Super Tuesdays

Marshall's schedule is such that he works 4 twelve-hour night shifts a week. This means that he is home during the day everyday. 4 days of the week, those days are spent sleeping since he was just up all night. But on 3 days, we get daddy awake all day. 2 of those days are the days I go in to work. This is nice because he can spend those days one on one with Carly. He is such a great hands-on daddy!

And Tuesdays are our family's Saturday.

For the past month, we have made a real effort to go out every Tuesday and do something as a family. Usually this starts with my OB appointment where we check on Wes. Then we head over to Denny's for breakfast (I have craved hashbrowns like nothing else this pregnancy). Then we head to some child friendly destination and try to entertain and broaden our daughter's world.

It has been SO. MUCH. FUN! We call it "Super Tuesday." The day may change as our work schedules do, but we hope to always be able to have a super family day once a week.

Here is a recap of the past 4 Super Tuesdays.

April 14th- The Gateway Museum

April 21st- The Tracy Aviary

April 28th- The Dinosaur Museum (Thanksgiving Point)

May 5th- Jump on It (Lindon)

Target: mother's not welcome

I went to target today to try on some maternity swimsuits. When I went to the dressing room to try them on, I was informed that I could not take my cart back into the dressing room with me. I knew there was NO way that my still 1-year-old would just stand beside me politely in the dressing room. She would be crawling under the doors to escape (while I was naked- trying on swimwear, remember). I asked if I could go get my stroller, or take all the merchandise out of the cart. Nope, corporate policy. No carts or strollers in the dressing rooms. What about the family dressing room? Nope. The handicap stall? Nope. So a stroller is a firecode violation (according to the dressing room attendant), but a wheelchair is not? Okay.

I ask to talk to a manager to find out what the truth was behind this corporate policy. As I was walking over to meet with him, another mother with a small baby- maybe 6 months old- walked up with her cart. She was also told she would have to either put her child on the floor of the dressing room, or hold her in her arms while she tried on clothing!

When I spoke to the manager of the store, he confirmed this was Target Corporate policy, and that no strollers or carts are allowed in any dressing rooms. I asked him how he suggested I try on clothing while visiting the store if I had a child that required a form of a cart, such as a baby or toddler. His official response? "Target is not responsible to provide a way for you to try on clothing while in our store."

Okay.

Question answered.

I won't try on clothing anymore in a Target store.

I guess that means I won't be buying clothing there anymore either.

5 Years Ago

5 years ago today, Marshall and I were kneeling across the alter of the Los Angeles Temple making the eternal sealing covenants of marriage.

When we were first married, we would mark each month's anniversary, saying things like "oh my gosh! I can't believe we have been married 3 months!!!! It seems like we just got married yesterday!" People, upon hearing about our "big" anniversary keep asking if it has gone by fast... if it still just feels like we got married yesterday. And you know what? it doesn't anymore. Is that weird?

I know it sounds bad, but now it feels like we have been married forever. Like I can't consider or clearly remember a time before we were married. My marriage to Marshall is my existence, my whole experience in life. We are no longer 2 individuals trying to figure each other out, trying to figure out how to make our partnership work. Now marriage is like having a right arm. We both know how to use it and having it is second nature. I think this is a good thing. There are things that I certainly miss about that exciting honeymoon period of marriage. But the deepened partnership we have now is definitely preferred. It has taken a lot of work, pain, tears, sacrifice, and forgiveness to get here. And I know we still have a long way to go. But our marriage today is...older...than it was. Like watching a child grow. Our marriage is smarter, not as naive, and better at handling the surprises and challenges of life. I think this is what one calls progress! I am proud of the progress we have made.

In honor of some of the lessons learned, and those still to come, I will post some quotes on marriage that I love. I found these in the May 2009 Reader's Digest.

