The thing is, Lex is attached to me. Waaaaay attached. As in, she won't go to anyone but me, DJ or my mom. Usually it's not a big deal. Occasionally I wish she was more okay with other people, so I could feel more at ease about going out on actual dates with my husband. It's something we probably need to work on.
But here's the thing.
I was waaaaay attached to my mom too. On the first day of kindergarten, my mom took me into my classroom, and sat next to me until I was ready for her to leave. That wasn't unusual-- other moms were there with their kids too. But my mom was definitely there the longest. I don't remember how long she stayed, but I do remember her asking me several times if I was ready to have her leave and I kept refusing. The beautiful thing is, she stayed. I don't remember ever feeling upset that she was gone, which tells me she stayed as long as I needed her to.
One day in first grade, I forgot my lunch. My teacher was insisting that I just get "hot lunch" (the meal prepared at school). While I was in line with my class waiting to go into the lunch room, I started crying. I didn't WANT hot lunch. I wanted my homemade lunch. So my teacher took me to the office, where I called my mom and she promptly brought me my lunch. She just dropped everything and brought it right then. When she got there, my teacher said, "Ashleigh, this was okay this time, but if it happens again you'll just have to get hot lunch." My mom quickly turned to her and responded, "No, Betty, this is why I don't work. She can always call me if she needs something."
There aren't a lot of things I remember from that time in my life-- I was obviously quite young. But 2 of my most vivid memories are of my mom taking care of me and making me feel comfortable. I want to be that way for my kids, too. And if that means Lexsi has to come to a Relief Society gift exchange with me rather than play in the Nursery with all the other kids, so be it. In all my life, I never doubted my mom would be there for me. I can promise that if I called her right now and asked her to come up to my house in Ogden, she'd do it. She's just that awesome. I want my kids to know I'm always here for them too. I know the day will come when Lex won't need me with her as often. That's a good thing. It's the way it's supposed to be. But for now, I'm going to enjoy the fact that she wants me close to her, wants me to play with her and be her best friend. Because that's what moms do.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Mia Mae's Blessing
While visiting my parents in Provo last week, we got to bless Mia. DJ's parents were also in town for Thanksgiving, so the timing was perfect! We had the families gather at my parents' house and did the blessing there. Her blessing was really beautiful. The Spirit was very strong and I was so grateful for all the family we had there to support us! When Lexsi was blessed, she wore the dress that I was blessed in as a baby. I decided to make Mia's dress so she could keep it forever. Hopefully Lex isn't upset about that, cause she may not get her dress (my sister and I both wore it, and I don't know who will end up with it). But it is what it is, I suppose. In the end, my mom made Mia's dress. I didn't intend for her to, but I was very grateful. It turned out so beautiful! Here are some pictures from the day:
Mia with the men who stood in the circle for the blessing:
Toogie, Sean, Jordan, Davey, Dad, Grandpa and Papi
Toogie, Sean, Jordan, Davey, Dad, Grandpa and Papi
Our little fam!
Mia Mae with Great Grandpa and Grandma Savage
With Grammie and Tooge
The fam with Grandma and Grandpa (Lex is running away in the background... haha!)
With Mammie and Papi
Mom, Dad and Mia
In the blessing dress Grammie made!
Thursday, November 7, 2013
One Month
I'm kind of in shock. An entire month has gone by since I first held my sweet Mia Mae. How did it happen? DJ tells me the older you get the faster time goes, but I am NOT OKAY with that! I suppose the only thing I can do is enjoy every minute I have with my babies, and that's what I'm trying to do.
A little bit about Mia:
- She is the sleepiest. She sleeps way more than Lex did (at least from what I remember). It's really nice, cause I can spend more one-on-one time with Lexsi.
- She LOVES to eat. She's still nursing great, and is chubbing right up. She still wears newborn clothes so she can't really be THAT chubby, but she definitely seems bigger.
- For a while, she was having blowout diapers multiple times a day. It was so awful. Lex never had that issue. Then I switched to Costco diapers (I was using Huggies newborn diapers cause Costco doesn't have the newborn size), and Ta-Daaaa! She's only had one blowout since then. Seriously, Costco diapers dominate!
- She is finding her voice, which is so stinkin adorable! She makes the cutest cooing noises. I love it.
- She is learning to smile. So cute.
- She is extremely tolerant, particularly of Lexsi. Lex loves to hold her, point out her eyes, nose and mouth (meaning she pokes Mia in the eyes, nose and mouth), and Mia takes it all really well.
- She had a cold for 2 weeks of this first month of her life, which was kind of awful. But she's getting over it now, and was actually very nice while she was sick. She wanted to be held a lot, but I won't complain about that!
- In general, she's a very happy girl. The only time she cries is when she wants to eat and I don't get to her fast enough, or when we change her diaper cause she just wants to be bundled up. She mostly just grunts when she's upset, which is pretty funny.
We all love our Mia so so much! I can't imagine life without this little sweetheart!
And just for kicks... here are my two girls each at one month old... they look a lot alike!!!
A little bit about Mia:
- She is the sleepiest. She sleeps way more than Lex did (at least from what I remember). It's really nice, cause I can spend more one-on-one time with Lexsi.
- She LOVES to eat. She's still nursing great, and is chubbing right up. She still wears newborn clothes so she can't really be THAT chubby, but she definitely seems bigger.
- For a while, she was having blowout diapers multiple times a day. It was so awful. Lex never had that issue. Then I switched to Costco diapers (I was using Huggies newborn diapers cause Costco doesn't have the newborn size), and Ta-Daaaa! She's only had one blowout since then. Seriously, Costco diapers dominate!
- She is finding her voice, which is so stinkin adorable! She makes the cutest cooing noises. I love it.
- She is learning to smile. So cute.
- She is extremely tolerant, particularly of Lexsi. Lex loves to hold her, point out her eyes, nose and mouth (meaning she pokes Mia in the eyes, nose and mouth), and Mia takes it all really well.
- She had a cold for 2 weeks of this first month of her life, which was kind of awful. But she's getting over it now, and was actually very nice while she was sick. She wanted to be held a lot, but I won't complain about that!
- In general, she's a very happy girl. The only time she cries is when she wants to eat and I don't get to her fast enough, or when we change her diaper cause she just wants to be bundled up. She mostly just grunts when she's upset, which is pretty funny.
We all love our Mia so so much! I can't imagine life without this little sweetheart!
And just for kicks... here are my two girls each at one month old... they look a lot alike!!!
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Amilia Mae
Now that it's been a little over a week, I should probably tell Mia's birth story! I meant to do it at the hospital but I forgot my computer and it wasn't worth it to do it on my phone!
