The Wee Loveland Family

Valentine's.

2012-02-15T17:39:00.003-07:00

Valentine's Day fell on a Tuesday this year. If you know us Lovelands, Tuesdays mean only one thing: Biggest Loser night.

Even Valentine's Day couldn't get in the way of our date with the couch.

Ok, we're not THAT pathetic. We actually had a really busy Valentine's Day. Ross spent a few hours working on his internship. After, he rushed off to the gym. When he got home, he didn't even have time to shower before we headed off to Lehi to go pick out tile. (We're getting our shower and entry way redone over the next few days.) I never knew there ENDLESS possibilities when it came to showers.

By the time we got home, Ross still had some homework, Claire was tired and grumpy, and to be honest, I was tired and grumpy, too.

Luckily it was Tuesday and we had something to look forward to after the critter went to bed. Ross cooked up some delicious Sloppy Joes while I gave Claire a bath. And we sat ourselves down and had sloppy joes, steak fries, and a few too many cupcakes while we watched our show. And it was wonderful.

We exchanged our gifts for our sweethearts last week. (We always end up celebrating holidays and birthdays early. The anticipation and excitement KILLS me.)

Ross got me a Kindle Fire, which Claire of course thinks is hers. And I gave Ross this beauty.

Even though we got to spend Valentine's night together, I feel guilty I didn't cook, didn't plan on cooking, and frankly didn't want to cook. I felt obligated to make it up to Ross. Here's our set up for tonight.

On the menu tonight, we have filet mignon, which has been marinating ALL day, a green salad, and rice pilaf. And of course something bubbly and delicious to sip on. It's kind of fun getting a second fun day with my two Valentines.

Tomorrow the construction starts. Updates and pictures are sure to follow! Hope everyone had a great love day yesterday!

"Claire, You Are An Impressive Specimen."

2012-02-14T10:50:00.002-07:00

Yes, that was a direct quote from Claire's ped, Dr. Later.

Yesterday, Claire had her 15 month appointment. I simply cannot offer enough praise and adoration for Claire's doctor. I feel so lucky and BLESSED to have found him. A year ago he was actually the one who told me I needed to get checked out for PPD.

Claire loves to run. (In the opposite direction of Mom and Dad in particular.) But she's also starting to get into the stranger danger phase. In the office, Claire was conflicted. She didn't want to stay near me, but she didn't want to go near anyone else, either. When we were called back, it just turned into a disaster.

She screamed and wiggled while the poor nurse measured her head and length. When it came time to weigh her, she was impossible. We made numerous attempts to get an accurate weight before deciding it'd be better to just weigh myself and Claire. (Luckily the weight was in kilos so I didn't have to see that dreaded number.)

Back in our exam room, Claire was free to run and explore in her diaper. She was having a blast. And then he came in. Before I could blink, Claire was hiding with her face crammed between my legs.

You can just tell how much Dr. Later loves and cares about kids. He talked and played with her for a while before getting down to business. I knew I had a big girl, but even Dr. Later was amazed by how big she is. Miss Claire is in the 100th percentile for height, weight, and head circumference. He had to just just sit in awe of her size for a few minutes and laugh. She's perfect, just an amazingly big, tall gal.

He then asked about her appetite, the subject that has been my main concern for months. I was shocked to not only receive some motherly comfort, but praise, too! I wish I had talked to him MONTHS ago when I checked out every book on toddler nutrition I could find. He basically told me my job is to provide the food. Her job is to eat it. Whether or not she does, doesn't actually matter. I can't make her eat anything, and she'll eat when she's hungry. She's not going to starve herself, and she obviously isn't hurting for food.

I thought I was going to cry, I was so relieved and happy. Even when I asked if it's ok that she once went FOUR DAYS without eating even a fruit snack or cheeto, he said that was perfectly fine. If she wants to live off of green beans, apple juice, and french bread, so be it!

It's always great to hear your kid is doing well and is healthy, but sometimes you just need to hear that you're doing a good job as a mom and doing everything right.

Dr. Later, thank you for taking an insurmountable amount of stress from me. I will no longer be pulling everything out of the fridge, frantic to find something nutritious for my daughter, or keep offering her food to only have her throw said food at me. Maybe I'll get to take a break from having food in my hair before we start the spit-up conditioner in a few weeks!

Child Labor.

2012-02-11T10:41:00.004-07:00

Claire's being put to work.

Because I look like I'm going on an expedition to the moon every time I leave the house and I can't IMAGINE what kind of mess that'd turn into when we become a family of four.

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A couple days ago I found the most adorable animal backpacks on amazon. (We'll talk about my online shopping addiction later.) They had eight or so different animals and I just about died. Ross picked this one out for Claire.

So far, I think she really likes it. She keeps trying to put it on and loves poking the eyes, nose, and ears. (A wonderful alternative to mom and dad's face.) I can't tell you how excited I am to not have a 1000 pound diaper bag on Sunday.

Here's The Deal.

2012-02-07T11:53:00.002-07:00

I want Jillian's upper body, and I want it bad.

But I want it when I go into the delivery room.

I've gained between 5-10 pounds. (Depends on the day and how much I've eaten, haha) At first it was a major concern, but after months of appointments and being told that baby's right on track and getting everything she needs, I've stopped worrying.

When we found out we were expecting, I had been working out 3 times a day, and watching what I ate with the intensity of a hawk. It was really hard to stop, and even harder to not obsess over my growing belly.

There was an amazing deal at a gym in Orem, with free personal training, so I had Ross sign up. He's been working out at home, but I think the gym will give him new motivation and opportunities. It's been hard for me watching him exercise and feel great while I help myself to a second helping of cookies. Every Tuesday we have a date with the couch and we watch The Biggest Loser together. It's something we look forward to every week, and I honestly block out my calendar for it. Last week we were at a friend's for dinner, and Ross told them we'd have to leave early because our show was on. It's been a struggle having all of this motivation built up, but being unable to do anything about it.

Last week I decided to start working out. Midwife wasn't thrilled, but was eventually comforted when I said I wasn't doing cardio beyond walking (mostly just testing out my fabulous double stroller), and lifting no more than 5 pound weights. (Granted, I've been doing between 60 and 90 of each exercise to make up for the low weight.) I've only been focusing on lifts for upper body and legs, figuring if I can get those areas going, I can worry about my belly and buns after this lady's born.

And it feels good. If I'm going to be hauling around 30 pound Claire PLUS a new baby, I better have some muscle. Mostly, I think I'm just excited for when I get cleared to really exercise and can put that double jogger to the test. I've only taken it out to walk around stores with Claire, and I'm already beyond in love. I didn't think I could love a stroller as much as our single BOB, but the duallie is one million times better and 100% worth each penny. I cannot wait for summertime when I can take the girls out for a run with mom.

Another Pregnancy Post.

2012-02-06T11:20:00.003-07:00

Don't worry, y'all only have a little over a month left of my pregnancy posts.

I'll be 32 weeks on Thursday. When I was pregnant with Claire, at this point I was already dilated to a 4.5, feeling like a bomb about to go off any second. I've had contractions and cramping for the last six weeks or so with this one, but I haven't gone in yet. I figure, if I haven't had the baby yet, I'm probably fine, though I'm beyond curious if I have dilated at all yet.

My 32 week appointment was this morning. We started off by discovering I hadn't gained any weight. Midwife asked if I got a call about my GD test, to which I responded no. She decided to pull the results anyway to double check that everything was fine. With Claire, I was anemic, so it wasn't surprising to have the same results this time around. Except then the midwife got really serious and asked if I was eating. Yup. No worries there, pal. I am CHOWING down, usually going back for not just seconds, but 3rds combined with snacking throughout the day. I just have no idea where it's all going. Obviously I'm not too put out about the number on the scale.

I told her I started exercising last week. She looked like I said I punched a puppy, bless her heart.

As our due date approaches, I've been thinking a lot about PPD and the chances of having to go through that again and decided to bring up my concerns at the appointment. I'm really glad I did. She said that I was definitely at a higher risk of PPD with this one, especially because of how sever it was with Claire. We decided to get me on a REALLY high dose of vitamin D until my next appointment where we can reevaluate and talk about starting the prozac again that way it'll be in full effect by the time this gal is born. I love how she thinks ahead.

I feel like an old person, popping so many pills and supplements each day, but I'm really grateful for them. I'm excited about taking them. Hopefully they'll help with my energy and motivation levels. I still have a few things to get done before baby, but I haven't had the desire to do anything lately.

I think I'll get the other crib set up this week after it arrives. (I FINALLY decided to order it last week.) We'll see if Claire catches on to what's coming!

The Name Reveal.

2012-01-29T16:39:00.004-07:00

I've been debating for a while now about whether to just come out with our littlest miss' name, or to wait until she's actually here to do the introduction post. With Claire, we kept the name a secret and formally introduced our newest Loveland. And I loved it. I know we hurt a few feelings along the way though. Last night we decided it wasn't really a secret and we know this is definitely our gal's name, and I got the OK from Ross to do an announcement post.

We've had the name picked out for a really long time. At 16 weeks, we just couldn't wait any longer to find out what we were having. We decided to pay for an elective gender ultrasound and went in a month early to discover we were having another lady! (I have been wrong both times. Both pregnancies I would have sworn that we were having a boy, especially this one.) We really didn't have any girl names thought up yet, and we had a lot of work to do.

As you all well know, I am in love with "old lady" names, while Ross is a fan of "unique" names. This one is a compromise. We've told a few people the name we've chosen already, and I really haven't loved the reactions we've gotten. Maybe it's a good thing we're doing an announcement post rather than an introduction, so we can get all of the shock and bewildered faces out of the way before she arrives.

Ok, I've given enough back story and jabbered on enough, right?? Here we go. Our littlest lady will be named...

Please forgive the green wall. The flash makes the color more shocking than it really is. But there you have it.

Aoife (EE-fa) Elaine. NOT Eva.

We are fully aware she will be forever spelling and pronouncing her name, but we love it. Here's where it comes from.

This name is obviously off of Ross' list. He has quite a bit of Irish heritage. Before we even came up with our lists, he mentioned how much he loved Irish names. After I had looked at a few, I decided I really did, too. When going over Ross' list, at first I passed this name by without even a second glance. I just had no idea how to say it. After Ross told me how it was pronounced, I was in love.

Elaine is my Grandmother's name. I truly adore this amazing woman and am so excited she's letting us use her name.

Well, the secret's out! In just a few short weeks, Miss Aoife Elaine will be joining our family! We couldn't be more excited!!

Claire's Tutu Tea Party With Tutu Many Cookies.

2012-01-19T09:04:00.004-07:00

Claire got a Disney princess kitchen for Christmas. We weren't sure if she'd even like it, but there was an awesome deal and we couldn't pass it up. So we got it for her, in hopes that she mights play with it in the coming months.

Christmas morning proved us wrong. She LOVED the kitchen! It makes a bunch of different kitchen sounds and came with a princess cookbook that Claire loves to flip through. The real prize, however, was found in the tea cups and Mrs. Potts tea pot. We got started right away teaching Claire all about "chinks" and practiced pouring tea. For weeks Claire has loved to bring us her tea cups to do chinks with us. I decided she was ready for a tea party trial run.

Claire put on her finest tutu and I set up her toy box as our table. The tea party was anything but dainty, girly, and polite. Claire started as a lovely host, pouring my tea and performing the chinks, but then the dishes started flying.

She also has this little tray that holds a couple plastic muffins and cookies. Those were displayed on the toy box table as well. Claire was even gracious enough to hand me one when I would ask. I'd pretend to eat it and place it back on the tray. Of course, I kept asking for more. She obliged for a few minutes, but then I made the mistake of asking for just one more cookie. It must be frustrating, accommodating a guest with such a large appetite. She took the tray full of goodies and threw it while telling me in loud terms how she felt. (It was HILARIOUS, really. I might have reacted the same way.)
She then decided the tea party was OVER and swept the dishes off of our table with her arms while running to pick up the fallen dishes and throw them again. It was everything I hoped for and expected in sharing our first tea party. Though we'll have to have a few more practice runs before we invite friend's over for a toddler tea party play day.

We've been practicing our manners recently. Claire has become quite the manners police when it comes to saying "excuse me". I'm not really sure how it got started, the gesture was probably something I was doing without realizing it. Whenever I'd burp, I'd look at her, cover my mouth, and say excuse me. Claire picked up on that. Whenever someone burps or "toots" Claire will stare at you with her hand over her mouth until you politely say "Excuse me" Friends and family, you have been warned! However, heaven forbid Claire make some bodily noise. She will proudly laugh and smile right at you. Hypocrisy will be our next lesson.

Be Careful What You Pray For...

2012-01-12T14:50:00.003-07:00

Claire's screams and cries are the most stressful sound in the world to me. It's like a switch gets flipped and I go into psycho mode. Not only do I question my ability to handle two rugrats, but I also question my sanity in wanting and choosing to do so.. I know I'm going to be functioning on VERY little sleep, and there will be a lot of adjustments to be made in our family. A few weeks ago, I decided I wanted to work on being more patient with Claire when she's upset, so I'd be *more* ready to have two kiddos around.

So what did I do? I did something I swore I would never do. I've heard stories of what happens when people pray for patience, and I didn't want to get into that mess. But I did. I prayed for patience. And what did I get? Almost overnight Claire turned into a real toddler. An independent, opinionated, talking, running, climbing, maniac that seems to have a death wish as she dives off of the couches, runs into furniture, and tortures the poor cat. And she started getting teeth. A lot of teeth. Seven of them to be exact.

Claire has always had a mind of her own. She knows exactly what she wants. I suppose that'll be a good thing when she's older. Yesterday, she even started telling me "No." It was a shock, and I laughed because of how stinking cute she was, and she really doesn't understand what that word means. She's also just like her mama and can't wait to grow up. We had planned on taking away the beloved binki when Claire hit 6 months, however, just before Claire turned 3 months, she refused to take a binki. I was relieved I'd never have to go through the trauma of taking it away, but we also had to get more creative with our soothing methods. I wanted Claire to stop using bottles completely by 14 months. After she turned 1, we'd give her whole milk in her bottle less and less frequently until she only had a bottle before bed. At 13 months, she refused to take a bottle any longer. (Again, relief to my soul, avoiding the trauma of taking it away.)

Now she's almost 14 months old. And she likes to feed herself. Neither Ross or I are able to help feed her ANYTHING. I've had to get creative and think of foods I could throw on her tray and let her feed herself. Let me tell you, it's hard! I miss the days where I really only had two choices of food for her, either nursing or formula, and Claire really couldn't have cared less which I chose!

I started to get really concerned and felt like a terrible mom when all Claire had eaten for two weeks was apple juice, bananas, cheese sticks, and some lunch meat. Oh, and let's not forget her favorite Gerber cheetos and fruit snacks. That girl would live off of cheetos and fruit snacks if I'd let her.

We've NEVER had this problem before. Until now, Claire would eat everything in sight and still ask for more. What happened to my amazing, nonpicky eater?! I caved and went to the library to find every book on toddler nutrition I could find. What I found was this.

I had gotten the first book, The Girlfriend's Guide to The First Year, after Claire was born, and completely forgot about it! I love these books. They are quick, to the point, and humorous. I mean, hello? With my own toddler running around, I don't have time to read anything!

"They are the urges, frustrations, desires and fears that all of us feel... It's as if your most egotistical friend mated with your worst date in high school and their baby shared DNA with Evel Knievel. Maturity is really just a matter of learning clever ways to cover up the lively toddler in all of us."

Claire really is a big spirit with a big personality trapped in her *little* body. I doubt I'll be praying for patience again any time soon, but it really has been a humorous couple of weeks of creativity and discovery. I am grateful for lighthearted mothers who can write books like this so that I can get advice, as well as comfort knowing I'm not a horrible mother if my daughter only wants to eat grapes and chicken dogs for a week. I'm actually really excited about having this little person running around, and even more excited we'll be adding more crazy to the mix in just two months!

Nursery Projects.

2011-12-20T14:54:00.002-07:00

I have a little bright pink spiral notebook. I got it a few months back when I noticed Claire was doing funny things I never wanted to forget. Unfortunately, that notebook has become a notebook filled with lists. I never would have guessed that I was a list person. Each page is filled with to-do lists, grocery lists, Christmas lists, Birthday lists, lists of goals, lists of names, any kind of list you can think of. It is also unfortunate that my little notebook I cart around with me everywhere is missing.

I've been having dreams about fixing up the girls' room, I'm so excited. Since I don't know if this gal is going to try to come early or not, I'm itching to get started ASAP. For those of you who don't know, a while back Ross told me I could do whatever I wanted in the nursery. Men, it is a dangerous idea, giving 100% freedom to your pregnant wife regarding the nursery.

-Readers, feel free to stop here- I don't have my notebook of lists, so I'm putting the list of things I want to do in the nursery on here, so I don't lose it.

-Finish Claire's quilt
-Start/Finish new baby's quilt
-Paint dresser and crib white
-Find a tall dresser and bed for Claire (Paint those white, too)
-Repaint nursery (Either a neutral or yellow)
-Paint scalloped trim which, you guessed, will be white. (tutorial found HERE)
-Name blocks for new babe and fix Claire's. (Pink with white/brown dots)
- MAYBE paint some frames to hang family pictures in there with brown ribbon. I haven't decided if I want to yet, but seeing how much Claire loves to look at our pictures has me thinking about it.

I have my work cut out for me! My mom is coming out for a visit in January, thank goodness! I'm really excited to get to have some play time with her, but I'm also holding off on all of my little projects until she's here to help me. Hope you're ready, Mom!

Little Girls.

2011-12-14T20:33:00.004-07:00

I recently read this article. This will pretty much sum it up for you.

"Teaching girls that their appearance is the first thing you notice tells them that looks are more important than anything. It sets them up for dieting at age 5 and foundation at age 11 and boob jobs at 17 and Botox at 23. As our cultural imperative for girls to be hot 24/7 has become the new normal, American women have become increasingly unhappy. What's missing? A life of meaning, a life of ideas and reading books and being valued for our thoughts and accomplishments."

This gal talks about refraining from telling little girls how cute they are and instead talking to them about their interests, things they're thinking, and what they're reading.