"I used to believe hat marriage would diminish me, reduce my options. That you had to be someone less to live with with someone else, when, of course, you have to be someone more." -Candace Bergen

"Marriage is our last, best chance to grow up." -Joseph Barth

"When a husband brings his wife flowers for no reason, there's a reason." -Molly McGee

"For two people in a marriage to live together day after day is unquestionably the one miracle the Vatican has overlooked." -Bill Cosby

"The formula for a happy marriage? It's the same as the one for living in California: When you find a fault, don't dwell on it." -Jay Trachman

"Men always want to be a woman's first love... Women have a more subtle instinct... What they like is to be a man's last romance." -Oscar Wilde

"A happy marriage is the union of two forgivers." -Ruth Bell Graham

"Only two things are necessary to keep one's wife happy. One is to let her think she is having her own way; the other, to let her have it." -Lyndon B. Johnson

"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person." -Mignon McLaughlin

And my favorite:
"I married the first man I ever kissed. When I tell this to my children, they just about throw up." -Barbara Bush
(for those of you who are unfamiliar, Marshall was the first man I ever kissed.)

So here's to the last 5 years of marriage. And here's to the next 5. I know we will just get better at being each other's eternal partner! We are far from perfect, but I sure am glad that Heavenly Father, in His wisdom, has given us the opportunity to use a whole Eternity to get it right! So lastly, here's to Eternity!

I love you, Marsh.

Lately

What has been going on lately? Here's my abbreviated list:

1. Carly is in her "big girl bed" full time.
At first it was a battle to get her to stay in it. But now she is doing great. But being in a toddler bed has had its interesting effects on Carly.

She has developed a fear of the dark that she never showed before. She won't fall asleep unless the door to her room is open. Often I'll close it once she is asleep, and the next morning when Marshall gets home from work, her door is wide open again. So she gets up in the middle of the night, opens the door, and goes back to sleep.

She also falls out of bed. Her bed has rails, but she is a very active sleeper. Somehow she manages on many nights to end up on the floor. Poor kid.

2. We've settled on a name for our new little edition. He is officially going to be Wesley Wallace. Like there was ever a real question of if I'd let Marshall name him William Wallace.

3. One of our cars was stolen. A few weeks ago. It was taken right out of our parking lot. We didn't even realize it was missing for 4 days. Marshall had those days off of work, so he didn't need to drive it, and therefore didn't notice it was gone. So we are currently in a rental while we wait and hope the police find it. I doubt they will. After 30 days, our insurance will settle our claim, so that is looking like what will end up happening.

4. We welcomed our first niece! Kiernan gave birth to a beautiful baby girl that she named Kalen Andrews Mayes on April 7th. She is just gorgeous, but out of respect for Kiernan, I won't post any pictures.

5. Easter came and was wonderful! Carly was actually old enough to care this year, so we did Easter baskets and an egg hunt- the whole deal. My mom made Carly this ADORABLE Easter dress. She is so talented.

And here is a video of the egg hunt for the grandparents who missed it and care to watch.
(video to be added when I can find my cable...sorry)

6. Twilight- I finally finished the books! I have been meaning to read all of them for a long time, but never got the chance. I finally got the books from Star a few weeks ago, and spent basically all of my free time lost in Forks with the Cullens and Quilettes. They were great, and I'm glad I finally finished them. But I must say, they sure got racier in theme as they progressed. I was kinda surprised. Not sure that I'd recommend them to young tweens and teens like I would have after having just read the first book.

Carly poopy hands

So I have been in a blogger's funk. That's no secret. And the more time that passes, the worse it gets because I have more and more stories that I feel I NEED to blog. Gaahhh! Procrastination! So I'm sorry if I blog a bunch in a row right now.

I'm going to start with my most recent story. By popular (husband) request. I think he knew that I needed to blog and has been showering my blogging skills with praise and saying that he missed reading them. And he insisted I blog this story.

Potty training with Carly has been....slow.

Is it just too early?
Is she just stubborn?
Are we just too lazy to be consistent?
All of the above?

She has pottied in the actual potty 4 or 5 times. But usually only when I catch her right before or mid-act and put her on the potty. Usually though, she'll sit on the potty and cry until I let her off, and then immediately go in her diaper.

Or the floor.

Yes, the floor.

She has started to really enjoy "nudities," Marshall's name for Carly's frequent bouts of streaking though our house. Any time she can get that diaper off, she will. For the most part, if we can get a pair of pants on, she will leave the diaper alone.

Until Saturday.