So, Monday morning October 7, I woke up around 9 and decided to kill time before going to the hospital by taking a long shower and doing my hair and makeup, which hasn't happened a lot lately (the getting ready part, not the showering-- let's get real, we don't skip showers in this house!). By about 10:30 I was headed down to the hospital! I had told DJ to go to work since he only teaches the first 3 class periods of the day, and he had cleared with his principal to leave after that instead of staying for his prep period. When I showed up at the maternity ward alone, the nurse seemed slightly concerned that no one was with me. I explained that DJ would be there in about an hour, and she felt better about that! I hadn't been able to eat or drink-- even water-- after 5am, so when the nurse went to put my IV in it didn't work the first time. She kept apologizing, but I reminded her it wasn't even CLOSE to the worst thing that I was going to be put through that day! I had to take some pills and some gross liquid medicine which was crappy since, again, I couldn't even drink water to wash it all down. After DJ came we just sat in the room until the doctor showed up around 1:10. I walked to the OR on my own and they put the epidural in. It was kinda weird, since last time I had had my epidural for like 10 hours before they wheeled me into the OR. Something was going on with the epidural this time around, cause they ended up poking into my spine 3 times. Again, not the worst thing I was going to feel that day. Honestly I don't think epidurals are a big deal. They don't hurt worse than any other shot, in my opinion. After the epidural was in I laid down on the table and they strapped my arms down and waited for the meds to kick in so they could start. It was taking a while, and they decided to give me some additional drugs through my IV. Those ones made me pretty loopy. Since I hadn't been in labor for 12 hours prior to this C-Section, it was a very different experience. Last time I don't remember ANYTHING that happened. I didn't feel anything-- I was barely even awake. This time though--- ouch! You may think a C-Section isn't a "real" birth-- but it's real for me. I couldn't have babies without C-Sections. And it was seriously painful. I can't say anything about vaginal births cause I've never done it and never will, but until you've been cut open in the abdomen, had your insides taken out and had a baby pulled out of your stomach, then had your insides put back in and gotten stapled up, don't judge C-Section deliveries! Obviously I didn't feel the actual cutting into my abdomen, but the pressure was way painful. Especially once they were ready to actually deliver Mia. They pushed down hard on my upper abdomen to push her down and pull her out. I'm pretty sure I was groaning like I was going to die. It really really hurt! When she came, she was screaming her head off! DJ turned to me and said, "She looks just like Lexsi!" She weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz. and was 20 inches long. That's just barely smaller than Lex, who was 7 lbs. 13 oz. and 20.5 inches. I got to see her for a quick second and then they whisked her off to clean her up and check her out. DJ went with them, and I was left in the OR with my doctor and nurses. They put my insides back in me, then started pushing on my abdomen again--- seriously, it sucked. I was pretty out of it, but I did hear them say a couple things that stood out: #1, how awesome my incision from last time looked. They said it healed better than most they've ever seen. #2, when I was cut open my doctor mentioned it was a good thing I decided to go the C-Section route instead of trying a VBAC, cause my uterus was super thin. And #3, the nurses kept saying how skinny I was when they were stapling me back up. I felt pretty great about that!
When I got back to my room, I waited about 15 minutes before DJ and Mia showed up from the nursery. I took Mia and started nursing her and was THRILLED when she actually latched on. That's one of the things I was most concerned about-- Lex was a terrible latcher, and I only nursed for like a week because it was so frustrating and painful. Mia is the complete opposite-- she's such a good eater! It's still a little painful, cause hey-- it's nursing. No one seems to tell you that it hurts for a while and it kinda sucks. But it's worth it, so there's that.
After about an hour the nurses took me to a new room in a different part of the hospital, and that's where I stayed for the next 3 days. We had been in Provo for General Conference the weekend before Mia was born, and left Lex with my mom there on Sunday night. My mom came up on Monday afternoon and brought Lex to the hospital to meet Mia. She was not impressed. She pretty much wanted nothing to do with her that first day. She was content to sit in bed with me and eat french fries though! Over the next few days, Lex grew to LOVE Mia, and thinks she's super cool now. Whenever I carry Mia somewhere in the house, or wrap her in a blanket or change her diaper, Lex follows me around with a baby doll and copies me. It's so adorable!
The rest of the hospital stay was good. I hate that they make you feed your baby every few hours even through the night when they're sleeping peacefully, but whatever. The nurses were all impressed with how quickly I was recovering, so that was good to hear. By the time Thursday came around, I was ready to go home. It was really nice to be in my own space and my own bed. DJ was off of work Wednesday-Monday, and it was awesome to have him around helping me out.
Mia has been such an easy baby! I was worried about splitting my time between my girls, but I really haven't had to. I've been putting Mia to sleep in her crib in Lexsi's room when she sleeps during the day, which has been great. It gives me one-on-one time with Lex, and I think it will help with the transition for Mia when she sleeps in that room at night instead of my room in her cradle. Lexsi has adapted so so well! Honestly I haven't noticed any change in her behaviors. She's 20 months old, so obviously she has her moments of fit throwing and grumpiness, but I think that's normal for her age and has nothing to do with having Mia home. I'm quite certain she has no recollection of life without her little sister.
DJ went back to work yesterday, and I was worried about being home alone with the 2 girls. I woke up Tuesday morning though, and I felt fine. Like, my incision wasn't even hurting any more. I attribute that 100% to the prayers of my family. I'm not on any prescriptions any more, since Monday. I figured a week was long enough on drugs. I've taken over-the-counter Tylenol a few times since then, but that's no big deal. I'm very very grateful that my body is so good at healing! It makes me hopeful that I can still have several more kids. I've lost over 25 pounds in the past week, which feels great! Obviously I still have a little gut, and I'll need to work on the shape of my body more when I can actually work out, but I'm feeling awesome that I'm less than 10 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight! I could totally fit into my jeans by now, but the waistline hits right at my incision and it doesn't feel good to have denim rubbing across it so I'm sticking to sweats for a while. All in all, I'm so grateful for what's going on in my life-- my babies are so awesome, my husband is amazing, modern medicine allows me to even HAVE babies (no C-Sections would mean no babies in my life!), my body is healing fabulously, and everything is good!
And now for a serious picture overload!