I wear make-up daily. Whether I take the time to straighten it, or fix it up in a neat pony-tail, I try to do my hair every day. I have six or seven different exercise DVDs on my shelf that are solely mine. Not only that, but I do exactly what this woman says we shouldn't do. I make a point every single day to tell Claire she is beautiful. And I think it's important.

There is a difference between telling little girls they are beautiful, and telling them they could be beautiful IF... I decided a long time ago that I would never say anything in front of Claire about her or my body, especially about something being "wrong" with it.

I want Claire to KNOW that she is beautiful, even with snot running down from both nostrils, and who knows what smeared in her hair and on her clothes. But that isn't the only thing I want her to know. I also make a point each day to tell Claire that she is smart, that she is important, and that I love her. I want my girls to grow up to be strong, independent, smart, confident women. Ross and I went to see The Help in the dollar theater last week. (Side note -We were BLOWN AWAY!!!! Absolutely loved it!) This little clip made me think about Claire and has stuck with me since.

We read books together multiple times each day. We practice counting fingers and toes, and we sing songs together. Over and over again. Claire also sits on the bathroom counter and talks with me while I put on my make-up. And I love it.

Ross often says he'd be perfectly happy if we only ever had girls. While I still have my heart set on getting some Boy Scout mom jewelry, I do love being the mom of little girls. Being a mom is an overwhelming responsibility at times. Hopefully I'm not screwing up too badly!

Baby Update.

2011-12-12T11:48:00.003-07:00

This time around, I really don't have time to think about being pregnant. In fact, I always forget that I am! That is, until I have to bend over or stand up. The only time I really remember is when I get a reminder phone call about an upcoming appointment.

Today was my 24 week appointment. Here were the updates:

-Still no weight gain. Though, baby is measuring just a tad bigger than she should, so we aren't too worried about the lack of weight. (And honestly, I'm not too bummed about the missing weight, either!)
- I was told to watch for the slightest signs of preterm labor. At the beginning of this pregnancy, I was listed as high risk, and then taken off that list a couple of months later. Depending on how this month goes, I might be going back on that list. This is the point with my last pregnancy when I started having issues with Claire. I guess we'll find out if she's just as anxious to come as her sister was and if I'll have to start going in more often for appointments.
- She's not head down yet, and just as squirmy as ever! My midwife has always had a hard time getting a heart rate on this Miss. She doesn't like to be found with the doppler, and is constantly moving. We love active babies!

We're getting more and more excited about this gal joining our family! Only 3 more months before we get to meet our littlest Miss!

Quotes From The Loveland House Part 2.

2011-12-09T10:17:00.000-07:00

I'm really glad I write these down, I'm 100% positive I'd forget the funny things that happen in our family if I didn't keep track.

Me: Claire laughs now whenever she farts.
Ross: *Rolls eyes* She definitely got that from you.

Sadly, he's right. I'm 21 and farts are still funny.

I was making dinner last night. Here's how the conversation went.

Me: Hey Ross, how many mozzarella sticks do you want?
Ross: How many do you usually eat?

Uhhhhh wrong question, love. Let's NOT ask the pregnant wife how much of something she eats.

Me: Claire, say "DADA"
Claire: MAMAMAMAMA <-- my dream come true!!!

Ross taught Elder's Quorum last week. After church, I was asking how it went.

Ross: So crazy guy talked to me for a few minutes afterwards about how he found his soul mate in NY and how he knows they're perfect for each other. He said he wants to be better so he can help her and be a better partner for her.
Me: Oh yeah?
Ross: Then I found out he was talking about Madonna.

I suppose I can give you all an update on our family while I'm at it. The last day of classes was yesterday!! Woo Hoo! Only a few finals and Ross is free! Well, kind of. We're staying in Utah for Christmas, our first family Christmas! He'll be working over the break, but we're excited!

Claire's finally over her flu bug, and now she's working on 4 or 5 teeth. A couple of which are molars. Ouch! She can reach the doorknobs now and especially loves opening the bathroom door. (Just a head's up for everyone!)

Since painting the bathroom in our room, I've become obsessed with having a spotless house. I even make the bed upon waking up. It's actually been really nice. Claire makes it near impossible to have a clean house, but I've been trying!

I really wanted to send out Christmas cards this year. However, once I realized the cost of the cards, envelopes, and stamps, I decided I'd rather have a box of diapers. Sorry everyone! So here's our Christmas card. Enjoy! Also, I do realize I spelled "merry" wrong. It took me so long to make the stupid thing, I refuse to go back and fix it. Good thing I decided not to print and send these.

Christmas.

2011-12-02T12:47:00.003-07:00

Two posts in one day?! I know, I'm getting a little crazy. I meant to post about the zoo Weds night after we got home, but I was watching the neighbor's boys and didn't get around to it till now. And Claire's napping so I can blog my little heart out as if I have nothing better to do with my time.

We got our tree from DI a few months back for $3. Later we found out the tree had been boxed up still decorated! What a steal! Ross and I have all of our ornaments we've collected through the years and we had a great time decorating our first tree as a family, but little did we know one ornament would be so disturbing and a little haunting.

Yes, we have Santa's HEAD atop our Christmas Tree.

I think it's super creepy and will forever haunt me, but this beheaded Santa tree topper has stolen my heart. Future Loveland Christmas tradition?

This will be our first Christmas in Utah by ourselves. I was excited at first, then skeptical. Now that our decorations are out, I'm excited again. Or at least getting there. Claire has been sick off and on the last couple weeks, I'm not getting much sleep, I feel huge already, and I'm all around just a little more snappy and impatient than usual. Especially while driving. And drivers are substantially more idiotic during the Holidays.

Point is, I could use much, much more Christmas spirit, so I made a list of the things I want to do with my wee little family this Christmas.

1.) Temple Square lights. This will be our third Christmas in Utah, and we still haven't gone. We're going this year.

2.) Take Claire to see Santa. I don't know if I was worried about her getting sick last year, or if I was too sleep deprived to care, but we didn't take her last year. This year I want to dress her up in her adorable Christmas dress and tights (Thanks, Aunt Holly!) and take her. And you can bet her hair will be done in pigtails and bows.

3.) Go for a drive and look at lights. My family has a tradition of piling everyone in the car on Christmas Eve in their jammies, snuggled up with blankets, and driving through neighborhoods looking at lights. We haven't been able to do it yet, and I really want to.

4.) Maybe the Thanksgiving Point Lights. If anyone has gone, I'd love to hear about it and if you think it's worth the money!

Now that it's December, I'm starting to get more excited for Christmas. I think Claire and I might even tackle the Christmas shopping next week while Ross is busy with school stuff. I really struggle with Christmas Lists. I think of everything we NEED and make that my list. In the past, I've had curtain rods, teeth whitening strips, a hairbrush, and sponges on my list. Ross, however, is a firm believer that presents are supposed to be fun and for YOU. Here is an actual quote from the Loveland house last night as we were discussing Christmas lists.

K: Oh, I remember what I want for Christmas!
R: What's that?
K: I want a 24 hour carpet cleaner rental from either Lowes or Macey's!
R: I am NOT getting you a carpet cleaner rental for Christmas.

Any help or suggestions for my Christmas list would be greatly appreciated by Ross, I'm sure!

Claire Is An Animal Whisperer.

2011-12-02T12:12:00.004-07:00

On Weds Claire and I ventured out to the zoo. Mind you, we only went because it was free! It was perfect weather, so I was nervous the zoo would be beyond crowded. When we got into Salt Lake, it was snowing. And raining. And it was windy. Being the award-winning Mother I am, I dressed Claire in a T, light sweater, and barely managed to grab her boots before we ran out the door. Luckily, Claire had a little hooded vest under one of the seats in the car. I think I sat in the car for a few minutes debating whether or not we should just drive back home.

After being in the car for an hour, Claire was grumpy and restless, so I decided to brave the weather and see some animals! I'm so glad we did! It was by far one of my favorite zoo excursions with her and we pretty much had the whole zoo to ourselves! Most of the exhibits even had a keeper there feeding, or just talking with us. We were sad Ross had to work and couldn't join us.

Claire's getting older and more observant. She loves to point at things and yell "Uh" to get my attention and make sure I see whatever she's fascinated by, too. She also LOVES our stupid cat. This poor cat spends the majority of the day running away as Claire crawls after her as fast as she can, all while yelling and laughing hysterically. It's pretty funny to watch. Claire can also say Belle's name and says it whenever she sees the cat. I figured with Claire's new obsession for poor Belle, she would love the zoo. She's been maybe 4 or 5 times in the past, but didn't really care about the animals. I'm not sure what it is about Claire and animals, but every time we've taken Claire to the zoo, whatever animal we're checking out comes right up to Claire. This last visit was no different.

It was pretty adorable. We first went and saw the gorillas. I took Claire out of the stroller and let her stand, holding on to the ledge so she could get a good view. The gorilla was playing with his box, and then all of a sudden came and just sat down right in front of Claire! Most of the animals did similar things, coming up to Claire and running in front of her. My favorite was when we went to see the tiger. He was doing laps around the exhibit, passing in front of the fence where we were standing. After a lap or two, he came up to Claire and stopped. Then he growled at her. Claire had no reaction and stared him down. It was pretty funny, but I am grateful for that fence. Claire might have been a tasty snack!

Claire was such a trooper and only cried when I'd put her back in the stroller to go see other animals. She's a tough one! I'm so grateful to have grown up in Oregon where you go on with your plans no matter the weather. We would have missed out on a fun afternoon together. It's a lot harder taking pictures without Ross there, so I didn't get very many.

Humbling Butt-Kickers.

2011-11-23T09:29:00.003-07:00

The last couple months, especially the last couple weeks, have been filled with little "butt-kickers" that have really made me think good and hard about who I am. It's been a humbling experience. I guess we all need those every once in a while.

Butt Kicker #1: This has probably been the biggest one. It's no secret I had a difficult time transitioning to Motherhood. What you probably don't know is that I wasn't jumping out of my skin with excitement when we found out we were expecting another so soon. Not only did I have a lot of doubts and concerns, mostly with my ability to handle two babies at once, but I was losing weight and was dedicated to my Bikini-Bod goal. These past 5 months I have grown to love this little girl and know with an unshaken certainty that it is perfect timing for our family. I can even say I'm excited, though not as excited as Ross. It's been a wonderful reminder that I'm really not in charge. There is a specific plan for each of us. And more often than not, that plan doesn't match up with the plans that we might have in mind. My dear Mother In Law often says, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans!"

Butt Kicker #2: While the thought of having two kiddos in the house has brought joy and excitement to our home, it's also brought Ross an insurmountable amount of stress. I haven't worked since the tail end of last October. Much of the time I take for granted all of the work and effort Ross puts in for our family. Last week we were having a family discussion and we decided I should start up a paper route again. I contacted one of the old managers and he had a route open! The route was actually the biggest of the lot, but also the best paying. Unfortunately, I only lasted two days. And I complained the ENTIRE time. After yet another family discussion, we decided I shouldn't be doing the route, under one condition. For every complaint I make, I have to give Ross a five minute massage. It made me aware of how much I complain.

It's been three days since that discussion, and I can proudly say Ross hasn't received any massages. Honestly, that deal has been the best thing for me. I've become so aware of my infinite amount of blessings, as well as the many areas I've been lacking gratitude. (How appropriate, the week of Thanksgiving.) I feel like I've been a real chump and I'm so grateful for this change of attitude, and even more grateful for my hardworking husband. In the two years we've been married I can honestly say I have never heard him complain, or say anything bad about someone else, something I KNOW I need to work on.

Butt Kicker #3: Since Sunday, I have been considerably happier. Ross has always told me happiness is a choice. I guess I've never actually made that choice. That is, until the threat of owing Ross a massage came around. I've been in a pretty bad mood. Since Claire was still sick on Sunday, we stayed home from church and decorated for Christmas. I haven't been in the Christmas spirit at all. Whenever a Christmas song would come on the radio, I'd change it as fast as I could. I was determined to not acknowledge anything Christmas until after Thanksgiving. I guess I finally caved because we brought out all of our decorations, including our $3 tree from DI. We had fun decorating as a family for the first time and I've even listened to Christmas music in the car since then.

I think the added cheer and spirit in our home combined with my new determination to be grateful has lifted the mood significantly. Yesterday, we started off the morning with Claire rising before 6, a new habit of hers I'm afraid. Ross and I fell back asleep watching Baby Einsteins with Claire and woke with just a few minutes before we had to leave for school. Once home, I was looking on Amazon for some birthday gifts for Ross. Claire did a little online shopping, too. After I cancelled and refunded her orders, she had a big blowout. While cleaning that mess, I found her in her room. She had managed to dump her vaporizor out, soaking herself and the carpet. The afternoon was followed by smearing snacks over the coffee table, and more blowouts. I had managed to fold the laundry. I went in our room to put it away, and came back to find Claire picking a bug's exoskeleton off of her tongue.

The thing is, through all of those "adventures" I couldn't help but see the humor and laugh at everything. It was actually a fun, incredible day! And surprisingly, Claire eating a bug didn't bother me at all. (Which is a shocker because I'm grossed out by even butterflies.) I guess I've learned to choose to be happy and enjoy the little "adventures".

It makes me think of a talk Thomas S. Monson gave a while back, where he says, "...be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly. ...Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows." (Later he goes on to talk about gratitude. Oof. If only I hadn't been so quick to forget his talk!)

I can think of many more butt-kicking lessons, but I'll stop purging myself for the world to see. Humbling experiences are never fun. It's been a rough few weeks, but I'm grateful for the result. I am amazed at Ross' and Claire's capacity for patience with me. I couldn't be any luckier! Most of all, I am grateful for my Savior and for the Atonement. It's amazing knowing I can always have a fresh start, and that I can never run out of those fresh starts.

My Girls Have The Best Dad.

2011-11-22T13:18:00.003-07:00

Though Claire is saying "mama" a lot more often, she will forever be a Daddy's girl.

This little lady is already walking in her big sister's footsteps. She is a SQUIRMY thing. Which is great! We love active babies. Whenever I go in for my appointments, my midwife has an extremely hard time getting her heart rate. She is constantly moving and really doesn't care to much to be found.

It's funny though how much she already favors Ross. I'm not sure what it is about little girls and their daddies, but our two ladies LOVE theirs! When I was pregnant with Claire, it didn't matter how I was sitting on the couch, or which side of Ross I was on, she'd scrunch herself up as close to Ross as she could get. This one is doing the exact same thing already. Hello, lopsided tummy!
It's a little awkward when I'm trying to balance my jug from the hospital, or some form of snack on my belly and she's shoving herself as close to Ross as possible.

It's so fun to see her personality come out little by little. We're so excited to meet our littlest Miss soon! Claire just turned 1, and it's been fun looking back and remembering the very end of the pregnancy, birth, and her first few days at home. I loved having a November baby, and admittedly, I miss it! It seemed perfect!

With the Holidays right on our doorstep, I'm getting more and more excited about this March baby. I'm looking forward to eating whatever and however much I want with no shame! I'm 100% POSITIVE my midwife would give me a kiss and a doughnut if I came in next month having gained 10 pounds. To be completely honest, we have Thanksgiving at our house about 4 times a year. Who doesn't love Thanksgiving food?! Once a year is simply not enough.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy EATING everyone!!

Quotes From The Loveland House. Part 2.

2011-11-18T15:07:00.005-07:00

Michael Jackson.

2011-11-10T11:01:00.004-07:00

I have some confessions to make.

I'll begin by stating that this post all started while I was cleaning this morning. Claire and I had Michael Jackson blaring and I was so proud of my little girl dancing away to Beat It.

As I write this, I'm a little embarrassed for myself. In my iTunes, you'd probably find more Michael Jackson than anything else. It was my solution for everything. Gotta study for that chem homework? At the gym? Cleaning? Road Trip? Oh, you can bet I have a Michael Jackson playlist for that!

I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when my then fiance texted me and told me Michael Jackson had died. I was on the treadmill listening to none other than, that's right, Michael Jackson. Ross was at Disneyland with his family when I got the text, which was almost in a mocking tone. (Serves me right.) My sweet husband is NOT a Michael Jackson fan.

Don't worry MJ. You're still going strong in the Loveland house (As long as Ross is not present). Especially on cleaning days.

How I've Spent November.

2011-11-03T11:44:00.003-06:00

Well, besides chasing Claire, picking food out of the carpet, and singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" over and over again, of course.

It's been a productive past three days. Which is weird, considering I've also spent the days pouring over five hours of Pride and Prejudice. It makes the laundry much less of a chore.

Five hours of the ever delicious Colin Firth? Yes please.

It's been such a pleasant way to spend my "me-time", perhaps I'll spend the rest of the month watching flicks I'd never force Ross to watch with me. Nap time just became all the sweeter.

Quotes From The Loveland House.

2011-10-31T10:14:00.002-06:00

Claire had wandered off one evening while I was cooking dinner. I heard the shower curtain ruffle and knew exactly what she was doing.

Me: Claire, come out of the bathroom, please.
Claire: Uh-Oh!

Me: Is Big Bum Guy Crazy Guy's Dad?
Ross: Big Bum Guy would have to be like 70. There's no way he's Crazy Guy's Dad.
*We bust up laughing*
Jake: Those are actually really descriptive names. Now that I've met them, I know EXACTLY who you're talking about.

Me: Claire, say "mama".
Claire: DA DA DA DA DA DA. *She then laughs like she's heard the best joke."

Jake: I'm so glad I'm not a pregnant woman.

Captain America Movie: "Hile Hydra!"
Jake: It's like they're on a roller coaster!

We've had a lot of laughs this week. Claire's little personality is growing funnier and funnier each day, and having Jake live with us just adds to the fun.

What's In A Name?

2011-10-26T12:05:00.004-06:00

It'll probably be a while before we even start discussing names for this little lady. Ross likes unique names, while I prefer "old lady" names. We have such different taste, it really is the compromise of all compromises.

With Claire, we each made a list of twenty names we liked. From the list, we pulled the ones we had in common, 5 from Ross' list I liked, and he was supposed to pick out five from my list, but he honestly HATED every name I came up with.

