Totally Two but Totally Loved

So last week was Jane's 2nd birthday. We had a party for her on Saturday at Wildflower Park. When I asked her who she wanted to come to her party, she was clutching her little stuffed panda bear that she sleeps with (that is just one of the many things Jane sleeps with – every night, she has to have her panda, her teddy, her blue blanky and her pink blanky…all four things…always. The rocking chair gets kinda crowded when I sing her to sleep) and so she said “panda!” I said, “Okay then, let’s have a panda party!” So we did. Unbeknownst to me, panda paraphernalia is a little hard to come by, so I did tablecloths and balloons in black, white and pink, made a panda cake (my first real cake making/decorating experience - KayLyn, are you so proud?) and found little panda cut-outs online that I printed up and colored (I felt like I was in kindergarten again…and I still am horrible at cutting along the dotted lines!). All in all, I think it turned out pretty cute. Cousins came from both sides, grandmas too, and even Jane's little friend Peyton. He is in our ward and Jane has a serious crush on him. On sundays, they hold hands all the way to nursery.

Jane had a fabulous time at her party and of course, loved that so much of the attention was focused on her. The whole gift giving and receiving part of the party was a little confusing and overwhelming to her, but she has since had a blast with the toys she received, namely her REAL vacuum (from Grandma and Grandpa Tayler), her tiny bopper car (from us), and a set of keys from Becca and family that she takes in the car everytime we drive anywhere...thanks Becca and girls! Allison also had a good time, mostly because of all the attention she received from her uncle Thomas (don't be deceived by the word "uncle"...he is all of 11). I think she sat and played with his hair for about an hour. Towards the end of the party, Thomas came up and told me:

"I don't think is a single part of me that Allison doesn't like!" He's a crack-up.

All in all, the party was great fun. There was only one incident of biting and only a few handfuls of sand thrown at people (sand throwing compliments of Jane).

I can't believe that 2 years have passed since Jane was born. She has been a true joy in our life. Although she is totally into 2-year old behavior (her new favorite sentence is "mine..dis"..translated "this is mine!") she is so much fun and keeps us laughing continuously. She is clever, courageous and tender hearted, always giving me spontaneous hugs and asking me if I'm okay. My life has been truly blessed by her little presence. Here's to lots more happy years for my little curly-haired, blue-eyed charmer. I love you!

Who the heck is Jim?

So we're driving in the car to my mom's house, and Jane starts singing "I am a child of God". She listens to a CD of church songs every night to go to sleep to and that's the first song. Because she's only 2 and all her song lyrics are strictly phonetic, she often has some interesting versions of songs. Anyway, as she is coming to the conclusion of the first verse, she sings out "Teach me all dat I muss dew, to live wif Jim someday." So, the question is... who is Jim? Is Jim somehow related to Marsha? Or perhaps Jim is the name of the now-missing seahorse. Marie, looks like you might have some competition!

Speaking of random Jane-isms, she has now found bats in our vents and spiders in her high chair. If either of these things are true I am moving.

Just What I Needed....

After I posted "Identity Theft" (which, by the way, made me feel a little dorky when I read it again the next day...I sure made myself sound all enviro-cool and outdoorsy...but I still say I am a pretty weak attempt), my good friend emailed me something that had been forwarded to her. It really hit home with me. I especially needed to read it today because Jane has been sick with a nasty flu bug this week and I have been up to my eyeballs in yucky bodily fluids all day (it's her birthday today too...poor little thing...) So, see what you think.

I'm invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone? Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude- but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To you, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.' I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn> pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.'That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

All of a Sudden...

Have you ever had one of those moments when you suddenly notice that your child has hit a major "developmental milestone" without you realizing it? One day they are just this adorable lump that when you sit them on their bum on the ground, they instantly fold in half and fall over sideways. Then somehow, it seems the very next day they are just sitting there happily, fully upright, waiting for you to take notice. Sorry, Allison - it's been a crazy week...but look at you! She looked so cute and proud today that I had to take a picture.

Last week was a crazy one. My little brother finally decided to get married...and I tell you what, I would just like to send out a great big thank you to all my siblings for participating in my wedding because holy cow, they are a lot of work....and even more work with little ones. You have no idea what is going on behind the scenes when it is your own wedding. You are in total la la land. But your family sure knows. Showers, parties, rehersals, more showers, buying gifts, buying suits (Jevan now actually owns a suit! It was a big step for him..I was really proud), you name it. The wedding day was wonderful...and very busy. From temple ceremony to wedding luncheon to wrestling Jane in an attempt to beautify her in her "pretty dress" (she was a flower girl) to ring ceremony to reception to...collapse. No naps and no idea what is going on lead to two little girls that are completely FRIED by the end of the night. They were troopers though and Jane looked really cute in her dress...of course, I would say so because I'm her mom. My brother's new wife is from Louisiana/Georgia and her family flew in for the wedding. They were the nicest people, complete with that charming southern drawl. They were great sports through all the wedding madness but a little taken back at subdued nature of an LDS reception - they were ready to drink up and let it all hang out. We did do a lot of dancing however, especially Jane, and she is not shy about going at it alone. We caught it on camera. All in all a fabulous event.

Photo right: Jane with her cousins as flower girls

Jane has had this imaginary friend for a while now. Her name is Marsha. She talks to her all the time on the phone. Marsha is very polite and always asks Jane how she is doing and how her potty training is going. That is about the extent of their conversation...oh, and Jane also tells her that Daddy is at work. The other day, a tall, blond saleslady came to the door selling children's books. Jane watched her very intently as she gave her spiel. After Jevan told her that we really couldn't spend $200 on a set of books (what happened to the days of buying single things? Why can't I just buy one book?) and was closing the door after her, Jane yelled out "Bub-bye Marsha!" Ah-hah! So THAT's the mysterious Marsha! She really exists! Nice to know that my daughter isn't completely crazy. I must admit however, I am still a bit puzzled as to why a lady book salesman would be interested in whether or not Jane went poo poo in the potty. Wait a minute...Marsha always wants to know if Daddy is at work....I think I am catching on here...I better go talk to that husband of mine....:)

Identity Theft

Yes, my identity has been stolen...not by some faceless thug mind you...no, by someone I love. (Don't they always say that you hurt those you love the most...er..something like that...). Actually, by TWO someones I love. Yup, my kids have stollen my identity, and I think it is causing me to have a off-by-a-decade mid-life crisis. Have any of you mothers out there felt like this? Do you ever feel like you got lost somewhere once your mom role started? You now measure your weeks by diaper genie refills, gain insight throught the little antecdotes on "It's a Big, Big World" (it's okay to move through life slow like a sloth, and don't be in such a hurry to grow up, like Smooch's sunflower), and count yourself as a success in life if your toddler says "thank you" without being told to the retail clerk who has just handed her a balloon (which ended out popping in her face 10 seconds later when we left the store...did you know those things can leave a welt?). Point is, I love being a mom, but lately I wonder...who am I?

I can tell you who I used to be before I had kids. I was a bit of a hippy/granola/whatever the politically correct term is for someone who is way into environmental issues and outdoor adventuring. Back before it was cool. I grew up wanting to be a park ranger. I still do. I used to spend way too much money at REI. I turned vegetarian after watching some films in school about what goes on at meat farms. It's beyond inhumane. I used to plant trees along the Jordan River. I used to backpack, hike, and sometimes rock climb. I used to worry about all the horrible acts against humanity going on in the world. I worked for a non-profit organization that fights for National Forests...we mostly just fought with the Forest Service. (It's called the Utah Environmental Congress..check out their website and join them...http://www.uec-utah.org/)I even rallied at the Capitol. I used to fantasize about maybe, you know, getting my belly button pierced and growing some dreadlocks. Of course, I could never get myself to do either...but that didn't stop me from thinking about it. Mostly, I was just way more GREEN and spent lots more time outdoors. I was a LOT more carefree.

Sometimes, I miss that me.

