Bath time with Rubber Duckies: Normal children would grab the duckies and suck on their beaks or splash them in the water. Not my child. No.... she figures out that if you submerge the rubber ducky and then squeeze, it will fill with water. After that she pulls it out of the water and squeezes it again to create a stream of water coming from the bottom hole. This is where she has her fun squirting herself on the tummy or trying to reach it in her mouth. Did I mention she is only 10 months old? She might have the workings of an engineer in her wouldn't you say?
She is becoming quite the little character with her little quarks and we love her even more for them. She is in a stage where she is getting clingy and gets anxious if I ever leave the room or her sight. And as was predicted, she has become my little shadow. Curious about everything and also getting into everything.
Meal times have become quite interesting as well. She refuses to let anyone feed her or put anything into her mouth. If you do happen to get something in, she promptly pulls it out, looks at it and you only to then put in back in. It's as if she is stating her independence. Baby food was gone a long time ago as she refuses to be spoon feed (she started doing this at 7 months and the Dr said to take her off baby food at her 9 month checkup). It makes it a little harder to find foods that she can eat that balance nutrition and variety. All food of hers goes on the tray and she will feed herself.
I've been getting worried that she is will be starting to drop a nap here soon and go to 1 nap a day. It is a bit early but her naps seems to be getting shorter and shorter even though she is SO tired the rest of the day. But even if I put her down when she is tired she refuses to sleep until a certain time that has been designated nap time (around 9 and 1). I really enjoy having the time to get somethings done when she sleeps but that has been dwindling. I have to be paying attention to her every move and not paying attention to anything else or she gets upset. Even if she is playing by herself, if she catches me reading a book next to her she will come over and grab the book away from me and then point to what she is doing. Needless to say, I don't get much done. If it weren't for my mom being willing to hold her so she can watch while I cook dinner, I wouldn't be able to cook at all.
More teeth are making their way into her mouth because she has been waking up every 3 hours or so crying. Poor baby has always had a hard time teething.
Life is interesting and getting more and more fun and crazy with each day. We are loving playing with the little squeaker but can get tired of her really quick too, especially when she is ornery. I think every parent feels that way. We are hunkering down trying to get through the rest of the winter so we can go outside and play to burn off all our pent up energy. I can't believe that in a few months Lydia will be 1, Gregory will be graduated and we will be leaving Utah and setting up our home in Texas. It's all coming way too fast and not fast enough. This is going to be a big few months.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Is He Really 17?!?!?!?!?
Yes that is right! My little brother turned 17 today and it seems that everyone is in shock. What happened to the little Matthew running around making every one laugh and smile? I can assure you that he is still making us all laugh just as a much taller version. He is such a sweet kid and has a really positive attitude (when he wants to). We love him so much and I am so glad that he is my brother. Even though he is almost twice my height, he will always be the little kid who crawled up in my lap to have me scratch his back. Happy Birthday kid! I love you tons.
He requested this afternoon that I make him a dinosaur cake and this is what I threw together. I thought it turned out pretty well. We had the family party for him and Sammie yesterday but Sammie wanted pie instead of cake. Too bad that I have a love of cake making and the Wagers are more keen to pie. But I have gotten to do a few things and I have really enjoyed it. Matt really liked my cake too so what more could I ask for.
He requested this afternoon that I make him a dinosaur cake and this is what I threw together. I thought it turned out pretty well. We had the family party for him and Sammie yesterday but Sammie wanted pie instead of cake. Too bad that I have a love of cake making and the Wagers are more keen to pie. But I have gotten to do a few things and I have really enjoyed it. Matt really liked my cake too so what more could I ask for.
A Little Late
I have to send a BIG apology to my mother in law in Texas. For Christmas she bought Lydia a super cute outfit and Gregory and myself really nice sweaters. We really loved the clothes and I have been meaning to post pictures of us wearing them for her to see but keep forgetting. In fact we have worn the clothes many times since Christmas and every time we wear them I say to myself that I am going to get a picture, then I forget. While this post does not have all 3 of us, it does have the cutest of us! I snapped a few pictures of our little squeaker in her adorable outfit and am now posting it for her Nana to see. Thank you again so much for the presents. We really do love them.