I borrowed a carpet steamer from a friend and was determined to completely clean my disgusting carpets. They were gross not just from Carly's nudities, but also just generally in the high traffic areas. The kind of gross that you don't realize is gross until you spot clean a stain and are left with a dinner plate sized circle of off-white amidst a sea of beige.

I started by moving all of the furniture into the kitchen. Carly loved this and took full advantage of being able to get up onto the counters. I was just happy to have her off the carpets and out from underfoot for a while. I went to check in on her after a few minutes of silence and found her sitting on the glider with the cookie jar in her lap. She had taken out all of the Oreos, pulled them apart, licked off all of the cream filling, and discarded the chocolate cookie halves onto the floor. She seemed quite content with herself.

I decided she'd be better contained in her room. It was nap time anyway. I put her in there, and figured she fell asleep because she was so quiet.

A couple hours later I had finished the carpets, moved the furniture back, and collapsed on the couch out of sheer exhaustion. Women who are 27 weeks pregnant shouldn't move furniture or bend to empty 10+ tanks of brown water.
Carly was still quiet. Too quiet?

I went to her room to check if she was actually napping. I was greeted at the door by a smiling Carly, with 2 handfuls of poop. She reached up to offer me her finds, proudly, declaring "poo-poos mommy!"

So potty training is still slow. I am probably not done with the carpet steam cleaner just yet. And I get to check one of those mommy rights-of-passage off my list.

And hopefully I can be a better blogger.

Russ's opinion

Marshall asked Russell today what percentage of Carly's appearance he thought came from Marshall, and what percentage came from me.

Russell didn't even hesitate.

"I think she's 85% Gene Hackman."

A birth mother's story

In my job, I have the wonderful and sacred opportunity to be witness to some of the most sacred moments in people's lives. I don't often talk about these moments and stories because they aren't mine to share, or to write.

I follow one blog, the r house, which is a blog maintained by one of the adoptive mothers I have had a chance to meet. It is one of the premier adoption advocacy blogs out there today, in my opinion. Mrs. R. not only shares her own struggles and joys in her sons' adoption stories, but also uses her blog as a platform for others to share their own stories. I know that for one of my amazing birth mothers in particular, this blog was a pillar of strength and a resource for peace while preparing to place her own son last year.

Currently on the r house, Mrs. R. has a guest blogger, Andee, who is sharing her story. It is told in 2 parts, and I will link both.

Part 1.

Part 2.

This is a very honest and emotional account of one unique adoption story. But it rings with such eternal truth. In many places, it could be the same words from the mouths of each of my own birth mother clients. The love Andee has for her daughter, the tough decisions she had to make, and the heartbreaking sacrifice have all been true of every case I have handled.

This is the story that I wish I could share with everyone, but that I do not have the rights to. So please, visit the r house this week. And read Andee's story. It will give you insight into these wonderful, selfless women. And explain a little more the sacred moments I get to witness.

**************************************

In other adoption news, LDSFS is redesigning its website itsaboutlove.org. The old website you can view as linked. The new site will eventually replace the current site at that URL. But since it is not yet published, you can view the new site at beta.itsaboutlove.org.

The new site has a lot of really neat features, more current information and testimonials, and better adoptive couple profiles. Many of my couples are now published on this beta site, and soon hopefully all of our couples will have made the transition over. You can search these profiles if you would like. But the main thing to check out, IMO, is definitely the different resources and birth parent stories. And keep this website handy if you run into someone who is single and pregnant and looking for information about their options. This site covers much more than just adoption.

Powder Party

Instead of napping, Carly thought she'd have her own little party. With the baby powder. She then got tired and fell asleep in her snowy mess. Her eyes were red for hours, and she still smelled strongly of powder even after a bath.

We thought it was a white sheet at first, until we began to uncover the pink sheet underneath. It was shocking how much powder was in that crib.In addition to the powder, she also dumped out her little clear hair elastics.

That's what we get for rearranging her room and putting her changing table right next to the crib.

Sew Crafty!

While my mom was here visiting, we began a few projects aimed at boy-ifying my baby supply stock.

First up: Flannel blankets.

