The Art of Living

Memorable Moments from Today

2012-01-18T21:17:00.001-05:00

I caught Libby coloring on the walls. As soon as I said, "Libby!" she nearly jumped out of her skin and started running down the hall. I think that's a clear sign she knew what she was doing was wrong. And that is why I only have washable crayons in the house.

Libby pulled the D off my keyboard. Which is making this very hard to type.

The nurturing spirit she is, Libby has taken to feeding snacks to her baby doll. Today, she took it a step further to include 2 dimensional characters and offered a pacifier to a boy in her favorite book, I Took the Moon for a Walk.

As I was putting Libby to bed and she had fallen asleep in my arms, I heard her laugh in her sleep. It was awesome.

Cauliflower vs. Candy

2012-01-16T12:07:00.000-05:00

For lunch on Saturday, Libby and I ate steamed cauliflower with crumbled baked kale chips dusted on top. (Can you tell we're trying to get our cruciferous vegetables in?) When she was finished, she reached up for Jared to get her out of the high chair and promptly lunged for the Smarties (leftover from Halloween) on the counter. Jared, slightly disgusted by the lunch Libby and I were eating, said "how can she go from eating cauliflower to Smarties?" "Easy," I said, "she's a product of me and you."

And that pretty explains the difference in mine and Jared's eating habits.

Christmas and other celebrations

2012-01-03T12:46:00.000-05:00

We had a nice, quiet Christmas at home this year. It was casual and small (we bought food storage in place of Christmas presents, so there wasn't much to open), but just right for our family.

Our best attempt at a family Christmas photo

Seeing her new doll from Aunt Rachel for the first time

Apparently excited to go to church on Christmas Day

Finally, a sunny day in Illinois! I love Christmas!

After such a laid back week, we were sort of itching to go do something, so we took a last-minute trip to Wisconsin Dells, WI, which claims to be the waterpark capital of the country. We stayed at a resort with its own indoor waterpark and indoor theme park. They also have a huge outdoor waterpark and a few big roller coasters. We'll have to make it back in the summer to check those out. The indoor activities were fun, but mostly geared toward kids. There were some things Libby loved (jungle gym/fortress thing with tons of foam balls), some she didn't love (bumper cars and go karts), and a couple Jared and I liked (tube slides and body slides).

The ball pit/jungle gym fortress in Wisconsin Dells

On the trolley ride

First time in bumper cars...and not liking it so much

*P.S. - Blogger refuses to post my vertical pictures vertically. Even though they're rotated correctly on my computer AND in the Picasa album associated with my blog. It's driving me crazy. Anyone know the secret to fix this?

16 months

2012-01-03T12:24:00.001-05:00

Libby has been the queen of imitation this past month and it rocks my world. She is also growing in her ability to climb nearly anything. We've found her perched precariously on top of the kitchen table more than once this past month. She still loves the computer and if we leave the chair too close to the desk, she will certainly climb up and start pulling keys off the laptop. Her favorites are Ctrl and the Windows key. It's a gamble whether those keys work now or not. She also irreparably pulled the Enter key off Jared's laptop, which is...a problem.

She tries so hard to imitate our sounds and words and she is learning quickly. In addition to her previously learned words (mom, dad, dog, ball, hi, and bye-bye) she can now say "all gone." She regularly signs "more" and "finished" (which we also use for "all gone"), and can sign "please," "thank you," "bath, "candy," and "book" with prompting. She can make superb noises with her tongue and is a champion spit bubble maker. We're so proud.

Helping Jared set up her new crib

Playing with a baby doll at her playgroup

Modeling after her bath

Snow

2011-12-09T09:28:00.000-05:00

We woke up to snow this morning. Libby was too little to remember snow from last year, so it was fun to see her experience it for the first time. She was super excited to put her snow boots on and started taking giant steps while we were still in the house. Good to know walking in deep snow will come naturally to her!

She was either mesmerized or confused by the snow at first and just stood still in the driveway for a solid few minutes while taking it all in.

Eventually, she started stomping her feet and running into neighbors' yards and having a grand ol' time.

Aren't baby snow boots adorable?

15 months

2011-12-06T18:34:00.002-05:00

Things I'd like to remember about Libby at 15 months:

She loves pickles. Anytime the fridge is open, she grabs the pickle jar and begs for one. She sucks on them like popsicles, and while she eats most of it, she usually leaves a little pickle stub in some surprising location around the house.
Her ability to imitate me and Jared is a constant source of joy. I love seeing her try on my shoes, slather soap (or just water) all over her body in the shower, dry her hands on the kitchen towel, sweep the floor, and talk on the phone (even when no one is on the other end).
She is obsessed with pens - specifically ones that have a click top. While she does enjoy drawing on paper (and sometimes her body), she is mostly content to hold on to the pen. But! The ink tip has to be visible. Try and click the pen to retract it (to prevent stray marks), and she will protest by screaming and thrashing about.
She understands so much. If I tell her its time to brush her teeth, she goes to the bathroom and waits by the sink. When it's bathtime, she goes to the tub and tries to climb in. If I tell her to put her shoes on, she collects whatever shoes she can reach and brings them to me. Or, she goes to her bedroom, holds onto the wall for balance, and lifts her foot in the air and waits for me to put a shoe on it. When it's time to go bye-bye, she goes to her closet and points to her jacket. And, if she's feeling cooperative, she'll even lie down on the changing pad when I tell her we're going to change her diaper.

For my own reference, I'll add that her eating habits have picked up since she hit the year mark, and her weight is now comfortably back on the growth chart at 20 lbs (10th pecentile), up from her 12 months weight of 17 lbs (< 3rd percentile). Her current length is 31.25 inches (75th percentile), right on target following her 12 months length of 29.75 inches (75th percentile).

Thrifted Dresser: Before and after

2011-12-01T13:06:00.000-05:00

I mentioned way back in September that I found a dresser at the thrift store to replace Libby's damaged, dangerous, falling apart dressers. Thank goodness she hasn't hurt herself on the broken dressers in the extraordinarily long time it's taken me to finish the new one.

Before:

After:

I realize the "after" pictures are blown out, but they represent the true color best and I was too impatient to wait for better light.

Here's a rundown of what I did:

Removed the existing hardware and drawer pulls. The top 3 drawers had dingy metal pulls which I chose not to reuse. The bottom 6 drawers had an overhanging piece of wood with a lip underneath that functioned as the pull. (See below.) Once removed, I sawed them into smaller pieces and used them later on.

Repaired broken drawer with gorilla wood glue. See top right drawer in "before" picture.
Sanded. And sanded. And sanded. For about 20 hours. Maybe more.
Jimmy rigged a way for the drawers to align properly. After I took off the overhanging wood pieces on the bottom 6 drawers, I realized that they now sunk in about 3/4" deeper than the top 3 drawers. I basically just screwed small pieces of wood to the frame of the dresser in less-than-scientific locations. It works.
Installed homemade safety stops so the drawers wouldn't fall out. Wanna know how?

