100th Post Announcements

So many things to announce! Here we go...

My friends, today, for the first time in almost 17 months, I didn't wear a nursing bra. Pip actually decided to wean himself about a week and a half ago, but with my stuff still in boxes, I couldn't find anything except what I've been wearing. Until today. Anyway, I'm grateful for a healthy body and (more than) ample milk production that has been able to nourish my baby for all this time.

Pip's eyes are not brown. Nor are they blue. They are a greenish grayish color--really cool!

Squeak just turned three. She is unbelievably smart, speaking in 10-20 word sentences regularly. D says, "If I had a brain like hers, med school would be a breeze." She is also incredibly talented. More about her talents later.

Little Squirt is starting to look more obvious. Squirt is our fetus. (S)he is swimming all over the place and very soon I'm going to have to give up my favorite sleeping position (on my back) for my less-preferred sleep position (on my side). Squirt is around 24 weeks old.

D is busy studying for boards again. He loves it!

I'm busy unpacking (sometimes) and trying to get out on regular runs (very SLOW runs) and taking an almost-daily nap.

I'm dying to announce something else but am not at liberty to announce it until who knows when... so you'll have to check back.

Birthday Half-Marathon

I still haven't posted about my birthday party. I felt bad not posting about Pip's birthday first, and then with moving and all... Ah, the excuses!

This time I had a dozen runners show up, along with lots of babies in strollers. My awesome sister came down to run again, this time with three kids! (Her 7-year-old rode a bike). D even ran this time (3rd year of med school isn't quite as time-consuming as the first two years, so he's around for more than 30 minutes a day now). He hadn't trained like I had, but he still beat my time by over an hour.



I was NOT a champion for this race. Although I had trained diligently, it was just not my day. I bonked at mile 6 and thought I'd quit right there, but then I thought, "Hey, this is my birthday race. I'm going to finish even if I have to walk part of it." So I walked for part of it. I was also pushing the munchkins, but D came and took them around mile 7 and I was so grateful!

I love this shot of me behind the bushes--it was toward the end and I'd started running again.

My not-so-glorious finish (but I did run the last mile or two!). I have never run such a slow half-marathon. I was dead-last, and by the time I finished, almost all the other runners had gone home. They told me they had a lot of fun running though! I was just glad to know that I finished the race I started.

Famous Squeak

We have an artist friend who wanted to paint Squeak for her upcoming show. You can view the painting here: "Night Time Butterflies." I love it! I can't wait to see it in real life (tonight!).

So, who wants to donate to the "purchase Squeak's painting" fund???

No Longer Homeless but Going Through CVS Withdrawals

We've moved! As with any move, I anticipated about a week of being in limbo--a few days before and a few days after with packing and then unpacking and getting settled. We didn't plan for three weeks though. The kids have held up remarkably well (Squeak felt displaced without her crib and "Mo" and other special things, but the tantrums were minimal considering, and Pip didn't even seem fazed). After being homeless for two weeks, we've MOVED IN (this doesn't mean we're unpacked; it just means we're sleeping in our own place). My parents were very patient and let us stay with them until we could move in here.

We had a lot of help from family and friends--babysitting, meals, cleaning and packing, taking extras to Savers or the dumpster, loading and unloading, etc. and we're so grateful. We couldn't have done it without everyone's help!

The great thing about life is that we can learn things that will (if we're wise) help us in the future. We've learned some very valuable lessons from this move. Here are all the "dos and don'ts:"

DO:

1. Sell and Re-buy if you're moving to a different city. We thought it sounded like a good idea before we did it, but now we're absolutely sold on the concept. We sold almost all of our furniture and extra stuff on Craigslist: curio cabinet, kitchen chairs, extra strollers, bikes, microwave, old computer monitors, printer, bookshelves, bassinet, freezer, hammock, desk and office chair... What a thrill to not have to pack and transport all that stuff!!

2. Call Penske, U-haul, and Budget and ask them to price match to give you a better deal on truck rentals. I started with a quote of almost $600 and got down to under $300. I sure love a bargain!

3. Start packing early, and pack the things you're not using and get them out of the way. I didn't do this very well because I kept thinking I had to pack a whole room at a time. Nonsense!

4. Go through your stuff and get rid of what you don't want a few months before moving. I sort of did this, but I was busy in other ways at the time and didn't focus like I should have.

5. Get more boxes than you think you'll need, plus packing supplies like bubble wrap, newspaper, and tape, and have them ready ahead of time. We were so blessed to get all the boxes we needed for free from nice people on Craigslist. We love Craigslist!

6. Fly your awesome, service-oriented brother down to help you pack, clean, and drive with two little kids.


DON'T:

1. Don't move out of state over a weekend. We rolled out of Phoenix late Saturday afternoon and D had to be at work in Provo on Monday morning. BAD IDEA!