Cute as can be.
Quite the little model wouldn't you say?
Cute as can be.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Dancing Queen Part II
So I think Lydia is going to be a future dancer because she is already shaking her groove thing! She's now a little hip shaker. Oh boy what fun we have ahead of us!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
My Little Dancing Queen
She started doing this yesterday every time music started to play and I was able to catch her doing a small bit of it on video today. Usually she does it for longer periods of time. We all died laughing!!! Not much else needs to be said.......
Rocket Test Launch
On Saturday the rocket team had a test launch to make sure that a certain part of their rocket design was going to be correct. We were all planning on going together but Lydia had not been sleeping well the whole week and when Gregory was home I would have him take the baby in the mornings so I could get some sleep. Friday night the baby didn't sleep much at all and I was more exhausted than I could say so Gregory offered to take the baby with him and then I could stay home and rest. I took him up on the offer and got the baby ready and then climbed back into bed and slept until 11:00!!!! It felt so good.
The practice launch went really well and the guys had a lot of fun. It took a lot longer than expected but it was a success in the end. Lydia did pretty well despite that it was really cold (they went past Eagle Mountain and 5 mile pass in the west desert) and there were loud noises. She takes after me in that regard, I hate loud noises and apparently so does she. But it was some good daddy daughter bonding time and it was great for me to get a break.
There is a documentary of sorts being made on the project and the team and they were there at the test launch. We will be able to get a copy of the film for free when it is done, but they will be holding the rights in case they decide to sell it to say the Discovery Channel.
The mark on her forehead was the result of an unfortunate meeting with a door hinge. She had a goose egg that protruded an inch off her forehead. It was so sad. She is one tough cookie though because she only cried for a little while and then calmed down and then just wanted to be held. It is healing fast and was only sore for about a day.
She had a blanket that Gregory took with him and she was wrapped up in it all of the time they were there except for this picture. I promise that she did stay warm enough.
Videos of the test launch. She starts crying because the loud noise of the rocket scared her.
The practice launch went really well and the guys had a lot of fun. It took a lot longer than expected but it was a success in the end. Lydia did pretty well despite that it was really cold (they went past Eagle Mountain and 5 mile pass in the west desert) and there were loud noises. She takes after me in that regard, I hate loud noises and apparently so does she. But it was some good daddy daughter bonding time and it was great for me to get a break.
There is a documentary of sorts being made on the project and the team and they were there at the test launch. We will be able to get a copy of the film for free when it is done, but they will be holding the rights in case they decide to sell it to say the Discovery Channel.
The mark on her forehead was the result of an unfortunate meeting with a door hinge. She had a goose egg that protruded an inch off her forehead. It was so sad. She is one tough cookie though because she only cried for a little while and then calmed down and then just wanted to be held. It is healing fast and was only sore for about a day.
She had a blanket that Gregory took with him and she was wrapped up in it all of the time they were there except for this picture. I promise that she did stay warm enough.
Videos of the test launch. She starts crying because the loud noise of the rocket scared her.
Graduation Present
Anyone who knows my husband will know that he does not wait for presents well. He tries to convince me that he should open his Christmas presents a week early and tries to give others their presents a week early sometimes. This time, he got his present 4 months early!!
My mom asked him his opinion on the Kindle sold by amazon for reading and so he started to do a lot of research on it. After all his research he excitedly told my mom about his findings and then turned to me and asked if we could buy one. I had to laugh because before he had done his research, I had done some and was planning on getting it for him for his graduation in May. When who would have known but he then asked if we could get it for his graduation present. I told him okay when he went right to the computer and started to look at which one he wanted. Surprised I asked him "Are you going to get it now?" Which resulted in a response of "well yeah!" After a little conversation and some persuading on his part, I let him get his present early. I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to surprise him but he is very happy with his new toy and I think it will be really good for him to have his last semester when there is really not much going on at work or school. He loves it like we both knew he would and is already making plans to get another one for me. Silly boy!!!