DIY Safety Stops

The idea is to use a small piece of sturdy wood (here's one place where I reused the old drawer pulls) and screw it to the back of the drawer, tight enough that it stays put, but loose enough you can still turn the wood piece by hand.

Turned horizontally, you can insert and remove the drawer as needed. Turned vertically, the wood piece sticks up over the back edge of the drawer, eventually being blocked by the frame of the dresser. You can slide the drawer in and out, but it won't fall out!

A simple story to remember

2011-11-30T16:09:00.000-05:00

If only I had my camera with me at the gym today, I could have captured one of the cutest, funniest, most adorable things Libby has ever done.

First of all, when I drop Libby off at the nursery each morning, there are usually several other kids there for her to play with. But by the time I finish my swim and shower, the other kids are long gone and Libby is left to entertain herself. It's always interesting to see what she's doing in there.

Today, I walked into the nursery and did not immediately spot her. I looked around for a second while the nursery worked said, "she crawled under there and went to sleep." I had to look around for a few more seconds before I finally realized where she was - underneath the table, cuddling a baby doll and a play fork - fast asleep. It was so cute, I didn't want to wake her up.

....................................

In other news, I cut Libby's bangs today. They turned out a little short, since she kept looking down while I was trimming, but at least she let me cut them at all, right?!

Elegant beauties of everyday life

2011-11-20T16:36:00.001-05:00

I was reminded recently of a beautiful and poignant piece of encouragement from President Uchtdorf:

"Never stop striving for the best that is within you. Never stop hoping for all of the righteous desires of your heart. But don’t close your eyes and hearts to the simple and elegant beauties of each day’s ordinary moments that make up a rich, well-lived life."

As a stay at home mom, my days are pretty much all alike, and they certainly don't seem elegant. We have the same routine most days of the week and after awhile, one day sort of blends into the next. I often tell Jared that on the weekends, I want to do something different. I don't care what it is or how long it takes or when I do it, but I just need something to break up the routine of everyday life, so that it actually feels like a weekend.

But, monotonous as the days and weeks may be, I am so glad to be able to spend all day with Libby. It is a miracle to witness her learn new skills, speak new words, and just be her adorable self. I do find myself vainly wishing for more hours in the day, so I could tackle one more project or read one more book or try one more recipe or swim one more mile. But I feel renewed and motivated now to open my eyes to the joy of every day.

kissing dad goodnight

President Uchtdorf's words came to my mind the other night as I was curled up in the dark rocking Libby to sleep. She was totally out, but I just kept rocking her, thinking to myself, "if this isn't a 'simple and elegant beauty,' I don't know what is.

14 months

2011-11-04T12:03:00.000-04:00

I love this sequence because it exemplifies so well Libby's current nature - fickle as can be. She is on a steep learning curve right now and gets frustrated and/or bored really easily. She'll go from smiles to tears in a matter of seconds...and repeat a hundred times a day. But she is so much fun to play with! She will copy nearly anything Jared or I do (within her capabilities, of course). She loves dancing, running laps around the house, clapping her hands, and stomping her feet. She makes great faces, cheesy smiles, and laughs easily. She says mama, da (dad), dah (dog), uh-oh, and hi. She can wave hello and goodbye.

Looking under the cupboard for a lost fridge magnet

My little praying mantis

Cleaning up her mess of oats

Enjoys climbing/sitting on Mom and Dad

Cowgirl Halloween costume

Typical results when I try to take a pic of me and Libby together

Finally looking at the camera...I love this little stinker

Toddler antics

2011-10-26T11:34:00.000-04:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again: my child reminds me of a dog sometimes.

In an attempt to distract Libby long enough to do the dishes this morning, I gave her a pastry brush and a small bowl of water and let her "paint" the fridge. This was all well and good for about 2 seconds, and then she just wanted to slurp the water out of the bowl.

Graduation Day

2011-10-21T16:34:00.000-04:00

In my mind, the day a baby girl starts wearing a ponytail is the day she graduates to toddlerhood.

Like most graduation days, it's filled with happiness and excitement for the future, with a healthy dose of nostalgia for the days you'll never get back.

So true

2011-10-13T11:37:00.001-04:00

"In these preparatory years, you young women spend much of your time in schools or jobs where you receive accolades, honors, awards, ribbons, or trophies. When you move from that stage to young motherhood, there is a dramatic drop-off in outside commendation. Yet in no other capacity is there more opportunity to serve selflessly as Christ would do by taking care of hundreds of daily physical, emotional, and spiritual needs."
-Susan W. Tanner, from here

Does anyone else sometimes want a trophy just for making dinner?

Photo Tribute to Nae Nae Horsey

2011-10-03T22:56:00.000-04:00

Today is my friend Renae's birthday. We met a little over 8 years ago when we were assigned as roommates in Heritage Halls at BYU. I didn't know any of my roommates when I headed off to BYU, but I seriously lucked out. Renae and I became fast friends and were roommates for 4 years until she got married.

Looking back, I'm afraid that I was probably a little obnoxious at times (like the time I got the urge to make split pea soup even though I hate peas, but was so disgusted by it that I left my dirty pot on the stove for...a week...or longer? Renae finally cleaned it for me.), but Renae was always patient and forgiving and FUN. She let me borrow her car (even calling it "our car"), she made me dinner, she invited me to spend holidays with her family, and she didn't get mad when I accidentally melted her snow pants on the campfire.

I'm certain I have more pictures of me and Renae than I do of me and my husband, so choosing just a handful was an impossible task. Instead, here are more pictures than you ever wanted to see of the two of us! I was hysterical going through all those years of photos. I left out some of the more embarrassing pictures (let's just say Thanksgiving weekend "makeover")...it is her birthday, after all. :) Hope you get a laugh out of these, Renae!

We shared everything

Microwave s'mores in our dorm freshman year

Strong bad face

Freshman roommies! LOVE these girls!

The Format concerts!

"Raiders of the Night" practical joke task force

Talking to our downstairs neighbors through the vent under our bed... "AAAADAM WAAAATSON!"

Renaeighties dance party

Eating with a giant spoon because all our dishes were dirty

Renae's birthday, 2004 - I guess she didn't like the cake I made for her! ;)

Playing Halo with the guys

At the Joseph Smith Memorial Building over Thanksgiving weekend

Sumo!

Painting our house

Snow tubing at Soldier Hollow - so much fun!

I don't remember the significance of the hula hoop, but I have several pictures like this, so it must have been really fun at the time!

Renae taped me into our room one day

Picnics at Rock Canyon

Picnics at Rock Canyon - the best Sunday afternoon activity

Longboarding at the Colony (hey! that's Jared's car in the background!)