2. Don't try to drive a moving truck over Hoover Dam. The dam guy wouldn't let D through and he ended up driving 180 extra miles (on top of driving all night). Also, it was stupid for us to take separate routes. I went straight north through Page (slightly shorter route) and D went through Las Vegas (safer for a big truck because of better roads and weather). If we had gone the same route, D could've slept in our hotel room instead of being stuck in the truck all night.

3. Don't leave on a 10-hour drive at 4 p.m. with two little kids and expect to drive straight through. After a few hours of Pip screaming, we decided to spend the night in Kanab. My kind parents called ahead and booked a hotel, ready with two cribs and a yummy breakfast in the morning.

4. Don't unload your moving truck until your new place is ready to move into. We unfortunately had no control over this and had to unload our truck into the garage. All my careful labeling was for naught because instead of the kitchen boxes going into the kitchen and the bedroom boxes into the bedroom, etc. everything was a jumbled mess in the garage. Finding things (now that we are actually living in the house) has been a real challenge.



And about those withdrawals...
Last night I had to BUY some baby wipes. It was so sad. I kept thinking that if there was a CVS here, I could get them for free. Boo hoo hoo!!

Happy Birthday to Pip!

Goldilocks turned one! We have enjoyed his presence in our family so much over the past year and couldn't imagine life without him.

I made a banana cake with whipped cream and bananas on top for our boy, just like I did for Squeak. I think I'll do the same for all of our babies when they turn one. My little monkeys sure love bananas! He just couldn't keep his hands away when he saw what it was!
We celebrated Pip's birthday (over three months ago) by going to the Grand Canyon for New Years Eve. We originally thought we'd pack the kids down and back up. Ha ha ha, so funny! Fortunately, it snowed over a foot the week before our trip, so that option was out (too slippery), and we decided to instead walk the rim and enjoy the view. Good choice!

I'm wearing my hood not because it was so cold, but because Pip kept pulling my hair. Funny Pip!

Someone did the creative piggy man and I just had to take a photo

The snowy rim. It was quite lovely.

Below is one of the last photos we took with our camera. It was on the bus going back to the car after two days of hiking the rim. Squeak loved the bus! But we had a little tragedy as I tried to pass the camera to D and in the exchange, it dropped and broke.

We were really glad it wasn't one of our kids that got dropped, and also that the camera dropped at the end of our trip. And I was secretly glad for the excuse to get a new camera.

Family shot with the parents looking good and the kids not really looking

Bright sun!

Squeak enjoyed the snow for her first time and made this mini "hombre de nieve" with her Dada

Hooah, look at my strong husband packing around 60+ pounds of kids and gear!

Our munchkins loved being outside and they loved hanging out in the backpacks.

Little Pip: What's not to love??
There are so many things we enjoy about our boy. Here are just a few:

His goldilocks
His gappy grin and giggles
His "affectionate growl"--he growls with delight at things he loves, like his sister, his Mama, his Dada, breastfeeding, dogs, horses, birds, airplanes...
His speedy crawl and the pitter-patter it makes across the carpet
His clapping sign, which means either "mas" (comida) or "si" depending on what we ask him
The way he holds his arms up and says, "arriba" (actually sounds like, "ri") to be picked up
How thrilled his is about knocking over a tower of blocks
The way he worships the vacuum cleaner
How awesome he is at giving hugs (he growls as he hugs too)
His healthy appetite
How much he loves balls--he throws them and crawls after them, just like my sweet Bruno
The way he loves babies (actually dolls--he picked this up from Squeak)
That he loves going for runs with his Mama and Squeak--I'm so blessed to have two kids who are content in the Baby Jogger so I can get my run in almost every day.
How ticklish he is
How he kneels on the floor to play (with his little feet tucked behind his bum). Love the toes!

What can I say? He is our favorite son!

A Thinking Woman

If you're a thinking woman, and you're considering having a baby, you should read this book:

The author, Henci Goer, has gone through most of the options available where birth is concerned, e.g. labor induction, O.B.s and midwives, birth centers, C-sections, epidurals and other drugs during labor, episiotomies, electronic fetal monitoring, IVs, etc. She has read the medical literature and presents the pros and cons for each option along with the possible consequences. I am one of those people who wants to see the research, and here it is! Actual studies are cited, making this book fact-based and opinion-free.

Reading The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth may or may not convince you that less intervention is best, but at the very least, you will be informed about your options and the possible consequences. There will be no surprises like an epidural not working, an unexpected C-section, a presumably healthy baby that ends up with respiratory distress, a postpartum backache, a baby that doesn't nurse well, etc. There will be no surprises because you will know the possible consequences of any choices you make for your birth. Knowledge is power!