I have made a few of these in the past, and felt most comfortable with this project. I bought fabric for 3 blankets, and my mom introduced me to a new pattern. I have only finished one so far.

Next up: A quilt.

I wanted to make a quilt for our new little baby. I'm not a quilter though. But while escorting my mom to dozens of quilt shops while she was here, I began to get a few bits of inspiration. I finally found a fabric that I loved, and my mom and I decided to go for it. We got the whole quilt top made, and my mom has generously offered to take the top home to do the actual "quilting" and binding on her fancy machine. But here is the top.

Finally: crocheting.

My mom taught me how to crochet around the edges of blankets and burp rags. I finished a burp rag, and have just started on the matching blanket. My hands have become permanently curled into painful little balls. Apparently I need to learn how to relax while maneuvering the needle, fabric, and string. lol.

More to come!

"I yub you yeg"

This is what Carly said to me this morning as she gave me a hug around the knee. She has lately began telling us she loves us without prompting, which has been really fun. She even told Russ's cats she loved them.

But this confession of love confused me a little.

I asked her "what did you say, Carly?"
"I yub you yeg!" another big hug.
"I love you too honey," thinking she was just saying she loved me.
Indignant, Carly said "No, yub yeg," hitting my knee.
"Ooooh, you love my leg?"
Smiles. "Uh huh. I yub you yeg." Another big hug around my knee, then she walked away.

I think I feel complimented.

William Wallace?

Really?

Almost half of you think that's a good idea? Really??

Okay, fess up. Who voted for it? How much is Marshall paying you?

I figure that there are 3 possible things that could be happening here:

1) Men are voting in my poll. (which is fine, really. just surprising.)

2) Marshall has voted 10 times.

3) Some of you are unfamiliar with who William Wallace is.

Marshall promises he only voted once. He thinks that the voting is directly down gender lines, but I highly doubt I have that many male readers. So I think it is most likely the third option.

So here is a brief and non-factual history lesson:

William Wallace is every little boy's hero.

He is Braveheart.

Mel Gibson.

Marshall wishes he were William Wallace.

To me, naming a child William Wallace is like naming a child Spiderman. Okay, so Spiderman's not a historical figure. How about Albert Einstein. Or Abraham Lincoln.

So if you voted for William Wallace, please, let me know WHY?? Maybe I'm the only one who doesn't get it. Like I said, Marshall has convinced his whole family that this is the best idea ever. But in general I don't trust Marshall's name choices. He wants to name our second son Andrew Andrews and the third Mormon Andrews.

Crazy right? Right??

Hand-me-downs?

Nope, not for this LITTLE BOY!!!!

We had the big ultrasound today, and it's true. We are entering the whole new realm of snakes, snails, and puppydog tails. And smelly, stinky, dirty boys.

I have to admit, I am very nervous. It feels like I am going to be a first time mom all over again. I mean, a boy?? What am I going to do with a boy? In my mind, they are different in every way from girls. So the nerves are kicking in, but I am so excited. Soooo excited.

And I knew it. I really did.

When I was pregnant with Carly, I would have these dreams about a little girl with curly hair named Carly. And with this new pregnancy, it has been dreams of a little boy. So I have been calling him a "him," and have been thinking of him as a boy. It was one of those things that I just knew. There really wasn't much question in my mind, just a very peaceful assured feeling that this little guy is all boy.

So now, here is the new question:
What to name this guy?

Marshall's family has a tradition that the first born son has the middle name of Wallace. So that much has already been settled. We have narrowed down our picks of first names, and we have two finalists. Now, I like one, and not the other. Marshall likes both but is a very strong fan of the one I dislike. And he has somehow swayed our entire extended family to agree with him.

They are Wesley and William.

Can you guess which one I don't like? Which one to you like? Go vote now --->

Hallelujah

In-N-Out coming to Draper!

Finally.

Now I can actually be okay with my Utah residency.

New Poll

So next Tuesday, the 17th, is the big ultrasound. We will (hopefully) find out if this little one is a boy or girl.

So I decided to do a poll to get people's guesses. ------>

I don't want to give my prediction and sway any of your premonitions. So I'll leave that all for my post next Tuesday!