Roommate cuddle time

Hahaha...forcibly cutting a lock of Renae's hair...so we could tape it to someone's head. I don't remember why.

Graduation with the freshman roommates of 189 Fugal Hall

Renae's wedding, 2007

My wedding, 2009

Happy birthday, Renae! Thanks for being such a great friend all these years!

13 months

2011-10-01T11:25:00.000-04:00

At 13 months, little miss Libby
likes to eat: clementines, raisins, fig newtons, yogurt, peaches, apples, berries, beans, rice, tomatoes, ice cream, eggs, cheese, animal crackers, and anything mom and dad are eating

says: mama, dada, dog (although dog is the only one that is actually directed at someone/something)

enjoys: climbing stairs, playing on slides at playgrounds, reading books, playing the keyboard, drawing, getting into baskets, boxes, etc.

has learned how to: get dressed (helps puts her arms in sleeves, legs in pants, and feet in socks and shoes), eat with a fork occasionally, clap her hands, spin in circles until she's so dizzy she runs into the wall, and pick up things and hand them to mom/dad (this comes in handy when it's time to pick up her toys!)

She loves playing with my high heels!

We had a rough couple of weeks with sleeping (those 12 month shots are killer...she wound up with a fever and measles rash and was cranky to the max), but she's finally back to sleeping through the night. Poor little thing still cries every.single.time I put her down for a nap, though.

Sleeping beauty

Idaho

2011-09-29T12:48:00.000-04:00

Jared's grandma passed away last week. We were glad we had been able to visit her a couple of times this past year. Here she is with Libby on Christmas Day, 2010. What a sweet picture.

We were lucky to find super last minute plane tickets we could afford on Priceline and were able to make it to Idaho for the funeral. It was nice to be there with family and to remember Grandma Howell.

Libby got to play with some new toys at Grandma and Grandpa's house. She loved this tricycle and screamed when Jared took her off to try to show her a different scooter. She could walk/scoot with it a little bit, but was mostly content to just sit on it.

We had a great time picking and eating raspberries when we were there in July and were glad to see there were still plenty of raspberries left. Libby goes absolutely crazy for them.

We had to take a picture of Libby with this zucchini. It was monstrous. Jared pulled out a fence post in the backyard that left a 3 foot hole and we joked that we could just fill it in with this zucchini.

If you got a flat tire, what would you do?

2011-09-21T15:33:00.000-04:00

Am I the only one that gets way too emotional about cooking? Seriously, nothing ruins my day faster than burnt food.

This morning, I ran across a recipe for homemade granola and remembered how long it has been since I last made some. I gathered the ingredients and put Libby on the counter to help. She "stirred" the granola with her hands. (It was all going well until she started shoving fistfuls of raw oats into her mouth.) It came together super quick and I was getting really excited to try it. About 10 minutes into the oven, I started to smell smoke. I was bummed, but hoped it was still salvageable. It wasn't. I don't know why it burned so fast, or why it bugged me so much, but I was just not in a good mood after that. I put the 2 pans full of burnt granola on the porch and aired out the house.

And then, after a couple hours of sulking I decided to try again. While I was whipping up a new batch (this time with a new recipe...just in case that was the problem), I was reminded of an interview with Jillian Michaels I read in a magazine the other day. She was talking about eating healthy through the holiday season and specifically, not giving up when you make a mistake.

“Think of it this way: If you got a flat tire, what would you do? Change the tire? Or get out of the car and slash the other three tires? No! Get back on the road. Don’t dwell on it, don’t beat yourself up. That gets you nowhere.”

I truly never thought I'd be quoting Jillian Michaels on my blog, but there you go.

Thrifting

2011-09-14T21:18:00.002-04:00

I really love hunting for a good bargain, so I do quite a bit of thrift-store browsing. I've gotten some of my all-time favorite pieces of clothing - like my gray pencil skirt, my other gray pencil skirt, my black pencil skirt, my navy pencil skirt (anyone else sensing a pattern?) - at thrift stores.

Sadly, the one thrift store here in town is a bust when it comes to clothes. Everything is from WalMart or Dress Barn. But, I've found quite a few good household items, including 2 shelves, tons of picture frames (I'm in the process of putting together a gallery wall that is 100% upcycled or thrifted), and today, this dresser:

I was far too lazy (read: it was too cold in the garage) to put the drawers back in for the picture

I've been in the market for a new dresser for Libby since the movers broke both of hers. Do you know how hard it is to find a dresser that is sturdy and inexpensive? The cheapest solid wood dressers I could find started at about $600. And let me tell you what, I am not going to spend $600 on a dresser that is going to get covered in crayon in about 2 seconds. But all those darn particle board dressers (even the nicer ones) end up being flimsy and take about a million years to assemble. This baby is 100% solid wood, came already assembled, and only cost $15. I can live with that.

Now...I have to find out what sort of hardware to install that will prevent the drawers from being pulled all the way out (and onto Libby's feet). And maybe think about painting/staining it to match her crib.

Exercise

2011-09-09T12:58:00.000-04:00

When I was in high school, particularly my freshman year, I was in pretty good shape. Like, the best shape of my life. I was on the volleyball team and my coach took off-season training seriously (probably because we lost every game we played that year). I could pound out 30 pushups like it was nothing. I may have felt like throwing up after all the sprints we had to do, but I could do them. Eventually, I had to give up sports for theatre (yep, I was a drama geek) and they don't tell you this, but theatre isn't a very good workout.

Long story short, it's been a long time since I've had a consistent exercise routine. About a year and a half ago, I had a doctor tell me that I was a "weakling" and that I had "basically no musculature" in my neck and shoulders. For about 2 seconds, I was determined to start working out regularly, but then life got in the way and I had a baby, etc, etc. Finally, several months ago, I was having some serious insomnia issues. I think my body was all out of whack from waking up so much with Libby, that even when she started sleeping through the night, I couldn't. One night, while laying in bed awake for over FOUR hours, I decided it was high time to make exercise a priority. The next day, I went to the gym and worked out so hard I felt like throwing up. It only took an hour for me to fall asleep that night. The next day, I worked out hard again and I fell asleep even faster. Since then, I have made it a goal to exercise at least a few times a week. It was harder back in NC, since I didn't have a gym with a nursery, but I'm so lucky now to be able to drop Libby off and exercise during the day.

Libby had a cold for about a week and it was killing me to not be able to work out. My sleep was suffering, too. Finally, her leaky nose was contained enough that I felt okay about taking her to the nursery and behold, I can sleep again. Today, I swam laps for the first time in a very long while, and I felt strong. I'm a terrible swimmer and my technique sucks, but it felt good. I felt good. And that's what matters.