So, Monday morning October 7, I woke up around 9 and decided to kill time before going to the hospital by taking a long shower and doing my hair and makeup, which hasn't happened a lot lately (the getting ready part, not the showering-- let's get real, we don't skip showers in this house!). By about 10:30 I was headed down to the hospital! I had told DJ to go to work since he only teaches the first 3 class periods of the day, and he had cleared with his principal to leave after that instead of staying for his prep period. When I showed up at the maternity ward alone, the nurse seemed slightly concerned that no one was with me. I explained that DJ would be there in about an hour, and she felt better about that! I hadn't been able to eat or drink-- even water-- after 5am, so when the nurse went to put my IV in it didn't work the first time. She kept apologizing, but I reminded her it wasn't even CLOSE to the worst thing that I was going to be put through that day! I had to take some pills and some gross liquid medicine which was crappy since, again, I couldn't even drink water to wash it all down. After DJ came we just sat in the room until the doctor showed up around 1:10. I walked to the OR on my own and they put the epidural in. It was kinda weird, since last time I had had my epidural for like 10 hours before they wheeled me into the OR. Something was going on with the epidural this time around, cause they ended up poking into my spine 3 times. Again, not the worst thing I was going to feel that day. Honestly I don't think epidurals are a big deal. They don't hurt worse than any other shot, in my opinion. After the epidural was in I laid down on the table and they strapped my arms down and waited for the meds to kick in so they could start. It was taking a while, and they decided to give me some additional drugs through my IV. Those ones made me pretty loopy. Since I hadn't been in labor for 12 hours prior to this C-Section, it was a very different experience. Last time I don't remember ANYTHING that happened. I didn't feel anything-- I was barely even awake. This time though--- ouch! You may think a C-Section isn't a "real" birth-- but it's real for me. I couldn't have babies without C-Sections. And it was seriously painful. I can't say anything about vaginal births cause I've never done it and never will, but until you've been cut open in the abdomen, had your insides taken out and had a baby pulled out of your stomach, then had your insides put back in and gotten stapled up, don't judge C-Section deliveries! Obviously I didn't feel the actual cutting into my abdomen, but the pressure was way painful. Especially once they were ready to actually deliver Mia. They pushed down hard on my upper abdomen to push her down and pull her out. I'm pretty sure I was groaning like I was going to die. It really really hurt! When she came, she was screaming her head off! DJ turned to me and said, "She looks just like Lexsi!" She weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz. and was 20 inches long. That's just barely smaller than Lex, who was 7 lbs. 13 oz. and 20.5 inches. I got to see her for a quick second and then they whisked her off to clean her up and check her out. DJ went with them, and I was left in the OR with my doctor and nurses. They put my insides back in me, then started pushing on my abdomen again--- seriously, it sucked. I was pretty out of it, but I did hear them say a couple things that stood out: #1, how awesome my incision from last time looked. They said it healed better than most they've ever seen. #2, when I was cut open my doctor mentioned it was a good thing I decided to go the C-Section route instead of trying a VBAC, cause my uterus was super thin. And #3, the nurses kept saying how skinny I was when they were stapling me back up. I felt pretty great about that!
When I got back to my room, I waited about 15 minutes before DJ and Mia showed up from the nursery. I took Mia and started nursing her and was THRILLED when she actually latched on. That's one of the things I was most concerned about-- Lex was a terrible latcher, and I only nursed for like a week because it was so frustrating and painful. Mia is the complete opposite-- she's such a good eater! It's still a little painful, cause hey-- it's nursing. No one seems to tell you that it hurts for a while and it kinda sucks. But it's worth it, so there's that.
After about an hour the nurses took me to a new room in a different part of the hospital, and that's where I stayed for the next 3 days. We had been in Provo for General Conference the weekend before Mia was born, and left Lex with my mom there on Sunday night. My mom came up on Monday afternoon and brought Lex to the hospital to meet Mia. She was not impressed. She pretty much wanted nothing to do with her that first day. She was content to sit in bed with me and eat french fries though! Over the next few days, Lex grew to LOVE Mia, and thinks she's super cool now. Whenever I carry Mia somewhere in the house, or wrap her in a blanket or change her diaper, Lex follows me around with a baby doll and copies me. It's so adorable!
The rest of the hospital stay was good. I hate that they make you feed your baby every few hours even through the night when they're sleeping peacefully, but whatever. The nurses were all impressed with how quickly I was recovering, so that was good to hear. By the time Thursday came around, I was ready to go home. It was really nice to be in my own space and my own bed. DJ was off of work Wednesday-Monday, and it was awesome to have him around helping me out.
Mia has been such an easy baby! I was worried about splitting my time between my girls, but I really haven't had to. I've been putting Mia to sleep in her crib in Lexsi's room when she sleeps during the day, which has been great. It gives me one-on-one time with Lex, and I think it will help with the transition for Mia when she sleeps in that room at night instead of my room in her cradle. Lexsi has adapted so so well! Honestly I haven't noticed any change in her behaviors. She's 20 months old, so obviously she has her moments of fit throwing and grumpiness, but I think that's normal for her age and has nothing to do with having Mia home. I'm quite certain she has no recollection of life without her little sister.
DJ went back to work yesterday, and I was worried about being home alone with the 2 girls. I woke up Tuesday morning though, and I felt fine. Like, my incision wasn't even hurting any more. I attribute that 100% to the prayers of my family. I'm not on any prescriptions any more, since Monday. I figured a week was long enough on drugs. I've taken over-the-counter Tylenol a few times since then, but that's no big deal. I'm very very grateful that my body is so good at healing! It makes me hopeful that I can still have several more kids. I've lost over 25 pounds in the past week, which feels great! Obviously I still have a little gut, and I'll need to work on the shape of my body more when I can actually work out, but I'm feeling awesome that I'm less than 10 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight! I could totally fit into my jeans by now, but the waistline hits right at my incision and it doesn't feel good to have denim rubbing across it so I'm sticking to sweats for a while. All in all, I'm so grateful for what's going on in my life-- my babies are so awesome, my husband is amazing, modern medicine allows me to even HAVE babies (no C-Sections would mean no babies in my life!), my body is healing fabulously, and everything is good!
And now for a serious picture overload!
The morning of the delivery (39 weeks):
DJ suited up for the OR:
Love this girl! She looks way chubby in pictures but she's not in real life:
Lex meeting Mia:
Mia snuggling Grammie:
Day 2:
My IV went crazy and filled my hand with fluid!
Me and my girl:
Lex loved my hospital bed:
Such a sweet face:
Sister love:
Headed home:
Daddy and his girls:
Love these two SO much!!!:
One week old:
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
38 Weeks... This is it!
I'm the hugest.
But seriously, I can hardly believe that in 5 days I'm going to have a newborn. I know I've said it before, but this pregnancy has been EASY. Maybe even too easy-- I'm SO looking forward to having Mia here, but it's crazy that the time has gone by so quickly and I'm really going to have a tiny infant in less than a week? What in the world?!?
As far as how I'm feeling... physically, I'm fine. My feet and ankles and hands and face are fat with water, but, meh. I'm tired, but again-- meh. The past week I've been sleeping horribly, but with Lex I couldn't sleep for like the last 2 months of my pregnancy, so this is easy-peasy.