From the new master list, we researched where the name was from, the meaning, paired it with potential middle names and eliminated them one by one. Typing out the baby naming process makes me feel a tad ridiculous, but it really was fun!

Growing up, I knew a family where the mom got to pick all of the kids' names. I'm starting to think this is a grand idea.

I'm going to start writing up my list of names. And you can bet I'm going to include Beatrice, Eleanor, Lucy, Alice, and Penelope. All of the ones I like, but will probably end up being pet's names through the years. Wish me luck!

Families.

2011-10-25T12:15:00.002-06:00

There is a site, babycenter.com, where parents, pregnant women, and people who are trying to have kids can make groups with others who are in the same situation. I am on the November 2010 birth board, and the April 2012 board.

I poke in every now and then to see what's going on. I love the November board and found incredible support and advice while I was pregnant with Claire, but the April one I'm struggling with. Every time I get on there are posts such as:

"I barely know my baby's daddy, what do I do?"

"My boyfriend left me and I'm 4 months pregnant!"

and my favorite:

"I'm not sure I want this baby anymore, what would you do?"

Seriously?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE??

One of my favorite lines from The Family: A Proclamation to the World is, "Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity."

This document is something I feel so strongly about. I am truly horrified and shocked by the things I see and read about in families today.

I am so grateful for the blessing of families, especially my own. I am grateful for the gospel in my home, for "Holly Housewives" and "Judy Cleavers" everywhere, and especially for people who recognize the importance of families.

Sugar And Spice, So Nice We're Doing It Twice!

2011-10-20T15:39:00.002-06:00

We decided we just couldn't wait any longer to find out what our little bean is and went in for an early ultrasound.

Ross called it before we even went in. This morning I asked him what he thought and he wasn't sure. I asked again while we were waiting and he said, "It's a girl." He knew that Claire was a girl before the ultrasound, too. He's amazing.

This little lady was stubborn and bashful. She had her little rear shoved as far as she could against the wall, trying to hide, and would not budge. After a few tries of jiggling, we finally got a clear shot. Claire's going to have a little sister!

We couldn't be more thrilled. I was certain we were having a boy, so it was a wonderful surprise. I am so excited to bring in a whole lot more pink and ruffles. I am determined to have very girly girls who love Barbies, pink, ribbons, lace, princesses, and everything girly and sweet.

I'm already planning out how to make the nursery even more girly for my little ladies. Poor Ross is getting overrun and outnumbered.

You Know You're Pregnant When...

2011-10-11T14:13:00.004-06:00

Last pregnancy, I was enthusiastic about working out. I'd walk every night on my treadmill while watching music videos on my laptop.

Confession: I really enjoyed working out to Eminem. I gotta say, it has a nice beat.

Well, while watching the Mockingbird video, all of a sudden I couldn't see the screen anymore. Yup, I was having one of the pregnant bawling episodes. I was crying because of an Eminem music video. I couldn't listed to that song for 4 or 5 months after.

A few months ago I started crying because my s'more tasted just so dang good.

Today, a friend posted a video of a girl finding out she's going to Disneyland for her birthday. You guessed it, I was a gonner!!

I love watching TV shows or movies where one of the gals is pregnant and really plays up those stereotypes. I can TOTALLY relate and I get a great laugh. And I am so grateful Ross is never ever home for these preggo episodes. haha I'd never hear the end of it!

The Best Has Yet To Come.

2011-10-10T08:57:00.002-06:00

Two years has flown by! It all started 6 years ago at a stake dance, followed by years of a secret crush, a long friendship, and jokes about how funny it would be if we really ended up together. Well, joke's on me I guess!

People are always shocked when I tell them that Ross and I never actually dated. We were friends, best friends, best friends who liked each other, and then we were engaged! Two years later we're still the best of friends. I can't think of anything better.

After the actual wedding, we enjoyed a soup, salad, and bread sticks lunch at Olive Garden, and then took off to do a corn maze. Usually people are shocked at that, too. I mean, who goes through a corn maze on their wedding day?! We do! We decided then and there that we would celebrate our anniversaries by sharing our soup, salad, and bread sticks and getting lost in a corn maze. Last year was so fun, and we're excited to share our tradition with Miss Claire this year.

I'm so grateful for the gospel in our family and for temples. Another year down and it's never going to end! Each year is better than the last, and I'm sure the best has yet to come. Happy Anniversary, Ross. I love you!

We're enjoying dinner without Claire this evening and then going to Cornbellys as a family later this week. Last year I forgot my camera, but this year I'll be sure to take lots of pictures!

The Second Time Around.

2011-09-26T08:00:00.002-06:00

Really, I'm just delaying the inevitable to-do list for today.

This pregnancy is FLYING by. It might just be that Claire is very, very mobile and keeps me running all day, but I'm already 1/3 of the way done!

My last appointment was last week. It's been the most exciting appointment of all! First off, I adore my midwife. She came in and gave me the biggest hug and kiss on the cheek. I've missed her a lot. She's like a really great friend. I had taken Claire to a friend's for a play date, and Jennifer, my midwife, was actually really upset about that. The office actually LOVES when you bring your kids. They love to hold them and play with them and know every single child by name. That was the first thing I noticed the first time I went into the office. I loved it.

Anyway, after the reunion with my sweet friend, I was told that my levels from the blood draw were really high. I had gotten an ultrasound at my first appointment and there were two blobs, but the tech told me one of the blobs was just a big yolk sac. I guess we'll find out. I'm measuring exactly how I'm supposed to though, and we only heard one heartbeat. We're 90% sure there's just one cooking in there. Let's hope so!!
hardly stand the sigh
I'm also on the high risk list. I think it's from all of the preterm labor I had with Claire, but with the high levels, she thinks I might be showing early signs of it happening again. Not to worry, she just wants to watch it for a little while and maybe I can graduate from the list!

This pregnancy is completely different than Claire's. I haven't worn real jeans since I was 5 or 6 weeks. But I did find some cute, cheap full panel skinny jeans from Old Navy that I'm pretty much living in.

Things I Love:
With Claire, I wanted candy, brownies, and everything sweet I could get my hands on. I can hardly stand the sight of sweets. I am loving fresh fruit and veggies. My counter and fridge is always stocked! And lots and lots of Orange Juice. Anyone who knows me knows I've always been an OJ guzzler, but now it's even worse.

Marshmello Mateys. The generic Lucky Charms. I won't even share them with Claire. That's Mama's cereal.

Dreyer's Lime Fruit Bars. NOT the variety pack. Just the box that has 6 lime bars. Those are my FAVORITE.

Sonic Ice. Yup, I go through the Drive-Thru just to order a bag of ice. It costs just as much as a bag of ice from the store, but it's the pebble ice. Plus, I don't have to get out of my car. Laziness at its finest.

I can't believe I'm already going to be into the 2nd trimester this week! It's been so nice not having to spend the days hugging my porcelain throne. I've only thrown up maybe 3 times. HUGE difference from Claire! It's been wonderful. Though that might change if Claire keeps getting into the cat food.

I think I've gotten over the shock of having 2 this close together and I'm really, really excited. It's been so fun having Claire around to make the time fly. Before we know it she'll have a new best friend to play with! I'm sure two babes will keep me busier than ever. Hopefully it'll help take off the baby weight, too! :]

Halloween Preview

2011-09-15T14:04:00.005-06:00

This will be our third married Halloween, but our first dressing up. Naturally we're going all out. I really wanted to make our costumes this year, and yesterday I stumbled across the most brilliant idea for family themes costumes that really suit our family.

Claire is going to be a pink LEGO. First I measured the brick I wanted to duplicate. I wanted the proportions to be exactly right. I took the measurements in mm and converted them to inches. I took the foam and marked how big I wanted my pieces to be. I wanted crisp edges, but we don't have any power tools. So I used a kitchen knife and trimmed the loose edges with scissors. After hot gluing my circles on, it was time to paint. At first I used a spray fabric dye, but it was super bright and ran out quickly. Luckily, I had a can of hot pink from when I painted Claire's bow holder frame.
It came out like a sparkly tye-dye LEGO. I actually really like it. I'm just waiting for it to dry so I can piece it all together and try it on Claire! I'm really excited!

Now for Ross. I showed him this idea yesterday, but it took a little while to get him on board. Honestly, I just like having projects and having something to do during the day besides clean and change diapers. I was hoping he'd say yes, because the description said it would take between 40 and 50 hours to complete.

I spent the morning drawing out my diagram and getting the measurements of each LEGO part and converting them to Ross' height. It was actually a lot of fun and I really enjoyed doing math and using my brain. With my fruit bar breaks, I am in heaven.

I bought a couple sheets of poster board to make patterns for the round pieces that I'll use to cut foam later. One is currently being used as a drying mat for Claire's costume. I used a compass on the other to draw out my circles. Honestly, I'm a little impressed with how exact my measurements have turned out.

I'm REALLY excited about these projects. It's Day 1, and I'm having a blast. I hope that Ross' costume turns out as awesome as the original, but we'll see! More pics to come as the project progresses!

A Riddle For You.

2011-09-14T10:14:00.003-06:00

What has two legs, two arms, and a tail??

If you guessed Claire, you're right!!

The Things That Matter Most.

2011-09-12T11:50:00.003-06:00

It's a Monday morning, and this particular morning required a little extra uplifting. So I checked out the Mormon Messages on YouTube. I love these clips. They're short, to the point, and I always find exactly what I'm looking for. Today I watched one on enjoying the little moments. Judging by my laundry list of to-do's for the day, it was exactly what I needed. I looked up the October 2010 General Conference talk that was referred and dove in a little deeper.

"Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia—even during times of stress and fatigue. Because they unnecessarily complicate their lives, they often feel increased frustration, diminished joy, and too little sense of meaning in their lives...

"My dear brothers and sisters, we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most. Let us be mindful of the foundational precepts our Heavenly Father has given to His children that will establish the basis of a rich and fruitful mortal life with promises of eternal happiness. They will teach us to do “all these things … in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that [we] should run faster than [we have] strength. [But] it is expedient that [we] should be diligent, [and] thereby … win the prize.”

Lately I've felt exactly like the first paragraph. I felt proud of myself when Ross would come home and I'd divulge everything I had done that day. Ross is incredibly supportive. With the pregnancy, I really don't make dinner all too often. I love that he doesn't expect a hot dinner on the table and a spotless home when 5:00 rolls around. Let's be real here. When I go to pick him up, I am by far the scariest girl on campus. My hair is usually in whatever kind of pony tail I quickly did, with a splash of who knows what on my pants. Let's not even talk about the make up situation here.

Last week I had appointments, meetings, and just things to do on every square of my calendar. This week is completely blank. I think I'm going to take advantage of that and try to focus on the significant and what matters most. If dinner, a clean house, and possibly some make up just happen to happen, that's even better!

Pedro Germs, No Returns.

2011-09-07T12:53:00.003-06:00

When I was in second grade, my family moved to Oregon. I went to Mary Woodward Elementary School. It took a while to make even just a couple good friends. A few years later there was a new boy named Pedro. I don't remember how it started, but I remember the kids were mean. Really mean.

If Pedro bumped into someone, that person would then touch someone else and say, "Pedro germs, no returns!" It turned into a game of tag almost, and you did not want to be the one stuck with "Pedro germs."

A few weeks later, some friends and I started the "We Care Club" or WCC for short. I remember scribbling out ideas for club names and for some reason this was the one I decided was best. We really didn't do anything with the club, but the one rule we had was that we weren't allowed to pass on the "Pedro germs".

I kept a list of the popular girls' names and swore to myself that those would be my kids' names. For some reason I thought if I named my kids after a popular person, they'd be popular, too. That was my ten year old logic.

Now I have a kid of my own and another on the way I can't help but think of the saying, "It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice".

I am overwhelmed by the responsibility and role mothers have, in a great way. And I'm so grateful for both of my mothers as well as the opportunity I have to be a mother.

Well, The Cat's Out Of The Bag.

2011-08-30T16:34:00.002-06:00

That's right. Come end of March, Claire will have someone else to play with, and I'm sure Bells is grateful. Or maybe terrified that there will now be two monsters trying to claim her whiskers as prizes.

Everyone was getting suspicious with my constant, extremely picky snacking and numerous bathroom runs. I actually wanted to keep it a secret until right before we found out what we're cooking, but I'm already in the pudgy stage and now I can snack during church without shame. I was getting some pretty concerned looks when I pulled out my entire bag of cheeze-its a couple weeks ago.

While I'm finally adjusting to the shock of the kiddos being barely 16 months apart, we are thrilled with the news. I'm already plotting how to redecorate the nursery for two and where to move furniture.

This pregnancy is already completely different from the first. I'm still very very bossy about food in our house and Ross is coping beautifully. I couldn't ask for a more wonderful, supportive husband, though I'm sure he'd appreciate a sandwich or a home cooked dinner sometime soon.

Back To School.

2011-08-29T16:03:00.004-06:00

Fall semester started today. Summer went by so fast, but I think Ross was ready for school to begin. I'm excited for him, though I am going to miss our lazy evenings together. Claire wasn't too sure about this whole school idea, either.

I love fall. I can't wait to break out my scarves, sweaters, and boots! Bring on the cold!

All Poor Claire Wants To Do Is Get The Kitty.

2011-08-26T14:35:00.002-06:00

I feel like a terrible mom for sitting and watching this happen, but it was just too hilarious to not get on video! While Claire can't crawl, she actually is quite mobile. She is an excellent scooter. It doesn't matter where she starts, she will ALWAYS end at the family computer. I tried covering it with a blanket so it was "gone", but Belle just thought it was a fun hideout. All poor Claire wanted to do was play with the kitty.

That's What I'm Talking About, House!

2011-08-25T09:40:00.003-06:00

There's something empowering about mopped floors, 5,000 loads of laundry folded and put away, the trash and diaper pails emptied, and the scent of pine-sol in ever room of your house.

What's more empowering is that I got it all done before 9:30, all while Claire was awake. That's what I'm talking about, house!

It could just be because I slept exceptionally well last night, or it might have been the diet coke I popped open at 7:00 this morning, but I love cleaning days.

And now I get to spend the afternoon playing with these sweet cheeks.

A Cold Hard Truth.

2011-08-18T19:48:00.002-06:00

I cannot sew. It's rather embarrassing really. I spent the past couple days making myself a dress. When I tried it on, I laughed so hard I might have cried. It's truly truly ghastly, though I wore it for a few hours just because I made it.

I even picked up Ross from work in it. I gave him a warning beforehand and let him know it was the ugliest thing I had ever worn. My wonderful husband didn't even laugh at me, though the look on his face was priceless.

"Well, at least it's good practice, right?"

I love him.

And I plan on sticking to baby blankets and replacing buttons. I'll leave my wardrobe to the outlet mall.

What Sunday Evenings Are For.

2011-08-07T20:21:00.002-06:00

I have heard wonderful comments regarding a particular Miss Manners book. I looked at our local library's catalogue and saw it was available. I scooped Claire up and checked it out as fast as I could.

I must say, I have adored every word of this charming book. Ross has even read a bit of it and said that there are "a lot of good things in there".

"...As dear Erasmus said, 'It is part of the highest civility if, while never erring yourself, you ignore the errors of others.' Miss Manners prefers to believe that everyone means well, and that if anyone seems to be doing something wrong, it is probably not from intent, but from forgetfulness, busyness, absence of mind, or illness. Miss Manners may be mistaken in this now and again, but she leads a happier life for believing it."

This book truly has been a delightful gem. It has been an edifying, while comical read and I am looking forward to picking up another of Miss Manners' works this week.

"Children have two styles of dress these days. One, which consists of velvet dresses for girls and velvet suits for boys, is worn only to performances of The Nutcracker. The other, which consists of rags, is worn for everything else life has to offer. Miss Manners does not condone this..."

I cannot wait to see what Miss Manners' Guide to Rearing Perfect Children has in store for me.

Home Decor 101.

2011-08-05T10:37:00.003-06:00

Since Ross and I were married, up until a little after Claire joined our family, I have loved decorating our home. I was very particular about it, controlling even. When Ross came home from work or school and would put his keys on the kitchen counter instead of on the designated key holder, I would honestly be stressed out.

When the young men would come to collect fast offerings, they would comment on how "modern and cool" our home was, yet also "cozy." I took a lot of pride in our "modern, cool, yet cozy" home.

Since then though, I have relaxed and calmed down a significant amount Our home decor currently consists of cheerios strewn about the floor.

And mountains of laundry amid the valley of Claire's toys which are almost never in her toy box. Of course some cheerios are mixed in there somewhere.

And I really gotta say I love every bit of it, down to the last cheerio and teething ring; though I can't wait for the money fairy to come back around and leave a little present so I can start more home projects.

Our Kitten Is Really A Dog.

2011-08-03T10:07:00.003-06:00

No, really Not only does she beg for food, but she thinks it's ok to jump on the counter and eat food there. She licks the plates clean and has no problem eating out of the sink. She's been INSANE. It's like having another kid. I don't have to feed or change her, but as far as destruction goes, we have a baby and a toddler living in our home.

Anyway, last night I was already in bed when Ross was brushing his teeth. I heard a plink and then the cat running out of our room as fast as she could.

Ross: Do you beat the cat when she drinks out of the toilet? I took one look at her and when she saw she was caught, she booked it out of here.

Note: I do not beat the cat, but she DOES get in trouble when I catch her doing things she's not supposed to. Like eating my breakfast while I help Claire or drinking out of the toilet.

Stupid cat.

The Summer Post.

2011-07-27T14:22:00.006-06:00

It's been a crazy summer at the Loveland house. Claire started her helmet treatment in June. Her first follow up appointment was early July and the results were amazing. When we started her on the helmet, her head had a 12 mm measurement difference. (The measurement is taken from her eyebrow to the back of her head opposite.) So between the two diagonals, there was a pretty significant difference. At her follow up appointment, the number had gone down to only a 5 mm difference. Now I'm so glad we decided to get her the helmet. Her next appointment is August 8th, hopefully we'll have more great news and she won't have to wear it too much longer.

End of June, Claire and I took a trip to Oregon to visit my family. We had such a wonderful time playing with Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt J. We went to the zoo on the 4th of July and had a fun BBQ with some friends. Claire especially liked the petting zoo where she made friends with a goat. We also got to ride on the tractor with Grandpa. We had a few girl shopping days with Grandma, which included a trip to Jamba Juice. Claire loved it so much, she learned how to drink from a straw!