How we realized we are country bumpkins

2011-09-09T12:16:00.000-04:00

On a whim, we decided to go to Chicago last weekend. Thinking it would take a short 2 hours to get there, we left about 4:30 PM, hoping to have a nice dinner in the city before retiring to our hotel.

Things didn't go quite as planned. First, there was construction on the highway, so we were behind schedule before we even got close to Chicago. Then, there was the Chicago suburb traffic...busy and fast. Finally, we got into the heart of town and I misunderstood the directions and missed a turn. In a city full of one way streets, overpasses and underpasses, we got seriously turned around. Thank goodness we had a GPS to get us back on track, but it was at least a 20 minute detour to make our way back. Finally, we arrived at the hotel, only to find that valet parking costs $49 dollars a night. I parked in a loading zone while Jared ran in to check in and find out if there were any other parking options. Apparently there was a really long line to check in because it was taking FOREVER. It was already well past Libby's bedtime at this point and she was getting cranky, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. Thinking there was a parking lot just around the corner, I left the loading zone and turned onto what turned out to be a one-way street with no available parking spots. Now I was stuck and couldn't get back to the hotel the way I came from, so I thought I'd just drive around the block. But the hotel was on an "upper" street and when I circled the block, I ended up on the "lower" street and could not for the life of me figure out how to get back to the upper street. I had the GPS on, but it kept losing satellite reception since were under bridges. To top it off, I tried to call Jared to tell him that I had left and was trying to work my way back, but my phone's battery died. I got more and more lost and more and more frantic, but finally my prayers were heard and the GPS started working again. I made it back and promised Jared I would never ever ever leave him again (not that he was upset, but I had been so scared alone!).

Finally, we got into our room and discovered that our 4 star hotel room was the size of a matchbox. It was far too late to go out and find something to eat, but we were all starving, so we ordered a much too expensive room service pizza and finally were able to get Libby to bed. Jared and I woke up the next morning with backaches from the awful bed. Seriously, this is what we paid for??? Anyway, it was a place to sleep and I guess that's all we really needed.

Saturday, we walked to the shopping district and looked around a bit. We went to the Museum of Contemporary Photography (unfortunately not as cool as I was hoping) and wandered through the park.

We were planning to go to the temple that afternoon, but realizing it was a good 45 minutes north of town, not including traffic delays, we decided to skip it after all. Turns out that was the right call, because it started raining like crazy, which only made traffic worse. We even spun around on a busy Chicago road (the Lord was looking out for us, though, because there were miraculously no other cars around!).

Finally, after another series of GPS malfunctions and detours, we made it out of the blasted city and had dinner in the much small and quieter city of Joliet. Over dinner, we decided that we are not city folk. We'll take our small town with it's lack of shopping and dining over the big city any day (or at least 364 days of the year). It's kind of a bummer that the nicest place to eat in town is the $7.99 Super Wok buffet, but at least there's ample parking.

1

2011-09-01T10:27:00.024-04:00

To Libby, on your first birthday,

As I write this letter to you today, I am overwhelmed with gratitude that you are mine. I hope that somehow, in some future year, you will understand just how precious you are to me and how amazing this last year has been. My world revolves around you. And while that simple fact may be challenging at times, I know how lucky I am to have something important and meaningful enough to change my whole world - YOU.

I almost started this letter by saying that one year ago, I had no idea that I could love you this much. But that would be untrue. Even before you were born, I loved you with my whole heart. Seeing you grow and learn and change this past year has been incredibly fulfilling and and while I somehow seem to love you more each day, it doesn't mean that I loved you any less the day before. Rather, I think my capacity to love you grows along with you.

There are so many things I love about you: your smile, your laugh, your "monster" face, your snuggles, the way you lay your head on my shoulder when meeting someone new, the way you lean your head way over to the side and grin, your love of books, your impromptu games of peekaboo. Every day, you make me laugh. Every day, you surprise me with your creativity, intelligence, and abilities. Every day, I am grateful to be your mom.

The world is lucky to have you, Libby Claire. I can't wait to see the person you become.

Happy birthday.

Today

2011-08-29T20:43:00.001-04:00

Today, Libby discovered her shadow. We were walking up and down the street in front of our house and it looked like she was chasing something. Suddenly, I realized what it was. She even knelt down on the ground to try to grab it. Is that not the cutest shadow you've ever seen? For some reason, it reminded me of Big Baby from Toy Story 3.

Libby and I went out to eat at Super Wok. Jared is out of town and I just couldn't muster up the desire to cook. I love hanging out with my little girl. I feel so much better about going out to eat by myself when I bring Libby along. No "party of one" here!

We played outside in the yard when we got home. Libby chased a rabbit. It ran under the fence, but then parked itself and they had a staring contest.

What a beatiful, simple day.

What happens when you're not looking

2011-08-24T22:03:00.000-04:00

Let's say you have a child. Let's say this child is of an age that he or she cannot yet distinguish edible from inedible items. Or perhaps she DOES recognize edible items, but does not understand that some once-edible items may no longer be suitable for eating.

As it turns out, if you, the parent of this child, turn your head/avert your eyes/go to the bathroom/tie your shoe/engage in conversation for greater than 1 second (the time it takes for the child's hand to reach mouth), you will inevitably end up with a little list I like to call Nasty Things (insert your child's name) Has Eaten or Attempted to Eat.

Here's ours:

Nasty Things Libby Has Eaten or Attempted to Eat

-used chewing gum (found on the floor at Sears while we were deep in concentration choosing appliances)

-unidentified bug (on the hotel room floor) - you may now proceed with your dry heaving...that's what I did

-old corn cob, eaten by wild animal (we suspect rabbit) and deposited into front yard

-dryer lint

-Skittle from the laundromat floor

-various flowers, grasses, and shrubbery

-rocks

-dirt

-styrofoam (still unsure where this came from)

And that was just the last 3 weeks.

Daily Life

2011-08-20T12:09:00.000-04:00

Years from now, when I think back to the time when Libby was a baby, I think I will be more interested in remembering what our lives were like on the plain and simple days than on our rare adventurous days. And so...as of August 2011, here's what we do on an average day.

6:30 AM - Libby wakes up. She's incredibly consistent. Jared is usually up already (he has to be at work at 7! gasp!), so sometimes he'll get her out of her crib and bring her to me to nurse in bed. Other days, I drag my sleepy self out of bed and walk the 5 feet to Libby's room...and then bring her back to nurse in bed.

7:00 AM - Libby is finished nursing, and I can no longer convince her to stay in bed and cuddle and try to go back to sleep, so I get up, change her diaper and get her ready for the day. Then we head to kitchen and I eat breakfast while she plays or snacks on cereal. She's usually too full from nursing to eat much yet, so she has her breakfast a little later.

Libby's "monster" face; aka growl/scowl/"you want me to eat that?!" face

8:00 AM - We head to the rec center, where I exercise and Libby plays in the nursery. She has surprised me by how much she likes it there, considering what a Momma's girl she is and how afraid of strangers she's typically been.