Now, I feel like I am so far from that me that it makes me laugh. My backpack has a coating of dust and a family of spiders living in it. My rock climbing shoes were given to someone who would actually USE them. I have absolutely no idea what is going on in the world at all, let alone in the environmental sector. People still ask my opinion on certain things, knowing that I have been environmentally minded in the past, and I think I shock them when I have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. "Who are you voting for for president, Em? Do you like so-and so's take on the enviornment? Do you think so and so is too liberal? Is Al Gore still running for president? What is Obama's take on global warming?" "Uh...hmmmm..." I answer. "I think I will be voting for Elmo because I think Dorothy would make a fine secretary of state...and he is well versed in the "Ears" song. I do know that Al Gore put out a pretty good movie, though. You should see it." Seriously. I know nothing. I still try to recycle everything I can but I feel like I counter any effort everytime I throw a bunch of plastic diapers in the garbage can. I let out a sad sigh everytime I pass the organic produce section of the grocery store, knowing that I really can only afford the pesticide-laden, mutated fruit and veggies. I am not even close to being vegetarian and actually had a bag of hot dogs in my fridge this summer. I hate hot dogs. I mean, what are those things made of? But Jane likes them. And she likes meat. So does Jevan. So we eat it.

And that, my friends, is the problem. I have found I now follow the path of least resistance. Sadly, having kids has left me so tired at the end of the day that I just do what is easy...whatever is enough to get by. Being vegetarian, following current events, doing environmentally friendly things, taking my kids on a hike...it all takes work. Lots of work.

But, I've decided that by following that path of least resistance, I have lost myself, my soul, along the way. Does this sound crazy? I NEED something else to be PASSIONATE about other than my kids. My number one priority will be and always should be my kids and my husband. But I need something else. I need a little of the old me back again.

Don't get me wrong...I am not going to grow dreadlocks now or go to Burning Man or go spend a week backpacking through the Uintahs. But I am going to do something. And I figured that by blogging about it, those who read this can help me stick to it. I want to be vegetarian again, even if the rest of my family isn't. (I am not sure how to do a vegetarian diet with kids, for fear they won't get the nutrients or protein they need. If anyone has insight on this topic, let me know). I want to start taking my own bags to the grocery store and buying certain things organic (produce that is part of the "dirty dozen"). My SIL does a farm co-op where she gets fresh produce from a local farm every week during the summer. I want to do that. I want to have my own garden by next spring. I have the perfect spot for it in my yard, a little area that used to be a dog run, but first I would have to conquer the little amazon jungle living in there currently. I am going to try to do some reading each week on current events. I am going to find out what activities are going on in our area that are environmentally minded (like tree plantings..etc) and for kids. (Again, if anyone knows a good website/other venue that gives out this kind of information, let me know). I am going to take my wee ones up the canyon more often..even if it means just playing in the dirt at the bottom of a trailhead.

Along with it, I am going to add a main component that I have learned since having kids. This is COMPASSION. Humanity is every bit as important as the environment and I want my kids to grow up with concern for both. I want to try to do more service for others...as much as can..without losing too much sanity. Both around me locally and also globally. I want to do one of those programs where you "adopt" a child in Africa and send them money and letters. More service, more service. I KNOW this will make me a happier person.

So, there you have it. I wrote this all during naptime and I now hear the stirrings of a little Allison. I hope I can stick with some of this. Hopefully, writing it all down will help. I will still back Elmo for president, though...with Snook as vice president....and Mr. Noodle as head of homeland security...fitting no?

Caught in the act...

Even though I really should be in bed right now, I had to blog this picture because it just really makes me laugh. A few months ago, I had a good friend come in town from out of state and some friends and I got together with her up at ranch her family owns. She took some great pictures and sent me some, one of which was this one. It makes me giggle because these two totally look caught in the act. This is Jane's little friend Romney. He is only a month younger. The picture looks like they just got caught giving each other lovin' OR it looks like ..."No, Mom, I was just giving Romney HUGS...I was not stealing his raisins from him and eating them....and no, those are not raisin guts smeared across my face." Romney has a look like.."Right. Are you really going to believe her?"

Hee hee. Kids are awesome. Marie, if you are reading this, you really need to start your own blog! I would be a faithful reader for sure....

Blogs Can Have Skins?

Ok. So. The other night, I spent over 3 hours trying to "cuteify" my blog page. Even after getting my computer savvy husband involved, what you see here is all we came up with. Not so cute...and we both went to bed all frustrated. Silly huh? So I ask you, how does everyone get all these cute, chic, hip, whatever-you-want-to-call-them, blog sites? I know I should be posting on my blog instead of focusing on how it looks, but unfortunately, I am one of those OCD types that has to have everything just right before I can concentrate..i.e., in college, I HAD to clean my room and have my desk completely spotless before I could sit down and write a paper. So there you have it. Can anyone help me?

Just as a teaser of things I plan to write about later: Jane no longer has a seahorse on her knee. She now has a little elf/devil inside her instead that makes her yell "NO!" and "MINE!" all the time. I preferred the seahorse. Allison is growing teeth and I think I am becoming vegetarian...again.

Smatterings

So it goes without saying that I haven't blogged for a while...and I actually just don't feel up to the task of playing catch up with the past few months. Let's just say I have basically been on survival mode for the last 3 months, trying to figure out how to manage two kiddos.

I think I would just like to start from here and now. I'd like to start with the seahorse. Yes, the seahorse. The seahorse that Jane is convinced lives on her knee. She tells me about it just about everyday. "Mama?" she says. "Yah, Jane" I answer. She gets a look of great concern on her face, points down to her knee and says, "Seahorse....knee." "Hmmm...." I say, looking intently at her knee, "I don't see any seahorse on your knee, babe,...you sure about that?" "Yah," she says with a sigh of resignation, like no one will ever understand the burden of having to live a lifetime with this seahorse on her knee, "Seahorse." And with that she is off to her next task of taking all her books out of her bookcase or clipping her teddy bear into Allison's carseat. The child is completely random. I am just curious to see what lives on other parts of her body. Jevan is convinced a man lives in his eyebrows. It must be genetic. Speaking of eyebrows, did you know that there are little mites that live in your eyebrows? My SIL told me that. She knows all kinds of smart things like that. That's why I love her.

So since this is a completely disjointed post, I would also like to vent a minute. If you have a dog, a dog that sheds....I mean, really sheds....like you could make a sweater out of the fur that collects in the canister of your vacuum each day, I ask you....HOW does it not make you go INSANE?? Don't get me wrong, I really do love Jasper. But sometimes I wonder how I managed to pick the pound puppy mutt that, by just sneezing, fills the room with a floating cloud of fur. Yuck. It really drives me crazy. It drives Jevan crazy too. One day, when Jevan was out cleaning off the driveway after mowing the lawn, I just happened to peer out the window only to see him with Jasper trapped between his legs, eyes bugging out in terror, as Jevan tries to blow off all his excess fur with the leaf blower. (Yes, I do fear for the boys that will come to date our daughters one day. My husband can be a bit crazy and there is no telling what he might try..especially when it comes to using big power tool type things.) So just for fun, and because I am just so grossed out by it, I decided to take a picture of what I sweep up off my wood floors if I let it go over a week or so. If anyone who is reading this is a regular at my house, please know that I do sweep and vacuum often, so don't be too afraid to come over..... I decided to spare everyone the picture of my vacuum canister.

Another random thought: Allison laughed for the first time last week. An all-out belly laugh. She was in my lap watching Jane jump around in the tub. All of a sudden, Jane slipped and landed on her bum. Allison burst out laughing. It was just about the cutest thing I have ever heard. I think it even surprised her because it just burst out her little body. Jane continued to do it again and again, and each time we got a funny little laugh out of Allison. Oh man, those are the moments that make motherhood worthwhile, huh? My heart just melted. So another first for Allison...she can now roll over AND laugh!

We had Jevan's aunt's wedding this weekend and Jane and Allison were flower girls. They looked so cute that I have to post some pictures.

Jane in her "pretty dress"

Jane with her cousins -

Jane, Allison and Aunt Stephy

And Then There Were Two....