We only had a few days home before our next trip. Claire was sick in the beginning, and then Ross was sick. I didn't have time to be sick with everything that needed to get done before we left for the Johnson Family Reunion in California. During those few days, Claire got her first x-ray! Ross was putting her to bed and playing with her. He had her standing on the bars of her crib while he held her hands. Her foot slipped and Ross heard a pop when her weight fell. We noticed that she wouldn't use her left arm and screamed like a banshee whenever we'd touch that wrist. After a few minutes, we decided to take her in to her Dr's office. I LOVE her pediatrician. I don't think we could have picked a better one.

The Dr. thought it was probably a nursemaid's elbow, but because of how tender Claire's wrist was, there was a possibility of a fracture. She couldn't try to pop Claire's elbow back in until we did the x-ray to be sure nothing else was wrong. Ross went in with the x-ray tech while I waited in the hall. I'm sure you could hear that poor girl way on the other side of the hospital. Luckily the x-ray came back negative. The Dr. quickly popped her elbow back in and Claire was back to normal! I was grateful it went back in on the first try. Needless to say, Claire slept extremely well that night.

We just got back from the Johnson Reunion and had a blast!! We drove to Kingsburg, California the first day and stayed the night at Ross' grandparents house. Claire was amazing on the trip. I was shocked. She loved to just look out the window and play with her toys. We didn't have to put in the Baby Einstein's CD once! The next day everyone headed out to Morro Bay. We did a family 10K, family bingo, talent show, went swimming at the beach, took family pictures, fed seals, played 1,000 games of Skip-Bo, ate some amazing food, and just had a great time. It was so fun to get to see everyone and get Claire together with the other baby cousins. We stayed another night at Grandma and Grandpa's house before we headed back to Utah. Claire got to go swimming in their pool and LOVED it. It was so fun to take her swimming and watch her kick furiously. She didn't mind getting splashed or dunked on accident. She was quite the fish. We had an amazing time and I was sad to go. Luckily we got to bring back a couple souvenirs. Mom and Autumn come back to spend the week with us. Autumn gets to play with us while Mom attends a family history conference at BYU.

It's great to be home, and even more fun to have them stay with us. Luckily, I don't think we have much going on in August. We'll have some time to relax and get back to our routines before school starts up again. I hate to be the party pooper, but I can't wait for fall. Perhaps it's just the fall fashion, but I'm getting antsy. I'm so excited for apple pie, apple cider, redecorating the house, breaking out the peacoats and scarves, pumpkins...everything.

Hubba Hubba!!

2011-07-24T21:05:00.003-06:00

While going through Ross' old camera, I found these gems from before we were engaged.

What a lucky wife I am!! Hubba hubba!!!

Life's Tough, Get A Helmet.

2011-06-28T16:04:00.005-06:00

It still blows my mind that Ross and I made a PERSON. A real person with likes, dislikes, personality, and a whole lotta sass. It's been so neat to watch Claire grow and develop, and see more of her personality come out.

I had a really hard time adjusting the first few months. There were times I cried, saw the toilet as an escape for a little "me" time, and occasionally wondered what the heck I had gotten myself into. And honestly, it's been the best time of my life.

Our journey with Claire started out with jaundice and a few days in a bed of lights. She could only come out to be fed or changed. It was hard having a newborn baby, MY newborn baby, and I couldn't even hold her when I wanted to. Little did I know that would be the beginning of the Claire Adventures. There were months of sleepless nights, an emergency run to the hospital for RSV, plagiocephaly, torticollis, physical therapy, helmets, and the list I'm sure will go on and on and on.

Through all of this, I've reflected on the women I look up to most. They are beautiful, strong, courageous, and such incredible examples for me. I had to learn the hard way that these women are not that way because they are "butch", but because of and through Christ. Our church is chalk full of these strong women, and for that I am grateful. I hope to one day be numbered among them.

Bragging moment: I've been really great at keeping a journal this past month. Sunday I went back and read a little and I already feel silly for all of my whining and complaining about how hard being a mom is. (Not that my journal exclusively contains my whining.) Ross has always told me happiness is a choice. -Have I mentioned how much I absolutely detest that he is ALWAYS right. About everything?!

Whenever I text him and tell him what a horrid day I'm having, he always responds simply, "Well, that's your choice." Sometimes I feel like he might as well be my parent, too. It takes me back to Mr. Bennet's 8th grade English class. He made a poster of his mantra which read: Buck up little trooper, cause life ain't easy. He posted at the front of the class on bright colored paper. I'm beginning to figure out that happiness IS a choice and I can make the best of the worst situations.

Claire and I have our helmets on (haha, get it?) and are ready for whatever's next. Bring it!

My Poor Husband Is Married To A Moron.

2011-06-16T07:49:00.002-06:00

No, really. A couple days ago I was getting ready. Lately I've been using Claire's first nap to actually do my hair, put on make up... You know, things that NORMAL people do. Then I pulled out my jewelry box. I had a couple old rings in there that I never wear, but I thought I'd wear another ring that day. Well, I took one out and tried to put it on. Note: If you have to push and shove as hard as you can to put something on, it's probably not a good idea.

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Much to my blonde surprise, I couldn't get the stupid thing off! I tried baby oil, soap, ice, cold water, everything and it wouldn't budge. After Ross was home, I had him pull as hard as he could and ignore the ungodly sounds coming from my mouth. It didn't work.

HOURS later, I decided to be brave and cut it off with a tool from our beloved tool box. I don't remember who gave us that toolbox, but that was probably the greatest wedding present we received. We used it to break into our home the first night back after getting married. And a couple more times until we decided to only lock our deadbolt, and only once we're outside. We've pieced together furniture, opened paint cans, and hung pictures. Now we can add 'undid one of Kate's dumbest moments' onto our list.

Poor poor Ross. I'll bet he had no idea the adventures he'd get himself into when he married me.

Utah Bucket List.

2011-06-13T12:15:00.003-06:00

A girl friend of mine made a post like this to get ideas of what she and her hubby MUST do and see before they left Idaho.

It seems like such a great idea and looks like they've been having so much fun checking things off together. And to be honest, I'm a little jealous.

So let's have it. What does our family absolutely have to see and do here in Utah before Ross graduates??

Let's Play A Little Game.

2011-06-10T09:50:00.002-06:00

It's called: What Crawled Into My Kitchen And Died??

Seriously, I have no idea. I have scrubbed and scoured every inch of that kitchen, inside and out. Twice. I have no idea what the smell is or where it's coming from.

I have 3 Glade plug-ins going, a jar of potpouri, and 5 candles. I'm telling you, it's BAD.

Keeping A Journal.

2011-06-06T20:01:00.002-06:00

I had a journal when I was in seventh grade. It had a cow on the front and was a bright green color. Each paragraph was scribbled in different colored gel pens, and was filled with my ten thousand crushes of middle school. No, really. I found said journal when I was in high school and literally every single paragraph was about which boys I liked, how good looking they were, and everything else a thirteen year old could mention about a boy.

I was so embarrassed, I threw it away in fear someone would find it. I didn't know that older me would WANT to find it. I really regret throwing my cow journal filled with middle school me in the trash. Although I'm sure I would still blush reading it, I love looking back and remembering. My parents saved a box of all of my old school projects, cards, stories, valentines, pictures... the list could go on. That box is one of my favorite things in my house. I could spend hours sifting through everything, and I wish that stupid journal was among the contents.

I decided to start a new journal, actually handwritten on paper, not just a blog. Keeping a journal seems like a small task, but in truth, I struggle with it. I didn't even write about my wedding day, or about being engaged. I'm sad about that, too.

My journal instead of a daily record, will rather be a weekly one. I figure I can spare a few minutes a week, and I'm sure fifty year old me will be thoroughly entertained. Now I know how much I regret not being diligent with keeping a journal, and throwing my only journal away, I'm much more determined to actually do it. One week down, here's to a million more.

After Over A Year And A Half Of Marriage...

2011-06-03T13:45:00.002-06:00

Me: Did you notice there haven't been any clothes on the floor in forever?!

Ross: Yeah, I like how clean it is back there! (referring to our room)

Me: Even though it's only been a whole 24 hours?

Ross: After being married to you for over a year and half, I know how impressive that it.

My poor husband. This week I made a point to not put my clothes on the floor or counter. And to put my shoes away instead of leaving six pairs in the front rooms. I'm a little ashamed to admit how much of a difference it really has made.

Claire's New BFF.

2011-05-31T10:54:00.004-06:00

Claire and Bells have a perfect relationship. Claire flails her arms and legs for Bells to "attack" and shares her toys, and in return, Bells lets Claire squeeze her, poke her eyes, grab her ears, and pull her whiskers. To be honest, we think Bells actually likes Claire abusing her so. Over the last couple days, they've decided they're best friends.

They love to play together on Claire's play mat. Claire's great at sharing and loves to take turns with Bells swatting the dangling toys.

They love to cuddle and watch Baby Einstein together. Sometimes Bells gets tired of watching and would rather swat at Claire's kicking legs or scratching fingers. She never sticks her claws out though when playing with Claire. I'm sure she knows Claire's the baby and we like Claire more than her.

Claire loves having a BFF to play with all the time!

My Amazing Husband.

2011-05-29T18:05:00.002-06:00

I already knew I had a great husband, but this weekend was incredible. Saturday was my 21st and Ross made sure we partied hard. I'm not usually thrilled for my birthday. I get more excited about other people's birthdays and surprising them. I think after this weekend though, I'll be counting down till my next birthday already. Thursday morning, Ross asked me if I'd need the car the next day. I figured he'd just be swinging by the store on the way home to pick something up for Saturday.

Friday came around and he took the car to work. I had a cleaning/laundry day at home and went for my long afternoon run/walk with Claire. When I got out of the shower, Ross had texted me. I don't remember exactly what it said but it was something like, "I hope you're excited for this weekend, it's going to be a lot of fun. But it's a lot of fun to fit into one day. Oh wait, it won't fit in one day. You should start packing an overnight bag soon."

Needless to say, I'm glad I showered and actually shaved for once. Around 3 some of our really good friends came by to steal our baby for the night. I am so so grateful for Michael and Jessica! Thank you!

Ross came home before Claire drove off for the night, and he said we actually had 45 min or so till we could leave. I was too curious and excited to do anything else, so I just sat on the couch with my bag for 45 minutes while Ross packed his bag and got ready.

We finally got in the car and started heading towards downtown Provo and ended up here. They weren't quite ready for us, so we got to walk around and take a peek at the other rooms while they finished getting ours ready. We stayed in the Library Room which was so cool. There's a spiral staircase that leads to a jetted tub under a skylight, a secret wall you push on that opens up to the bathroom, the room was scattered with rose petals, and there was a bottle of pear sparkling cider for us to share. Oh, and she brought us up some strawberries and home made whipped cream. :]

After we got settled, we went off downtown to find some grub before we headed back to our room. The next morning, breakfast wasn't going to be ready till 9:30 so Ross decided to clue me in on the next surprise. We got in the car and ended up at Petsmart to pick out our first family pet!

Unfortunately they weren't open yet, but at least we killed some time! We went back to the mansion for a three course breakfast, and went back to Petsmart. Petsmart always has cat adoptions going on, but they're usually older cats. Much to our surprise there was a cage with three kittens. We asked to hold them and we were sold.

Claire loves Belle. When we first introduced them, Claire grabbed the cat and started laughing. They've become fast friends and this poor cat hasn't learned to stay away from the baby yet. Claire loves to hold Belle too tight, poke her in the eyes, grab her ears, pull her whiskers, and just over all bug the poor thing. But Belle loves it. She stays right by Claire and doesn't do a thing.

I am amazed at how unafraid this cat is. She's explored every inch of the house and loves to cuddle and be around people. It's been so fun and her personality fits right in! Now we're a real family with a pet and everything!

Ross never ceases to amaze me. I'm so spoiled. I had the best birthday ever! I loved the romantic getaway and break from Claire. (Though I did dream about her that night.) And the surprises just kept coming! I am so grateful for my sweet husband. He's so incredibly thoughtful! And sneaky!!

The Random Man At Costco.

2011-05-26T12:45:00.004-06:00

So I was standing in line with Claire at Costco this morning. She was a little grumpy so I was playing with her and making her laugh. This guy in the line next to me I guess had been watching us for a while and he came up and went:

"You have the best job in the whole world. It's the hardest, but it's the best. I have so much respect for mothers and what you do. Thank you."

He was so kind; it just totally made my day. I love people that go out of their way for strangers like that.

Helmet Flower And Bow Holder.

2011-05-17T14:07:00.010-06:00

Claire's appointment is in the 25th. I think she's just getting measured and having the helmet cast and we'll pick up the helmet a couple days later. (Just in time for my birthday. Boo)

Anyway, to make myself feel a little better about it, I made her flowers and bows to go on the helmet or on a hat. I also made her a framed holder. I decided to go with Velcro so we could easily switch out the flowers or bows.

First stop was JoAnns to load up on ribbon and flowers. After we went to a thrift store to find a big ugly frame for cheap. Unfortunately they didn't have anything big or ugly, so we did our best.

Here's all of our supplies.

Then I took the frame outside and spray painted it hot pink. The color turned out pretty well. It matches the wooden letters on her wall.

While it was drying, I set to work on the actual board that would hold the flowers. I found a quarter flat of black and white fabric at JoAnns. I cut it out to be a little bigger than the board that was already inside the frame. Then I hot glued it down on the back, pulling the edges tight.

I measured out the spacing I wanted between the ribbons. All I did was hot glue the same way I did the fabric. After I spaced out the Velrco to make all of the flowers and bows evenly spread out. I still wanted to use the board after Claire graduates from the helmet, so I got Velcro with a sticky back so I wouldn't have to glue or sew it down.

When I finished with the board I got to the fun part. Making flowers and bows. The flowers were easy. I just plucked the stem off, trimmed the leftover stem, and hot glued the Velcro on the back.

The bows were super easy, too. I made two loops on each side, used a needle and thread to hold the loops in place, wrapped the thread around the bow a couple times to pull it tight, and then hot glued on the center. For the center, I took a short piece of ribbon, tied it in a knot, and wrapped it around the center of the bow. That probably didn't make much sense, so let me know if you actually want to know how to make them. I don't think I'll buy bows again now I know how easy and cheap they are to make.

Here's the finished product. I really should have been more patient to find a bigger frame, but I really just wanted to get started so I'd have something to focus on.

Honestly, I'm actually really impressed with myself, especially with the bows. I probably went a little overboard with the ribbons, but I'm excited to make a ton of bows for Claire!

Plagiocephaly Gone Fancy Nancy

2011-05-17T10:30:00.002-06:00

I am so grateful I have such an incredible, wonderful mother in-law, though I've never actually called her that. Mother in-law just sounds so ugly and has a negative connotation. She's just 'Mom'. She has helped my in so many ways, I can't even count.

Claire has been going to physical therapy for three months now for plagiocephaly and torticolis. Basically she has a pretty good flat spot and the muscles on one side of her neck were tighter and not as strong as the other side. Her muscles are almost back to normal, but her head shape has been getting worse. At her appointment yesterday I found out she would need a helmet.

When she started going to physical therapy, I assumed that the therapy would fix everything and that was the way to avoid the helmet. Helmet was a taboo word for me. I spent yesterday morning in hysterics. I finally got myself slightly under control before calling Mom. I swear, this wonderful lady can make the worst situation imaginable like anticipating a vacation.

I'll admit after talking with her, I was a smidge excited about Claire's helmet. She suggested I decorate the helmet and come up with a good story as to why she had to wear a helmet. Ninja in Training was among the suggestions.

Immediately I started researching Plagiocephaly, found parent support groups, and people who sell helmet bling. It's like a whole parent community of support I get to be a part of. (Not that I don't already have incredible support.) Today I am off to JoAnns to get ready to make this little gal's helmet fancy.

Fancy Nancy is one of my favorite little girl children's books. If you've never seen or heard of it, this is the cover.

Since Claire joined our family, I have fallen in love with all things pink and frilly, and girly. Later today I'll be making the appointment for her helmet casting. (They special make each helmet, so she'll get to keep it!) We'll have to see what I can come up with to fix it up!

Happy 6 Month Birthday, Claire!

2011-05-13T14:42:00.003-06:00

I can't even believe how time has flown. To celebrate, Claire and I went to Petsmart (for the SECOND time this week). They have a cat adoption on the side where you can go into where the cages are and see the cats close up. There's one grey cat that always tries to play with Claire. The first time, Claire screeched and lunged for the cat. This time, she screamed, grabbed the cat, and started laughing. She LOVES that poor cat. It's really sweet, and so fun to watch her laugh and try to grab him.

Afterwards, I thought we'd go explore and go to the lake. However, I ended up missing my exit so I drove downtown for a while till we got to a park. There were TONS of moms out with their kids and it looked like fun. (Guess we found out where they all go!)

I put her in the swing and she laughed the whole time. It was hilarious. She shrieked at all of the babies and tried to make friends. We had a good time. There were lots of trees and shade so we just camped out, had a chat, and ate grass. Only a popsicle to share could have made it any more perfect.

Claire is six months, bursting out of her 12 month clothes. She is so fun and aware of everything around her. She's pretty close to rolling, though she's content to stay put and talk. We're looking forward to her getting mobile. She is still very much a Daddy's girl. The past three months she has developed into an incredible sleeper, though some days she fights her naps. She still eats like she's never seen food only now she also goes for our food! We love to share with her and watch her experience new flavors and textures. As always, the faces are priceless. So far her favorites are fudgesicles, bananas, dad's yogurt, apple blueberry, and applesauce.

I've been trying to take her on an outing each day. It's been so fun being able to get out of the house and explore. We've had a good time. Her appointment is on Monday, so I'll have to update with her height and weight. She is one BIG girl; I'm really curious!

We just adore little miss Claire and couldn't imagine life with out her. The past six months have been an amazing fun adventure. We're so grateful for her and her personality. She's definitely a perfect fit!

Man, It's Good To Be King. Or So I've Heard.