Meet Fei. Fei is a thinking woman. When she was pregnant with her first, she had some preferences for her upcoming birth based on things her mother and sister had told her. So she talked with her O.B. about them. Her O.B. went through her list and said, "No... no... no... I will not acommodate your wishes." (Fei was not asking for anything EXTRA--she was actually asking for less-than-the-norm: no labor induction, no epidural, etc.) And so, in the middle of her third trimester, Fei fired her O.B. She later told me she had no idea where to go. She sent an email out to the Relief Society, asking if anyone could recommend somebody. She got a recommendation for a midwife group from a girl she didn't know very well. Fei had never considered going to a midwife, but as a thinking woman, she decided to check it out. Fei ended up with a wonderful water birth in a birth center, attended by caring midwives who were aware and respectful of the fact that birth is a normal body process. Her little girl was born naturally nine days after her "due date" at about six and a half pounds and absolutely perfect.

Fei and Pip

I didn't meet Fei until months later, but it was her story and that of my sister-in-law, both of whom switched to a different care provider late in pregnancy, that prompted me to make the last-minute switch to Ellen when I was almost 40 weeks pregnant with Pip. A switch that most likely saved me from getting an unnecessary C-section and instead gave me a fabulous birth memory that will bring a smile to my face and tears of joy and gratitude to my eyes for the rest of my life.

Fei is now pregnant with her second. She and her husband have chosen to pay out of pocket for a birth center birth rather than let insurance cover the intervention hospital birth that everyone else they know is getting. A thinking woman married to a thinking man. Awesome!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

(don't mind the date; I'm still trying to figure out the new camera!)

I'm a day late, but I was too busy all day yesterday to post this. Squeak and I painted our toes to celebrate our Irishness. Irishness? Irishhood? Whatever. The fact that I'm 1/4 Irish and she's 1/8. Thanks, Grandma, for the Irish heritage!

Who doesn't love free stuff?

I am addicted to bargain shopping. I love finding a great deal. My Grandma was legendary as the "Coupon Queen" and I am trying to fill her shoes. Not to brag or anything (yeah, right), but I got everything in the photo below during Thanksgiving sales FOR FREE. Including the cordless electric razor. At first, D didn't want me to get it, saying he already had an electric. "But this is cordless!" I said and got it anyway. He is so thrilled--I see the glee on his face every time he can shave in the car or walk around the house shaving.

Sometimes I get things for free and then give them as gifts. If you receive such gifts, please know that you are even more loved and cherished than someone who receives a "purchased" gift. Believe me, it takes a lot more time, effort, and creativity to get something for free. Oh, but it is SO SATISFYING!!!

My Shrine to CVS

Destruction of the Shrine

How did I get roped into this freebie giveaway???

D signed up for a freebie on someone else's blog, but he doesn't have a blog. Which means I get to offer the following:

I Love This!

The first 3 people to respond to this post will get something made by me. My choice. Made especially for you.

Restrictions and Limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It will be done this year.
4. You have no clue what it's going to be, because I don't even know what it's going to be!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The Catch: You must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 3 people who comment on your post and agree to do the same! So get ready for your mystery treat but be prepared to share the love! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you get when you get it.


other caveat: I reserve the right to make D make your treat. If you're local and it's food, lucky you!!! If you're not local right now, you might be later on this year.

Curly, Moe, and Larry

February was an exciting month here--we had visitors THREE times during the month and loved it! We've also had camera and computer issues, but here's a shot of Squeak, Pip and Xinlan (one of our visitors).

About those awesome costumes...

Yes, Michelle, you've seen them before. And so have thousands of other people. I acquired the cat costumes around six years ago on a successful dumpster diving adventure with my roommate Micah. I had received a tip from a coworker whose wife did costumes for Young Ambassadors of BYU--they were getting rid of the costumes used for their "CATS" number.

Micah and I headed to the appropriate dumpster under cover of darkness. We wore dark clothing and had headlamps and plastic trash bags. We climbed in, shut the top, and couldn't believe our eyes! So much furry fabric! I had been expecting a handful of costumes, but this was better than I had imagined. We were laughing and rejoicing in our good fortune. I peeked out of the lid and saw a security guy about 50 feet away. Oops! We fell silent and stopped rustling around. After about two minutes, we felt someone lifting the dumpster lid--it was our security guy! "Uh, what's going on here?" he asked. I straightened up and (sounding all official) said, "Mary Smith (name has been changed) is the costume director for Young Ambassadors and she found out they were disposing of the costumes. She couldn't be here tonight, so we're acting on her behalf to save the costumes." What could he say to that? "OK, well, don't make a mess then," was his response. So Micah and I stuffed our bags full and took our loot home. We ended up with eleven complete cat costumes! Costumes that had been seen on stage hundreds of times (don't worry, we washed them!). That year, my roommates (Michelle was one of them) and I were all cats for Halloween. I've been a cat many times since then.

The dogs...well, not quite as exciting. One dog costume (Squeak's) was given to me by my sister-in-law when she was downsizing her costume stash. I made the other dog (Pip's) from fabric donations from my mother-in-law. I decided after that adventure that, although I find it highly satisfying to make family costumes, I'm sick of doing it without a pattern. I'm too slow and not skilled enough at sewing to sew without a pattern. We'll see what we come up with next year!