9:30 AM - We get home, and Libby is usually ready for a nap pretty soon. While she naps, I take a shower and get ready for the day. I check my email, read some blogs (you know, the important stuff!) and eventually convince myself to do something productive, like meal-planning or washing the dishes from breakfast. (We don't have a dishwasher, so washing dishes seems to be a never-ending task.)

11:00 AM - Libby wakes up, wants to nurse, and then play. We play outside, where she likes to walk up and down the pathway from the driveway to the front door, or chase the rabbits in the backyard, and I try to keep her from eating too many leaves and rocks. Or we play inside and read books or roll around on the floor or play hide and seek. Or (I'll admit it), sometimes I watch a movie while Libby plays in the living room or busies herself emptying the drawer of tupperware in the kitchen.

Sitting still for a rare moment

12:00 PM - We eat lunch. By this point in the day, I'm usually ready to get out of the house, so we might go grocery shopping or to the library. Libby LOVES the library. As much as she loves books, she loves the toys at the library even more. Our library has tons of toys in the children's section and Libby can entertain herself for quite a while. Give her 5 minutes in there and it will look like a tornado hit the place, though, so I'm usually following close behind to prevent chaos.

3:00 PM - Libby takes another nap. She has a harder time falling asleep at this nap, but it happens eventually. I try to clean the kitchen and get dinner prepped during this time. Or (let's get real) sometimes I just surf the internet or read a book.

4:30 PM - Libby wakes up and nurses, and is usually pretty clingy at the this time of day...which is why it's really in my best interest to do dinner prep rather than browse pinterest while she's napping. ;)

5:30 PM - Jared gets home and we eat dinner. After dinner, we usually take Libby outside to run around or we just hang out in the living room, rolling around on the floor and tickling Libby until we've gotten all the giggles we want out of her (it's never enough).

Carrying her Dora backpack the only way she knows how

7:00 PM - Libby gets a bath or a shower. If she's cranky, she gets a shower for sure. It's her "off switch" as Jared likes to say. Totally calms her down and puts her to sleep. After her bath, I nurse her and put her to bed, usually around 7:45 to 8:00. She goes to sleep easily these days and sleeps through the night! Bless that girl!

After Libby's in bed, Jared and I hang out, read, or get things done around the house. Lately, I've been spending my time sewing or upcycling clothing and trying to figure out how to decorate our house.

I have to say, I don't miss my job for even a second. I am incredibly content being a full-time mom, and feel lucky that I have so much time with my little girl. I am sure I don't value it enough day to day, so I resolve to be better. To spend more time interacting, and less merely observing. More teaching, more chasing, more crawling, more messes. This girl is totally worth it.

Looking out our front door window

We're here!

2011-08-09T12:37:00.000-04:00

We rolled into town Sunday of last week and have been hard at work getting settled into our new house in Illinois:

Oops, wrong picture. Here's where we actually live:

We did check out the first house and half-way considered renting it (it's a great deal considering how GINORMOUS it is) but we were worried it would cost our first born child to heat in the 8 month long winter. That, and Jared was scared we were going to electrocute ourselves. The house was built in 1875, after all.

Anyway, our new (rental) home is certainly sufficient for our needs right now. Two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, a not-quite-dining-room (more like an extension of the kitchen), 1 real bathroom, an unfinished basement with a BONUS toilet and shower out in the open (guest room, anyone??), a detached 1 car garage, and a wide open fenced in backyard. There's even an apple tree.

It may not be (read: isn't) our dream home, but it is SO.MUCH.BETTER. than all the other rental homes we looked at, so we feel really really grateful that we found this place. In general, we are just feeling so grateful right now. We are blessed.

I've got tons of sewing projects in mind to pretty up our new place, and Jared is busy with training, meetings, and still trying to finish his dissertation. And of course, there's all the other busy work that goes along with moving - registering the cars, getting new driver licenses, insurance, etc. So we've got plenty to keep us busy right now, but we are really happy to be getting settled. Life is good.

11 months

2011-08-01T12:14:00.000-04:00

At 11 months, Libby is an excellent walker. She is playful and curious, opening every drawer and climbing every step she can find. She took a long tumble down the stairs at her aunt's house in Utah last week, but it hasn't appeared to dampen her interest in stairs whatsoever. (Other than a rug burn on her chin and a bitten tongue, she was, thankfully, unharmed.)

Libby has always loved eating, tearing, and crinkling paper, so it's no surprise to me that she loves books. What IS a surprise is how careful she is with her own books. She will still rip up pieces of paper she finds on Jared's clipboards and notepads, but she treasures The Foot Book so much that she knows not to tear its pages. I think it's remarkable how smart she is.

Libby mumbles and babbles all the time, but we're still waiting to hear her "first word." For now, I'm enjoying every little giggle and squeal we get out of her (which is a lot).

Love you, Libby Claire!

Small town charm

2011-07-14T16:36:00.001-04:00

We took a trip last week to visit our future town and try to find a place to live. We were unsuccessful on the housing front, but I'm sure something will turn up. Preferably something built in the 20th century and with doors on the bathrooms. And maybe, possibly, pretty please with air conditioning. Is that really too much to ask?

Anyway, we heard some pretty funny things from those small-town folk.

For instance, a landlord trying to entice us to rent his house: "P*** (town about 20 minutes away) is growing like crazy - they're getting an Olive Garden!" (Well, if that isn't the definition of a booming metropolis, I don't know what is!)

Airport baggage personnel at the teeny airport we flew into: "We had 60 bags last week! That about did me in."

Airport rental car employee to customer on phone: "I'm sorry, we just had TWO planes land at the same time, so I'm really busy. Call back in 20-30 minutes." (There were a grand total of 3 people in line.)

Truth be told, I'm pretty excited to live in a small town. I'll take getting stuck behind a tractor on the road (which we did) over getting stuck in interstate traffic during rush hour ANY DAY.

10.5 months

2011-07-14T16:21:00.001-04:00

Kissing herself in the mirror

Libby is changing and growing so much every day, she deserves a half-month update.

In the past 2 weeks, Libby has really gotten the hang of walking and takes so much pleasure in it, she will spend up to an hour at a time walking laps in the apartment, smiling and laughing to herself the whole time.

She's also learned to climb, which means she can access that many more forbidden places. But it's pretty fun to watch.

She's also discovered her eyelashes, which is just plain cute. While she's nursing or lying in my arms, she will bring her hand to her face (sort of in an L shape) and stroke her eyelashes with her thumb.

And, in one of her funniest developments of late, she's realized she can make noise (aka screech) while breathing IN as well as out. It's especially funny when she pairs it with her newfound ability to shrug her shoulders and pull in her belly. If only she'd do it on command so I could snap a picture of that. :)

10 months

2011-07-01T15:03:00.000-04:00

At 10 months, Libby weighs 18.0 pounds (24th percentile). Woohoo for gaining a whole pound this past month!