Nap time

So lately Carly hasn't been napping. She has her days where she'll just fight it. I still make her take those 2 hours and be quiet in her crib, in hopes that she'll fall asleep. Some days it works, some it doesn't. Usually she'll skip her naps 2 days in a row, and then nap really well 2 or 3 days in a row.

Well ever since she learned she could get out of her crib, she hasn't napped. And it's a little hard to enforce the "quiet time" that usually leads to the napping when it does happen. So for 3 or 4 days straight, our little one was running on empty as far as naps go.

Yesterday Marshall and Carly were hanging out in the living room after Carly had successfully skipped her nap yet again. It was about 5pm. Suddenly, it was very quiet. Marshall looked around and realized she had left the room and went to look for her. He found her curled up in the hallway outside her bedroom door sound asleep.

He put her in her crib, still in her jeans, figuring it was just a nap. I got home from work around 8pm, and she was still out. We went to bed at midnight, and she was still asleep. I woke up throughout the night to listen for breathing through the monitor, and she didn't make a peep. I left for work this morning at 9am, and she was still out.

That kid slept for 16 1/2 hours!

Moral of the story: don't make your kids nap, and you may just get the best night of sleep you've ever had in your life (or at least since they've been born).

Or more likely the moral of the story is: make your kids nap, or they'll develop really unhealthy sleeping patterns.

You pick.

Cleaning

Do you ever feel like you wander around the house cleaning, only to be followed immediately after by a little tornado?

I'm not talking about my toddler. It's my husband.

Don't get me wrong, Marshall likes things "clean" too. But clean, I have learned, is a subjective term. When Marshall cleans, he takes the mess to a higher plane. Literally. Anything and everything on the floor must come up! To where? Where ever is the next closest flat surface that is not the floor: the top of the bookcase, the kitchen table, the kitchen counter, and his favorite spot- on top of the entertainment center.

I clean by taking these items accumulated on top of various countertops in our home and put them inside things. Inside baskets, or drawers, closets or cabinets. Basically, where they belong. That is my idea of cleaning.

So today I tackled the top of the entertainment center. It is was a mess. I sorted the items into which area they really belonged in: the pantry, the sink, our bedroom, the bathroom, Carly's room, the trash can, the bookshelf. Dirty cups, boxes of cereal, socks, lotion, old mail, a stack of Carly's books, some Carly art supplies, various electronics, deodorant, shoe polish. You name it really. Then I started to put it away.

I started with the various electronics. Most went into the cabinets in the entertainment center, as opposed to on top. I put them away. Then the cereal and crackers and fruit snacks the Marshall likes to store near the TV (because 10 feet is just too far to walk to the pantry). Soon, I was making progress.

I returned to the entertainment center, and I swear things I have put away have reappeared. Am I hallucinating? I ask Marsh how they got back out, why they got back out. He looks at me with complete sincerity and says "that's where they belong. You're always trying to hide my stuff." YES! That's it! This is a game of hide and seek, and Marshall has just won.

I try to explain that these objects all have homes, and they can be brought out to use when needed, but should go back to where they belong after. I am talking to a toddler. But he persists. He says that it is simply too much work to get his wii-mote charger out the once a week he uses it, and it should always be accessible. And the food? If it's in the pantry, he'll forget we have it and won't eat it.

It must be fun to live as Marshall. Can you imagine what it must be like to be really pleasantly surprised every time you open the pantry? It must be like Christmas every day.

The best use for the potty

Is a step stool.

After Carly's bath, I left her naked on her potty for a minute. When I returned, I found that she had pushed her potty up to the counter, and was giving her ducky a bath in the sink. We still haven't had very much success with the real purpose of the potty, but her creativity is pretty cute.

Uh oh...

We're in for it...

Darn you Hallmark

Why do you always make me cry?

Your commercials...

Your movies...
Your cards...

Every time.

Super duper cute MODESTY

Okay, I don't want to become a blogger who just posts about awesome retail finds, but I really thought some of you ladies might really appreciate seeing this site: Mikarose. The women's collection has 10 different cute dresses that are all MODEST. And affordable! Once this baby is out, and I lose the baby weight, I will own at least 3 of these.

Not a kidnapper

I'm not. I promise.