Wow. Two kids. I can’t believe I am a mother of 2 …under age 2. What the? Crazy? Yes. Fun? Yes. Hard? Definitely. But to all you women in the grocery store who look at me with pity (and sometimes contempt) and say: “My, you have your hands full” I say: “Really? You think?” (as if I haven’t heard that before) and then I say, “It ain’t all that bad..I’m managing..I’m doing it…doing fine, thank you…..I have no fear.” No fear of toddler tantrums, of non-sleeping babies, of diaper genies that fill their bellies in a day instead of a week, of projectile poop, spit-up, and grocery carts that now have no room for groceries because they are full of carseats and wiggly toddler bodies. I now have two adorable little girls, and although it isn’t always easy, I try to tell myself that I am one lucky mama. I told Jevan that we are now a real true family with two little kids…there’s just no way around it. This is going to be another marathon post as I haven't had a chance to sit down at a computer for any length of time since Allison was born. Man, I had forgotten how demanding a newborn can be for the first few months of life.

Let’s start with Allison. Nickname: Littles or Alli Cat. So precious. She has such a cute face and like Jane, you can see more of Jevan in her than of me. Unlike Jane, she is a little chunk and growing faster everyday. She was born at 7 lbs 12 oz and when I took her into her 2 week appointment (where usually they check to make sure your baby is at her birth weight because most newborns lose some in the first couple weeks) her doctor exclaimed: “Wow! If you ever had any question about what those things on your chest are for, they aren’t just for asthetics - they have a function, and apparently yours function really well!” Yes, he did say that…verbatim…he’s a hoot. Allison was already 10 lbs! She is now 2 months old and probably around 12-13 lbs. Just solid…yet with lots of baby squishy. I absolutely love snuggling her.

She has been a good baby from day one. There really must be something to the fact that she is a second child…a lot of my friends have told me that their second kid was easier…probably because they just don’t get the same attention as the first. Some days I have serious guilt about how much time Allison has spent in her bouncer or swing. She is a fabulous sleeper. She started only waking up once or twice a night starting the second week..and now at 8 weeks she usually wakes up only once. The first week or two at home it wasn’t Allison that was keeping me up as much as it was Jane. Jane’s world had so completely turned upside down that she would wake up multiple times throughout the night just wanting to be rocked. We accommodated her for a while, to ease the transition, but then had to retrain her to go back to sleep on her own, which is always really hard. I hate to hear her cry.

Allison is also a really happy baby. If she is well rested and fed, she is full of smiles and baby talk…she loves to communicate anyway she can. Give her some focused attention and she will instantly try to start up a conversation…and then keep it going for quite a while. It is so cute.
She’s very strong and holds her head up well. She also loves to stand and will push to standing whenever she gets the chance. She is another kicker, like Jane was, and her favorite place to practice this talent is the bath. She loves the bath. I put her in her bath chair and she goes to town, kicking her legs and flailing her arms like a mad woman. I think she loves the splashing sounds and that she can make them with her body.

Jane has responded really well to her new little sister. There aren’t really any jealously issues as I had feared, and Jane loves to point out the “babeeee” to everyone. We actually spend more time just keeping Allison safe from Jane’s “loves”. Jane gives great bear hugs and Allison is not left out, even if they squeeze all the air out of her little body. Jane also loves to point out all of Allison’s body parts, especially her eyes, which Jane thinks you won’t see unless she spears one with her finger and shows it to you. I continue to be amazed that Allison still has both her ears and both her hands attached to her body. No Jane, Allison is not Mr. Potato Head. We gave Jane a little doll when we brought Allison home from the hospital that we call her “baby”. I think it has really helped her get used to having Allison around. When I feed Allison, she will give her baby a bottle, and even try to burp her. Her little baby never gets cold because Jane makes sure she is draped with every burp cloth she can find in the house.

Life is definitely crazier now. To get anywhere on time, I have to plan at least an hour of getting ready. Get Jane dressed, do her hair, feed Allison and change her, re-do Jane’s hair because she has pulled it out already, take a shower and get ready, clean up the house that Jane has torn apart while I have been in the shower, change Allison..again, put Jane’s shoes on, re-do Jane’s hair…again, put together the baby bag, get Allison in the carseat (she is screaming at this point because she HATES the carseat) find and put on Jane’s shoes that she has taken off and lost in the meantime, grab keys and pile into the car. Whew! Then I spend the rest of the time in the car listening to the same Brite music songs over and over. Don’t get me wrong, they are great songs..but you start to lose brain cells after listening to “Lambie pie” again and again. Jevan was amazed one of the first Sundays we went to church because we honestly started getting ready 2 hours before. Great fun.

Jane continues to be her crazy toddler self keeping us entertained and on our toes at all times. Her vocabulary is exploding and she is getting really good at mimicking what we say. Not only can she do all the animal noises now, she can also say the animal as well. My favorite is elephant which comes out “ep-a-tee.” She counts to ten except she skips one, seven and eight…really, who needs those numbers anyway? She has also become really good at singing songs. Granted she only gets some words…mostly she just tries to mimic syllables, but super cute just the same. She does “ABCs”, “Elmo’s World”, “Twinkle, Twinkle”, “Lambie Pie”(of course), and “Row, Row Your Boat”. One night, Jevan was singing her a lullaby, a Brite song that Jane calls “Baby’s Boat’s”. After he finished, he started singing it to her again and out of the blue she started singing with him, every word (or as close as she can get to the right word). He was so surprised!

Jane is becoming more independent all the time and exerts her will whenever she can. There are definitely things that we now just stay out of her way and let her do herself. These include washing her hands, buckling the top buckle of her carseat, and putting on her shoes. I think she is starting into the “terrible twos” because temper tantrums have been increasing. They are never very bad, but she definitely wants things her way a lot more now. She will shake her head “no” and if you still don’t bow to her wishes it becomes “uh uh” in which her whole body, head, arms, you name it, shake back and forth. We even get screaming on occasion. We are currently working on trying to get her to “use her words” as much as possible to curtail the whining that is becoming more constant. She is starting to put words together.. “more juice”, “no socks”, “Jasper come!” (this one is my favorite…she yells it and is sounds like “Baaper gum!”). We are working on “please” and “thank you” which she is picking up pretty well…if you remind her.

Besides being busy with kids, we have taken on another project this spring that is scaring both Jevan and I with its immensity – The. Back. Yard. It has been a mess since we have lived in our house…broken sprinklers, lots of dead trees, struggling grass and all kinds of surprises…in one corner there is an old compost pile..in the other corner, a pine tree, some aspen trees, and…a barrel cactus. Uh- huh. It’s nuts. Oh wait, and don’t forget…the toilet…yes, a toliet full of plants. Someone wanted a pansy potty? A chrysanthimum commode? Very chic. And by chic I mean weird. So we have been spending all our precious Saturdays trying to fix it up (the yard, not the lavendar lavatory...) and so far we (I say we, it’s really mostly Jevan) have cut down all the dead aspen trees, torn up all the prickly bushes, including the aformentioned barrel cactus (sorry, little cactus), and pulled LOTS of weeds. Jevan managed to cut down 13 trees without maiming himself or anyone else, and spent most of the following week singing the “I’m a Lumberjack” song to himself. He has issues. We have also torn down our deck and are planning on replacing it too. We currently have a giant dumpster sitting at the side of our house with all the fruits of our labors thrown into it. It’s very classy. It has been so much work; discouraging at times because it never looks like we are making any good progress…but I have hope. We did put a swingset back there for Jane which she really enjoys. The goal is to have a working backyard before the summer ends. Yikes is all I can say.

So there you have it. Life is crazy hard..and fun at the same time. Lots of roller coaster days...especially for me. The transition to two has been hard for me because of my sudden lack of any kind of control or freedom in my life. You can go lots of places with just one child in tow, but with a newborn and a toddler? Not so much. I am a SUPER task oriented person and for me to go a whole day with only MAYBE getting in one load of laundry...yeah...I go a little loco. I am hoping that it will slowly get better in that respect...I know it will, I just have to be patient. I tell myself that one day I WILL go the bathroom by myself. And until then, I will sit back and enjoy these precious little girls...hug my wiggly, crazy toddler and enjoy the sweet-smelling, fuzzy-soft head of my little newborn.