Now emotionally... I'm a little stressed. Not about the delivery. C-sections are no big deal to me. I don't worry about that at all. Mostly I'm stressed about Lex. In the past few days, she's refused to take naps and has just played in her room at nap time instead (I don't even have any toys in there! Just a few books! But she makes her own fun, I guess...). She's become a world-class fit thrower (read: she kicked me in the face at the store yesterday cause she was flailing around so much when I picked her up and carried her away from the nail polish). She really is a great little girl, and most of the time we don't have issues. But when we do, man, they are ISSUES. Her night time sleep habits are terrible the past few days too. She wakes up at like 4am and starts calling for me. So weird. I just worry because this is all happening right before I have Mia... what is she going to do when I actually bring her little sister home? And also. We are very attached to each other. So as much as I worry about her not having me to put her to bed, play with her, etc. the real fear is more for my own sake. I'm WAY attached to this girl. I can't imagine being away from her for 4-5 days. I know she'll come visit in the hospital, but still. I don't have any worries about her being with DJ and my mom during that time. She adores them both and she'll have a good time. But I'm worried that since I'm going to be gone for nearly a week, she's going to lose her attachment to me. It happened to DJ with his mom when he was little. So scary to me. And truthfully, I'm jealous that DJ gets to take that role for a few days.
I know it will all work out. Really I do. It's just the adjustment that I hate the thought of. The good news is, it's a crazily busy week for us, so the time will fly and I'll be making the adjustments instead of sitting around thinking about them and I do better with action than thoughts!
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
37 Weeks
Hooray! Less than 2 weeks left! Yesterday was my 37 week mark, and I went to the doctor and scheduled my C-Section! I'm having Mia on October 7th at 1pm. YAY! I'm so so excited that it's so soon!
Ever wonder why I'm always wearing horizontal striped shirts in all my maternity pictures? Here's the answer: I have no idea. Apparently I love all the stripey shirts. Oh well.
Anyway, there's really nothing new to report other than my delivery date!
And I'll leave you with this picture of my darling girl, who got her first princess dress-up last weekend:
She loves it. And I love her!
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Disney Princess
Lex is a movie watcher. She's also a big time book reader. I happen to have quite the collection of Disney movies and books-- the majority of which were purchased before I was even married. This girl LOVES her Disney movies and books. In the past month, she's become enamored with all the Disney princesses. Seriously-- she loves them all. Since she's just working on learning new words, her cute little voice and the way she pronounces their names just kills me. I wanted to document now how she says their names before she gets big enough to say them correctly!
Cinderella: Ella
Aurora: Awo-wah
Pocahontas: Cona {I have no idea how this one came about... weird}
Belle: Bawl
Rapunzel: Apeenah
Jasmine: Shashee
Tiana: Ana
Ariel: Aya
Eric (because she loves the boys as much or more than the girls): Ucka {another weird pronunciation, I know!}
Snow White: Gool {meaning "girl." For some reason, she hasn't ever said her actual name}
That's all I can think of at the moment. I love my little girl SO much, and she's seriously in the most fun stage right now. I love hearing her tiny voice ask for "Hep!" {help} when she needs something, or tell me she got "Huwt" when she bonks her head or something. She's adorable. I'm obsessed.
Cinderella: Ella
Aurora: Awo-wah
Pocahontas: Cona {I have no idea how this one came about... weird}
Belle: Bawl
Rapunzel: Apeenah
Jasmine: Shashee
Tiana: Ana
Ariel: Aya
Eric (because she loves the boys as much or more than the girls): Ucka {another weird pronunciation, I know!}
Snow White: Gool {meaning "girl." For some reason, she hasn't ever said her actual name}
That's all I can think of at the moment. I love my little girl SO much, and she's seriously in the most fun stage right now. I love hearing her tiny voice ask for "Hep!" {help} when she needs something, or tell me she got "Huwt" when she bonks her head or something. She's adorable. I'm obsessed.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
36 Weeks.... My Wall
This has been an incredibly easy pregnancy. The easiest. I've felt great, I've been happy, it's been awesome.
Somehow, seemingly overnight, I'm suddenly ready to be done. I'm super uncomfortable. I'm ready to be skinny. I'm exhausted.
Then I think about actually having a second child and I panic a little. I adore my Lexsi, and most of the time we get along famously. But what about those days when she gives me a serious run for my money? What am I going to do if she's throwing fits and Mia is hungry and crying and I'm just one person? How do I take care of two little girls at once? And I do mean little. Less than 20 months apart is CLOSE. I must be crazy, right?
And yet, in the same moment, I'm already looking forward to having more kids. I'm out of control.
At the doctor yesterday, we discussed pros and cons of a C-Section versus a VBAC. I found out the chances of me actually having a successful VBAC are only 30%. And that would be if I went into labor by my due date and Mia was little. BUT... that's not likely. She's suddenly estimated to be a whole POUND bigger than she was just a week ago (she's up to a little over 6 pounds now), and I'm still not dilated. So by the time I actually ever went into labor on my own (which, somehow, I can't imagine happening earlier than like 41 weeks?) she'd be a fatty and wouldn't make it past my tailbone anyway. DJ and I decided it was just best to go with a C-Section again. It's good and bad. I'm glad I can just schedule it and be done {October 7th is likely the day-- I'll schedule it next Monday!}, and I'm glad I don't have to worry about labor. And pushing. And all that yuckiness. Just one little incision and I'm good to go. I suppose I can't really worry about the number of kids I'll be able to have, cause I have no idea. Some people can have 3 C-Sections, some can have 10. It's frustrating to me that my body gives me such issues. First, it took nearly 2 years for me to even get pregnant with Lex. Then I have to have C-Sections cause I have a big tail bone... what the? If I had just had a C-Section cause she was big or something, I could totally do a VBAC and have a 90% chance of success. But my weirdo tailbone throws a wrench in things. Oh well, what can you really do but put a smile on and be grateful for these little girls Heavenly Father is blessing me with?
And now. Let's talk about being fat for a minute. When I got pregnant with Mia, I was about 15 pounds heavier than I was when I got pregnant with Lexsi. I've gained less weight this time around, but I'm to the point where I weigh more than I ever have in my life. Scary. The thing is, I still totally fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans. I'm just barely getting to the point that I have to stop wearing non-maternity shirts cause my stomach is too big. I think a good amount of the weight is water weight-- in the past week I've noticed my feet and hands feel swollen. And look it, along with my face. So hopefully that just comes off quickly. I'm totally prepared with my workout regime for as soon as I can work out. Oh, working out after a C-Section... it's ridiculous how little you can do after your abdomen has been cut open. Haha!
Just for kicks, I decided to compare what I looked like with Lex and Mia at the same point:
Pretty much the same, I think. So the fact that I weigh more this time doesn't REALLY matter, I suppose-- I'll work and get skinny again regardless. No need to stress over a number, right?
All in all, life is good. I'm just grateful I have less than 3 weeks of this pregnancy left!
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Lessons From Ogden
This post has been a long time coming. I've been living in Ogden for a month and a half now, and I think I'm finally in a good enough place to write it. Had I written it 6 weeks ago... it wouldn't have been very nice.
Lesson #1: A rental is just a rental. No need to get worked up over it.