I wish I could say this to everyone in WalMart without looking even more incriminating.

Today, while browsing their aisles, Carly decided she was done shopping. So she decided to yell. And yell, and yell, and yell. And what was her exclamation of choice?

"MOMMY!!!"

...Not at me, though. At everyone else!

Like a stolen child begging for her mother to come back and save her.

The more I shushed her, the louder she yelled. And started reaching toward strangers, leaning over the cart rail.

I got a lot of concerned looks, and I could tell that people were looking at each other trying to decide of they should step in and try to determine if I was really the mother of this protesting child.

So I did what any responsible mother would do- I booked it out of there. I bet there are a lot of people in Salt Lake today watching the news to see if there are any Amber Alerts.

Baby Crack

Yoooooo Gabba Gabba!

Nothing is more enthralling to a toddler than DJ Lance Rock and the gang. And honestly, it's not that bad from a parent's perspective. Some, okay a LOT, of the other children's' shows make me want to punch myself in the face after an hour straight.

But I actually like Yo Gabba Gabba. Cool songs, unique beats, good lessons aimed at young kids, and awesome guests. I mean, they've had Sugarland, Biz Markie, and Tony Hawk. And I think they even had Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite.

And the most important thing- Carly loves it. She'll stop whatever she is doing (often a tantrum) and just... Stare. Melt. Drool. Literally. We have wet spots on the couch pillows from her ultimate zoned-out-ness.

Sometimes we wonder if she really even catches any of the themes because she seems so zombied. But apparently some of it does get through. The show has songs about not eating food from the ground, holding hands while crossing the street, trying new foods, and not biting your friends.

In the one about not biting, the song goes "Don't, don't, don't bite your friends!" See if you can guess what the refrain is:

This was taken candidly while driving home from Christmas. We heard this little voice from the back seat and couldn't believe that she was singing to herself. And a song we recognized! One we didn't teach her! We were quite proud.

My toddler beat me up and stole my lunch money

Okay, not really. But that's about how humiliated I was on Sunday.

It was Stake Conference Sunday, and it was also the first Sunday that Marshall is working his new shift. He used to have both Saturday and Sunday off, so going to church wasn't difficult. But now he gets home from work at 7:30am on Sunday morning, and church starts at 9:30. So the plan was that he would just stay awake, but with Stake Conference being a little later, he tried to get in a nap. Bad idea. There was no way he was going to get out of bed for church once he fell asleep. I even poured water over his head (what a nice, compassionate wife, right?) to no avail.

So off I went, the first time I have braved church on my own since Carly has been old enough to move independently.

I arrived 15 minutes early. I figured this was enough time to ensure I would get a seat on a pew. Pews are much better for toddler confinement than folding chairs are. But apparently my stake is much more active than my ward generally is. The only seats available were in the very very back of the cultural hall, the last 5 or 6 rows of folding chairs before the stage (which btw also had chairs set up, all of which were already full). So we take 2 aisle seats next to a stranger.

Carly did well through most of the opening song. But she had finished the sippy cup of milk before the song was over, and it was quickly sailing over the back of our chair at the man in the row behind us. That's what he gets for smiling at her. During the opening prayer, she was already confined on my lap, arching her back in protest with her screams being muffled by my hands. She's funny because she'll fold her arms during prayers. She's really good about it. So she was fighting her hardest to get away, all the while with her arms folded. She then did her obligatory shout of "amen" at the end, and returned to trying to escape.

I figured it was time to break out the snacks. A little early for the typical church service, but better than whatever else she had in mind. I put her back in her chair and gave her a baggy of kix cereal. She was quiet for the sustaining of the leadership, and the first 2-3 minutes of the first talk. I thought we were good. Until she decided to dump the whole baggy of kix on the gym floor. So there I kneeling on the floor, grasping my toddler's arm in one hand while scooping kix with the other. But kix are round, and gym floors are slick, and most of that cereal was far and away and under stranger's seats.