2011-05-12T11:19:00.000-06:00

Ross has his own room. It's actually a man cave, complete with futon and legos. And the rock band gear. I love that futon. I've actually slept on it for the last two weeks.

Don't judge my marriage, but it turns out that both of us sleep better when we have our own bed. It might have something to do with the fact that my husband is 6'4". Or it could be that I am a distant relative of both Sasquatch and Chuck Norris. The real kicker is that both of us sleep stretched out. I mean diagonal across the mattress, arms out, legs out, spread eagle, the real deal. But two people can't really do that on a queen as we have discovered.

That was probably the hardest part of being newlyweds. You spend your whole life sleeping in your own bed with your own space with no one touching you or getting into your "bubble". We watch mattress commercials with couples sleeping cuddled together. They even have a slight smile on their faces. But the real honest truth is that cuddling time is great, everyone loves to cuddle, but not when you're trying to sleep.

Then I had a brilliant idea. Claire will be 6 months tomorrow and I will finally be eligible to sell plasma. I always vowed against it, but that's our spending/date/fun money. I was originally going to save up to get my hair highlighted, bushman eyebrows plucked, and toes done, but instead we decided to save up for our very own king size mattress.

My first appointment is Saturday morning. I absolutely love giving blood or having blood drawn. (I know, FREAK, right?) but I'm still nervous. I'll have to let you all in on how it goes and see if I really want to get poked for a mattress. I might just take my $30 and RUN.

[Just to Clarify: Ross and I are happily married and we love each other. We even like each other. Honest. With his surgery and waking in the night for pain meds I just got in the habit of sleeping on the futon. Really.]

Copycat Claire. Copycat Claire.

2011-05-10T11:28:00.002-06:00

I remember when Claire was a newborn and people would say she was cute, and then they'd add how much cuter she'd be when she was older. I wanted to punch them in the nose right then and there. I thought she was the cutest thing on the planet and didn't think she could get any cuter. There was no way. And I hated thinking about her getting bigger.

Well, those people were right. Looking back at a few of her pictures, she does indeed look like an alien. A very cute alien. I thought she was so fun and I was simply in awe of her. However, as soon as she hit 4 months, the fun REALY began. It was night and day different.

Claire will be celebrating her half birthday on Friday and it seems like she's turning a corner again. I can't believe how much fun we have. She's always all smiles and squeals, just excited bout everything. And she copies us.

It's really funny. If we smack our lips or stick out our tongue to spit, she'll do it right back. But my favorite is when she sees someone laughing, she automatically starts laughing too. Claire laughs are probably my favorite sound in the world. I just can't get enough!

Hello, Summer.

2011-05-07T17:08:00.003-06:00

Nice to finally see you!

CORRECTION: The NONFiction Section, Who Knew?

2011-05-04T18:48:00.004-06:00

Ross and I made our own book club. I used to really enjoy reading, and haven't had a ton of time to indulge. We were looking for things we could enjoy together and that was one of the ideas we came up with. It's been so fun, and what could be better than doing it with him? I always forget just how many books there are until we go and I come back with an arm load.

I've never spent much time in the non-fiction section of the library, but I made a library run a few days ago for Ross and decided to poke around a little and I'm so glad I did! Our first book was a biography, (Catch Me If You Can) but I just ran right up to the biographies and found the book without really looking around at the other books. This last trip I found cookbooks, books on sewing, crafts, home decorating, parenting, fitness, piano music, all kinds of things. I think I'm going to have to at least make a weekly trip. I'm so excited to learn and try out a bunch of new things.

I also found this gem. The Must-Have Mom Manual. I wish I had found it before Claire was born, but I'm still so glad I came across it. One of my favorite sections talks about clean houses. "Only dull women have immaculate houses." These two gals talk about how your kids won't remember how clean the house was. What they're going to remember is how their mom played go fish, went for a bike ride, and just played with them.

I'm not saying that cleaning and doing chores isn't important. I love a clean organized house as much as the next gal. However, I think if it came down to it, I'd choose playing dress up or barbies over mopping any day. I can say I do remember whining and fighting about chores, but I also remember my mom playing kickball with us in the street, baking, and playing board games. And I loved it.

I'm really looking forward to all of the fun perks of being a mom.

Yeah, I'm That Kind Of Mom.

2011-05-03T10:31:00.002-06:00

I am convinced making faces while Claire eats DOES in fact help her eat and actually swallow the food. I didn't notice I was doing it until yesterday. Embarrassment at its finest.

A Claire Filled Morning.

2011-05-02T10:00:00.005-06:00

Honestly, nap time is still one of my favorite times of the day, second only to bed time. I feel like a horrible mother saying that, but it's true. I get a minor break where I can shower, clean my house, and actually eat with two hands rather than one. But I think the part of nap time I look forward to most is hearing Claire's squeaks when she wakes up.

And then I get to go in to this.

She is the most talkative right after waking up. While I change her and get her dressed, she tells me about her dreams.

And then she sits patiently while I get her food ready. All with a smile on her face.

I can't think of a better start to my day, and end to my breaks.

Claire Has A New Toy.

2011-04-12T12:00:00.004-06:00

And she LOVES it. She'd stay in there all day if she could. Once it stops snowing and actually warms up, I'd love to have the door open and have her jump in the front room while I clean.

Please hurry summer! We're going crazy!!

I Have Been a Grumpy Grumpy Soul.

2011-04-05T20:10:00.003-06:00

And I'm not great at blogging lately. Most of you know (and it's probably obvious) I've been going through a bout of postpartum. Poor Ross has been a trooper and he's been fabulous.

General Conference was this last weekend and I spent the week trying to prepare for it. I really needed to be spiritually gorged, not just fed. And Conference did not disappoint. What I remember most was

1) All of the talks on service. Last year Ross decided he was going to volunteer at every opportunity that arose to serve. I spent the last year trying to talk him into sleeping in instead of cleaning the church, or setting up chairs. As the year went on I was more supportive and even helped out whenever Ross went, but I could have volunteered myself, or had a better attitude. I am so blessed to have such an amazing selfless husband to be my example. I often try to convince him that I got the better end of the deal. He still doesn't believe it.

2) I noticed a lot of mentioning the importance of strengthening home and family. A lot of times I feel like what I do all day isn't important and quite frankly doesn't matter, or that it's not enough. My depressed and angry attitude doesn't invite the Spirit into our home and it sure as heck doesn't draw our family together. I was so inspired to be a better wife and mother. Hearing those men talk about their wives made me think of the kind of wife I want to be. As far as my attitude goes, hopefully the PPD will go down soon, but I've been thinking about my dear husband's example again. Time and time again he reminds me that happiness is a choice and I can choose to have a good day. Claire is ALWAYS happy. (Except when it's nap time.) She is the perfect addition and I'm learning a lot from her about just being happy. In the meantime, I did go out and buy myself some flowers today. And home improvement projects always keep me busy.

I noticed that because I've been so angry lately, that I haven't really felt the Spirit like I was before. This week I went to the distribution center and got myself the Book of Mormon seminary manual. Just those few minutes I've spent studying has made a world of difference. I still have my down days, but the peace I get to feel each day makes up for it. I am so incredibly grateful for General Conference and for our inspired leaders.

I love these two wonderful people. They just can't be any more perfect.

So Here's The Deal.

2011-03-17T12:55:00.002-06:00

A little more than a week ago, Ross informed me that if I get down to my target weight, he'll take me shopping. Who could ask for better motivation?! I did the Look Better Naked thing and I loved it. The only problem: Because my caloric intake was so low, and I'm in charge of the cooking, Ross ended up losing weight too, which is so not what he needs right now. I took a week or so off and focused on making good dinners to keep my hubby happy. As a result, I gained a tiny bit of that weight back.

But there is a silver lining. I got a pass to Orem Fitness Center. And I LOVE it. I get to go every morning for an hour and have someone else watch Claire while I become the sweatiest person in the room. No joke, my shirt is ALWAYS two-toned after that hour. I am SO grateful I'm married, and even more grateful Ross isn't there to "check me out". I also discovered the SlimFast shake mix and this 3 2 1 idea, and I'm giving that a try. The idea is that you get 3 snacks (fruits, veggies, or a 100 calorie snack bar), 2 shakes (actually super filling and tasty), and 1 500 calorie meal. Perfect. Ross is gone all day anyway, so he doesn't really care what I eat during the day. We can still eat dinner together and Ross doesn't have to suffer from my "diet".

I don't have any results from this SlimFast thing since it's only really Day 1 1/2, but from the last couple weeks I'm down 13 and only have 14 more to go! Which is great because last weekend we went to the Outlet Mall in Park City and Claire got a ton of new clothes, and Ross got a few shirts. I'll admit, I was super jealous. It was good to give my motivation a refresher. Get ready Park City, I'm comin' for ya!

Motherhood. Again.

2011-03-16T15:37:00.003-06:00

It's funny how our "family blog" actually turned into my personal journal about my struggles with being a mom. I probably should occasionally update everyone with the happenings of our wee family, and not just Claire, but I never seem to find the time.

Right now I think I'm still struggling with this whole "just a mom" bit. Take a girl, barely 20, out of a school and work environment and tell her to stay home all day sustaining and entertaining another human being and you'll probably end up with a crazy girl. At least, that's what I feel like. I can't count how many times people ask if I'm in school, if I'll ever go back to school, or my favorite after getting those two questions: So, if you're not in school, do you work?. No, probably, but now is not the time, and no, I don't. Honestly, I've never felt like such a loser in all my life. I'm not sure if it's just because we're in college town Provo, or what. The dumbest question anyone could possibly ask a mother is: So, what do you do all day? Or my other favorite: So, you just sit at home all day? The months without sleep add to the crazy, and you gotta admit, mothers have pretty strong arms. I haul around 17 pounds of child all day long. Not a smart move to ask if I "just" sit at home all day.

I spent the last couple weeks sending out resumes, only to not respond when I got calls for interviews. I guess the truth is, I'm grateful and happy that I don't have to work outside my home, and I really don't want to. I just have a hard time feeling like what I do doesn't really matter. However; I don't know how I could miss out on all of those smiles and laughs. But I will admit, I NEED my morning workout and mid day sonic run to refrain from going insane. Honestly, I'm so in love with that baby girl and wouldn't trade being a mom for anything. Sometimes I just forget that what I'm doing right now is probably the most important thing I could do.

Oh, And Claire is 4 Months Old.

2011-03-15T12:29:00.004-06:00

Claire turned 4 months old on Sunday. She still eats like she's never seen food before, leading her to push out of her 6 month clothes. She is now in 9 month tops and 12 month pants. This last weekend we went to the outlet mall in Park City and scored at the Carter's store. I can't believe how big she is. She is still trying to crawl, but can't quite get up on her hands, so she just scoots her legs under her and pushes. It doesn't really work, and she gets frustrated. This little girl wants to move so bad.

Her appointment was yesterday and she's still going strong in the 97th percentile. She's 17 pounds and 25 1/2 inches long now. She's a super tough girl. After her shots, she cried for maybe 7 seconds and that was it. She loves to drool and often has a waterfall flowing from the corner of her mouth and we are constantly wiping her face. She also is starting to put EVERYthing in her mouth so I guess I'll have to start vacuuming more often.

I love her smiles and laughs and every single one of her rolls. She's the perfect addition to our little family and we love her to pieces. She's so spoiled. I am also loving the fact that she's sleeping 12-13 hours a night AND getting in 3 naps a day. I've really learned a lot from her these last few months, and I am so so grateful we get to have her in our family.

I always post all the pics and videos on facebook, so I probably won't put up the same ones here, but it's fun to look at how much she's grown!

Mom Up!

2011-02-14T10:36:00.002-07:00

We've all heard the saying, "man up". However, I believe no living creature is tougher than a mom. No, not even our beloved Chuck Norris. I used to believe that a woman in labor was the most fearsome creature. At that point, I had never had to pin down my daughter while someone injected medicine into her legs, or shoved a catheter 3 inches up each nostril. I now believe a mom going into 'mama bear' mode is truly the most fearsome creature.

Imagine it. A mom turning into mama bear. As if the extra upper body strength from hauling around her young (which probably hulks out during the mama bear transformation) and the crazy eyes from months of sleep deprivation aren't enough. Add in a pair of high heels and a diaper bag and you best be running in the opposite direction as fast as you can.

There are so many experiences a mom has to watch, while helpless, unable to do anything. Guess how much fun that is. I'm actually really grateful though. This little lady is prepping me for a couple trouble making boys. I'm feeling so tough, I might just kill my own spiders and everything!

P90-What?

2011-02-09T08:39:00.002-07:00

I finished the first phase of P90X, and decided I really wasn't getting the kind of results I really wanted. That, and I had a hard time finding the energy and time to commit to the workouts.

But it's ok. Ross got me an incredible Valentine's present.

Don't worry, I ASKED for it, so it's not a secret message from Ross or anything. The book is truly inspiring and comes with a fitness plan that's 30 minutes, 4 days a week, for 6 weeks. THAT I can commit to, and I can use the 2 extra days to run for fun, and do something for ME. What I really love about this book, is that is teaches self confidence. It teaches you to love your body in whatever shape it is right now, and helps you feel even sexier RIGHT NOW. The lessons in the diet (which really isn't a diet at all), fitness, and beauty sections are all just an added bonus on how to fine tune and take care of yourself. The title is a little embarrassing, but so far, I am loving it!

Also, Claire and I just got back from a week and a half trip to Oregon for my brother's wedding! I'll update with another post later this week.

Ode to Size 6 Jeans

2011-01-24T08:55:00.003-07:00

Since having a baby, I feel like the more I workout, the rounder I look. I know, I know, I need to be patient and I'm not going to be skinny and fit in one day or even one week, but seriously? SOME results or even a smidge of a hint that all my efforts are working would be great.

If you recall, my 2nd trimester MUST HAVE or I'm going to DIE craving, was burgers. And Fries. No wonder I put on weight. I really hope with the next baby, my craving is more like water, and celery or something.

Last night our home teacher came over. His wife is 8 months pregnant. And she is STILL doing P90X with him. At least, she does what she can. I was talking to Ross about that later and he goes, "So how do you feel about that babe?" -Fat. That's how I feel. Thanks.

I suppose he was thinking he was going to hear that I found a new heightened motivation and "Can Do" attitude. His motivational pep talk backfired.

I love going places with Claire. Strangers stop me to comment on how cute she is and ask how old she is. When I say to months, they look shocked and tell me I look great for having a baby. But you see, that's the thing. I don't want to look great- for having a baby. I want to look great for looking great. I'd even settle for looking good. I almost feel like I HAVE to have Claire with me to justify my extra baggage.

Ode to Size 6 Jeans

Oh Jeans, how I adore thee.

Some day I will be able to squeeze into

Without the added muffin top.

Without the elastic around the button.

Some day I will zip the zippers on my skirts

And were the skirts without the elastic.

Some day

But not today!

At least Claire still thinks I'm beautiful.

2 Months

2011-01-19T08:12:00.002-07:00

Almost a week ago, Claire turned 2 months. First things first, here are her stats.

weight: 13.01 pounds-95th percentile

height: 24.25 inches- 97th percentile.

We pride ourselves on our little fat girl. For Claire, eating is not only her favorite hobby, it's serious business. A nurse showed Ross and I an eating chart a month ago. Apparently at 1 month, Claire was eating as much as an 8 month old. Yikes.

Claire has discovered her tongue. She loves to roll it around her mouth and stick it out. Especially when she smiles. Recently, she's discovered her hands. It's pretty funny to watch her sit and stare at her hand, slowly moving her fingers.

Claire likes to spend the day

-eating

-watching mom clean and workout

-talk to dad when he gets home

-play on her playmat

-stare at the Family Home Evening board.

-tooting in the bath tub and drinking as much bath water as she can get

She doesn't like:

-tummy time

-naps well, sleeping at all really.

-being tickled.

Claire is really ticklish, and it's really funny. She's not really sure what is going on so she makes a really funny face while her body is flailing around.

That's pretty much it. She's a really good happy baby, except when she's hungry. It's really fun watching her see and experience all these new things. She's so much fun to have around and we're so grateful for her. I can't believe how fast she's growing! Most of you are probably on facebook, and I'm always putting pictures up there, so I won't worry about posting pictures you've probably already seen on here. She doesn't go back to the doctor till 4 months, so I'll see how fat I can get her in 2 months!

P90X-Week 2.

2011-01-17T19:41:00.003-07:00

Again, this is mostly for myself, but you are more than welcome to come along for the ride.

I think after this last week, I'm a little discouraged. All of the extra fat I gained from the pregnancy decided to get together and have a party in the front of my stomach. I've never had my fat group together like that, and I look like I'm pregnant again. So, in case you were wondering: Ross and I are NOT expecting another addition already.

As a result, I decided to not eat sweets for a month, and add 30 minutes of running each day to the workout schedule. We'll see how that goes. By sweets, I mean full on desserts. I have no problem eating a piece of candy every now and then, but it's the 5 brownies, 6 cookies, and 3 popsicles that I'm talking about. So far it hasn't been difficult at all. I just tell the folks we're hanging out with that day that I'm not eating sweets and we come up with a different dessert or snack. I love everyone. Everyone was so supportive of me not having chocolate last year, and now everyone is even ok with me nixing sweets altogether for a while. Thanks for putting up with me and supporting me! Really, it helps SO much. Hopefully the improved eating habits and extra cardio will boost my spirits.

I've started cooking better and I'm surprised at how easy and how much less expensive it really is. Lots of chicken dishes at our house lately. Chicken soup, chicken and dumplings, chicken and salad, chicken sandwiches... you get the picture. I'm loving the flavor and the grocery bill. It's probably helping with the attitude, too-which is a plus for everyone, I'm sure!

Well, let's get to it. This is P90X-Week 2:

Day 8: Chest and Back.This was the day of the Championship game. I was so occupied with cleaning my house and cooking food for some friends, that I missed the workout. Whoops.

Day 9: Plyometrics. I decided to do BOTH of the workouts today. I started with the lifts, and then went to Plyo. I'm surprised at how much easier the pushups and pull ups were already. I'm still using the chair, and I'm still on my knees, but I'm proud of myself. I worked hard and did more reps for each exercise. I only did half of Plyo because Claire woke up, but I still gave myself credit for doing that much on the 2nd workout.

