit from his 8 hour bouts of sleeping.  So far, I get about 6...  He's also pretty consistently eating about every 3 hours.  Sometimes, I really wish it was 4, but then I remember that at least he's not at 2 anymore!  Happy day: we have some semblance of a routine now!

I haven't really witnessed a laugh yet, but I can tell he's close.  Sometimes when I talk to him, he gets a big grin on his face and makes a sound.  I feel so incredibly blessed that I get to be home with him all day so I'll most likely be there when he gives us his first belly laugh.

He rolled over from his belly to his back.  Once.  Usually, when I do tummy time, I get down on the floor and talk to him so he has something to do while he's looking at the floor.  Well, on Friday last week, I laid him down and just as I got down to his level, he pushed himself over to his back.  All I could say was, "what are you doing?!"  We've since tried to get him to do it again, but he won't.  It all leads me to believe it was an accident and he just fell...

I decided several months ago to omit the phrase "I can't wait until..." from my vocabulary.  The reality is that I really can wait, and if I'm so focused on what I "can't wait" for, I'll miss what's going on right now.  This has been kind of hard, and I slip up every now and then, but I always catch myself.  I rephrase with "I'm excited for when..." I feel like being excited for something is not going to make me lose sight of what's in front of me.  I am so glad I made this decision before I had a baby.  Otherwise I might have wished away my sweet midnight cuddles, the long sleepy sessions, the newborn size clothes, and my swaddled burrito baby.  I'd also be wishing away a lot of things that I love right now.  Life is like a locomotive right now, going at full speed.  I am just trying to savor everything that I have right now, remember things that have passed, and just let the future come when it will.

Updates!

I figure that now my kid is 3 months old, I can write a blog post…

The last three months have been kind of crazy.  Well, the beginning of three months ago was crazy.  I had a baby, Steven got a new job, and we moved 2 hours away all in 3 weeks.  Yikes… Word to the wise, if you can help it, don’t move with a new baby.  Seriously.  I felt completely useless in the moving process since I was still recovering from childbirth, I couldn't really do anything but say, “Uh, you can put that in that box…” and take care of my baby. 

So, we moved to Lehi… but we went back to Logan for the next two Sundays because… we just couldn't pull ourselves away (and we wanted to bless Bennett in our ward there.)  I still miss Logan, but I try not to think about it since there isn't much we can do about that right now.

I think we had gone to our new ward in Lehi about 3 times when we got a phone call… and a calling.  Primary teachers.  I have never in my life had reservations about accepting a calling before this one.  When I was 16 I was the youth camp director, when I went to college, I was a librarian and a visiting teaching supervisor, and when we were in the married student ward, I was the “ward writer.”  None of these caused me to feel like I didn't want to accept.  And honestly, I don’t think I ever thought it would be hard to accept any calling, let alone one involving children!  We have been teaching for 5 weeks now, and I’m still exercising faith to figure out why we were put there.  I have to say though, it is nice to spend the whole day at church with my hubby.  :)

            
Steven LOVES his job.  He never comes home upset, and whenever people ask him how he likes it, I can just tell how much happier he is there than he was at his last one.  It also provides us a little more income, which I guess is good since we have this little person that is expensive… did you know that they’re expensive?  (I hear it only gets worse… yikes!)

            
Every day I am in awe at my little man.  I have to look at pictures to actually realize how big he’s getting.  I used to really wish it would stop, that I could keep him tiny forever… but I’m actually excited every day to see him grow.  That’s not to say I can’t wait, I've just stopped wishing he wouldn't grow anymore.  I found it was just adding to my sadness about not being in Logan anymore, and it’s hard to function sad… so I decided that I’d take each day and love what it brought.

            
I need to make an appointment for my kid’s 4 month check-up and… shots.  But I just don’t know if I want to go back to the place that I went to for his 2 month check-up.  They didn't give me the choice to hold him or not, and he was just lying on the table when the nurse poked his cute chubby legs 3 times.  I was looking into his eyes and I will never forget the look on his face.  I think it maybe scarred me a little, and I just want to hold my baby while he gets his shots.  I plan on calling the office to find out if they give the option of holding your child when they get their shots, if not, I’ll be in the market for a new pediatrician (and to be honest, I wasn't all that impressed with the one I chose anyway…)

            
Welp, there’s your random, but far overdue, update!

Baby Bennett

So, this post was promised to at least one person... And now that my baby is 5 weeks old, I guess I can get around to putting it up.
This is how it all went down the day our lives changed forever and my capacity to love grew exponentially.
(It's kind of long, I wrote it while I was still in the hospital so I wouldn't forget details...)

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I woke up at about 1:40 am on Saturday May 25th with contractions that felt like cramps (rather than the ones I had been feeling that were just tightness).  I stayed awake to time them for an hour with this really nifty app that we bought- The Contraction Master.  They didn’t really change in intensity, and I was really tired, so I went back to sleep at 2:40 and slept through two hours of the same contractions.