Originally, DJ and I were planning on buying a house this summer up here. However, we ended up deciding that renting for a year would be in our best interest so we could get to know the area better and decide where we wanted to live for sure. Over the course of the summer when we were in Lovell, I basically stalked the KSL home rental page for good houses. There were a few new houses for rent that I really loved, but then one day this one came up on the website. It's 1500 square feet, $300 cheaper than others we were looking at, and only 1 mile from the high school. It was pretty much a no-brainer for us-- we wanted this house. We prayed about it and it felt right, so we got under contract without ever having seen it in person.
The day we came up to get the keys and pay our first month's rent was not awesome. We had just driven back to Utah from Lovell the day before in separate cars, on the way to Ogden to get the keys we got rear-ended (by a cop!-- another story, another day), it was hot, I was a little freaked out cause we had driven through downtown Ogden and it seemed SOOOOOO ghetto (in my defense, I had just moved from Lovell, so... it's way different), and things were just not going super well. Also remember, I had just sold my brand new house which I got to have finished exactly how I wanted. I'm used to really nice stuff. When we walked in the house I nearly died-- the carpets had just been cleaned that morning, so it smelled weird and was super muggy. Everything just seemed so dirty and dingy. After walking through the whole house, I melted down. I did NOT want to live here. I was panicked because I had already paid my deposit and first month's rent and signed a contract. Also we had already rented the moving truck to get everything loaded later that day. I knew I was stuck. We headed back to my parents' house in Provo and I felt completely defeated.
The next morning I got up early and made the trip to the new house by myself so I could get it cleaned up. I bleached every surface in the house except the carpet. I opened all the windows (which, by the way, don't have screens-- super classy) to air it out. By the time DJ, my dad and brother got here with the moving truck I was feeling slightly better about my life. The head football coach from BLHS came with a bunch of the football players to help us unload the moving truck. It was a tad overwhelming to see all my stuff piled around in boxes in a space that was significantly smaller than my last house. Over the next week I worked on getting order in my life, and I calmed down a little about the fact that I was living here.
Now-- 6 weeks later-- my attitude is better. I still don't love the house. It's old. It's a granny house. I would NEVER buy it or anything like it. BUT-- it's a rental. I only have 10 more months in it. And because the rent is so cheap, I can save extra money for the down payment on my next house. It's worth it to me to live in something old for a year so I can afford a brand new house that I really love next summer.
Lesson #2: Different doesn't mean worse
The demographic here is very different than anything I've lived in before. Lets be honest... I lived in Utah County for 13 years before moving up here. I've become sheltered. After living here for about a week, I took Lex up to a splash pad and when I looked around I realized I was the only white mom there, and the only one without tattoos. I didn't feel uncomfortable about this. The other moms were nice and I talked to some of them and it wasn't a big deal-- just different. I used to take Lex to the splash pad in Springville all the time and it was crowded with white Mormon moms. That's cool too. It's just different.
I had to go to the post office to fill out a change of address form and the lady in front of me in line was homeless, and was also doing a change of address form. I had no idea that was even something you would do if you were homeless-- I guess your mail can be sent to a shelter? It makes sense that people on government assistance need somewhere to have their stuff sent to. I just never ever considered it before.
When I see someone with a baby who looks like they're still a teenager, I have to remind myself-- they probably are. Unfortunately, it happens around here way too much. I took Lex to lots of football practices during the summer and there were often girls there with their little babies and they were there to watch their boyfriends practice. It's sad and obviously it's not a good situation or something I agree with or condone, but it doesn't mean these are bad people. There are so many people here who just need a good support system.
Going to football games up here, I hear WAY more bad language than I ever did at Spanish Fork. The interesting thing is, though-- it's just as much from the parents as the kids. It's just a very different community here than the one I came from. There are a lot of good people around, they just don't have the same background that I do, and that's okay.
Lesson #3: Your ward is your family
Let's be serious... ever since I got married, I've lived close to family. I didn't have to rely on ward members to be my support system because I had parents and siblings living close to me. I never really made an effort to make friends, cause I just hung out with DJ's siblings. Moving up here changed that. I honestly haven't been very outgoing since I met DJ, cause I didn't feel the need to be. Now I do. And it is HARD to get back into the bubbly, outgoing phase when you've been out of it for 4 years. Seriously-- when I needed to be outgoing in wards before I was married, I just flirted a lot. It totally worked. Things are slightly different now... haha! But I've been blessed to meet some other young moms in my ward and spend some time with them. Everyone is really nice, it's just hard to get to know people when you only see them for a few minutes on Sundays. That's why I have to make an effort to do things during the week with them as well.
Lesson #4: Expect the unexpected
Last winter when DJ was coaching basketball at SF, his team made it to the state playoffs. I took Lex and went up to watch the games at Weber State. I watched them play one game against Ben Lomond High School and thought, "Who the heck are they? I've lived in Utah for 13 years and have never even heard of that school!" Now, 6 months later, DJ is the JV Football Offensive Coordinator and Head Girl's Basketball Coach for the Ben Lomond Scots. I never would have seen that coming. I go to football games and listen to a bagpipe band {which is WAY better than the SF band, for the record}. My husband wore a kilt for football team pictures. I was a little shocked when I saw that, honestly. I go to Ben Lomond High School every day to take DJ lunch and eat with him. Life just changes in ways you don't expect, and you might as well get used to it!!!
Lesson #5: You might as well be happy
This phrase started as a joke in my family-- when we moved to Utah, our Young Women leader gave Meggin a slip of paper that said "You might as well be happy," on it, and we thought it was the stupidest thing. We started saying it to be bratty about stuff, cause it was all just a big joke to us. The older I've gotten though, the more it's become a real thing to me. Happiness is a choice. I can choose to be miserable in my granny house with no family living by me and new situations all around me, or I can choose to be happy. I choose to be happy. There is so much good in my life, I'm not going to waste time being negative. I'm going to focus on the positive, look forward to good things in my future, and enjoy the time I have now with my little family. Life is pretty simple right now, and I'm going to just relax and enjoy it!
Lesson #1: A rental is just a rental. No need to get worked up over it.
Originally, DJ and I were planning on buying a house this summer up here. However, we ended up deciding that renting for a year would be in our best interest so we could get to know the area better and decide where we wanted to live for sure. Over the course of the summer when we were in Lovell, I basically stalked the KSL home rental page for good houses. There were a few new houses for rent that I really loved, but then one day this one came up on the website. It's 1500 square feet, $300 cheaper than others we were looking at, and only 1 mile from the high school. It was pretty much a no-brainer for us-- we wanted this house. We prayed about it and it felt right, so we got under contract without ever having seen it in person.