I don't know when exactly it happened, but it appears that someone has stolen my baby and replaced her with a toddler. I can't believe how mobile my little lady is.

She can take about 5-7 steps on her own, though she still much prefers crawling and walking with assistance of a hand or piece of furniture.

Also, maybe it's her mouthful of teeth, but for some reason, she looks so much older when she smiles like this:

Libby is babbling all the time and using a variety of consonants (m, d, p, k, b, y). She says some things that sound like words (mama, dada, yeah yeah) but of course, only she knows if she really understands any of them. She does understand the sign for "milk" which I use when I ask her if she wants to nurse. She usually drops whatever she's doing and makes a beeline for me when she sees the sign. I can't wait till she signs back to me. Even without talking or signing, it's amazing how well babies can communicate with their expressions.

She's been trying out different laughs, which is so stinking cute. For her favorite fake laugh, she scrunches up her face and makes a long, hard K sound, which usually spews slobber and/or whatever food may be in her mouth. It's awesome.

It's been an amazing month of growing and learning. Happy 10 monthiversary to Libby!

Healthy Eating

2011-06-06T15:16:00.003-04:00

Most of the time I think of myself as a pretty healthy eater. I spend most of the grocery budget on produce and I try to make things from scratch as much as possible. But sometimes, I just have to ignore the fact that the recipe I'm making calls for 5 cups of heavy cream and boasts over 10,000 calories. Because it's just that good.

photo via tasteofhome.com

Now that I've looked at the nutrition facts, I'm a little sickened that Jared and I finished off a batch of this in 2 days last time I made it. That means I consumed over 5,000 calories of bread pudding in one weekend! Good thing I'm breastfeeding. ;) Love burning those calories!

9 months

2011-06-01T13:59:00.000-04:00

At 9 months, my sweet Libby Claire is representing the featherweights at 17.0 pounds. I met a 4 month old the other day that weighed 4 pounds more than that. Heck, there are probably some beefy 3 month olds that weigh that much. I'm not too concerned, but I did promise the doc I'd try to get her to eat more this month (we're heading back in next month for a weight check).

To my immense delight (most of the time), Libby is becoming a little mother's helper. She loves playing with dirty dishes in the dishwasher, reorganizing the pantry, unfolding laundry I've just folded, and being my little human vacuum cleaner, eating everything from food scraps to paper to spiders (luckily she didn't actually eat the spider but she was really close).

She cruises around the furniture these days and even experiments with letting go and standing on her own 2 feet for a few seconds at a time. I'm sure she'll be walking in no time!

She continues to mumble "mama" all the time, and said "dada" the other day. As exciting as it is to hear, I'm not too sure she knows what they mean.

She's holding steady at 8 teeth and is playing around with using them for biting...my shoulder, her own arm, shoes, anything really. She likes to put things in her mouth and carry them around the house. She really reminds me of a dog sometimes.

The little Libster still enjoys an occasional peekaboo game under the covers, but we mostly play full fledged hide and seek. She's great at seeking, not so much at hiding.

And, in her most amazing accomplishment yet, she is finally sleeping through the night! She's a bit of an early bird, often waking before the clock strikes 6 AM, but hey, I'll take it!

Good job on all your amazing accomplishments, Libs. I love you.

The Mom I Want to Be

2011-05-17T10:36:00.005-04:00

I often think about the person I want to become. I've pretty much always known, though I'm more sure now than ever, that my greatest aspiration in life is to be a mother. But not just any mother. An awesome mother.

I don't need or even remotely want to be a "cool" mom or a mom who tries to be her teenager's best friend. But I do want to have fabulous and meaningful relationships with my children. I want them to know that I love and cherish them and care about them more than I care about anything else.

Every once in a while, I see examples around me of women who are THAT mom I want to be. I saw one in the grocery store last week. At the end of the laundry soap aisle, I saw a little girl, probably about 3 or 4 years old who was obviously upset and crying. Rather than scold her daughter for making noise in public (like too many people do), this very pregnant mom knelt down on the floor and just hugged her little girl. And I don't mean gave her a quick pat on the back and told her to buck up. She really hugged her and didn't let go until she stopped crying. It was so sweet it brought tears to my eyes, right there next to the laundry soap and toilet paper.

That's the mom I want to be. I want to be patient and loving and always, always put my kids first.

Because kids deserve love. Even if maybe they've made a mess and eaten 3 of your Rook cards.

8 months

2011-05-08T09:53:00.004-04:00

At 8 months old, my dear sweet Libs

has 8 teeth
crawls with her tummy off the ground

follows me around the house like a puppy dog

still tries to eat everything she can get her hands on
pulls herself up to a kneeling position
occasionally pulls herself up to standing
thinks it's hilarious when I dance (which...it is)
plays hide and seek - she covers her face with a blanket, (usually) waits for us to say "where's Libby?" and pulls it down
is totally entranced by the computer and printer

says Momma - Jared and I debate whether she is actually saying Momma or just making M sounds, but I think she says it with purpose. She usually says it when she is hanging on to my leg begging me to pick her up.
goes to bed at 7 PM and gets up between 6 and 7 AM, which would be totally awesome except for those 2-3 night wakings. We're dragging her crib out to the living room these days (so she's not in the same room as us) and it really helped the first couple of nights, but no such luck since then. I keep hearing these horror stories about babies who don't sleep through the night until they are 3 or 4 years old and it makes me want to crawl in a hole to even think that that could happen. Oh Sleep Fairy, please come visit us this month!
goes on hikes in the backpack carrier
and...is just generally adorable. Love you, Libs.

Dun duh duh duh! (Announcement)

2011-04-12T10:15:00.005-04:00

Last night I dreamt I was 4 months pregnant. And that an acquaintance's husband's mother was trying to kill me. I think the pregnant part was scarier.

I promise I'm not pregnant, but I do have an exciting announcement! We're not going to be homeless! Well, actually we still don't know about that, but Jared DID get a job! Without disclosing the exact location to the internet world, I will say it's a quaint little town of 7,000 people in northern Illinois, about 2 hours from Chicago. He starts August 1st, so we'll likely be heading up to the Land of Lincoln mid to late July. (We're throwing in some vacations to Utah and Texas sometime around then, so it's gonna be a crazy month.)

As much as we were trying to avoid ending up in a small town, we're actually getting excited about it now. First thing to be excited about: traffic, or lack thereof. SO excited to be done with that. Raleigh's traffic is incredibly mild compared to many big cities, but I guess Jared and I are just impatient, because it kind of drives us crazy.