Day 10: Shoulders and Arms. I was sore from the day before. It was hard at first to do all of the lifts, but I tried really hard to use more weight and do more reps for each exercise. For the most part, I could do more reps and use more weight, but the tricep exercises were still hard. I increased the weight on 2 of those, but I did do more reps. This next week is the last week before the rest week, so I'm going to work hard to improve this week.

Day 11: Yoga. Not gonna lie, I was actually really looking forward to Yoga all week. This was the day Claire got her shots, so I only managed to get through half of it before I had to go help Claire. I did all of the strength ones, but none of the balance postures. Those are my favorite, so I was bummed. I'm looking forward to doing the whole thing this week.

Day 12: Legs and Back. The night I did yoga, Ross took care of Claire the WHOLE night, so I was well rested and ready to go in the morning. It was nice to get the workout done before Ross left for work, but I wasn't really focused on what I was doing. My mind kept wandering to everything I needed to get done that day before the weekend and what we would do that night. I could have worked a lot harder, especially on the pull ups.

Day 13: Kenpo. Since Kenpo is a cardio workout, I decided to run for 30 minutes instead. I got running shoes for Christmas and have been itching to use them for what they're actually for. It actually felt really good and I really really enjoyed it. I hadn't run since April or May, and I've missed it. This is when I decided I wanted to add running to each of my workouts.

Well, it's Monday night and I still haven't done my workout. I'm using "my shorts are in the dryer" as my excuse for not doing it yet, but the dryer's almost done and then I'll get busy. This is my last week of phase 1 before the rest week so I'm going to work hard and see what I can do.

Finding the Positives.

2011-01-13T10:55:00.003-07:00

Claire is an active baby. And although those big gummy smiles melt my heart, there are mornings where after getting only 2 hours of sleep, I'll roll over and tell her I want to box her up and UPS her to Grandma's house for a while. Then she'll look at me wide-eyed with the same gummy smile that somehow helps me make it through another day. Either she thinks I'm funny, or she knows it's a good idea, too.

I knew I wouldn't be sleeping a whole lot with a baby. I guess I just didn't realize how long it would last, how little sleep I'd really be getting, and how much things would really change. Don't get me wrong, I love Claire, just I find the real truths of having a baby humorous. There are days where I don't feel like a person. I shower two MAYBE three times a week, and just make sure I'm out of jammies before Ross gets home. Shave my legs? Funny. I'm married. Plus it's cold outside so I wear pants anyway. That happens like twice a month. As long as Claire looks cute and I have my wedding ring on, I'm okay going outside looking like a hobo.

So here's how I see this playing out. She'll be so grumpy from her shots, that it'll set her schedule right. She won't feel well and won't be happy for a few hours, and then she'll tire herself out and go to bed at a reasonable time. And she'll actually sleep. None of this pretend she's asleep until she's in her crib and then start shrieking. It's probably not very likely, but I'm all about hope. She has to get poked anyway, so I might as well try to find something positive about it, even if it's not very likely. This smidge of hope for at least 4 hours of sleep in one day has made me almost excited.

I've been trying to keep her awake today so she'll be sleepy for her appointment. I'm not sure if it's working, but I do know she's pretty irritated with me. This idea probably doesn't even make sense, but with only 15 hours of sleep a week, I'll believe anything! I am excited to find out what her stats are, so I'll do a real post later about how big she is, how she is growing, and what she likes to do later. Here's to hoping her appointment goes well. Cheers!

P90X-Week 1.

2011-01-10T10:34:00.003-07:00

This is mostly for my own personal use, but what the heck? I'll share my struggles, triumphs, and moments of 'pass the barf bag' for everyone to see.

The first time I started P90X was Feb 2010. I was just about half way through when we found out we were expecting a little miss now known as baby Claire. I decided to press on for as long as I could. There was a family mono epidemic that broke out before Ross and I were married. I remember a dinner where Ross' brother, Jake, said that he wouldn't get sick because illness is mental. (Or something like that.) So I decided to do him proud and take on that mindset so I could finish P90X and have a rocking pregnant bod. No stretch marks for me!

Morning, or rather ALL DAY, sickness is NOT mental. Towards the end of March I had to stop, which is probably a good thing. For the few weeks that I did do the program, I felt great, ate well, and had awesome results.

Claire is now 2 months old and I decided to give it a go again. For real this time. She's usully pretty good. Though I can hardly get her to take a nap, she likes sitting on the couch or swinging while she watches me. On water breaks I just pop in a binki or adjust her bottle and she's usually pretty content.

At the beginning of each week I will be posting about the previous week. Maybe towards the end I will post pictures, but for now I have the common courtesy to NOT post pictures. Again, this is mostly for my benefit. Hopefully reflecting on the previous week will get me motivated for the current week and help me think of things I can improve on. Also, by reporting my progress and struggles, I'll probably be more likely to keep going and finish. So here we go.

Week 1:

We got back from our trip late Sunday night. Monday was Day 1. Chest and Back.It was difficult start a groove not just from being on vacation, but from going MONTHS with very little real exercise. Ross was on the couch tending to Claire while I was doing pushups and pull ups. On my knees and with a chair. I think having him in the room made me work a little harder and sweat a little more. I was feeling sore just a few minutes after completing the workout. Instead of jumping right into Ab Ripper X, I decided that I'd just do 100 sit ups a day. Not much to report on that other than I had to take a couple breaks to do all 100, but I did them.

Day 2: Plyometrics. All I can say is Holy Plyo! I had never done this one before because I was doing the lean program instead of the classic. I understand why Tony says to not eat at least 1 hour before doing the work out and on water breaks to only sip a little. Usually during my workouts, I go through a liter. It was hard and by the end I was moving a lot slower and not doing as many reps, but I did it. For my 100 sit ups, I did 20. I was so sore. This is when I was rethinking my 100 sit ups every day idea and cut is back to 50. By the end of the day, I felt as if I had been thrown down the stairs.

Day 3: Shoulders and Arms. This is one of my favorite workouts. I used really light weights, but did around 15 reps for each of the exercises. With this workout, you do each exercise twice. On the second round, I upped the weight a little, but kept the reps the same. I'm excited to do this one this week and increase the weight. Shoulders were a little more difficult because I was STILL sore from Monday. Sit ups? forget it.

Day 4: Yoga. I almost didn't do the workout that day. I really really REALLY don't like this workout. Or so I thought. It was getting late and Ross kept asking me if I was going to workout. My response each time? I should, but I don't want to. Good thing my husband knows how to motivate me. After all my whining and all my excuses, he got me to commit and DO it. By the end I felt great and was glad I did it. The first half of the workout is HARD and no fun. By the end, my poses were lazy though I was still sweating like crazy. I really like the balance postures and actually did pretty well. For Yoga Belly X, I was lazy. Not gonna lie. This week I'm going to put on my big girl panties and work harder. I realized I really do like the yoga workout, I just don't like how long it is.

Day 5: Legs and Back. Another one of my favorites. I used light weights again, and even no weights for some of the exercises. On the second round, I upped the weight and/or reps depending on the exercise. Towards the end of the back exercises, my pull ups were getting lazy and sloppy. Hopefully this week I won't be as sore and and do better.

Day 6: Kenpo: This is just fun. I did the workout in the afternoon when I was thinking about the other things I needed to get done still. I think I really could have worked harder throughout the whole workout. I tried harder on some exercises, but I think I didn't really 'Bring it'. I'm looking forward to improving this week and will probably do it earlier so I can focus on it.

Well there ya go. I'm pretty lucky, my mom is doing the program as well, and started the same day so I have someone to check in on! I have my new goals for this week, and will report next Monday!

As Promised: The Update Post.

2011-01-06T12:48:00.003-07:00

Over break, we braved the drive to Oregon with Claire. It was a blast! While we were there, my Dad told me to keep a journal and record everything going on with Claire. I just kind of looked at him and said, "When?" Right now Claire is perfectly content in her swing, so let's see how much of this post I can crank out!

First, We celebrated Ross' birthday back before Thanksgiving. I know, seems like forever ago right? That's how behind on blogging I am. Ross just wanted a low key birthday and that was great! There were rumors the day before about a big storm coming, so BYU closed early, for the rest of the week! I was really excited because Ross had volunteered to work for a few hours on his birthday. Instead, we started off the morning opening presents.

Claire helped. You will all be impressed to know that I only gave Ross one of his presents early, and didn't even tell him what the others were. He got a Lord of the Rings board game, a book trilogy, a kid's book called, "Daddy's kisses", and White Christmas. We then made and decorated sugar cookies with my mom, and then Ross had the day to do whatever he wanted while I took my mom to the airport.

That night, I made Ross' birthday cake, and we just played games. I won't bother posting a picture of the birthday cake because it was a pretty sad looking cake. I guess I need some practice.

We left for Oregon right after Ross was done with finals. I was really looking forward to a little vacation. While we were there, we blessed Claire. I am so grateful for Ross and that he could bless our little girl.

We spent Christmas Eve at the Loveland's house for dinner, and had a blast! After, we went back to my parent's house for Christmas morning. Ross got me some running shoes and under the tree, well next to the tree was a JOGGING STROLLER!! I was so stinking excited! (But when we got back to Utah, there was a junk load of snow so I can't even try it out yet. STINK.)

Claire got an activity mat that she loves.

She's becoming more aware of everything around her and even smiling when you smile or talk to her. I love her huge smiles, and I'm so excited that they're not gas induced anymore.

Claire will be 2 months old next week, and I'm not really looking forward to her appointment next week. I'm excited to find out just how big she is, but really nervous about her shots. I ALMOST cried when they poked her foot at the last appointment. Time for mama to put on those big girl panties I guess.

But she's starting to sleep a little more at night and loves to scoot and lay on her tummy. Claire doesn't really like to take naps, but she spends the day just hanging out and watching everything I do. That is, when she isn't eating. This little girl is a monster. She is a bottomless pit.

She had a lot of fun and Grandma and Grandpa Loveland's house, too! We went over Christmas morning to talk to Jake. That was so fun! Claire got a blanket Grandma AJ made, and a couple of Snoopies to add to her collection. And we got a TOASTER!! I can't even express how excited I am to not have to use the oven on 'broil'. Claire loved having morning talks with Grandma, and Grandpa could always make her smile. All the kids thought it was hilarious when she'd toot or make faces. It was a treat for me, too! Everyone wanted to hold Claire, so I got to take naps, and do whatever I wanted during the day! We also went to Bullwinkle's Family Fun Center one night. It was a blast! Claire must have been in heaven with all of the bright lights.

New Year's I finally got to eat my brownie. For those of you who don't know, I went last year without chocolate and let me tell you, it was HARD. Being pregnant and wanting a brownie was especially hard. I still feel like I have to sneak chocolate. It doesn't really feel like I can now, which I guess could be a good thing as I try to lose all the baby weight.

We had so much fun in Oregon. Although I was really excited to get home and back in to normal life, I was sad to go. I get to go back in a few weeks with Claire though for my brother's wedding! I can't wait!

-Side note, I realize all the pictures got cut off, but Claire's awake and I don't really care enough to fix them right now. Sorry!

Blogging.

2010-12-30T11:33:00.002-07:00

Holy cow! I never realized blogging would be such a challenge with my schedule "on demand". I'll to get in a REAL post next week when we're back in UT. With pictures and everything.

I Love Being A Mom, Even At 3 AM.

2010-11-29T11:13:00.004-07:00

During the last couple weeks, I've grown a greater appreciation for mothers. Especially stay at home moms. After I was laid off from my desk job in June, I felt like a loser. I did not serve a mission, don't have a degree, wasn't even in school, and was four months pregnant. The chances of me getting another full time job were pretty slim. At least when I was working full time, I felt like I was actually contributing and doing something. We didn't need to worry about finances, or health insurance.

I took on a paper route and spent the days cleaning, cooking, making Ross' breakfast and lunch before school, running errands and walking. I still felt like it wasn't enough. A couple months before Claire was born, I read. A lot. And I came across a talk from Jeffrey R. Holland in a book. Just a simple line stood out. " there is nothing more important in this world than participating so directly in the work and glory of God, in bringing to pass the mortality and earthly life of His daughters and sons"

Growing up, I always thought that being a stay at home mom would be the easiest thing on the planet. Truth be told, after the last couple weeks, I have discovered that it is one of the most challenging things I have done. Being a mom is tough, being a stay at home mom though, is so much more difficult.

Mom's really do sacrifice a lot for their kids. I don't think I really noticed or appreciated the things my mom did till now. Not only do they sacrifice the tangible things, but I realize now, that many moms would probably love to have a full time job, or go to school, but instead choose to stay home. I'm an active person. I'm not satisfied if I let my day go by without doing something productive. I love being busy, and feel lazy if the house isn't spotless and dinner isn't on the table when Ross gets home.

With Claire, I don't get out of bed till 11, am lucky if I can squeeze in a shower, and haven't made Ross breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The laundry is currently on my bedroom floor just waiting to be folded, while the second load is still in the washer. Three days later. I am so beyond grateful for both of my moms who have come and helped us out, and seriously dreading Saturday when we will be on our own again.

I'm so grateful for that quote and small reminder that it really doesn't matter that I haven't showered in two days, and we pick up clothes off of the floor as needed. I don't have a full time job and I'm not back in school yet, but I don't feel like a complete loser anymore. I've never been so tired in my entire life, my new perfume is ew de spit up, but I love being a mom.

BTW, Ross' mom took us to get pictures of Claire. It was a real treat! We get the prints back on December 10th, but they're online for people to look at. You can take a gander by clicking here. Thanks, Mom!

Two Weeks.

2010-11-27T12:18:00.003-07:00

Claire is 2 weeks old today. Seriously child, stop that. I feel like we just brought her home yesterday. We accidently slept through her appointment yesterday, so I have no idea how much she weighs right now. Lesson learned: Do not schedule appointments at 9 AM when you KNOW you won't be sleeping much at night. But she is getting chunkier, so I assume she's getting bigger. If she actually slept through the night, I'd be ok with her staying this small forever. I love her.

We're actually going to take newborn pics in 40 min, so I'll post more pics later. I promise. :]

Introducing: Claire Danielle Loveland

2010-11-22T20:46:00.002-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while. I apologize. The past few weeks haven't been filled with much, besides trying everything I could think of to have this baby, and that's not really interesting to blog about. Well, nine days ago, she finally came! So now I can finally post something somewhat worth reading!

The Stats:

Born 8:17 PM

7 pounds 11 ounces

20 1/2 inches long, and just the cutest thing.

The Story:

I'm a vain person. My own mother even told me so. For the last few weeks, I'd make sure to do my hair and put on make up in the morning. Just in case that day was THE day. Then I'd shower at night, and tell the baby in my stomach that she isn't allowed to be born until the following day. Just so I wouldn't look too repulsive in pictures.

We decided Friday was going to be a great date night. We were planning on going to the dollar theater to see the Wall Street movie. Friday morning came and I spent literally 3 hours getting ready for my hot date. I did my face mask, painted my toes and fingers, curled my hair, and did a great job on my make up. I had my outfit picked out and was even planning on wearing heels. That didn't happen very often, being huge and all. Normally I just go with flip flops. This date was going to be a big deal. Our last date without kids for well, forever! I was scheduled to be induced Tuesday morning at 6:30 if she hadn't come by then.

5:00. I was on my way to pick up Ross, and was hurting a little. After dinner, I was hurting a lot more. We decided to stay home and just have a game night. There was no way I was going to be able to sit through a movie. By midnight, I was just about in tears so we went to the hospital. I hadn't progressed after an hour of being monitored, so the nurse suggested we walk around the hospital for half an hour to see if that would help. It didn't.

We got home around 3:30. Ross went right to sleep. I, on the other hand, was up all night. By morning, I was sure I couldn't handle any more pain. I didn't really want to go back to the hospital without being positive that I'd be coming home with a baby. I held out as long as I could. I took 4 showers/baths. Ross gave me a blessing, and we were off to the hospital again around 11. Turns out, I really didn't care WHAT I looked like.

While being monitored, the nurses were incredible. They did everything they could to make me as comfortable as possible. After half an hour, I still hadn't dilated more. They called my midwife and came back with great news. I WAS ADMITTED! After a few hours, and a wonderful epidural, Claire Danielle was born. This new addition is such a joy and great blessing.

I Want To Fake Labor

2010-11-05T10:44:00.004-06:00

Just so Ross can come home. I quit the paper route about a week and a half ago, thinking I could catch up on sleep, and get some things done. The first few days were great! But it is HARD sitting at home alone ALL day. There's only so much you can clean. I'm confident that you could eat off of ANY surface in my house. And no amount of walking will encourage this little girl to make an appearance. I almost want to tell Moms that we had the baby, just so they can come play with me for a week. Sure, faking labor would get Ross home, but he'd just be home for the day, and probably not too happy with me for making him skip school and work.

Dear baby,

Please show up soon. I am bored and lonely, and kind of bored of talking to you through my stomach. You don't listen to me anyway. Love, Mom.

Sleep.

2010-10-29T07:59:00.002-06:00

Weds was the last day of the paper route. Thursday was supposed to be glorious and I was supposed to sleep the entire night and enjoy not getting up at 2:30 to go roll 300 newspapers. I was up the entire night with contractions and didn't sleep at all. Lame. The next night, I was passed out before 10 PM, and didn't even wake when Ross finally came to bed. I slept the ENTIRE night. Without unisom. I didn't wake up till 7. That's NINE hours of sleep right there, ladies and gents.

I was making Ross' lunch while breakfast was baking and told Ross my body was feeling really weird today. His response: "Uhh rested?" It's true. I was thinking about it and this will be the first day in a few months that I would not be going back to bed after taking Ross to work. I have the ENTIRE day alone. And I have NO idea what to do with myself. Yesterday I scoured and scrubbed the house, so there isn't even anything to clean today! We'll have to see what I can come up with.

Gratitude.

2010-10-26T06:25:00.002-06:00

It's something I'm working on. I complain. And whine. A lot. I'm pretty sure I've used up all of my complain vouchers for my lifetime in just the last few months.