The day we came up to get the keys and pay our first month's rent was not awesome. We had just driven back to Utah from Lovell the day before in separate cars, on the way to Ogden to get the keys we got rear-ended (by a cop!-- another story, another day), it was hot, I was a little freaked out cause we had driven through downtown Ogden and it seemed SOOOOOO ghetto (in my defense, I had just moved from Lovell, so... it's way different), and things were just not going super well. Also remember, I had just sold my brand new house which I got to have finished exactly how I wanted. I'm used to really nice stuff. When we walked in the house I nearly died-- the carpets had just been cleaned that morning, so it smelled weird and was super muggy. Everything just seemed so dirty and dingy. After walking through the whole house, I melted down. I did NOT want to live here. I was panicked because I had already paid my deposit and first month's rent and signed a contract. Also we had already rented the moving truck to get everything loaded later that day. I knew I was stuck. We headed back to my parents' house in Provo and I felt completely defeated.
The next morning I got up early and made the trip to the new house by myself so I could get it cleaned up. I bleached every surface in the house except the carpet. I opened all the windows (which, by the way, don't have screens-- super classy) to air it out. By the time DJ, my dad and brother got here with the moving truck I was feeling slightly better about my life. The head football coach from BLHS came with a bunch of the football players to help us unload the moving truck. It was a tad overwhelming to see all my stuff piled around in boxes in a space that was significantly smaller than my last house. Over the next week I worked on getting order in my life, and I calmed down a little about the fact that I was living here.
Now-- 6 weeks later-- my attitude is better. I still don't love the house. It's old. It's a granny house. I would NEVER buy it or anything like it. BUT-- it's a rental. I only have 10 more months in it. And because the rent is so cheap, I can save extra money for the down payment on my next house. It's worth it to me to live in something old for a year so I can afford a brand new house that I really love next summer.
Lesson #2: Different doesn't mean worse
The demographic here is very different than anything I've lived in before. Lets be honest... I lived in Utah County for 13 years before moving up here. I've become sheltered. After living here for about a week, I took Lex up to a splash pad and when I looked around I realized I was the only white mom there, and the only one without tattoos. I didn't feel uncomfortable about this. The other moms were nice and I talked to some of them and it wasn't a big deal-- just different. I used to take Lex to the splash pad in Springville all the time and it was crowded with white Mormon moms. That's cool too. It's just different.
I had to go to the post office to fill out a change of address form and the lady in front of me in line was homeless, and was also doing a change of address form. I had no idea that was even something you would do if you were homeless-- I guess your mail can be sent to a shelter? It makes sense that people on government assistance need somewhere to have their stuff sent to. I just never ever considered it before.
When I see someone with a baby who looks like they're still a teenager, I have to remind myself-- they probably are. Unfortunately, it happens around here way too much. I took Lex to lots of football practices during the summer and there were often girls there with their little babies and they were there to watch their boyfriends practice. It's sad and obviously it's not a good situation or something I agree with or condone, but it doesn't mean these are bad people. There are so many people here who just need a good support system.
Going to football games up here, I hear WAY more bad language than I ever did at Spanish Fork. The interesting thing is, though-- it's just as much from the parents as the kids. It's just a very different community here than the one I came from. There are a lot of good people around, they just don't have the same background that I do, and that's okay.
Lesson #3: Your ward is your family
Let's be serious... ever since I got married, I've lived close to family. I didn't have to rely on ward members to be my support system because I had parents and siblings living close to me. I never really made an effort to make friends, cause I just hung out with DJ's siblings. Moving up here changed that. I honestly haven't been very outgoing since I met DJ, cause I didn't feel the need to be. Now I do. And it is HARD to get back into the bubbly, outgoing phase when you've been out of it for 4 years. Seriously-- when I needed to be outgoing in wards before I was married, I just flirted a lot. It totally worked. Things are slightly different now... haha! But I've been blessed to meet some other young moms in my ward and spend some time with them. Everyone is really nice, it's just hard to get to know people when you only see them for a few minutes on Sundays. That's why I have to make an effort to do things during the week with them as well.
Lesson #4: Expect the unexpected
Last winter when DJ was coaching basketball at SF, his team made it to the state playoffs. I took Lex and went up to watch the games at Weber State. I watched them play one game against Ben Lomond High School and thought, "Who the heck are they? I've lived in Utah for 13 years and have never even heard of that school!" Now, 6 months later, DJ is the JV Football Offensive Coordinator and Head Girl's Basketball Coach for the Ben Lomond Scots. I never would have seen that coming. I go to football games and listen to a bagpipe band {which is WAY better than the SF band, for the record}. My husband wore a kilt for football team pictures. I was a little shocked when I saw that, honestly. I go to Ben Lomond High School every day to take DJ lunch and eat with him. Life just changes in ways you don't expect, and you might as well get used to it!!!
Lesson #5: You might as well be happy
This phrase started as a joke in my family-- when we moved to Utah, our Young Women leader gave Meggin a slip of paper that said "You might as well be happy," on it, and we thought it was the stupidest thing. We started saying it to be bratty about stuff, cause it was all just a big joke to us. The older I've gotten though, the more it's become a real thing to me. Happiness is a choice. I can choose to be miserable in my granny house with no family living by me and new situations all around me, or I can choose to be happy. I choose to be happy. There is so much good in my life, I'm not going to waste time being negative. I'm going to focus on the positive, look forward to good things in my future, and enjoy the time I have now with my little family. Life is pretty simple right now, and I'm going to just relax and enjoy it!
Week 35
Since I've hardly written on my blog about ANYTHING, let alone this pregnancy, I guess I should do updates now that I'm so close to having this little girl. I was 35 weeks on Monday, and had my doctor appointment. He checked, and I'm not dilated AT ALL. Can you believe it? I've had contractions every day for weeks now. I honestly don't think I'd ever ever go into labor without drugs. Crazy.
So even though this is my second baby, I think I'm feeling more anxiety about delivery than I was last time. I think it's cause I just expected to have a C-section and now I might not be and I just hate not knowing what to expect. My plan is just to see how big Mia gets and then decide. I figured I'd probably still have a C-section, cause she'd get too big. However, at the last appointment, she'd only gained 4 ounces in the course of 2 weeks. If she stayed growing at that pace, she'd only be about 6 pounds by the time I'm ready to deliver, and then I could try a VBAC. I just hate the idea of getting induced, going through labor again, pushing and THEN finding out she'll have to come via C-section. I already did that once, and it's exhausting... I've just been doing lots of praying about how to make the decision, and I'll discuss pros and cons with my doctor and DJ next Monday when we go in again. I just hate that I even have to decide...
Anyway, that's where I'm at. Here's my weekly ultrasound pic:
That little fist up by her face kills me. I can't wait to snuggle her little self!!!