                I know I had contractions during that time because I dreamt that I went to the hospital with contractions—without Steven.  I rode with some random nurse lady.  When they decided that I was in labor, they decided to let me call my husband and he could come.  It took forever to get a hold of him as it was the middle of the night and his phone was on silent.  He finally answered and I felt so bad for leaving him like that.  That’s when I woke up.  It was weird and I was like, “um, I think I’ll be asking my husband to be the one to take me to the hospital…”

                We had planned to go to Lehi on that day to finalize the apartment application processes (well, start it AND finish it).  I woke Steven up around 4:30 (I just couldn’t sleep anymore) and told him that I didn’t think we were going to Lehi that day.  In reality, I could have suffered through a drive all the way down there, but I am extremely glad we didn’t try to go.  The contractions were getting stronger than they had been at first.

                At about 5, I couldn’t stay in bed any longer.  Like many previous mornings, I had a neck ache and I just wanted to get up.  So I got up and took my thyroid medicine because I was STARVING and I took a shower.  When we were ready, and after I had a bowl of cereal, Steven and I decided to go for a walk.  (I also called my mom about 7 and let her know to be on standby.  I wanted her at the hospital when this baby got here.)  We had a buy one get one free at Jamba Juice, and I REALLY wanted one, so that’s the direction we headed.  We made it to Jamba and back in one piece (that’s about 7 blocks each way-quite the walk!)  I had a couple of really strong contractions on the way back and I had to stop walking.  They were still quite regular at this time, but they weren’t really getting much more intense.

                When we got home, I was so exhausted.  So, after a few minutes of computer time, I went and laid down.  I slept for 2 hours and I don’t think I had very many contractions during that time, but I may have and just been so tired I didn’t feel them.  I woke up about 11.  The contractions seemed to have lowered in intensity and become farther apart.  I wondered if we were really going to have a baby today.  Logically, I knew that I wasn’t going to be pregnant forever, but my body just felt so huge and uncomfortable, and I sort of wondered if I would just be pregnant forever. 

                Since we couldn’t make it to Lehi on our own, we transferred the money to my parents account and asked them to buy a money order and take it to the apartment so that we could at least reserve the one that was available.  Then we filled out the applications and got a cashier’s check to pay the application fee and put that in the mail so that they would have our deposit (from my dad taking it to them) and by Tuesday they’d have the application.  When we were done at the post office (I really hope that one stamp was enough for that!) we went to the hospital.  It was about 3:30 pm and I was praying we didn’t get sent home.  The contractions had come back and were painful and I just wanted to get it over with (and meet my baby!). 

                When we got all checked into the hospital, they checked me and I was at a 3.  Yay, since on Monday at the Dr. office I was only a 1 (still…)!  They told me that the protocol was to wait an hour and check again and call the doctor on call and ask what they wanted me to do.  After an hour, the contractions had not intensified, but they were generally about 5 minutes apart.  And I was still at a 3.  I got a little worried because I did NOT want to go home.  I wanted to stay and have this baby!  Luckily, Dr. Fowers was on my side.  Well, actually Group B Strep was on my side.  I’m pretty sure that the fact that I had tested positive for GBS was a deciding factor in what Dr. Fowers said to do with me.  Because of GBS I needed to have doses of antibiotics so that the risk of the baby getting it would decrease, so they let me stay!  I was so happy, and then it became REAL.  I was having a baby, and soon.  They started me on an IV, with fluid, antibiotics, and Pitocin.  That was fun.  Not.  I got poked 5 times.  5 times!  To finally get the IV in a place that it would run well and not hurt me.  Ugh.  I don’t hate needles, but I don’t know anyone who likes them.  Some of the failed pokes hurt when the blood pressure cuff would inflate (which was often…). 

             Mom got to the hospital around 6:30.  I was glad to see her.

Some guys who I’m assuming were members of some ward around here came in offering blessings.  I had them come in and help Steven give me one.  That was comforting (even though I was not really worried about anything, it was nice to have those words of comfort spoken to me from my Heavenly Father.)

                With the Pitocin running, my contractions got stronger and by 7:30 I was ready to be numb.  The contractions hurt.  It was like a bad cramp on a period or the worst stomach cramps of diarrhea you’ve ever had.  I know that they would only get worse and they told me that it would be quick since the anesthesiologist was just in the other room giving one.  That was an interesting experience.  Ever since I found out just how the Epidural was given, I had been a little unsure of my desire for it… of course that was before I felt the pain.  Now I just wanted it to go away.  The worst part (like everyone says) was the numbing shot, and honestly, it wasn’t that bad.  No, I lie.  The worst part was the contraction that decided to happen while I was trying to stay still and be curled up in a ball (haha, curled up around THAT belly?!  You want me to do what Mr. Anesthesiologist?... ok, I’ll try…).

                With that my body from the top of my belly to my toes started to go numb.  And we all settled down for what would be a pretty long, and uneventful night.  I had to remind myself that if I was not numb, I would be feeling my contractions, and that was enough to help me laugh at how weird it was to be numb.  I could feel my legs, but they just felt tingly and cold.  And at first there was a spot on my lower right belly that wasn’t numb, and it felt like a knife was going in there every time I had a contraction.  But I remedied that by pushing the nifty button they gave me—it was extra epidural anesthesia on top of that which was going in automatically.