Daddy squared

For both of the faithful readers of this blog (hi mom!), this is not Emily. This is Jevan hijacking the blog to make an announcement. On March 11th at precisely 12:06 AM, Allison Claire Woolley was born at LDS Hospital. We are delighted to announce that both mother and baby are doing great.

Some of you may know that we were in fact in the overtime period of gestation, as Em was due this past Monday (the 5th). We had an appointment scheduled on Monday the 12th for an induction (I still think it should be an inducement, but that's just me), which made me really happy for reasons that make sense only to me. See, the 12th is a good day; I was born on January 12th, Em and I got married on April 12th, Jane was born on September 12th. So 12s obviously are working out for me. Thus when we found that the baby probably wasn't going to come until she was induced on the 12th, my little OCD brain was completely content and at peace.

So it was to my chagrin when Em told me her water broke Saturday afternoon. However, I retained hope that perhaps it hadn't, given that it wasn't a deluge but rather a trickle. Looking back, I guess that the alternative of her water breaking (that being incontinence) wasn't a great option, but it was the heat of the moment.

Since the baby wasn't supposed to come until Monday, we had planned to make Saturday a Jane day, to spend some quality time before her world gets turned upside down by a tiny squeaky encroacher. So when there wasn't a ton of water and the contractions weren't all that strong, Em thought she could just ignore it all and not go to the hospital. I wasn't too keen on this, so we eventually made our way in to the hospital at 6:00-ish.

Because it was a high break in the bag of waters (I'm so impressed by my fetal-speak knowledge), they weren't able to tell if it had in fact broken, so we spent 3 hours playing a comical game of 'Catch That Bodily Fluid' (it's a huge hit in Japan). The game is played by a nurse telling you to call her when you feel some fluid leaking, so she can run in and soak some of it up on a humongous Q-Tip, swab it on a slide, and do some tests. What makes it fun is that, invariably, the nurse doesn't make it in time, so she would get a lackluster sample, take it to the lab, and come back and say they needed a better sample. I kept wanting to point out that I had never known my wife to spontaneously pee her pants for no reason for 2 hours, but I don't think this kind of logic applies to the strange and magical world of medicine. So finally, after 3 hours of C.T.B.F., they got a sample that told them that yes, in fact, her water was broken.

Once this painfully obvious fact was established, they decided to finish the job and puncture the bag, and start Em on a Pitosin® drip. She was a 3 at 9:00, and by 10:30 she was at a 7. By 11:15 she was at a 10 and ready to start pushing. The doctor arrived at 11:30 and we pushed a few times before out popped the baby.

I don't know about you folks, but any time I see a slimy dark blue creature covered in weird fluids, I don't immediately want to hold it. In fact, I tend to look around for Will Smith and the Men in Black to come and whisk it away. But I guess that because it was MY slimy dark blue creature covered in weird fluids, I was able to appreciate the magnitude of the moment and be amazed by the miracle I had witnessed. Suffice it to say I was in awe by it all.

So, once they got the little tyke all rosy and happy, they did the measurement thing. Here are the stats I can remember:

7 lbs, 12 oz. (3.52 kg, 0.55 stones, or .0033 2003 Honda Civics)
20.5 inches (.52 meters, 5.13 hands, or 1/4.98 x 10 ^7 the distance between our house and the Mount Rushmore National Monument)

We'll be at the hospital until Monday (the 12th... sigh ) afternoon, so feel free to drop by or call with your congratulations and / or condolonces. I expect more of the latter from those of you that have daughters in their teens, but for now, ignorance is bliss. Thank you all for the support, well-wishes and prayers that have been offered on our behalf.

Love,

Jevan, Emily, Jane, and Allison

Wonderful family is one of the greatest blessings. Today was my due date. Of course, nothing has happened. I felt pretty worn down all day, super tired of being pregnant and just a bit sad that I have to keep waiting to meet this little baby. So, not my best day. Jane apparently was also not having a good day as she was crazy-grumpy all day, everything sending her into temper tantrums. As I was looking in my cupboards, trying to figure out what to make for dinner and dreading the thought of making it with an incredibly cranky child hanging on my legs, my fabulous BIL and SIL, Steve and Becca call and ask if they can bring dinner over. Wow. Yes, please? What an answer to a small but desperate prayer. They are so thoughtful. AND, they didn't just bring dinner, they brought the tastiest, most napoli-authentic pizza ever. It was from a new pizzaria downtown and it was sooooo good. Jevan swooned while he ate it - he served his mission in Italy and it was very nostalgic for him. He was in his happy place. Thanks Steve and Becca!

Jevan told me tonight that I have to write about Jane's new little habit she has developed that both makes me laugh and drives me crazy. Jane loves to chatter in her own little Janerese jibberish. It sounds so funny because it is always complete with inflection, like she is having whole conversations with questions and answers. Lately, whenever she is in her carseat or highchair, she will sit and chatter to herself, but, if she thinks I am not listening to her, she will suddenly yell out "MAMA!" and then continue with her dialog. Even if I am sitting right next to her at the dinner table, she still has to yell it at the top of her lungs. She apparently has very important things to say and wants to make sure I am getting all of it. It cracks Jevan up. Here is an example:

Dinnertime at the Woolleys - Jane in her highchair, us at the table:

Jane: eeh guys dugger ubba my a bin? guya guya modda mee....guya guya....MAMA!

Me: What Jane?

Jane: more janerese...see above...babble babble.

Me: Sure Jane, that sounds great.

Jane: babble babble babble..MAMA!

Me: What Jane? I'm right here. I can hear you.

Jane: MAMA!

Me: What?

Jane: Babble babble...(sounding very serious now)...

Me: Ok. I'll do that.

Jane: babble babble? babble babble. Babble....MAMA!

Me: JANE!

Jane: MAMA! (said a little louder..a little more gruff)

Me: (no response)

Jane: MAAMAA! (said in her best scary monster voice...very growly..)

At this point, Jevan is laughing so hard that the asparagus he is eating is coming out his nose. Jane likes his reaction so she just keeps going, and dinner becomes very noisy..and messy. I finally get right up close to her face and say "What Jane?" and she ends with a babble sentence with inflection that sounds something like: "Haven't you been listening all along? I just want to know which looks better on my face, the mac and cheese or the chocolate pudding. I tell you what, mothers these days don't listen to a thing their children are telling them."

Darn mothers.

FINITO!

The saga of Jane's new room is finally over! We came, we painted, wainscoated, molded...and conquered! It was a lot of work but I think it turned out cute. Hooray! Jevan is the true hero though as he did most of the work. I just frustrated him a lot with my paint indecisiveness. I tried to help as much as I could, but to quote Jevan at one point when I was trying to paint and making a huge mess: "You are a home improvement disaster!"...said with much love, I think...um hope.

So today is Thursday and Jane's little sister is due on Monday. Needless to say, I am tired of being pregnant. Not that this pregnancy has been that bad, I just am ready to have her out, meet her and move on. I am getting really stir crazy just waiting.

Jane’s most favorite activity right now is STAIRS. We could go up and down them all day…in the house, at the store, at other’s people’s houses….you name it. We went to the Children’s Museum the other day with my friend Marie and her two kids, and with all the gazillions of things to do there, none of them were as great as the stairs leading up to the different levels. With all her practice, she has become pretty good at them and refuses now to crawl up or down them..she will only walk them while holding a railing or my hand. It gets pretty tiring to bend over to go up and down the stairs with her when my belly is so big.

So Jane and I go to the grocery store together...a lot. Sadly, I mostly go to get myself out of the house. We usually go about the same time, around 11am, so there is usually a lot of the same people staffed at that time. Since we are regulars, we have a favorite bagger named Conor. Conor has down-syndrome and is about the sweetest guy ever. He always helps us to our car and he adores Jane. They have long conversations together. Today, Jane made Conor's day. Jane learned from the Young Women in our ward (when I was in the presidency) how to give high fives and also how to do "bust me" which means to knock fists at the knucles. Conor asked Jane to give him five, which she did, and then just for fun, he said "knuckles!" which Jane instantly picked up as "bust me" and did it right back. He was so surprised and then just started laughing like crazy. He did it over and over and couldn't stop laughing. Jane loved the reaction she got out of him. They were quite the pair. It was really cute. Just a fun little story.