So even though this is my second baby, I think I'm feeling more anxiety about delivery than I was last time. I think it's cause I just expected to have a C-section and now I might not be and I just hate not knowing what to expect. My plan is just to see how big Mia gets and then decide. I figured I'd probably still have a C-section, cause she'd get too big. However, at the last appointment, she'd only gained 4 ounces in the course of 2 weeks. If she stayed growing at that pace, she'd only be about 6 pounds by the time I'm ready to deliver, and then I could try a VBAC. I just hate the idea of getting induced, going through labor again, pushing and THEN finding out she'll have to come via C-section. I already did that once, and it's exhausting... I've just been doing lots of praying about how to make the decision, and I'll discuss pros and cons with my doctor and DJ next Monday when we go in again. I just hate that I even have to decide...
Anyway, that's where I'm at. Here's my weekly ultrasound pic:
That little fist up by her face kills me. I can't wait to snuggle her little self!!!
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Sacrament Meeting Score
Sundays are tough. Our ward meets from 11am-2pm, and Sacrament meeting is last. Unfortunately, this means Sacrament meeting starts right when Lex would usually be going down for a nap. This past Sunday I decided to try bringing Lexsi's kitty pillow for her to use during Sacrament to see if she'd just relax and not throw fits. It totally worked! She sat and snuggled on DJ's lap with her kitty for the majority of the meeting. So awesome. So our Bishop was giving a great talk about spiritual apathy, and was comparing it to a scale where on one side is spiritual exaltation and the other is spiritual damnation, with apathy right in the middle. He put his hands up like this to demonstrate:
{ignore my pj's, lack of makeup, etc. please}
I glanced over at Lexsi, who was half asleep on DJ's lap. She had her hands up too, and at first I thought it was so cute how she was copying the Bishop. Then, in her mostly asleep, tired little voice, she started saying, "Touchdown! Touchdown!"
Good to know she's been taught well.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Pregs Update
So, today I went to my first pregnancy doctor appointment in Ogden. I have to say-- my new doctor? Totally as cool as my old one. As in, if he wasn't my OB, I could totally be friends with him. He's funny and straightforward and I like him so much already.
And now.
You know how you always have a plan for your life and then it never really works out that way? We were talking about Lexsi's delivery, and why I ended up with a c-section (fatty tailbone, remember?), and he mentioned that if this baby was smaller I might be able to deliver vaginally. I said I really didn't mind having a c-section, and he asked how many kids I wanted. He told me the number he could guarantee me was 3. My other doctor said probably 4, so I didn't think to much of it... but 3? That means I could only be pregnant one more time. Only one more baby after Mia. I don't think I'm okay with that! I've always said I want 6 kids. I love my little family, and I'm a little anxious about adding another little girl in 6 weeks and the madness that will ensue, but that doesn't change the fact that I want a lot of kids eventually. The idea of only 3 kids is hard for me to swallow. So at this point, we're going to keep an eye on how big Mia is getting (right now she's about 5 pounds), and if she's smaller than 7 pounds by 39 weeks I'll get induced and try round 2 of a vaginal delivery. I'm really really hoping it works. I've been complaining lately about Braxton Hicks, and how stupid it is to even have contractions when I know I'm having a c-section. Now I'm grateful for any contractions, hoping it speeds the process along and actually helps me dilate and go into labor early. The hospital won't let me be induced before 39 weeks, but if I go into labor on my own before then that's fine. I'm skinnier this time than I was with Lex, and Lex was born 5 days late, so I'm hoping that being induced a week before my due date will be early enough that Mia will be small and come the way we want her to! So here's to hoping it happens. I really REALLY want more than 3 babies!!!
Here's an updated preggo pic:
Okay, semi-updated. That was 3 weeks ago.
And a cool thing about this doctor office: You get a 3D ultrasound every time you go. Here's the one from today, it's not great...
And now.
You know how you always have a plan for your life and then it never really works out that way? We were talking about Lexsi's delivery, and why I ended up with a c-section (fatty tailbone, remember?), and he mentioned that if this baby was smaller I might be able to deliver vaginally. I said I really didn't mind having a c-section, and he asked how many kids I wanted. He told me the number he could guarantee me was 3. My other doctor said probably 4, so I didn't think to much of it... but 3? That means I could only be pregnant one more time. Only one more baby after Mia. I don't think I'm okay with that! I've always said I want 6 kids. I love my little family, and I'm a little anxious about adding another little girl in 6 weeks and the madness that will ensue, but that doesn't change the fact that I want a lot of kids eventually. The idea of only 3 kids is hard for me to swallow. So at this point, we're going to keep an eye on how big Mia is getting (right now she's about 5 pounds), and if she's smaller than 7 pounds by 39 weeks I'll get induced and try round 2 of a vaginal delivery. I'm really really hoping it works. I've been complaining lately about Braxton Hicks, and how stupid it is to even have contractions when I know I'm having a c-section. Now I'm grateful for any contractions, hoping it speeds the process along and actually helps me dilate and go into labor early. The hospital won't let me be induced before 39 weeks, but if I go into labor on my own before then that's fine. I'm skinnier this time than I was with Lex, and Lex was born 5 days late, so I'm hoping that being induced a week before my due date will be early enough that Mia will be small and come the way we want her to! So here's to hoping it happens. I really REALLY want more than 3 babies!!!
Here's an updated preggo pic:
Okay, semi-updated. That was 3 weeks ago.
And a cool thing about this doctor office: You get a 3D ultrasound every time you go. Here's the one from today, it's not great...
The top one is the 3D one--- it's her little profile :)
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
18 Months
There are lots of things I need to catch up on... mainly about moving to Ogden and how different my life suddenly is. But for now, I need to talk about my Lex.
All of a sudden, my baby is a toddler. 18 months is TOO OLD, I tell ya! She is an absolute blast though. I love love love this phase! Some of Lexsi's faves:
- As always, she's obsessed with reading. She goes to her toy room, grabs books, and hauls them over to Mia's baby car seat and sits in it to read. She thinks it's the coziest!
- Movies. The girl is a certainly a Savage. If I let her, she'd watch movie after movie all day long. {I DON'T let her.} She's particularly fond of The Aristocats and Toy Story 3. She loves Buzz and Woody! There's also a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode online right now about Pluto's bubble bath and she looooves it.
- Emptying the lazy susan. She's doing it as I type this. Cause apparently spices and pudding and all the baking supplies are just too awesome to stay away from.
- Being outside. It's been SO HOT, so I've been avoiding being outside, but when we do go out it's so good for her. She's happy as can be if she can just find a patch of dirt and play in it.
- Her favorite foods are spaghetti, pizza, plain noodles, cheese, toast with peanut butter, bananas, and eggs. She's actually a pretty good eater.
- She's loving all the Disney Princesses right now. She calls Tiana "Ana," Belle "Bawl," and Cinderella "Ella." Other than that, she picks one up or points to one in a story and exclaims, "It's a gool!" (I love how she says "girl." SO cute!)