I noticed I was starting to get those glances of pity. By this point Carly was shouting "diaper! diaper!" I grabbed her, the coats, and the diaper bag and made my way to the mother's room. I figured it would be the perfect place to listen to conference over the sound system, while letting Carly roam free in a small confined room full of arm chairs. We walk in to find 5 nursing mothers and 5 peaceful newborns. I apologized as I pinned my screaming toddler down and began the process of stripping off the layers to change her diaper.

Of course, the diaper is clean and dry. Of course her shouts of "diaper" are a false alarm. Is it possible she already knows how to manipulate at 19 months? So I get her all dressed again and we cross the hall to the nursery. Lots of toys; no sound system. Carly doesn't want to leave this room. Too bad. We make our way to the only other mother's safe haven I know of- the foyer.

The foyer in the stake center is tiny. 1 couch. There are 5 men wearing usher tags sitting and standing all around this room. There are 3 doors open from this room into the chapel and cultural hall. Wide open. I try to make my best of this. The ushers let us take the couch. The second speaker is speaking now. Carly tries to jump on the couch. I make her sit down. She starts a new little trick of hers...."Ouch mommy! Hurts!" Great. Now I'm a child abuser. She jumps, I sit her down, she cries foul.

She gets off the couch and starts walking around the foyer. So far so good. Starts pointing out Jesus in all the pictures. There are 5. "Gesis mommy! Gesis! :::GASP::: Bebe Gesis!" Louder and louder. That's okay. At least she's yelling "Gesis." Then she finds the low table with pamphlets, pass along cards, and a framed picture of "Gesis." All is thrown on the ground. I apologize to anyone paying attention- the ushers and half of those within 5 feet of those open doors who are all staring- and put it all back on the table. A new game! The Jesus picture goes flying again. Worried that she'll break the glass, I grab the toddler and sit her back on the couch. "Ouch mommy! Hurt!" complete with the signs.

I sit back on the couch next to her, and she's up again. She wanders toward the large window to the outdoors...turns...is running...into the chapel... I jump up and try to decide whether to chase. Chase is another game. This is all her father's fault. I see she's not stopping. I chase. I grab her going up the aisle. I grab her wrist and try to redirect. She drops to the ground like a 25 lb. sack of dog food. I drag her a few feet hissing "Up Carly! Up!" This is met by her "Hurt mommy! Hurt!" I pick her up, throw her over my shoulder, grab our stuff, and head to the car. The second speaker is just finishing their talk.

We get to the car, and I tie her into her seat. Next time I'll consider bringing her whole seat into the service. Would that make me look crazy? Would that make me look any less crazy than I already did today?

I glare at Carly and tell her she was behaving very very badly today. I tell her mommy is very very sad. Carly looks up at me, bewildered, and says "Sawyee mommy, I sawyee." I partially melt. Then "tisses." Okay. She wins. I lean down and allow her to pull me in for a big sloppy kiss. She may have won this battle. But I'll take "tisses" over stake conference any day.

Finally official

So this pregnancy I have felt pretty good. Pretty much just like my pregnancy with Carly. A little nausea here and there, but I haven't thrown up at all. I start feeling "gross" if I haven't eaten lately. And I have the normal pregnancy exhaustion that requires I nap a lot. Overall, I know I am very fortunate because I have friends who have horrible pregnancies, and so I really can't ever complain.

We found out I was pregnant on November 5th, when I was just 3 weeks along. Really we already knew, that is just when we confirmed it with a test. I have been trying since then to convince Marshall to take pity on my poor pregnant state. Hey, it may not be that bad, but a woman is allowed to milk it from her husband, right?

Well, Marshall must have a much better memory than me of my pregnancy with Carly, because he loves to tell me I'm not even really pregnant yet. He tries to remind me of how hard that last month was, when I couldn't walk, couldn't sit, couldn't sleep, couldn't roll over. He tells me I was a walking personification of misery. Well, being the pregnant one, of course I don't remember. Heavenly Father has this wonderful way of letting me forget all of it so that I actually want to do it again.

But the bottom line is that Marshall doesn't cut me much slack yet. Wouldn't go to get me food I craved. Made me come down and help with the groceries in the middle of a snow storm. Still made me wash the stinky dishes. Won't give me massages. Every time I would complain or moan about something I didn't want to do and say "but I'm pregnant!," he'd say "oh you just wait, you're not really pregnant yet!"