My mom asked him his opinion on the Kindle sold by amazon for reading and so he started to do a lot of research on it. After all his research he excitedly told my mom about his findings and then turned to me and asked if we could buy one. I had to laugh because before he had done his research, I had done some and was planning on getting it for him for his graduation in May. When who would have known but he then asked if we could get it for his graduation present. I told him okay when he went right to the computer and started to look at which one he wanted. Surprised I asked him "Are you going to get it now?" Which resulted in a response of "well yeah!" After a little conversation and some persuading on his part, I let him get his present early. I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to surprise him but he is very happy with his new toy and I think it will be really good for him to have his last semester when there is really not much going on at work or school. He loves it like we both knew he would and is already making plans to get another one for me. Silly boy!!!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Busy! Busy! Busy!
That's how I have felt that the past month has been! From the unexpected move to the expected hustle and bustle of Christmas and New Years, it has been quite the month. I was telling Gregory that now that things are finally starting to settle down, I think I have become a little depressed. It seems like our life is in a never ending whirl wind always being tossed to and fro. We never seem to know where we will end up or for how long. This may be the reason that we are both longing for a house. It's stable and has a sense of permanence to it. It's been hard to even do our callings because we are only in our ward for a few months. I know I need to change parts of my attitude, but all the same, I can't wait until Gregory starts his job and I feel like we have some stability to our lives. Also the sun won't hurt either!
It's been a record cold winter. In Manti this morning it was -22 degrees and by 9:45 am it was only up to -1! Lydia and I have stuck to staying indoors (again) while Gregory braves the cold with work and school. It doesn't help that the heater in our van won't turn on until the van is warmed up. It's really like we have no heater because even after driving for 30 min or so it sometimes won't turn on. We really need to put in a blanket for poor Lydia whenever we go anywhere with her, it can get really cold.
The politics of the present have been driving me mad! I am tired of all the political games, the blaming and the shameful way those in power handle themselves and the office to which we have elected them to serve us. I hate being called names because I believe a certain way and I hate things being shoved down my throat. As far as I am concerned BOTH parties are to blame for the mess we are in and I don't think that either one will be able to get us out. It makes me sad to think that there might not be more than a handful of men and women in Washington with any morals or conscience at all, and that's with over 550 in power in our congress alone! What has our world become? All I see is men calling good evil and that which is evil, good and for our benefit..... and all for their own profit. I can see how there will be some tough roads ahead for this country and just pray that we will have the financial means to take care of ourselves and hopefully to help care for others. That is where faith comes in I suppose. I have to be careful about how much news I watch because I do get bogged down and wonder what will happen to my daughters future. I still pray for the Lord to be with all those who are making the decisions and to soften the hearts of everyone and especially those who haven't totally decided which side they are on. Hopefully a new wind will blow and things will start looking up soon.
Some good new though.....I have decided to train for a 5K with my sister in law! She called me from Texas and was anxious to get back into shape after she had her baby a month ago and since we would be in Texas in May when all the 5K's started, she thought it would be fun if we trained and ran one together. I was really excited and a little apprehensive of what I was getting myself into. I have always wanted to run a 5K but I have always hated to run. I am told though that once you really start and just do it that it becomes addictive and you won't want to stop. I hope this is the case. At least I have 5 months to train for it and get my time down to 30 min (that's my goal). It will be good for me and now that we are with my parents I am finally physically better and can work out. It was so hard not being able to work out for over a month because of being sick. Luckily all that is in the past and now I am able to go for it and hopefully be back into my jeans from before I was pregnant by Lydia's first birthday. If I stick with it I think that I will be able to do it. It's been a long road getting all the weight off but I have decided that I am no longer going to accept others deadlines or judgments of when I should have lost the weight. My body was simply not ready to give up the weight after the trauma of her birth but I can feel that now things are different. I can feel my body calming and settling down. I know it sounds weird but that's how it is. I am finally starting to really recover after the birth and most of the pain has started to go away (yes I have been having pain and symptoms of just giving birth this whole 10 months). It's really exciting and I have learned a great deal about being patient with myself through it all. Can't wait to fit into all my clothes comfortably again!