- Her language skills are really taking off. She's doing very well, especially considering she's learning two languages. Every liquid is "Agua," and she uses a few other Spanish words too, like "Amo," "Gracias," and "Mas" and lately she's been asking DJ, "O-sta Mama?" {Donde esta Mama?} In English she says a lot more things, like "Cheese," "Mama," "Baby," "So cool!" "Awesome!" "Puppy," "Minnie Mouse," "Car," "Store," "Downstairs," "Outside," "All done," etc. She says so much more stuff than that, but it'll take far too long to record it all. Just trust me, it's adorable.
- She loves to wear shoes. Her favorites are a pair of little pink jelly shoes. She loves the clicky sound they make on the tile in our house when she walks.
- She's sleeping in a toddler bed, and doing really well with it. I was really concerned that she wouldn't stay in it, but she totally does. The first night we had her in it (when we first moved to Ogden), she fell through the slats in the head board-- it's just one of those white metal toddler beds that everyone has. So that was a little funny, but other than that I think she's only fallen out one time. We put her body pillow on the side of her bed not by the wall, which creates a good barrier for her since she's a crazy sleeper. When she wakes up in the morning she likes to stand on her bed and look out the window, or she'll get out and read the books I put in her room. When she's ready to come out of her room, she knocks on the door. It's pretty awesome.
- She's been going to sleep SO easily and it's amazing. When we were in Lovell she was struggling big time, and I was struggling big time. She was sleeping in the same room as us, which was no good. She didn't want to go to sleep at night-- it was taking me nearly an hour every night to get her down. And if she woke up in the night she took forEVER to go back to sleep cause we were in the room too. Now, I take her up to her room, let her drink a bottle if she wants (which is only about half the time), then hand her a binky and her kitty pillow and sing her one song and leave. She puts herself to sleep just beautifully. There are times, of course, where she gets up and plays, but it's rare. For 18 months, she's doing really well. She doesn't cry when I put her to bed, and that's the best part! Thank heavens for her silly kitty pillow too. The thing is magical.
And now for some pictures of my girl!
One last thing-- I took Lex to PCMC last week for a checkup on her hips, and everything is great! Her specialist says he thinks she'll have normal hips the rest of her life, and wants to see her again in 2 years to just check up on her. I am so so grateful her hip dysplasia was caught so early, and the process of correcting it was relatively easy. Having her in that harness for 2 months when she was tiny was really no big deal, especially given what COULD have happened. I'm so grateful!
All of a sudden, my baby is a toddler. 18 months is TOO OLD, I tell ya! She is an absolute blast though. I love love love this phase! Some of Lexsi's faves:
- As always, she's obsessed with reading. She goes to her toy room, grabs books, and hauls them over to Mia's baby car seat and sits in it to read. She thinks it's the coziest!
- Movies. The girl is a certainly a Savage. If I let her, she'd watch movie after movie all day long. {I DON'T let her.} She's particularly fond of The Aristocats and Toy Story 3. She loves Buzz and Woody! There's also a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode online right now about Pluto's bubble bath and she looooves it.
- Emptying the lazy susan. She's doing it as I type this. Cause apparently spices and pudding and all the baking supplies are just too awesome to stay away from.
- Being outside. It's been SO HOT, so I've been avoiding being outside, but when we do go out it's so good for her. She's happy as can be if she can just find a patch of dirt and play in it.
- Her favorite foods are spaghetti, pizza, plain noodles, cheese, toast with peanut butter, bananas, and eggs. She's actually a pretty good eater.
- She's loving all the Disney Princesses right now. She calls Tiana "Ana," Belle "Bawl," and Cinderella "Ella." Other than that, she picks one up or points to one in a story and exclaims, "It's a gool!" (I love how she says "girl." SO cute!)
- Her language skills are really taking off. She's doing very well, especially considering she's learning two languages. Every liquid is "Agua," and she uses a few other Spanish words too, like "Amo," "Gracias," and "Mas" and lately she's been asking DJ, "O-sta Mama?" {Donde esta Mama?} In English she says a lot more things, like "Cheese," "Mama," "Baby," "So cool!" "Awesome!" "Puppy," "Minnie Mouse," "Car," "Store," "Downstairs," "Outside," "All done," etc. She says so much more stuff than that, but it'll take far too long to record it all. Just trust me, it's adorable.
- She loves to wear shoes. Her favorites are a pair of little pink jelly shoes. She loves the clicky sound they make on the tile in our house when she walks.
- She's sleeping in a toddler bed, and doing really well with it. I was really concerned that she wouldn't stay in it, but she totally does. The first night we had her in it (when we first moved to Ogden), she fell through the slats in the head board-- it's just one of those white metal toddler beds that everyone has. So that was a little funny, but other than that I think she's only fallen out one time. We put her body pillow on the side of her bed not by the wall, which creates a good barrier for her since she's a crazy sleeper. When she wakes up in the morning she likes to stand on her bed and look out the window, or she'll get out and read the books I put in her room. When she's ready to come out of her room, she knocks on the door. It's pretty awesome.
- She's been going to sleep SO easily and it's amazing. When we were in Lovell she was struggling big time, and I was struggling big time. She was sleeping in the same room as us, which was no good. She didn't want to go to sleep at night-- it was taking me nearly an hour every night to get her down. And if she woke up in the night she took forEVER to go back to sleep cause we were in the room too. Now, I take her up to her room, let her drink a bottle if she wants (which is only about half the time), then hand her a binky and her kitty pillow and sing her one song and leave. She puts herself to sleep just beautifully. There are times, of course, where she gets up and plays, but it's rare. For 18 months, she's doing really well. She doesn't cry when I put her to bed, and that's the best part! Thank heavens for her silly kitty pillow too. The thing is magical.
And now for some pictures of my girl!
Snuggling with me-- I seriously love that she's snuggly again!
Playing with Dad.
First day of Nursery at church-- I ended up having to stay with her the whole 2 hours cause she was melting down big time, but she'll figure it out.
Playing in the dirt at Bear Lake-- she was in heaven!
I took her to Temple Square and this was her reaction to the Christus statue-- so precious!
Going down the slide at the park.
Hanging out in Mia's car seat.
Swinging at the park.
Hauling a baby around-- she does this everywhere we go. I love it.
Playing with her puppy. Pretty sure she's feeding her dirt in this picture. Cosmo is so obliging.
In the pink jelly shoes-- they're a staple in her life.
Watching a Braves game with Great Grandpa Savage while we were in Lovell. I love how their arms are even in the same position.
One last thing-- I took Lex to PCMC last week for a checkup on her hips, and everything is great! Her specialist says he thinks she'll have normal hips the rest of her life, and wants to see her again in 2 years to just check up on her. I am so so grateful her hip dysplasia was caught so early, and the process of correcting it was relatively easy. Having her in that harness for 2 months when she was tiny was really no big deal, especially given what COULD have happened. I'm so grateful!
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