Until last week. He went with me to that ultrasound, realized how far along we really are ("wow, it already looks like a baby?"), and started letting me be pregnant. I called him at work the other day to let him know I was craving. I said "I know you probably won't go get me anything at the store, but if by chance you want to go to the store, I am really craving pickles and fruit juice. And chocolate." To my surprise, he said okay! So I tested him a little more... "Now that's Claussen kosher pickles whole in the jar and Dole 100% fruit juice in the cardboard 1/2 gallon. No other pickles or fruit juice will do." My dear husband went to the grocery store (one of his least favorite chores ever) and spent an hour searching for those pickles. Just so everyone else knows, they are by the hot dogs, not with the other pickles. And the fruit juice he finally found on the beer aisle.

He also came home one evening with a foot bath, foot massager, back massager and neck massager. Completely unexpected.

So I guess it's finally official. I'm pregnant.

Apologies

Sorry I have been so absent. It's not a trend, I promise.

I have written a number of posts in the last 3 months, but they all end up getting deleted. Because do any of you have any idea how hard it is to blog about your everyday life, when you are trying to keep one HUGE part of your everyday life quiet??

That's right! I'm PREGNANT!

We are about 13 weeks or so along, and my (much debated) due date is July 17th. For you super observant ones, you are right....that date is also my 25th birthday. So it should be a very happy birthday indeed.

We had an ultrasound on Tuesday, and the baby is doing well enough we thought it was time to share with all of you. After what happened last time, I didn't want to "jinx" myself with spilling the beans so early. But really, I'm glad I did it so early last time because I really am grateful for all of the support and love we had just weeks later when we lost that baby.

More stories to come.

You wanna hear a funny story?

Marshall fell out of bed. Our bed is like 4 feet high.

The end.

Yep, that's our ward

Actual message left on Marshall's voice mail today:

"Hey this is Brother _________ from the ward calling. Just checking to see if you did your home teaching last month. ((Pause)) Heheh, I didn't."

Adoption: Different trips to the same place

Deciding to have a baby is like planning a trip to Australia. You've heard it's a wonderful place, you've read many guidebooks and feel certain you're ready to go. Everyone you know has traveled there by plane. They say it can be a turbulent flight with occasional rough landings, but you can look forward to being pampered on the trip.

So you go to the airport and ask the ticket agent for a ticket to Australia. All around you, excited people are boarding planes for Australia. It seems there is no seat for you; you'll have to wait for the next flight. Impatient, but anticipating a wonderful trip, you wait--and wait--and wait.

Flights to Australia continue to come and go. People say silly things like, "Relax. You'll get on a flight soon." Other people actually get on a plane and then cancel their trip, to which you cry, "It's not fair!" After a long time the ticket agent tells you, "I'm sorry, we're not going to be able to get you on a plane to Australia. Perhaps you should think about going by boat."

"By BOAT!" you say. "Going by boat will take a very long time and it costs a great deal of money. I really had my heart set on going by plane."

So you go home and think about not going to Australia at all. You wonder if Australia will be as beautiful if you approach it by sea rather than air. But you have long dreamed of this wonderful place, and finally you decide to travel by boat.

It is a long trip, many months over many rough seas. No one pampers you. You wonder if you will ever see Australia. Meanwhile, your friends have flown back and forth to Australia two or three more times, marveling about each trip.

Then one glorious day, the boat docks in Australia. It is more exquisite than you ever imagined, and the beauty is magnified by your long days at sea. You have made many wonderful friends during your voyage, and you find yourself comparing stories with others who also traveled by sea rather than by air.

People continue to fly to Australia as often as they like, but you are about to travel only once, perhaps twice. Some say things like, "Oh, be glad you didn't fly. My flight was horrible; traveling by sea is so easy."

You will always wonder what it would have been like to fly to Australia. Still, you know God blessed you with a special appreciation of Australia, and the beauty of Australia is not in the way you get there, but in the place itself.

By Diane Armitage printed in the April 21, 1995 "Dear Abby" column.

Happiness is...

Coming home from work to a clean house, happy kid, and a hot meal. My husband is amazing!