Tomorrow is my last day on the paper route. Each day usually on my way home, but sometimes on my drive to the warehouse I see a man on University Avenue in downtown Provo. He's either curled up on a park bench in front of the Health and Justice building, or under the eve of Zion's bank with a tarp of a blanket covering him. He has a shopping cart full of random things right by him, and if you look close enough, you'll notice the only shoes he has is a pair of pink women's 2 in heels. And it just breaks my heart. I think about him often and make a mental note to talk to Ross about him. But I usually forget by the time Ross is awake and I begin all of my morning "chores".

Last night I was treating myself to a hot bath while Ross was reading in the other room and I started thinking about this man. I didn't want to forget to talk to Ross about him, so we had a chat shouting through the door. Ross is probably the kindest person I know. He's never said anything mean or negative about anyone, even if he's had a bad day, and never gossips, or makes jokes at another's expense. It's one of the things I like best about him, and something I need to improve.

Ross suggested I give him a pair of Ross' old shoes and his winter coat when I see him this week. It was something I had been thinking about for a while. I love how in tune Ross is. Thinking about it, I got scared and told Ross how scary it would be to approach an old stranger and possibly wake him up, just because I'm a girl and it'd be dark. Ross just said, "Scary for you, or for him?" Good point.

This morning when I left for the route, it was snowing. SNOWING. And I was tired and achey and it was freezing outside. As I got in the car, I thought about that old man on University Avenue, and just didn't want to complain to myself anymore. I have been so incredibly blessed and have so many things that I really don't NEED. This last year of being married and truly on my own I have learned that having just a little is more than enough. I love it. I have so much to be grateful for that I haven't really even thought of. Instead of thinking about how cute my living room would look if I just had some curtains, I'm thinking about how great it is to own a pair of shoes that fit and are for my gender. I am so grateful for such a wonderful husband who can teach me a little more each day about kindness and gratitude.

One Year Down, Eternity To Go.

2010-10-25T12:40:00.002-06:00

Things have been a little busy and it's taken me a couple weeks to get around to it, but we've been married for a whole year! Everyone always says the first year is the hardest. If that's true then we're in for a real treat! This has been the greatest, most fun year! A week ago, Ross and I were running errands. Sitting in the car, I go, "I think I've really grown up over the last year. I always thought that after you get married, you're automatically a mature adult. It was kind of a shock when that didn't happen!" Ross responded, "Yeah, you're definitely not the girl I married." uhhhhh "It's a good thing! You ARE a lot more mature and grown up! You're not as crazy as you were then." I love pure honesty. In all seriousness, it really has been the best year ever. Married life is just so fun!

After we got married, we had so much time after pictures until reception so we went to Olive Garden for some soup, salad, and breadsticks, and then did a corn maze. Most people shoot us weird looks and laugh when we say that, but I loved it. It was so fun! We decided then that that's what we'd do each year from there on out to celebrate and let me tell you, I was SO excited to go do a corn maze this year!

We went to Cornbellies at Thanksgiving Point. When we were looking at it online, it looked a little pricey, but they had two huge mazes and thought we'd give it a shot. It was the coolest fall/Halloween place I've ever been. They had SO much to do! One of my favorites was the mechanical bull. Though I didn't ride it, I am so excited for next year when I won't be cooking a baby. I told Ross that I WAS going to be getting on that next year. The guy operating the bull was so funny. After someone would fall off, he'd still move the bull around and charge, forcing whoever fell off to get up and run, usually stumbling and falling before they could get out.

They also had a princess pumpkinland with play structures and a princess bounce house. We liked watching all the little girls go inside the costume shop to play dress up in huge princess ball gowns and then go play. Ross is super excited to play dress up in a couple years. :]

We could have spent HOURS just walking around and doing all the little things and looking at stuff, there was just SO much to do. The maze this year was in honor of the 100th anniversary of Boy Scouts. It was huge! When we went in, we turned instead of going straight through the arch, and ended up doing the maze backwards till we got stuck and decided to turn around and go back to where we went in. It was so hard and by then we were cold and ready to be done. Maybe next year we'll have more luck with the maze!

I'm sure you've all noticed over the last year that we have been TERRIBLE at taking pictures. I fully intended to bring the camera and actually take pictures on our anniversary date, but I was too excited thinking about soup and salad that when we left for Olive Garden, I forgot the camera. We're hoping that once our little girl is out, we'll improve our picture taking skills. We don't want to end up being like, "Well, this is us when we got married, and this is you when you're 5. We're not really sure what you looked like before then, because we didn't really take pictures." Hopefully we see an improvement for year 2.

It's Official.

2010-10-22T12:45:00.003-06:00

I am going to be pregnant forever. I've been sitting at 1 cm and "really soft" for three weeks now. My latest appointment was on Monday. This little girl has gotten HUGE and is now measuring 2 whole weeks ahead instead of just a little bit ahead. My midwife has me going in every week now so they can keep a close eye on me, and said to watch out for water breaking.

So naturally I've been walking six miles a day. The only thing that has accomplished is giving me the dumbest looking tan line. So yesterday, I took a break. I decided I was only going to get things done and run errands.

I finally changed my name and am now officially, and legally, a Loveland. I got a changing pad and cover (so cute), found those zigzag clip things that are on the back of picture frames to put on the backs of the name blocks, and I cleaned. A lot. Last week I spent 5 hours in our kitchen rearranging things and ended up throwing away a million boxes along with 4 sacks of garbage. Yesterday I took on Ross' study room, the bedroom, bathrooms, and laundry. I am now obsessed with laundry. If even just ONE piece of clothing is dirty, I have to refrain from immediately tossing it in the washer until I can fill it. I finally decided I didn't want this little girl to come until after Saturday. Ross and I can finish getting her room ready, and pack our bags. (Right now I have a list made and a pile in her room of the things I know I won't use until then. And it's a MESS.) Also, Ross will be participating in a Quidditch game on Saturday and I really want to watch and take pictures!

By the end of the day, I was pooped. After spending some quality time with Ross, I decided to take a bath. Just before I started running the water, there was a trickle down my leg. And it was hot. It wasn't very much, but it was enough to make me wonder. So I threw on some thin shorts and decided to hold off on the bath until I knew what was going on for sure. The last couple days I've been having a lot more Braxton Hicks contractions. For a couple hours after the mysterious trickle, there were a lot more. Sure, it was uncomfortable, but how is that different from the last MONTH!?

I'll go ahead and skip the TMI stuff, but a little after 11 last night, Ross talked me into calling to find out if we should go in. Lo and behold, a little before 12 we were on our way. The amniotic fluid test was negative. I was having little contractions on the monitor, but they kept me on there for almost 2 hours to keep being monitored. After the nurse left, the big ones came. Ohhhhh boy. We are def getting the epidural when it's real! It was kind of fun watching the monitor, and a relief to see it start to go down so I could tell when it was almost over. A couple times though, it would start to go down, stay there for a little bit, and then shoot back up for a really really long time. I'm sure Ross enjoyed listening me talk to the monitor, telling it to GO BACK DOWN, NOW!!! The nurse came back after a couple hours and did the amniotic fluid test again. Still negative. Cool. Baby girl is hanging out so low, and bladders are so fun and squishy. Nurse said contractions were getting a lot stronger and she could tell I was hurting, but I was STILL sitting at a 1 and "really soft". So we got sent home, but were told that if the contractions keep getting stronger to come back in. (Yeah right. They won't.)

Poor Ross didn't get to bed till almost 3:30, and had to get up at 7, while I went and did the paper route. I fell asleep on the couch when I got home, and didn't even wake up when Ross was getting his things ready to go. I did not make his lunch, and we did not get our cinnamon roll Friday this morning. I'm thinking we're going to have to have those for dinner.

I am confident that I will be pregnant forever.

17 Years Later, and My Raising is Still in Effect.

2010-10-08T05:59:00.002-06:00

Last week on the paper route, I came across a white rose. It was super dark out. (well duh, it was 4 AM!) It was small, but looked pretty enough, and smelt divine. Naturally, I picked it. When I got home, I grabbed a cup from the kitchen, stuck the rose in it, and put the cup on the bathroom counter with a "Good morning!" note for Ross to wake up to. In the light, however; the rose was missing half it's petals, and was dirty and wilting. Oh well.

At breakfast, Ross casually brought up said rose.

R: Where'd you get the rose, babe?

K: *huge smile* I found it!!

R: Oh, so some guy didn't give it to you then?

K: hahahahah N-

R: Wait. You took it from someone's YARD?!

He has no faith in me.

To give him some credit, I DID find it while walking back from putting a paper on a porch. But it was growing in a gutter. Hence, the unattractiveness of it. The next day though, I paid more attention to all the flowers in people's yards. The majority of people on my route are mmm old. No offense. And as we learned from Secondhand Lions, old people garden. Their yards are perfect manicured and have gorgeous flowers. I could make Ross a prize winning bouquet out of them.

However, the last time I stole something, I was three years old at the grocery store, in the produce section, with my mom. I was shoveling in grapes like it was an all you can eat buffet about to close. Of course I got caught and she told me what I was doing was stealing, and taught me that was wrong. When we were checking out, my dear sweet mother had me tell the checker pay her something like two cents and while sobbing tell her what I had done. I had stolen her grapes. Thanks mom. You did a good job and I have never even THOUGHT about stealing anything ever again, and haven't even snacked on a few grapes at the grocery store.

People of Spanish Fork, you can be at peace, confident that I will not be creeping through your yards at 4 AM snipping your beautiful flowers to take home to my hunk o' burning love of a husband, all thanks to my mama.

I Will Probably Be This Kind Of Mom....Don't Tell Ross.

2010-09-30T08:36:00.002-06:00

Remember that one time when I got married and thought I'd magically be a mature adult? It didn't happen. To this day I still laugh when I fart, enjoy giving Ross wet willies, (K so we grew out of that one after a few months of being married, but he did it first, so I'm not to blame.) and am currently plotting to hide a rubber snake in the shower to scare Ross. My poor daughter. She's coming in less than 2 months and she only has one responsible grown-up for a parent.

That being said, I stumbled across an old blog post from The Pioneer Woman. If you haven't read her blog, I highly recommend it. I adore her. And idolize her. She keeps me entertained when baby girl thinks it's play time, but it's really BED time. I would love to meet her someday. Anyway, this particular post is an audio clip of her with her kids. I was laughing SO hard and thought I'd share, mainly because I will probably be this kind of mom--but probably not when Ross is around.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/blog/2006/09/farewell_dear_r/

I love her. My day is off to a great start already, even though baby girl is keeping me awake. Enjoy.

I Gave In.

2010-09-27T19:44:00.003-06:00

Well folks, we have a new record here. I bought Ross' anniversary presents over a month ago and just gave them to him last night. Only 13 days early. I had only been asking him if he wanted his presents for a couple days before I gave them to him. I was determined to make it until the actual day this time.

Ross has a pretty big load this semester, along with work, pregosterone wife, and baby coming in less than 2 months now. So last night he was pretty stressed and just having one of those days. When no cure could be found, even after tasty meat, a good chat, and massage, I gave in. After all, what better remedy for a bad day than presents!? At first, he was only going to open one, (I got him three) but watching him open the first was so fun, I couldn't stop!

All of his presents were themed, and somehow connected. Because we'll soon have a little princess, I figured actual date nights were going to be hard to come by for a while. So each present was a different thing we could do as a stay at home date. I love stay at home date nights. We love games, so I got him the Monty Python Fluxx game, Ticket to Ride Europe, and then the Three Amigos.

Funny part. When we finally went to bed, we were talking and I was expressing how I felt a little bad that I didn't get him presents that were just for him.

K: Man, I should have gotten you a sweater or some shirts that actually FIT you. (He's been getting buff. And he's really really tall.)

R: No, I hate spending money on clothes.

K: Exactly! I should have done it FOR you. I love spending money on clothes! Before we got married, I'd spend money on clothes all the time! That's probably why I had no money when we got married. To be honest, I just married you for your money.

R: *sleepy smile* Yeah, I know.

I love him.

Cinnamon Roll Fridays

2010-09-24T06:23:00.002-06:00

I love Fridays. But really, who doesn't?! Over the last few weeks, I've gotten into the habit of having a hot breakfast ready when Ross wakes up. It isn't anything big, usually some muffins, banana bread, or blueberry pancakes, but Fridays are special. We get cinnamon rolls. Orange sweet rolls to be exact. I can't think of a better way to start off the last day before the weekend.

When we were first married, we'd make waffles every Saturday. Yeah, guess how long that lasted. I love cinnamon roll Friday, though it probably isn't very kind to my derriere. I hope it sticks around for a while. :]

I Want To Be A Soccer Mom.

2010-09-21T23:28:00.002-06:00

Let me explain. Last night I was grocery shopping at Macey's when a soccer team came in for ice cream. I'm guessing they just finished up with a game. There were a couple boys that were so excited and kept yelling out to their mom who had gone to their game and went with the team for ice cream. Right then I decided I wanted:

A huge SUV, or even the 15-seater van

Mom jeans or capris with the sneakers

the Mom hair cut

with the Mom baseball cap/visor

Every single Saturday to be taken up by 7 soccer games in 5 different places

Window decals for the SUV of each family member in the Mickey Mouse ears. And one for the dog, too.

My own tribe of little boys to yell Mom!! Mom!! Mom!!! Did you SEE me?! That was SOOO cool!!! Across the grocery store with sticky ice cream streaking their face.

I want to be a soccer mom.

Month Eleven.

2010-09-10T17:57:00.002-06:00

I can't even believe that we've been married for almost a whole year! Here are some things I've learned.

1.) Boys don't like it when the floor in their room is covered with clothes.

2.) Sharing a bed is STILL hard, we're going to need a King, or two Queens shoved together.

3.) You can tell Ross doesn't like dinner when he doesn't go back for seconds. He won't SAY anything, he just won't take more.

4.) Husbands make the greatest male cheerleaders and biggest fans.

5.) I have the greatest best friend in the whole world.

6.) My husband is a spider slaying, bug squishing WARRIOR. And he's not scared of anything.

7.) Being married is just plain FUN.

8.) We've been so busy having fun, we've forgotten to take more pictures. Oops.

9.) I will probably be treated like the Queen of Sheeba for forever.

10.) It just doesn't get any better than this.

A Potpourri of The Last Few Weeks.

2010-09-07T06:24:00.004-06:00

I get really particular about keeping a clean house. I'd probably vacuum the carpet by the front door every time it was opened if Ross would let me. The last few weeks, we've been working on our house. We put up some autumn decorations on the piano, and got some new pictures and posters on the walls. The posters are super epic, heroic posters and I love them. You can check them out here. We got a HUGE one for Ross' study room, and a medium sized one for the front room. They look SO much better in person than on the site. I'm really excited about how they turned out. We're still waiting on a temple picture we ordered. At Costco, there was an artist who does custom paintings, both religious and not. It was really neat, so we decided to get one of the Portland temple.

The nursery is finally painted. That was such a pain in the butt, but I'm really excited about the way it turned out. I'm waiting to take pictures till the room is actually finished and put together. Right now it's just a mess with the new stroller and car seat I put together and I'm still trying to figure out where I want everything. Yesterday we found a crib, mattress, and bedding on KSL for super super cheap. I can't wait to get it set up!! I've rearranged all her drawers about a million times, painted, moved her furniture around, and put together the travel system; so I figured I'd let Ross build the crib so he wouldn't feel left out or anything. I'm definitely ready for this little girl to get here.

We had a surprise in our bank account a couple weeks ago. I've secretly been saving up for a new TV, something Ross and I have talked about for a while. I wanted it to be a surprise, but after the bank account surprise, I just went ahead and told him and we ended up getting a new TV. Ross also ordered a custom PC to hook up to the TV as a media system. It came last week!! We've had a lot of fun loading movies onto the PC and getting the media system going. I think I won't mind the 3 AM feedings as much anymore. :]

Yesterday I decided I wanted to read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year. I really liked the First Presidency Message in the Ensign this month, and decided to make that my personal goal. There's a really cool site that lets you create your own reading plan. You input what you're reading, when you're starting, and when you'd like to finish. So I made one for beginning yesterday and scheduled to end on December 31st. I would love to invite you to take on this challenge with me! You can find a link to the site so you can create your own reading schedule here.

Sorry Ella.

2010-08-13T06:42:00.003-06:00

Some of you know that I'm working on cutting a few words out of my vocabulary. As the due date draws closer, I've become more aware of the things I say and do. I decided I didn't really want this little lady walking around repeating some of the words and phrases I say. This last week, I think I've nailed a couple of the words, but I still have a long way to go. So if you hear me say these four words, feel free to give me a reminder! It's good for me!

The S word: Suck

The C word: Crap

The H word: Hate

The R word: Retard.

I never really realized how much I say those words till now! Kind of like how I didn't know how often I look down while walking till we spent a weekend in Vegas. My list will probably grow, but four new swears to work on is enough for now! I've started to recognize when people say the new S word now, and it feels almost like it does when I hear people say the REAL S word. It's crazy how fast my attitude about that word changed!

On a completely opposite note, I don't think we will be getting a cat. Ever. We spent the last week in Oregon, and got to spend the last couple days with Ross' family. They have a cat. Granted, you hardly ever SEE Ella. We don't have any pets so whenever I see something furry with eyes and a tail, I always try to touch it. (Especially on the paper route. Though, thus far I have been unsuccessful in getting within six feet of an animal.) Ella is special though. I've found that if I can pet her and scratch her head for just a couple seconds, she decides she likes me enough to not run away. And if I can manage to scratch her head for just a little longer, she'll follow me a little, wanting me to continue the head scratch.

Yesterday was one such day where she let me pick her up and set her beside me on a couch and scratch her head. I was slouching, and she decided to move in closer. She parked herself on my stomach, to be exact. When she started purring, it didn't take long for baby girl to start kicking, punching, elbowing, ANYthing she could, as hard as she could. I removed Ella from her post and baby girl settled down. I don't think she really likes cats. Sorry Ella. I still love you and love that you sometimes let me get close enough to touch you. It means a lot.

Gratitude.

2010-07-26T14:11:00.002-06:00

I have the greatest best friend in the whole world.
I'm one lucky girl.