Here are also some pictures of our latest February adventure. We went tubing with my dad's extended family up at Soldier Hollow in Midway. Jane loved riding in the tube as we spun her around. Her little second cousin who is only a week older than Jane took a ride with her too. It was great fun.

Another random Jevanism for thought. This was several nights ago when we were getting into bed: "What do you think would happen if you were dropped from a helicopter onto a lake that is covered by a piece of plastic wrap that is one square mile big? Would you sink or would it absorb your fall?"

I voted for sinking because I just never trust plastic wrap. I am a ziplock girl.

Lead Kindly Bus Wheels

Ok. So we are having another baby in a month. In my most pregnant state, my nesting instinct is in high gear. We decided we would turn our office into a room for Jane and leave the nursery for the new baby. Last month, we moved the office downstairs and cleared out the room upstairs. Then Jevan (with his new found home improvement skills - it's quite amazing really) put up bead board and chair rail all around the room. So cute. All that was left to do was paint the upper half of the room. I love green so I decided that we would go with a nice kid shade of green...you know, a soft but fun color like you see in all the Pottery Barn Kids catalogs? (Evil things, those catalogs - they make you think that you too can have a room with matching furniture, bedding and all sorts of dazzling accessories. Let's be real here. Next time I have $80 to spend on a little chair shaped like a snail, I'll let you know). So, again, all I had to do was go pick a good paint color. No problem huh?

WRONG!! WHAT THE??!! HOW IN THE WORLD DO PEOPLE EVER PICK THE RIGHT COLOR? Holy frustrating process, Batman. I have all but given up. After 2 weeks of multiple trips to Home Depot for paint samples, countless numbers of paint splotches on the wall, looking in the room each day to see what the different colors look like in different light, switching to an actual paint store because Home Depot just wasn't making the grade, and much grumbling from Jevan, we FINALLY painted the room and came out with a nursery I would like to call Grasshopper Cookie Surprise (named because the color matches the exact neon minty green color of the stuff inside a grasshopper cookie). YIKES! HELP ME! HOW DO PEOPLE DO IT?? I've decided that interior decorating is definately not in my bag of talents (not that I really have a bag of talents ...it's more of a small coin purse containing the one talent I have of being able to purr like a cat that I've been told sounds very real). I've resigned myself to go back to the paint store, make one last try at picking a color, repaint the room, and whatever comes out of it is what we get. The end. Does anyone need 10 or more small paint cans full of green colored paint in all shades? If so, have I got a deal for you.

Tonight, we went to a superbowl party. It was with a bunch of Jevan's friends, most of which are married but without any kids. Because she was really the only toddler running around, Jane got lots of attention which she soaked up like a sponge. They all taught her how to make referree signs and by the end of the night she was signing "touch down", "no good", "false start" and "holding". She got roars of laughter whenever people yelled out a call and she made the sign. What a ham.

It is amazing to me how little toddler brains pick up on everything you do, without you realizing it. Today in church, Jane watched everyone with their head bowed during the prayer and promptly tried to bow her head too, digging her little chin into her neck folds. She also picked up a hymn book, turned to "Lead Kindly Light" and began singing the song to the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round". Lead kindly bus wheels, lead us all through the town.

Holiday Hooplah and More Janerisms

So...another long writing session awaits me because once again, I waited way too long in between posts and now there is so much to say! Let's start with Christmas...so happy, tiring and chaotic! Lots of parties, presents and FOOD. Ugh.....to the food part...it's not so good to be pregnant over the holidays because you overindulge thinking you are feeding two..but lets face it...the little one inside only needs 300 calories a day, not 30,000! The basketball pregnant belly is quickly resembling more of a rotund-ish football.

We spent Christmas Eve with my family, which was lots of fun. We had dinner, then performances by all the grandkids (Jane, of course, was asked to do all her animal noises and her cousins got a kick out of it) then cousin present exchange. We finished with my favorite family tradition - we turn out all the lights except for the tree and one reading light, then Papa Tayler reads us a kids' Christmas story and then the bible Christmas story while we pass around chocolates and sparking drinks. So fun. Oh, and all the grandkids get Christmas jammies that match. In order to have Jane's jammies match, they had to get her size 2T...waaaay too big. It was pretty funny though to watch her walk around in them; it looked like her legs had been amputated at the knees as the rest of the jammy legs trailed behind her.

Christmas day was actually pretty tame, which was really nice. We opened the presents under the tree (the tree, by the way, was a real tree from the Fishlake N.F. that our friends got for us. It was a tall gangly thing that had super sharp needles! It definately needed them to defend itself from Jane - and it worked - she mostly kept away from the tree). Jane enjoyed opening the presents, mimicking what she had seen everyone do the past few days as presents were opened. She tore at the paper and would say "wow!" over and over. We got her lots of books (because she is obsessed with them), a Little Peoples Barn, some blocks and a few other random things. Jev got a really nice camera and I got some nice sheets...I finally got to toss the ones that had a hole big enough to swallow my leg everytime I got into bed! We then ran over to Jev's mom's house for a bit and then came back home. I had a pretty bad head cold (which I am still trying to get rid of!) so the rest of the day we just stayed home. It was really nice to relax. My mom and dad and Merrill came over that night for a few minutes to do presents again, but that was it!

The rest of the week was so exciting and hectic. Jevan's sister Stephanie came home from her mission! It was so much fun to see her. She has a very happy, bubbly personality that just flooded out the minute she got off the plane. She hardly recognized Jevan's littlest sister Tasha and had never met Jane or Calvin (Becca and Steve's babe). We spent the next few days playing and COOKING as we had to prepare for the feast/openhouse after Steph's homecoming on the 31st. It really was a food extravaganza. Jevan was off of work all week which was so wonderful. We actually had time to just sit down and play with Jane together and she kept us laughing.

We can't believe how much she is changing all the time. She picks up words and mannerisms so quickly now. She surprised us one day with being able to do all the hand movements to "Einsy-Wiensy Spider" and "Little Cottage in a Wood"(sort of - her spider is her drilling a hole in her hand and for her bunny, she contorts her fingers some wierd way and bounces her hand around). She tries to say "one, two, three" in her little sing-song voice whenever she wants us to swing her around or throw her into the pillows on the bed. Her new vocabulary words include ball, diaper, poo-poo (she will tell me sometimes when she needs a diaper change!), nose, eye, teeth (she hates having her teeth brushed - it's a fight every night) coat (kind-of) and hat. Actually, she is kind of obsessed with hats. Especially Jevan and his hat, or the hood to his sweatshirt. I get the biggest kick out of it. On Saturday, we ran lots of errands all together. Jevan was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and everytime we would get in the car, Jane would yell from the back seat "hat!.... hat!" over and over until Jevan put his hood on. Then she would be satisfied until he would take it off again. She would instantly notice and yell again until he put it back on. Putting on my hood would not satisfy her. It had to be Dad's hat. It was so funny. Needless to say, Jev had his hood on most of the day. She has continued this little obsession throughout the weekend.

It has been really cold and snowy here the past few weeks as well. It has kept us inside quite a bit but we have taken some adventures out into the snow. We have taken a couple of walks up Millcreek Canyon. The first walk we took, Jevan had Jane in our baby backpack and she stayed primarily warm and happy as long as there was always a new dog to look at (everyone walks their dog in that canyon) or if I was constantly putting cookies into her mouth. The second time, my friend Sarah and I decided to try the walk again. I knew our time would be limited with her in the backpack..and Sarah would have had to carry it because my pregnant belly is way too big now, so we figured out a different plan. I didn't have a sled, but there was one thing that could work that Jane loves to sit in. The laundry basket!!! Yes sir, we tied a rope to the laundry basket and towed her along (Jevan made lots of fun of us). Sadly, it didn't keep her as happy as we would have hoped. We even tried hooking Sarah's husky Kodak up to the basket and he pulled it for a while. She didn't think it was nearly as cool as we did. She was screaming mad by the time we reached the car. Oh well. It was entertaining to Sarah and me at least.