We're also excited for a new abode. (Libby needs her own bedroom, stat. I think that might be the cure for her sleeping problems. We just have to make it 3 more months!) Only problem is, the only apartments in town are government subsidized (with income restrictions) and we haven't been able to find any homes for rent. There are plenty of homes to buy, but who's gonna buy from us when we leave? It's not exactly a boomtown. So, that's our quandary, but it's an exciting quandary to have.

I haven't been there yet, but I imagine it will look a lot like this:

That's an ethanol plant in small town Ohio where we lived for a couple months

And we'll end up with lots of this:

Our bounty from Ohio

But hopefully I don't have to do this again:

Booyah. Awesome outfit for working in the corn fields.

We are so grateful to have a job, especially given the current conditions of the job market. It's an exciting time for us and we are truly blessed!

7 months

2011-04-04T09:37:00.004-04:00

At 7 months, Libby:

enjoys reading magazines

faithfully practices yoga

is too big for her bouncy chair

loves playing with Daddy

makes great faces

looks adorable in her new sun hat

has pink toenails

Developmental notes:

Libby is turning into an excellent scooter, pulling herself with her arms and dragging the rest of her body. She alternates between this style of locomotion and what I call the "vacuum cleaner," which entails her driving her head into the floor and pushing with her feet.

Sleep. Oh gosh, when will I have something positive to report on this subject? Please, soon!

Getting Libby to consistently eat or drink something (anything!) other than breast milk has been a goal this past month. We've had intermittent success with applesauce, sweet potato, and other bits and pieces from mom's and dad's plates, and major success with those little puffs. She devours those things. She is slowly learning the sippy cup concept, but still thinks a bottle is just a toy. However, she can drink through a straw and LOVES trying to drink from sport-top water bottles. I haven't tried giving her any formula or milk with these yet, because she still spills more than she drinks, but maybe soon.

Other tidbits I want to remember:

One of our favorite things to do lately is cover my face with a blanket and repeat "where's mommy?" until she pulls it off and finds me, which thrills her to laughter. It's awesome.

When I put Libby down for a nap, I usually hold her close (chest to chest) for a few minutes and rock her before putting her in her crib. Recently, she's been pushing herself away from me so that she can rest the top of her head against my chest. I guess it's comfortable? It's super cute, though and I can tell she's really tired whenever she does this.

6 months

2011-03-02T09:19:00.009-05:00

Just a little sketch I made on Leighana's ipod

At six months, Libby:

weighs 15 pounds, 9 ounces (44%)
is 26.25 inches long (71%)
has a 43.5 cm head circumference (79%)
can sit unassisted for short periods of time...until she falls over

rolls from front to back and back to front
can turn in circles while lying on her tummy
tries to get her knees up underneath her body so she can scoot

is slowly becoming interested in food - more so in grabbing it off our plates than eating it herself
has 2 teeth

enjoys making noise with paper, chip bags, and plastic of any variety
coos, grunts, babbles, and laughs

If you know what's good for you, you'll watch this seriously cute video of Libby laughing

sleeps about 4 hours at her longest stretch at night (still looking for that magic sleep solution if anyone has it)
is scared of the blender or anything like unto it
stares at Mommy like crazy, even if someone else is holding her (I LOVE that she knows who I am!)
loves to attack (hug and eat) her Winnie the Pooh bear that is almost as big as she is

I'm totally loving how active and fun Libby is these days. She's a different person with every passing month. Can't wait to see what she'll be like next month.

5 years ago

2011-02-15T11:00:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to write this post for a while now, but poor Libby cut 2 teeth recently and we've been trying to catch up on sleep. And then my camera battery was dead and you know how difficult it is to charge a battery.

Anyway, I was inspired by Jane's nostalgic post last month to take a trip down memory lane myself. I started thinking about what I was doing 5 years ago this month and it dawned on me that Jared and I had our first date around that time. (Jared denies it was a "real date" but I beg to differ.) Which then got me thinking about how Jared asked me out for that first date...which then got me thinking about one of the most awkward things that has ever happened to me.

Five years ago, I was a junior at BYU and working at the copy center on campus. I was busily working away one day when I saw a student-aged guy walk in, look around, and then leave. A few minutes later, the guy walked in again, this time holding a carnation and looking every bit as lost as the first time. I walked up to the counter and asked if I could help him with something. With barely a moment's hesitation, he asked, "are you single?" I was caught off guard (and I'm no good at lying anyway), so I said "yes." He presented me with the flower and said, "Well, then this is for you."

He also handed me a hot pink, glitter-covered envelope and said he wanted to get to know me. I obliged by answering a couple of his trite questions (name? major? hobbies?), while desperately trying to figure out how to get rid of him. Finally, I just told him I really had to get back to work.

Once I had him shooed out the door, I practically ran behind some shelves where I would be out of sight of customers. I nervously opened the pink envelope and found a handwritten letter inside. I was alarmed that this guy might be some kind of perv when the first words my eyes caught were "private" and "tickly back rubs" but curiosity got the better of me and I read it anyway.

Would you like to see it?

And in case that wasn't enough, there's a back!

He also gave me this gem:

What does "P.C." stand for, you ask? His initials? No. "Please call." Is it strange that among all the personal information he so generously shared with me, he never mentioned his name?

You'd think after all this, I might be slightly worried that I had a stalker or something (I did see him a few weeks later at the copy center, but I hid behind the shelves before he could see me) but I was about 99% sure that he would have given his precious flower to whichever of the copy center girls acknowledged him first.

Anyway, I kept the card because I thought it was funny and it made for a great conversation piece when friends came over to visit. Jared was one of those friends that heard the story. Now, anyone who knew Jared during his BYU years knows he was a practical jokester. So, it shouldn't have surprised me (but it really, really did) when I experienced a sort of deja vu a few weeks later.

Once again, I was working away at the copy center when I saw an older gentleman walk in carrying a carnation. He asked for me by name and when I confirmed that I was Jennifer, he handed me the flower and said, "this is for you." This was all too strange and I remember trying to reject it, but he insisted it was for me and handed me an envelope as well. As soon as I saw the pre-printed return address on the envelope (BYU Genetics and Biotechnology) I knew who it was from and was relieved that at least it wasn't the glittery-envelope-guy again.

Inside the envelope was another handwritten letter (for some reason it was written on a paper towel?) inviting me to go snowboarding that weekend. It had no name, but I knew it was from Jared.

So, I called him up and we made plans to learn to snowboard together. He borrowed a snowboard for me, got our lift tickets, AND bought me dinner, but he still claims it wasn't a date. Whatever. Look where we are 5 years later.

Our first date

Sorry, teacher

2011-02-14T18:42:00.006-05:00

Libby ate my Sunday School lesson.

No, really.

Oops.