Lydia has been a complete joy! She is so much fun these days and is so interactive and smart. She can figure out how to do things after only watching us do it once or even sometimes not at all. You can see the wheels in her brain always turning and she is always experimenting and exploring. Cuddling is something that she has been doing more of much to her daddy's and my delight! When Gregory has her on his shoulders she will lay her head down on top of his. When I am holding her, she will sometimes lay her head on my shoulder or chest. Other times she will come and sit in my lap and want to be held while we read a book and she leans against me playing with one of my fingers. She also gives me lots of wet kisses! It is so sweet. She talks a lot and she knows she is saying something and she knows what it is that she is trying to say she just can't form it into words yet. Words like you're welcome, thank you and even Amen she has babbled at appropriate times, in the appropriate tone, to the appropriate person, all more than once! It blows us all away. I have created a monster for myself though that will take some new training in her sleeping habits. I started putting her to bed with her bottle at nap time so she would sleep better and it worked wonders! Still does. But now I am left wondering, what am I going to do to get her to sleep without the bottle in hand because when she wakes up, she wants the bottle to put her back to sleep. She did very well falling asleep on her own with her binki before and I know that the bottle has basically just replaced the binki now but I don't quite know how to fix this when she will probably stop using bottles all together in a few months. See my dilemma? Any advice other parents have on this issue would be greatly appreciated.
So life is good with us. I apologize for the infrequent posts but you wouldn't believe how busy I've been! And now here are some pictures of our sweet little gift from God!
She loves her family and especially her cousins!
My little explorer loves her rubber ducky.
Still as skinny as ever and opening doors to all sorts of trouble all on her own.
It's been a record cold winter. In Manti this morning it was -22 degrees and by 9:45 am it was only up to -1! Lydia and I have stuck to staying indoors (again) while Gregory braves the cold with work and school. It doesn't help that the heater in our van won't turn on until the van is warmed up. It's really like we have no heater because even after driving for 30 min or so it sometimes won't turn on. We really need to put in a blanket for poor Lydia whenever we go anywhere with her, it can get really cold.
The politics of the present have been driving me mad! I am tired of all the political games, the blaming and the shameful way those in power handle themselves and the office to which we have elected them to serve us. I hate being called names because I believe a certain way and I hate things being shoved down my throat. As far as I am concerned BOTH parties are to blame for the mess we are in and I don't think that either one will be able to get us out. It makes me sad to think that there might not be more than a handful of men and women in Washington with any morals or conscience at all, and that's with over 550 in power in our congress alone! What has our world become? All I see is men calling good evil and that which is evil, good and for our benefit..... and all for their own profit. I can see how there will be some tough roads ahead for this country and just pray that we will have the financial means to take care of ourselves and hopefully to help care for others. That is where faith comes in I suppose. I have to be careful about how much news I watch because I do get bogged down and wonder what will happen to my daughters future. I still pray for the Lord to be with all those who are making the decisions and to soften the hearts of everyone and especially those who haven't totally decided which side they are on. Hopefully a new wind will blow and things will start looking up soon.
Some good new though.....I have decided to train for a 5K with my sister in law! She called me from Texas and was anxious to get back into shape after she had her baby a month ago and since we would be in Texas in May when all the 5K's started, she thought it would be fun if we trained and ran one together. I was really excited and a little apprehensive of what I was getting myself into. I have always wanted to run a 5K but I have always hated to run. I am told though that once you really start and just do it that it becomes addictive and you won't want to stop. I hope this is the case. At least I have 5 months to train for it and get my time down to 30 min (that's my goal). It will be good for me and now that we are with my parents I am finally physically better and can work out. It was so hard not being able to work out for over a month because of being sick. Luckily all that is in the past and now I am able to go for it and hopefully be back into my jeans from before I was pregnant by Lydia's first birthday. If I stick with it I think that I will be able to do it. It's been a long road getting all the weight off but I have decided that I am no longer going to accept others deadlines or judgments of when I should have lost the weight. My body was simply not ready to give up the weight after the trauma of her birth but I can feel that now things are different. I can feel my body calming and settling down. I know it sounds weird but that's how it is. I am finally starting to really recover after the birth and most of the pain has started to go away (yes I have been having pain and symptoms of just giving birth this whole 10 months). It's really exciting and I have learned a great deal about being patient with myself through it all. Can't wait to fit into all my clothes comfortably again!