Even though Jane doesn't seem to like being out in the cold much, she does love having her coat on in the house. She especially loves wearing my puffy goose down jacket around, and Jev and I think she resembles E.T. when she is wearing it. She has also recently discovered the joy of "swimming" in the bathtub. One night she rolled onto her tummy and found out how fun it was to kick and splash on her tummy. It was very cute to watch.

Jane has also started to mimick us in so many things. When I am getting ready in the morning, she loves to put on her "lotion", plastering it on her face and spreading it on her jammies. She will try to put color on her cheeks with my rouge brush. She also likes to wash her own hair in the bathtub and put soap on her washcloth and wash her face. She pulls out pots and pans and if I give her a wooden spoon, she will stir it around in her pot...and then bang on it for a while. She has learned to climb up on chairs and likes to sit up to the table...of course, then she climbs onto the table and gets mad when take her off. She has really learned the art of the temper tantrum, and gets frustrated with us much more often now. She wants to be so independent and gets mad when you put her shoes on for her, or take her away from some new discovery she has found in the kitchen garbage. She wants to do her own hair and if she asks for her Teddy Bear (she can say "ted-dee"), she wants it NOW. Are these images into the future that awaits us with Jane? Yikes I say.

Anyway, that was yet again another long-winded post. I must try to keep up. In a nutshell, Christmas was fun and crazy and Jane continues to keep us amazed, laughing, and oh so entertained.

Jane and her cousin Calvin on the lookout for RBOWPs out in the night:


Jane doing her practicing (we're teaching her early):

Who put me in charge?

So it's 3 am. I can't sleep even though I am exhausted and my mind won't shut down, running through the day over and over. Tossing and turning in bed, I started narrating the day to myself and it began to sound like a blog post in my head, so I am hoping that if I just come sit down at the computer and write it all down, I can finally get some rest. You know, computer screens are really bright when the rest of the house is completely dark.

Today was such an emotional day for me for some reason. Well, actually, I know the reason...or reasons. I think being 7 mo. pregnant, sick with some crazy head cold, going to bed really late lots of nights in a row and then not being able to sleep..all have something to do with it. I cried a lot today. I cried at my husband this morning for some silly reason like not giving Janey a bath while I went for a walk. I cried for a minute at in the parking lot at Costco because my body felt so tired and heavy and I had to wake Jane up in her carseat to go in when I know she was as tired as I was.

This afternoon, Jevan and I went to a movie called "The Pursuit of Happyness" which was probably not the best choice of a movie on a day like this because I cried all through it too. I haven't cried that openly during a movie since "Shindler's List". It is a movie (based on true story) about a man living barely above the poverty line with his wife and young son. He is a salesman for a living and is having a tough time selling medical equipment that he had invested in and has to sell a certain quota to get out of his contract. He is smart and determined, and as the money continues to run out, he decides to apply for a 6 mo. internship at Dean Witter. He gets the internship, then finds out it is unpaid. He takes the internship anyway with the hope of a better life in the future for his family. His wife then leaves him and the rest of the story is about how he and his son spend the next 6 months trying to survive, living out of motel rooms, homeless shelters, and even spend some nights on the street, forming an incredible bond between the two of them. In one scene, he cradles his sleeping son's head in his lap on the floor of the subway bathroom, tears running down his face as people continue to bang on the locked door through the night. It is heart wrenching. In the end, through sheer determination, he gets the job as a stock broker after being picked from a pool of 20 other interns. He sobs when he finds out....so did I. Here is a man who sacrificed everything in hopes of creating a better life for his son.

So then we go get Janey (who I had to just hug for about 10 minutes when I saw her) and head over to my SIL's house for dinner. I go into the bathroom and start changing Janey's diaper, lift up her little onesie and break down in tears again...this time in pure mommy guilt. Here lies my little girl with little blister /wounds all over her tummy and chest because she has a condition called moluscum contagiousum where she can spread these moles all over her body. I took her to the dermatologist a couple days before where they treated all the moles with acid to make them fall off. Peeling off her diaper, I expose a red and bleeding bum (she has been battling an awful diaper rash for past few days) made worse because of a poopy diaper that hasn't been changed in hours due to her mother leaving her with a babysitter and selfishly taking off to a movie. She wasn't given a nap all day, again because of her selfish mother dragging her all over, and she is tired and most assuredly uncomfortable.

I just cry. Who am I to be a mother to such a perfect, innocent creature? Why do I think I can take good care of her? She has been sick so much this winter, with rotovirus and continuous ear infections and now all these skin issues...I think she has barely gone a few days at a time without pain or feeling uncomfortable. Yet through it all she continues to smile, laugh and play, wanting my attention and love. And I don't feel worthy of it. Who trusted me with her? What if I can't hold up my end of the bargain? What if I am no good at taking care of her? What if I am just too selfish or ignorant? Am I willing to sacrifice everything for her like the father in the movie?I cry because I feel like Janey deserves a much better mom. But I am all she has got.

I compose myself, doctor Janey up, and the rest of the evening is fine, but my heart still feels heavy. Before going to bed tonight, I looked in on her sleeping in her crib and vowed I would try to be better mom.

Now that I am up, I hear her let out little cries from time to time, probably because her little tummy or bum is so sore. Ugh, the agonies of motherhood. Hopefully, after writing all this out, I can finally fall asleep. I think being a parent will always carry with it some bit of guilt, at least for me, but all I can do is be the best mom I can and hope my kids will trust that I am trying. I tell you what though, I sure hope Heavenly Father knows what he doing.

Christmas madness and the poop chair

What a crazy month! I need to be writing more often so I don't have to cover so much of a time span all at once. So it's only a few days before Christmas and I am FINALLY done with most all of my shopping. I had this insane goal of trying to be all done by the first week of December, but has that happened? Not so much. For some reason, it is still hard for me to accept that you just can't get that much in during the day with a toddler. I write these silly lists of all the places I want to get to in one afternoon and then MAYBE get to two before Jane goes into meltdown mode. When I try to fit in too many errands, it soon becomes a battle just to leave a store without her breaking something or bursting into tears because I took some fascinating object away from her and I rush out trying not to cause a scene. Why do I never learn? Sometimes though, it makes me giggle when a store employee will comment on how cute Jane is as she is toddling down an isle and I think "yeah, you just wait about 10 minutes and then see how cute she is when she leaves your store looking like Katrina just hit it...".

She also isn't a fan of having to get in and out of the car all the time and the only way I have found to keep her happy in the car is having a stash of animal crackers at all times that I can hand to her. The only problem is that now she equates riding in the car with "duddoos" (cookies) and will ask everytime we get in, no matter what. AND, she gets pretty mad when the stash has run dry. Sometimes she evens asks to go "bubbye" and when I say "oh, you want to go bubbye in the car?" she instantly says "duddoo!!!" Right. You just want the cookie.

However, Jane is actually getting more fun everyday. Running errands can be difficult, but really, for the most part, Jane is so cute. We have a lot of fun together. This month has been rough for her because she has spent most of it sick. The first week she had a really bad cold and of course, the accompanying ear infection. Did you know that infected ears that don't drain really smell bad? At first I thought the smell was her breath and kept brushing her teeth over and over, but then I clued in, and figured out it was her ear. Honestly, I think the poor thing lives with a continuous ear ache. I took her in and got her some ear drops, but eventually we had to switch to hard core antibiotics. THEN, she got rotovirus. It's a nasty little thing. We were coming home from Target where she had seemed just fine, and then she just suddenly threw up in the car. She had fallen out of her crib for the first time that same day, so I started to get worried that she had another concussion, but as she got progressively sicker that night, I took her to Instacare and the doctor said the symptoms fit a bug going around called rotovirus. Yuck. She was so miserable. I had never seen her like that before. She just wanted to be held and rocked. Nothing else. She didn't even want to move. She continued to throw-up and have diarrhea the next day, but soon it seemed to be clearing up...then, about 4 days into it, the virus hit her really hard and she was pretty much lifeless for the whole day. I think she was only awake for about 5 hours out of the day. It was so sad. But, as of a few days ago, I think we finally kicked it. What a yucky experience. Why can't I keep her healthy? I swear I try to keep our hands washed and she isn't really around lots of little kids all the time...grrrrr ....so frustrating.