So. Tired.

2010-07-20T00:59:00.003-06:00

I understand I have a weird schedule with this paper route. It used to be great. That is, before I found out we are breeding the next soccer champ. This little lady loves her daddy already. She gets so excited whenever he's around. Not gonna lie, it's weird. During the day when I'm by myself she'll move a little, not much. But when Dad gets home and is close by, watch out!! We'll just be sitting there watching a movie and she goes CRAZY. It's cute then, but not so much when I'm trying to sleep and have to get up in 3-4 hours. I sleep great for the first couple hours when it's just me in bed, but once Ross comes in.... BAM! Nocturnal kickboxing champ!

Who knows? Maybe after she's born and up all night, she'll only want Daddy and I'll finally be able to get some sleep. :]

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice... And a Bunch of Burgers And Popsicles.

2010-07-07T18:43:00.005-06:00

Turns out, we're cooking a girl! Lord help us all! I was 100% convinced it was a boy so it was a shock for me, but Ross knew better.

Ross' younger brother, Jeremy, is here visiting, so he got to go with us. It was so cool checking out all her organs and blood vessels, and just all her parts! She was stretching out her legs for a while, and crossed them towards the end of the ultrasound. She liked having one hand in a fist by her face, and the other just spread out so we got to see all her fingers, too! I loved being able to check out all the parts of her body, especially her brain and heart. SO cool. She really is a wiggly, squirmy little thing. It's so crazy how fast the little bebe goes from this...

To THIS:

We went and bought some newborn little girl outfits to celebrate. I can't wait to start setting up the nursery and get ready for this little lady to get here! Let's just hope she's more like her Dad, or we're all in trouble!

Please Disregard Any Broken Windows or Dents on Cars For a Couple Weeks

2010-06-23T14:04:00.004-06:00

It's perfect. A few weeks ago I was waking up at odd hours of the night. Starving. Now I have a purpose in being awake at strange times. I'll probably develop a decent throwing arm, too. Hello turkey bowl.

Today was my first day. It was surprisingly relaxing. You're the only person on the road in what seems like the entire city. And not gonna lie, it was a freaking blast. I mean, how often do you get to drive on BOTH sides of the road, windows down, throwing things as hard as you can?

I really like that I get to come home and make Ross breakfast and lunch. After I go back to bed, I still have so much time in the day to do everything else that needs to get done. Perfect job for mama.

Now, if only I got to be on a bike, too, I'd get some SERIOUS exercise.

I Drink Milk From A Glass, So That Means I'm A Real Grown Up Now, Right?

2010-06-22T10:59:00.002-06:00

Almost anyone who has ever eaten a meal with me understands that I will only drink milk from a plastic cup. It just tastes better that way. When you buy the milk, it comes in a plastic jug. Milk is just meant to be in plastic. Growing up, we had very few plastic cups but those were MY cups. Simply existing for the purpose of allowing Kate to drink milk.

Not anymore. Since being married, we have only had ONE, yes ONE plastic cup. That cup happens to be my favorite. It's green and tall and just all around BIG. I fill it was ice water while cleaning the house, juice-so I don't have to get up five times to refill it, and stick it in the car when I need to pick up Ross. It's the cup that is so big, no refill is required. The downside is that there is only ONE of them and requires a lot of washing.

For the last eight months, Ross has been weening me onto actual glasses at meal time. Where we usually drink MILK. For the first few months, I would INSIST on having my plastic cup. When I had a glass full of milk, I'd shut my eyes, squint my nose, and try to make the pain of enduring milk from a GLASS as short as possible. I hated it.

My family, especially my parents, would be so impressed to hear me say that I now drink milk from a glass, without whining or complaining. At all. So, that means I'm a REAL grown up now, right? Though, I'd still argue that milk tastes better in plastic. A mug would even be better than a cup. But the important thing is that I now drink milk from a real glass.

So Here's The Deal

2010-06-16T18:10:00.001-06:00

I want a jogging stroller, and I want one BAD. A DOUBLE jogging stroller to be exact.

Please?

It's June, And My Life Revolves Around Food.

2010-06-02T08:20:00.000-06:00

I'm all about positive reinforcement, especially when it comes to goals. I love reward systems that motivate me. For the last few months all of the goals I had in line since January have gone out the window. The second story window. One of those goals was exercising.

A few of you know that in the beginning, Ross was very diligent with P90X. He LOVED it. Meanwhile, I bought some Billy Banks Tae Bo tapes. Ross would be doing homework in his study room, laughing at the black man on the TV yelling with enthusiasm. I'm POSITIVE that secretely he really really wanted to run out and start moving with me. The tapes are hilarious and goofy which fits me perfectly. I still remember when busting out my mom's old Kathy Smith's Winning Workout tapes when I was little. I always wanted an 80's bright leotard. So having a black man with a huge grin screaming with enthusiasm is my cup of tea. Though, I'd also run a little and do 100 sit ups each day. Even with the screaming, smiling huge black man, it didn't take long to lose my motivation. I decided to try P90X.

HOLY COW. Talk about a work out. Tony Horton is all about changing your entire life style and getting you in the best shape you have ever been in. And it is HARD. I guess getting in shape wasn't enough of a motivator for me. That's when we started the tanning plan.

If you've seen me, even just across the room in the dark, I stand out. I'm pastey white. Glow in the dark white to be more correct. Tanning was the perfect motivation. Ross had gone tanning before and he really loved it, so it was just an extra bit of fun for him. This was the plan. If I completed all six of the DVDs that week, Saturday afternoon we got to go tanning. Here's the catch. BOTH of us had to do it and FINISH each one. An hour and a half of intense Yoga on Thursdays was rough. Only the idea of eight minutes in tropical bliss could keep me going. I loved it. I used the little stickers to mark my progress and felt fantastic. I was getting more fit and looked and felt great, AND I was TAN.

Then we got pregnant. And I felt MISERABLE for a little over a month. No more tanning and I sure didn't want to work out! I just wanted to lay on the couch and eat pickles, popsicles, burgers, and cupcakes. All at once.

Then May happened and second trimester happened. I began to notice the added volume and surface area in my buttock region. (Honestly, I like the extra booty. Now I actually HAVE a booty) But here's the extra bonus. I was feeling GREAT! I've never had so much energy in my life! I started using the treadmill again. And then the cycle started again. The lack of motivation hit.

I can't go tanning without cooking the baby. I think the hardest part is I LOVE hot baths. The kind of baths where you can see the water evaporating and steam rising from the tub. Now, every now and then, Ross will come in and stick his hand in the water just to make sure I'm not being selfish and making baby stew in my stomach.

A few weeks ago we were playing bananagrams with some great friends of ours. (We love games.) -Bananagrams is kind of like scrabble, but you build your own. At the end of the game, Ross was looking at my set up and started laughing. All of the words I had formed were all FOOD items. We had JUST eaten dinner. Ross had been asking what I wanted for my birthday. All I could come up with were certain foods that I wanted. Food was taking over my LIFE. My child is not going to be made up of those cute lists that rhyme saying what little boys and girls are made of. My child is going to be made up of burgers and popsicles.

My life is run by food. That's when I came up with the perfect idea. The perfect motivator. I made a chart. My chart looks like this. for every six days I exercise (doesn't have to be in a row, just SIX days) I get a snack day. You need to understand, when I want a certain food, the want doesn't go away until I get it. It'll start as an idea. An 'oh that sounds good' idea. Then it'll just grow from there till I'm ready to beat someone up to get it. (not really, but that's how badly I want it!) So if I think of something I want, but decide I can't have it till I exercise six times, by the time those six days are up, I'd do ANYTHING to get it. (If you ever want me to do anything for you, just bribe me with a jar of pickles, a burger, rice krispies and I'll be in the palm of your hand. Seriously. It's BAD.)

Yesterday I exercised. We had family prayer. I washed my face. I'm reading a lot more books and cooking dinner and cleaning the house. We even did family scripture study. I think my exercise/snack chart is helping me remember my other goals that have gone out the window. The poster I made when I was doing P90X is even up on the fridge, though I don't know what good it'll do. (It's a pic of Tony Horton smiling and pointing his finger with a word bubble saying Kate! Don't eat that!) I'm ready to make June a good month. Even if it's controlled and motivated solely by FOOD.

I Use My Time Wisely

2010-05-13T14:58:00.000-06:00

Using my time extremely well at work mixed with being excited about the parasite turning into an actual baby, this is what I've found.

So in this one, I love the changing table. The mirror actually folds down to be a changing table. GENIOUS. It just makes sense to have your baby facing you while changing, instead of sideways. And the two edges of the dresser are actually for dirty diapers. There's holes in the top, and the droors pull out. I love the upholstery on the fronts of them, too.

At first, I thought this was the cutest thing I'd ever seen. That is, until I discovered it took Daddy four months to draw and paint it all. The other side of the room is night time with glow in the dark stars, and a moon night-light. I just thought it was so creative and fun! Not to mention a TON of work!

I really do like the pink and green color scheme. I also really like the name on the wall. I think I'd probably buy wooden letters and paint them myself and hang those on the wall with ribbon instead of actually painting the name on the wall. But I do think this is very cute.

I also found themed party ideas for little kids. This was my favorite, though I don't think anyone could truly appreciate it unless they've read the Fancy Nancy books.

For each of the girls' place settings, they had gloves with feathers, and a beaded necklace. I love the idea of a sundae bar with all of the toppings. So posh.

Obviously, I have a lot of time on my hands at work. It's really difficult having to wait eight more weeks to find out what we're having. I can't wait to start buying things and setting up the nursery. I'll have to thaw out my debit card before then. ;) (For those of you who don't know, my debit card is at the bottom of about four inches of ice in the freezer right now. Being pregnant, I also developed super picky eating habits. I found I was probably spending more money on food than I should, so I decided I lost my card privileges. I can no longer go shopping without Ross being there and having his approval first.) I'll be thawing it out once it's time to start getting things ready though!

My Midwife's Name is Jennifer.

2010-05-13T08:39:00.000-06:00

I went home before my appointment to get snacks, change, and grab the paperwork we needed. Hello pregnancy brain. Ross wanted me to bring him an orange. So I put a couple oranges in a bag. There was also a bag on the couch that had Ross' leftovers from lunch the day before.First I left and remembered oh yeah! I forgot the medicaid card. Went back. Realized I hadgrabbed the wrong back. Switched bags. Oh dang! I left the medicaid card again. Went back. Uhm, I have NO idea where I'm going. Went back to grab the directions I had just looked at. Finally picked Ross up and was heading to pick up my records from my first visit. Went the WRONG way. Got lost. Finally on the way to my real appointment. Lo and behold, the directions I had looked at weren't making ANY sense anymore when I understood it completely ten minutes ago. I'm so glad Ross is so smart and figured out how to get there. I thought it was hilarious so I thought I'd share. Now on to the main point of this post.

We met our midwife at our 12 week appointment. Other than being slightly disappointed we didn't get an ultrasound, I LOVED it. We arrived a few minutes late. I hate being late for anything so I was a little frazzled. Probably something I get from my mom. There were probably a half a dozen kids in the waiting room. The kids knew the nurses and midwife by name, and the other way around. They'd come running up to the door yelling their name with excitement and the nurses would pick up the kids and just play with them. Everyone was just so happy. The receptionist was the first to say that she was so excited to have us, and we heard that probably three more times throughout the appointment.

When we went back to the room, the first nurse came in just to go over my previous records, and take my vitals. She was so funny and just NICE. She asked if we wanted anything to drink. She even asked what Ross wanted. When he said he was ok, she wouldn't take no for an answer and repeated his choices. My midwife's nurse came in next to go over more history. She was just as funny and kind as the first nurse. Finally the midwife came in. I was so excited. She was a little more serious, but still not serious. Just a really fun, kind person. Going over my paperwork, we discovered that the previous doctor's office failed to inform me of two pretty important results from the lab work they did. They also didn't do a thorough full physical/exam with me. I'm not really the secretive type and don't really have a problem sharing what's going on so here's what's up. The pap they did came back abnormal. Also, they found Group B Strep in my urine and if it's not treated, the baby will have it. 5% of babies die from it. I'm not really concerned, but it would have been nice to know so we can get it taken care of! Needless to say, the Dr I previously visited will be getting a phone call from me this morning.

We were there for close to two hours. The first nurse came in after the exam to draw my blood. She was hilarious and so kind. The midwife spent so much time with us, just getting to know us and answering any concerns and questions. She told us to go set up a new appointment (the other office just told us to leave). As we were leaving, everyone came out and said bye. I just wanted to hug them all! I'm really excited to get to know them better and spend more time with them. You can tell everyone really loves there job and are genuinely kind. They really do care about you. Pretty much just the greatest visit experience of my life. I wish I had a picture of my midwife, Jennifer, to show you. I'm sure I'll get a few as the weeks go by.

AND I haven't gained any weight in the last four weeks. HALELUJIA! I honestly thought I gained 7 pounds from my popsicle diet. Only three more days and then being pregnant is supposed to get fun, right?

My Latest Obsession I Thought I'd Share

2010-05-07T08:51:00.000-06:00

I've had a lot of obsessions lately. From Pad Thai to Popsicles. Usually they last about a week and I find something new to obsess over. I really hope my latest sticks around a bit. I've been using my down time at work to find different freebies and coupons online and thought I'd share my favorites!

www.hip2save.com

This gal posts her latest finds, and allows guests to post theirs.

www.joysdumbdeals.blogspot.com

This is one of my absolute favorites. She posts her shopping experiences. If she doesn't mention it, she didn't buy it. She also lists how much she spend, the retail price, and what her total savings were.

www.couponmom.com

On here, you put in your location, and it'll give you a list of all the grocery coupons in that area. For Provo, the only ones they have are for Smith's, but still a great deal! Their general idea is that if you use their coupons, it'll cut your grocery bill in half. I don't know about you, but Ross and I can sure EAT, so I'm excited to give it a go and see what I can find.

www.coupongeek.net

This gal posts coupons for both restaurants and grocery items. Sometiems you'll find free samples, or restaurants that are giving out free food.

www.deallocker.com/blog/

Again, this one has free samples and coupons to different stores.

If you're on facebook, if you 'like' some different companies or products, they'll give you coupons for free stuff, too! How cool is that?!
http://www.heyitsfree.net/2009/08/25/current-facebook-freebies/
This site posts different facebook freebies they find. Love it.

I've also signed up on different diaper sites for free samples and coupons. The sites often lead you to different coupons that you might be interested in as well. I heard Babies R Us sends you some pretty good coupons every now and then if you go one their mailing list, but I haven't tried that one yet. Everyone knows I can go on and on about how much I love the free section on KSL, so check that out, too! There's always a lot of animals there, but there are usually some great finds in there, too!

Anyway, so that is my latest obsession, and I thought I'd share! http://picky-palate.com/ This is the other thing I've been drooling over. The recepies are super easy and look so delicious. I haven't been cooking lately, so I can't wait to get my stomach back to get back in the kitchen!

This is why I'm so lucky

2010-04-30T12:58:00.000-06:00

My husband's pretty great. And he never makes that face at me. I'd say that I'm pretty fortunate to be married to this kid for ETERNITY and that makes me pretty dang happy.

Wanna know what else makes me dang happy? He served a full time two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Romania. He always sets such a good example for me and his little brothers and sisters. He's the most kind, patient person I know. I've never heard him say anything mean or negative about anyone. He's pretty great.

This picture is a two parter. I love that Ross reads his scriptures every day. It sets a huge example for me because I really struggle in that area. I also love that he loves his family and always helps them. He's so selfless and really does care about his family. He loves his parents, especially his mom. (And he's not afraid to give her a kiss on the cheek even though he's 22) :]

Wanna know how else he's great? He's the best of friends with his brother. And he's ok with being a little goofy sometimes. The key word is a little. He's sure to give me an age/maturity level check sometimes, but he has fun.

I love that Ross is tall. If you know me, you know I love shoes. Really tall shoes. I can wear my shoes and not have to worry about being too tall. (selfish and bratty, yes) I also love that Ross is active and likes to play. I've had a lot of fun going to different games and being his cheerleader. I love watching him.

Wanna know what else makes me pretty dang happy? Ross always makes time for me every single day. He always does his best to make sure I get at least a little bit of attention, no matter how busy he is. He works really hard at all that he does. Lately, he's been especially busy with school and work. He has NO time but he's always sure to save some for me! He's really great at putting a smile on my face and making me laugh. And he doesn't even get mad when I accidently give him a really bad haircut. He doesn't even care!

This is what makes me the most happy though. Out of the millions of girls, I got to be sealed to this wonderful person. We get to be married for FOREVER. And in a few months he gets to be a dad! How great is that? Yup, I'm one lucky girl and pretty dang happy. I love you husband!

I Just Took On a Midwife

2010-04-22T17:16:00.001-06:00

What? Yeah, I just took on a midwife. After talking to a few people and doing some homework, I have decided to go natural. Tuesday I went to my Dr. appt with the OB GYN. I was really grateful to have some questions answered, and even more excited to get to see our baby! The main lab area though, where they check all your vitals, and do tests felt like a kitchen in an apartment or something. When the gal drew my blood, I looked away for the initial poke, but then continued to watch. Blood started spouting from there the needle was and I kind of freaked and the needle fell out. She waits a little, and then goes in again, this time a little higher than before. I decide to not look at all. "Oh no, I think it's going to collapse." A few seconds later... "Yup, I just collapsed your vein." Bless her heart. I hadn't eaten all day and was now spinning and light headed, convinced I'm about to vomit all over this poor girl. I did get a couple granola bars and a bottle of juice though! She decides to just work up a lab order so I can go in whenever I'd like to the outpatient lab area at the hospital. Wonderful. Up until my appointment, I hadn't really made up my mind about how I wanted this whole labor and delivery thing to go down. I've had a lot of time to think and do research and have decided to take on a midwife and do things naturally. I think I would actually love to do it at home, but I wouldn't put the neighbors through that. Maybe someday. Wish us luck!
By the way, this is our REAL sea-monkey. It was 1 inch long, and had a heart rate of 178. We love our little blob and are so glad it is healthy and staying put! It's been quite the adventure so far and we're excited for what's ahead.