                They checked me every hour all night.  I was progressing.  Slowly in my opinion, but apparently average for what they see with first time moms.  1 cm per hour.  Ugh.  “Try and get some sleep, you’re going to need energy to push.”  That was hard advice to follow.  I couldn’t adjust myself, and the blood pressure cuff was a permanent resident on my arm (remember I said it hurt my failed IVs?).  I think I only slept for about 2 hours total. 

                I was dilated to a 10 by 3 am, but they have first time moms with an epidural wait an hour after that to let the contractions do more work without pushing.  At about 4, my awesome nurse Elise came in and set me up to start pushing.  She said that Dr. Fowers would come when the baby crowned, but until then I’d push 3 times per contraction and with each push I’d need to take a deep breath and push like I was constipated.  Steven and my mom held my feet and I held on to my thighs or some handles on the bed.  They have a mirror so you can watch what’s going on if you want to, so I did.  After Elise got all set up for me to push, I… well, pushed.  3 times, 1 contraction.  Elise got all excited and was like, well, I’ll go call Dr. Fowers.  He was already crowning!  I was not going to have to push for the average 2-3 hours, and that was just fine with me.  After she called him, I kept pushing to get the baby to stay down further in the birth canal, and when Dr. Fowers got there, it only took a few more pushes to get my sweet baby out of me. 

                He was born at 4:43 am on Sunday May 26th, he weighed 8 lbs 2 oz, and was 21 inches long.  And he was perfect.  Chubby (swollen?).  Screaming.  Pink.  And mine.  

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So that's what happened.  Now, five weeks later, I can't imagine my life without Bennett.  Sure, my sleep gets interrupted a few times a night (at least it's less times than I had to use the bathroom in the middle of the night while I was still pregnant...)  But I wouldn't trade those mid-night snuggles for anything.

  

Change of Plan

Do you all know how much we LOVE Cache Valley.  There's so much to love.  Like this view.

Taken from this spot. (We call it "ours" but I'm sure lots of couples do).

There's also the drive to get here from anywhere South of here.

It's breathtaking almost any time of the year.

Don't forget USU and all that goes with it.  This was a fabulous game.  GO AGGIES!

The Pumpkin Walk-- a cheesy, yet fun (and free) way to freeze your tush off in October.

There is SO MUCH more that I love about this place.  Like Summer.  Everything about summertime is a big part of why the plan was to stay here.  Steven was supposed to find a great job close(ish?) and we were going to build a house somewhere in the South end of the Valley, and raise our kids here.  THAT was OUR plan.  Guess what?  We're not in charge.  And the One that is in charge?  Well, let's just say I'm pretty sure he chuckled and thought "how cute, but I've got another idea."

It all started a few weeks ago when I was routinely looking for jobs that had Steven's "key words" in them.  (Since I was just sitting at home all day, I figured I'd be useful and try to find him a better job- one that could support a baby).  I was searching all of Utah, because, let's face it, there aren't that great of job opportunities all the time in Cache Valley.  I stumbled upon a job that sounded perfect, but it was in Lehi.  I sent Steven the link (I actually sent him several links- like 3 or 4 every time I searched).  He applied.  He got an email a few days later asking for a phone interview.  The phone interview led to an invitation to be interviewed in person 5 days later (in Lehi). Three days after that, he got a phone call (he missed it, but they were calling to offer the job to him).  Wednesday this week, he put in his 2 weeks notice at his current job and accepted the new job.  He starts in less than 2 weeks.  In Lehi.  

LEHI.  Do you know where Lehi is?  It's in UTAH COUNTY, a place I swore I would not ever live.  (I am still very firm on the fact that I will not EVER live in Provo.  No matter what.  But that's a different story for a different day).  Lehi is 2 hours... TWO HOURS away from my  beloved Cache Valley.  You know we JUST found a dentist (I know, it took us long enough).  I really like my doctor, and we are pretty fond of the pediatrician we had chosen too.  (However, we really hated the eye doctor we went to, so not much of a loss there...)  Now we have to find new ones again.  Ugh.  And right after we have a new baby, too.

We are also sad about leaving our wonderful ward.  I don't know that I've ever been so sad about leaving a group of people before.  They are wonderful, and we are going to severely miss all of them.

Oh, yeah.  Remember how we're having a baby?  Like any day now (please, Please, PLEASE any day now)?  Life really couldn't have picked a better time to become absolutely CRAZY.

I have to stop here though and tell you all that we are excited also.  Steven is actually going to enjoy going to work.  We will actually be able to pay for the child that currently seems set on living the rest of his life inside of me.  We will have new adventures.  We will meet more wonderful people.  And we may be moving to Cougar Country, but we'll still be Aggies.  Don't worry.

So, there you have it folks.  I believe I recently posted about a "whole new book" in my life... and I believe I have been enlightened on just how new it is.