But a funny story did come from the whole experience. One night, after changing a really runny poopy diaper, I decided she needed a bath. She seemed to be doing a little better and was in good spirits. She loves bathtime and especially loves running around the house naked, with Jevan and I chasing her. She giggles and laughs her little heart out. So, that night, I let her run wild for a little while. She kept running to the big lazyboy rocker we have in her room and wanting to get on it. I decided to humor her since she finally had a smile on her face after so many miserable days. She would get on and off and run down the hall and then come back. I sat her on the chair on more time and began picking up some of her books when I noticed the sock she had in her hand had something wierd and green on it. As I peered over the side of the chair, there was Jane, sitting in puddle of her own muck. YUCK! "Jane, you pooped on the chair?!!!!" So gross. After getting it all cleaned up (it all came out amazingly well - you would never know it happened) I made a mental note to myself. Lesson learned. Never trust a naked wildwoman with acute diarrhea.

Now that Jane is all better, including no ear infections, she has become a totally different child. She is so happy most all the time, and giggles continuously. She has also developed this little devilish cackle that just cracks us up. She thinks she is one seriously funny chicka. She is learning new little words and tricks all the time that she is always surprising me with. The other day, she came up to me with one of her favorite books wanting me to read it to her. She kept saying in a little sing-song voice, "rah rah rah" over and over. So we took the book and went into her room to read. It is a book that has a bunch of singable nursery rhymes in it like "Little Cottage in the Wood" and "Row, row, row your boat". When we got to one of her personal favorites, "The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round" and I started singing it to her, she suddenly joined in with her "rah rah rah", following the pitches of my voice. She was singing "round and round"! The cutest part of the whole thing was when I got to "all through the town", she sang "all trooo" (her words for "all through") like she says when she is done eating or wants to get out of the bath. She had clued in on the words and thought, hey, I know how to say that! It was so so adorable. I love this little Jane.

She has added a horse neighing into her zoo language and has also added "sock" to her vocabulary. She is getting so good at communicating just with body language and by using the same baby words for the same things...like "baba" is a binky and "dootch" is juice or a drink.

Last night, we had Jevan's extended family Christmas party at his Uncle Doug's house. It is this gargantuous thing in Draper and is just beautiful. It held all 50+ of us easily! The best part was after dinner, we all headed downstairs and sang Christmas carols and swapped presents. Jane was mesmerized while everyone was singing together. There was also a talent show and she loved watching all the little cousins perform. She even got to be part of the show when Aunt Kirsten picked her up during "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and flew her around in the front of the room, like she was a little cherub. She really looked like one too - her cute little beaming face and curly blond hair. She LOVED the attention. It was a very crazy night though with so much going on and she was really worn out at the end of the night. That probably explains why she is now doing the sleep of the dead at naptime today. Good thing because it has let me catch up a little on this here journaling.

I know there is lots more to say, but I think I am going to be done for the day. Now that Jane is all better, I have contracted a nasty head cold and my brain has done all the concentrating that I think it is going to do for the day. Blah. If it's not one of that's sick, it's the other one! I can't win!

Early Reading Meme

So I am new to this whole "meme" thing, but Becca, my cute sister-in-law ( I see so many abbreviations in all the blogs that I read and I don't know what most of them mean, so I am going to play too and say Becca is my "SIL") tagged me for this one so here goes:

1. How old were you when you learned to read and who taught you?

Wow. I really have no idea. I don't have the best memory of my early days, but I think I really learned to read by watching the words as my mom read to me. I do remember the first book I read aloud to someone, "The Adventures of Morris and Boris"(Morris the Moose and Boris the Bear). I remember my brother being very impressed and my sister saying that I had just heard the stories so many times, I had memorized them all. It was probably a little of both. But I sure thought I was smart!

2. What books do you remember owning as a child?

Again, I have such a stinky memory but I do remember a few. The ones that stand out are "Goodnight Moon" (I know, so overdone but I loved the book) , the story about Corduroy, the little teddy bear that gets lost in a store overnight, "There's a Nightmare in my Closet", "Bread and Jam for Frances" , "Make Way for Ducklings", "Where the Wild Things Are" and the "Wheedle on the Needle". I can't tell you authors on a lot of the books, but you who have read them will know.

3. What is the first book you remember buying with your own money?

This is something I actually remember clearly. When I was in first grade, we were asked to bring our favorite book for show-in-tell. The book I was currently obsessed with was Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. So I brought it to school with me, and after show-in-tell, it somehow disappeared (I still to this day think Chris Lindsey, the class bully who sat next to me, stole it. That is one of the downfalls of being the shy, quiet, incredibly obedient-because-you-would-pee-your-pants-in-terror-if-the-teacher-ever-got
mad-at-you kind of kid. You ALWAYS had to sit by the bad kids. I told my mom and she took me to the book store to buy the book again with my allowance.

4. Were you a re-reader as a child? If so, what did you read the most often?

Not so much. I did like to pick a series and get all the books in a series, but usually when I was done with them all, I would move on. I loved the Beverly Cleary books, Encyclopedia Brown, the Anastasia series, Ameila Bedelia...I can't remember too many right now. The only books I would reread over and over was the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books because I could have different endings each time! Oh, and I do remember another book I reread lots- "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein.

5. What is the first adult book that captured your interest and how old were you when you read it?

It was either "The Secret Garden" or "Anne of Green Gables", I'm not sure which. Do those count as adult books? I was probably around 8 or so? I remember sneaking into my older sister's room and stealing the Anne books as I read them, hoping she wouldn't notice the hole in her cute little boxed series.

6. Are there any children's books you passed by as a child and learned to love as an adult?

You know, we really didn't have to many Dr. Seuss books in my house growing up and now that I have read many of them in adulthood, I realize that I missed out! They are so clever and entertaining and I have decided that the Lorax is my personal hero - he fought to save the Truffula Trees!!

I am going to have so much fun exploring my old favorites and new books with my kids. I love to read to Jane each night, even if it's just baby picture books!

Um...I would tag someone else to do this meme, but I don't really know anyone yet....oh wait...I will tag the one other person I know who blogs...my other SIL, Andrea.

Glorious Turkey Days

Thanksgiving at East Canyon Resort - never has there been such feasting, riotious laughter and shameless gaming as was seen there that weekend, compliments of Jevan's extended family. So much fun. So much chaos.

Every other year for a long time now, Jevan's extended family has descended on East Canyon for Thanksgiving. Every family (Jevan's mom has 8 siblings) reserves a condo and it is one big party all weekend long.

We made the trek up to East Canyon on Wednesday night. We stayed in a condo with Becca (Jevan's sister), her husband and their 3 kids, Hazel, Chloe and Calvin. It was the party house. Calvin and Jane are only 3 weeks apart and had a grand time playing together. Their favorite game was "pass the pickle"...Becca brought up a plastic jar of plastic pickles she found at Target. Who knew plastic pickles would be such a hit? Obviously, the person in the plastic food industry knew that any kid's plastic play food collection would not be complete without a jar of pickles. Next up, marinated artichoke hearts.

Thanksgiving was a great success - we all gathered at lodge, all 50 or so of us, and had a big feast. I contributed 2 big pots of mashed potatoes which I think brought the grand total to something like a BILLION pots of potatoes. Needless to say there was plenty of potatoey goodness. I also brought 4 pies. One banana cream, one strawberry cream and 2 key lime pies. The first two turned out great but I went a little crazy with the food coloring while making the key limes and they kinda turned out a little greener than usual. No, make that BRIGHT NEON GREEN. On our way up to East Canyon, we took a deserted dirt road that is a quicker route but always a little sketchy to drive on. Jevan said that if we were to get stuck or lost, we could always bring out the pies and put them on the roof and then the rescue helicopter could see us from the air. Thanks Jev.

We continued to feast throughout the weekend, playing games and watching movies. The extended family even started a Shanghai (card game) tournament, in which Jevan, his mom and two sisters trounced everyone. Great fun.