Lydia has been a complete joy! She is so much fun these days and is so interactive and smart. She can figure out how to do things after only watching us do it once or even sometimes not at all. You can see the wheels in her brain always turning and she is always experimenting and exploring. Cuddling is something that she has been doing more of much to her daddy's and my delight! When Gregory has her on his shoulders she will lay her head down on top of his. When I am holding her, she will sometimes lay her head on my shoulder or chest. Other times she will come and sit in my lap and want to be held while we read a book and she leans against me playing with one of my fingers. She also gives me lots of wet kisses! It is so sweet. She talks a lot and she knows she is saying something and she knows what it is that she is trying to say she just can't form it into words yet. Words like you're welcome, thank you and even Amen she has babbled at appropriate times, in the appropriate tone, to the appropriate person, all more than once! It blows us all away. I have created a monster for myself though that will take some new training in her sleeping habits. I started putting her to bed with her bottle at nap time so she would sleep better and it worked wonders! Still does. But now I am left wondering, what am I going to do to get her to sleep without the bottle in hand because when she wakes up, she wants the bottle to put her back to sleep. She did very well falling asleep on her own with her binki before and I know that the bottle has basically just replaced the binki now but I don't quite know how to fix this when she will probably stop using bottles all together in a few months. See my dilemma? Any advice other parents have on this issue would be greatly appreciated.
So life is good with us. I apologize for the infrequent posts but you wouldn't believe how busy I've been! And now here are some pictures of our sweet little gift from God!
She loves her family and especially her cousins!
My little explorer loves her rubber ducky.
Still as skinny as ever and opening doors to all sorts of trouble all on her own.
Gregory thought it would be funny to see what Lydia would do when she was put on the Treadmill with me while I was starting my workout. He was surprised to find that she picked it up pretty well! Silly girl!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Mama's B-day and New Years
You may have noticed that my posts have been quite spread apart lately to be followed by massive posts in one day. This has been because we have been CRAZY busy with moving and taking care of our apt stuff. It's not easy moving on very short notice, with a child, in an apt that you really shouldn't be in for more than a few hours at a time. But we have come through this adversity and are feeling quite comfortable in my parents basement. Lydia has taken Stevo's old room and we have occupied the quilting room (sorry for kicking you out mom). Our room is big enough to fit our bed, 2 dressers, our large desk, TV stand and still have room for us to move around freely. We still got a storage shed for most of our boxes since we decided not to get rid of everything like we were originally thinking we might do. There are still a few things that we need to find homes for but for the most part we have successfully completed move #13. Only 2 more to go until we are settled in a house (that's the plan anyway).
New Years Eve is my mom's birthday and we always celebrate by going out to eat and having a small party afterwards. This year Stephen wasn't working so we got to go to her favorite restaurant, Sizzler. Boy oh boy do we love Sizzler!!! It's like our family restaurant. Dad paid for us all and with 20 people, that didn't come cheap but he loves doing it for my mom because she loves going out with everyone on her birthday. I baked a special cake for her that day and was excited to try it out. I did the decorations on a whim and thought that the presentation was okay but the cake was great! So Happy Birthday to a wonderful mom who has been and ever will be irreplaceable!
Enjoying our very delicious meal!
Of course who better to open up presents with than the Grandkids.
A great present!
I made this apron for my mom as her present. Do you recognize the pattern Maritza?
I wanted to get a picture of the cake with only a few slices taken out, but Gregory didn't get it and I was downstairs taking care of my sick little baby when they sang to her and the cake was cut. Although he wouldn't have gotten one anyway since Amy cut the cake but didn't know that you are only supposed to cut one piece out at a time and cut the whole thing. So she was just trying to get everyone a piece on a plate while the cake was falling over. I laughed when I found out but that is also why you only see 2 layers. I am no professional but all I really want to do it make yummy cakes for my family. I will never do it professionally.