Jane got her first stomach bug while we were up there and one night she threw up 4 or 5 times within a couple of hours. It was so sad! It was so hard to watch her little body wrench and double over like that. She would look so surprised after each time it happened and then break into tears. I felt so bad! Luckily, she was fine in the morning. Whew...crisis avoided.

With all the cousins around, Jane was in heaven. She got continuous attention and loved every minute. She especially loved to go outside, even though it was FREEZING, and she would race to the door anytime someone would go in or out of the condo, like a little dog trying to escape.

Unfortunately, I was really lazy when it came to taking pictures, and the ones I did manage to take didn't turn out very well. But I'll include a few just for the record. All in all, our Turkey Days turned out pretty dang fun.


Playing outside with Dad....



While trying to put on Jane's pants one afternoon, Jevan somehow managed to get both her legs into ONE of the pant legs. Instead of freeing her, as a normal dad would do, he let her play Ariel from the Little Mermaid for a while, and got a big kick out of it. It really was funny and I was compelled to take a picture, but soon after I felt sorry for the little tike...she kept rolling around on the floor, trying to get up and move.....so I rescued her.

What the?

So sometimes things come out of Jevan's mouth that I will wish I would have written down because they are so incredibly random. Have I mentioned that he is crazy and random beyond all reason? He keeps me laughing...one of the many reasons I love him. So this morning, we are lying in bed, both trying to muster the energy to get up and start the day, and he turns to me and says out of the blue..."Have you ever wondered how much a vest would weigh that is made entirely out of pennies?" Wow. Where did that come from? No. Jev. No, I guess I never have. I might now though...thanks. Random, random, random. Sometimes I wish I could get into this brain of his that comes up with this stuff but then I am not quite sure where I would end up....probably wearing a vest made of pennies, sitting in a lawn chair in Uzbekistan.

Catching up....

So, now that I have a blog, and a resolution to keep a family journal, I need to start writing. I have been a bit daunted by the task of where to start but I've decided to just pick up from where I left off with Jane's little handwritten journal. I have to say, it is crazy how much faster it is to type your thoughts than to write them down (Jevan is now having a little "I told you so" moment. He thought I was nuts to start a handwritten journal, but I was stubborn, telling him that it not only seemed more genuine and...I don't know....nostalgic/romantic to write it all down, but that also the computer could just suddenly just eat up all my writings and spit them out into cyberspace. I am now a changed woman. I also think it is incredibly funny that I used to make fun of couples who each had their little laptops and would take them to bed and work on them, side by side. Hee hee, now it's us!!)

The last time I wrote in Jane's journal was in September so I have a lot of catching up to do. It is crazy how much these little ones grow and develop in just a matter of months!

Jane continues to amaze us with her bright, dynamic personality and endless energy. She is a speedy little walker now which is always suprising to me considering the way her little bow-legged, stiff-kneed legs propel her forward with her upper body following, teetering from side to side, about to throw her off balance at any moment. Yet, she stays upright. A true feat of human engineering, literally. She loves to climb things, her favorites being chairs and slides. She entertains herself during church by climbing on and off the chair or bench over and over. If she needs help, she can now say "up" and will wait patiently for you to plop her little behind up onto the chair where she will sit for a total of 5 seconds before she slides herself back off and starts the process over again.

Jane's communication skills are pretty funny. She started out with the words "Hi" and "Dada" and then Dad started teaching her animal sounds. She has gotten really good at them and it is a real hit with people. She can do a dog, cat, cow, monkey, elephant (she spits), snake ("shhhhh"), lion, fish, lizard (sticks out her tongue) and bunny rabbit(she sniffs). Dad even taught her to make a monkey noise when you ask her what a BYU cougar says. She is such a verbal little thing - she honestly doesn't stop talking, but it is all in her own little language that she is sure you understand. She makes complete sentences with proper inflection, but none of the words make any sense. I swear she thinks she is have a conversation with you and wonders why you never have anything meaningful to say back! She has started to say words now too - so far she can say (or say well enough that you get what she is trying to say with her little sing-song voice) "mama" "all done", "uh oh", "shoes", "up" and then she makes a sound for Jasper, bathtime and apple that all sound the same... "aaapperr". A banana is a "nana". We have also taught her some sign language and she can tell us when she wants to "eat", when she wants a "drink", and when she wants "more". I am also amazed at all the words she can understand, even if she can't say them. Babies learn so quick!

Jane loves people and will go to just about anyone. She goes up to people and says "Hi" and then starts going off on them in Janerese, waiting to see what insight they may have on the certain topic she is covering at the moment. It is really funny to watch, especially people's reaction to her.

Jane is also a living tornado. She enters a room and it instantly becomes a mess. Stuff flies out of drawers, toliet paper gets torn into shreds, tupperware is spread into every corner of the house, people get personal cell phone calls from Jane when she discovers Mom's purse hanging on the door. She loves to carry clothes from room to room, put our underwear on her head, and tries to get Jasper to wear her pants. Speaking of Jasper, one of her favorite spots in our house is on Jasper's bed. If he is on it, she will cuddle up next to him and lay there talking to him. If he isn't on it, she throws herself onto it and rolls around, sometimes getting up and pouncing again.


Sometimes you can keep Jane the Tornado at bay by playing music for her to dance to, which is a treat in and of itself. She bobs up and down on her little legs, sticking out her tiny rear. Then she will march her little feet around in circles, spinning herself around like a robot that has malfunctioned and can't figure out where to go. She also loves to play pat-a-cake and when you get to the part about tossing the cake into the oven, she throws herself backward off your lap, and you have to lunge to keep her from flipping onto her noggin.

Jane's favorite toys are by far books, cell phones and toilets. She loves to sit on your lap and have you read to her while she turns the pages. If you give her a cell phone, or just a phone in general for that matter, she will wander the house with it perched on her shoulder and her head resting on it saying "Hi" over and over. Taking a shower is a trick with Jane because of her fascination with the toilet. She loves to open the lid and stick things into it, including her hands, my hairbrush and Dad's toothbrush.

Jane also loves bathtime. I tell her its time for bathtime and she repeats it in her Janerese as I strip her and place her on the floor. Then she is off and running down the hall, her little naked body teetering with excitement, heading for the bathtub. Her favorite bath toy is the washcloth of all things (she has squirter toys, rubber duckies, buckets, sprinkler toys..etc...and her favorite is the washcloth!) and loves to squirt soap onto it then wash her hair with it, then get more soap...the cycle continues.

Halloween has come and gone since I wrote in Jane's other journal. For Halloween, she had two costumes. My sis-in-law, Becca, gave her a super cute Dumbo costume. I also found a lion costume at Old Navy that I had to get because Jane has got the best lion's roar and the costume was so cute! Dad and I took her to Boo-at-the-Zoo at Hogle Zoo and she had a blast. She also got quite a few comments which surprised me considering the number of kids that were there all dressed up as well. I think her favorite attraction was the huge elephant statue that sneezes, sings and shoots water out of trunk (in the summer it's water, in the winter it is just a bunch of air). She sat and just watched kids climb around it forever. On Halloween night, we took her to a party at one of Dad's friend's houses where she also got a lot of attention.

Jane is generally a really happy easy-going kid, except when she is sick. She has had a lot of colds lately and some of them end out giving her ear infections. She has had some pretty nasty ones that have even burst her eardrum! I feel so bad and I know they hurt. I wish I could prevent them somehow.

Thanksgiving is coming up next week and we are going to East Canyon condos with Jevan's extended family. It will a fun and chaotic weekend for all of us. I am supposed to make 2 pies and I am trying to decide if I will actually attempt making my own crust. Jevan's family is very much into making everything from scratch and I don't want to disappoint.

We also are refinancing our house so we can make some updates on it. We are going to put in a study downstairs so we can clear out the other upstairs bedroom to make room for the new baby. We are going to paint the downstairs, put in cabinets and a desk/countertop in the spare bedroom, then paint the new baby room and our room. In the spring, we are going to redo the entire backyard. I think it is very ambitious of us....we'll see how realistic it is however....

Well, I think I have written enough for tonight. That was a good catch up session. Hopefully I will keep up on this journal and not have to write any more bloomin' novel length entries!