Dan and Rich hanging out.
Tough guys!
Jayce loving the attention from an adult!
Sammie being...well...Sammie!
And at the end of the party here we are!
Everyone left about 9pm to go to their New Years Celebratory events. We stayed at the house and our friend Matt came over to spend the night with us. I went to bed at 9:45pm because I had spent the last 3 nights up with the munchkin because of a cold that she caught from my entire family. While I was passed out the boys watched a movie where Gregory had to wake Matt up at midnight and said Happy New Year before crawling into bed. We are party animals that is for sure! The time will come when we are not so tired from waking up in the night either for a feeding or some comfort and we will stay up and celebrate these things again. New Years Day was great playing games, baking my cake, and just being with family.
Lydia is now over her cold and I have only had to get up once in the night these past 2 nights for a feeding (growth spurt) but she goes back down really easily and will usually sleep until 7 or so. I do have to say that I am loving being a mom right now. Maybe it's because there are lots of other people around that want to play with her, or the open spaces that she can freely roam, or the fact that she is getting more independent and will play by herself, but she is SO MUCH FUN! Gregory and I are loving every minute with her. She plays games with us, she laughs, smiles, coos, and is just all around tons of fun. I'm so glad we got through that hard baby stage. Being a parent is at it's best right now!
New Years Eve is my mom's birthday and we always celebrate by going out to eat and having a small party afterwards. This year Stephen wasn't working so we got to go to her favorite restaurant, Sizzler. Boy oh boy do we love Sizzler!!! It's like our family restaurant. Dad paid for us all and with 20 people, that didn't come cheap but he loves doing it for my mom because she loves going out with everyone on her birthday. I baked a special cake for her that day and was excited to try it out. I did the decorations on a whim and thought that the presentation was okay but the cake was great! So Happy Birthday to a wonderful mom who has been and ever will be irreplaceable!
Enjoying our very delicious meal!
Of course who better to open up presents with than the Grandkids.
A great present!
My Cake! It is a three tiered checkerboard style cake with chocolate and white cake.
I wanted to get a picture of the cake with only a few slices taken out, but Gregory didn't get it and I was downstairs taking care of my sick little baby when they sang to her and the cake was cut. Although he wouldn't have gotten one anyway since Amy cut the cake but didn't know that you are only supposed to cut one piece out at a time and cut the whole thing. So she was just trying to get everyone a piece on a plate while the cake was falling over. I laughed when I found out but that is also why you only see 2 layers. I am no professional but all I really want to do it make yummy cakes for my family. I will never do it professionally.
Dan and Rich hanging out.
Tough guys!
Jayce loving the attention from an adult!
Sammie being...well...Sammie!
And at the end of the party here we are!
Everyone left about 9pm to go to their New Years Celebratory events. We stayed at the house and our friend Matt came over to spend the night with us. I went to bed at 9:45pm because I had spent the last 3 nights up with the munchkin because of a cold that she caught from my entire family. While I was passed out the boys watched a movie where Gregory had to wake Matt up at midnight and said Happy New Year before crawling into bed. We are party animals that is for sure! The time will come when we are not so tired from waking up in the night either for a feeding or some comfort and we will stay up and celebrate these things again. New Years Day was great playing games, baking my cake, and just being with family.
Lydia is now over her cold and I have only had to get up once in the night these past 2 nights for a feeding (growth spurt) but she goes back down really easily and will usually sleep until 7 or so. I do have to say that I am loving being a mom right now. Maybe it's because there are lots of other people around that want to play with her, or the open spaces that she can freely roam, or the fact that she is getting more independent and will play by herself, but she is SO MUCH FUN! Gregory and I are loving every minute with her. She plays games with us, she laughs, smiles, coos, and is just all around tons of fun. I'm so glad we got through that hard baby stage. Being a parent is at it's best right now!
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