5 months

2011-02-01T10:30:00.002-05:00

After her first taste of rice cereal

My dear sweet Libby,

I cannot believe how much you've grown. It's so exciting to see you change. In the past month, you've gotten loads better at sitting up and now you do not want to lean back anymore. The bouncy chair, the car seat, the stroller, the bath tub - all these things were designed for you to recline. But apparently that's not for you anymore. You are a big girl now and you use your strong abs to keep your head and shoulders lifted up.

It's adorable how proud your are of yourself when you accomplish something (like standing up with help) and how much you love praise.

I love your precious facial expressions and how you always wake up with a smile. I love how easily you laugh (you're just starting to be ticklish!) and how much you like to hear my silly voices. You get fussy when putting on shirts, but you turn that frown upside down when I sing you the hokey-pokey.

I especially love how you put your darling little hands on my cheeks when I bring my face close to yours. Totally makes me melt inside.

You've lost most of the hair you had when you were born, but as Daddy so lovingly put it, "it's amazing how something so bald can be so cute."

For nutritional needs, you still subsist entirely on Mommy's milk, but just for the fun of it, you've tried rice cereal a couple of times. I'm afraid more cereal got on your body than in your mouth, but you were a good sport. You've also tried a few small bites of frozen pureed cantaloupe, Dippin' Dots ice cream and mashed banana.

You're now an experienced traveler, having been on 10 successful plane rides (and 1 pretty miserable one). Your sleep schedule has been erratic to say the least, but we can't really blame you. On one beautiful night a few weeks ago, you slept 8 continuous hours and Mommy was so happy! Since then, you have had a hard time sleeping more than 4 hours at a time, which makes Mommy a wee bit cranky, but she still loves you.

As I tell you nearly every day, you're my favorite baby.

I love you, my pretty pretty princess.

Coming soon...

2011-01-31T12:13:00.002-05:00

I'm working on writing a post about a funny story from my college years so started reading my journals from college (yes, I have multiple...I wrote ALL the time back then) and I have to say, I might actually fall over dead from embarrassment if anyone (even my husband) gets their hands on them.

Cannot believe how boy crazy I was. Kind of makes me dizzy reading how quickly I went through crushes. Sadly (or maybe, thankfully?), I can honestly say I don't remember half of the people I wrote about. I've always wished I was the type of journal writer who wrote things that would inspire future generations, but alas...that's not my style.

Anyway, funny story coming up...and yes, it's about a boy. ;)

My Biggest Trial

2011-01-28T11:04:00.005-05:00

A few days ago, Jared and I were talking about how lucky we've been to have such easy lives, especially in the (short) time since we've been married. We haven't had to deal with major illnesses, long-term unemployment, or many of the other challenges that so many people face. While I agreed with Jared that we have been exceedingly blessed, I told him that the biggest challenge I've had to face in my lifetime was pretty recent. Want to know what it was?

Breastfeeding.

Just how women "forget" the pain of labor or the woes of pregnancy as time wears on, I'm just now beginning to forget the desperation I felt during Libby's first few months. I wanted to chronicle my experience here so that I can look back and remember that I MADE IT. As hard as it was, it didn't kill me. And I hope beyond hope beyond hope beyond hope that I never have to experience it again, but just in case my future babies prove to be as difficult, I want to remember what I did to get through it.

[I will be using the words "nipple" and "breast" frequently, so feel free to go ahead and move on if 1) you are male or 2) you have an aversion to these words.]

Nursing Libby was painful from the very first hour, but I had done my homework and read lots and lots about breastfeeding, so I knew that it was normal to have some soreness for the first week or so. Still, I desperately wanted to see the lactation consultant at the hospital. It was a full 24 hours before one of the consultants finally made it to see me. Anyone who has been around a newborn knows they need to eat at least every 2 hours, so I had probably already fed Libby 12 times. I was quite sore and I still couldn't get her to latch onto my right side without a nipple shield. The consultant helped me with my positioning and latch and then excitedly told me that I "had it." When I told her that it didn't feel any better, she said that was just because I was already sore and it would get better.

The next day, another lactation consultant came by to see me and gave me drastically different tips from the first woman. Meanwhile, my pediatrician was also giving me recommendations that clashed with the advice of the consultants. Needless to say, I was confused. Add in the fact that they told me with concerned faces that Libby had lost 7% of her birth weight in less than 2 days, and I really began to worry about getting her fed.

I was instructed to feed her every 2 hours during the day, every 3 hours at night, and pump for 15 minutes after every daytime feeding. By the time I got home from the hospital, my nipples were cracked and bleeding and I was in a considerable amount of pain. By day 7, I had a full-blown breast infection (mastitis) complete with fever, chills, body aches, and major breast pain. Still, I tried to buoy myself up by remembering that it's normal to take a couple of weeks to get the hang of breastfeeding.

Day 14 rolled around and not only were my nipples still cracked, bleeding, and occasionally oozing pus, but I started having deep shooting pains in my chest. It was different than mastitis pain and I was concerned I might have thrush, which often occurs after a round of antibiotics, which I had for the infection. Back to the OB I went, where she told me that it wasn't thrush. Rather, she said my boobs were just heavier than normal and the deep pain was my ligaments being stretched by the weight. The solution? Get a more supportive bra and "hike them up." I tried to follow her advice, but it was so painful for anything to touch my nipples that I avoided wearing a bra (or shirt, for that matter) as much as possible. It took about a week, but eventually my ligaments got stronger, I guess, and the pain went away.

I had been taking prescription strength ibuprofen round-the-clock during this whole time, but it wasn't enough. I had a prescription for a narcotic pain reliever, but I was concerned about taking anything that strong while nursing Libby. I didn't even like taking the ibuprofen. So, I turned to trying every home remedy you can think of for sore nipples - lanolin, wet tea bags, saline soaks, raw potato slices. Nothing helped considerably and the potato slices (recommended by my OB) even made it worse.

When I wasn't feeding Libby or trying to catch up on sleep, I was obsessively reading every breastfeeding book/website/blog I could get my hands on to try to figure out what to do. The frustrating thing was that I KNEW what the probably was - Libby had a very "shallow latch," meaning she didn't open her mouth wide enough to take my breast deeply into her mouth. I watched video after video of how to correctly latch-on, but I just couldn't get Libby to do it.

At Libby's 1 month checkup with the pediatrician, she asked how breastfeeding was going. I told her it was still extremely painful and that no matter how hard I tried, I could not get her to open her mouth wide enough. I told her that I felt like Libby's jaw was very tight. The pediatrician asked what I thought about chiropractic and when I told her I was willing to give it a shot, she offered to give me the contact information of a woman she knew who specialized in working with infants. Even before meeting with the pediatrician, I had come across the idea of going to a chiropractor, but was afraid it was too far-fetched to spend the money on. It was reassuring to hear the pediatrician say it might be a viable option, but I ended up leaving the office without the contact information. The next day, the pediatrician herself actually called me because she remembered she had not given me the information and wanted to make sure I had it. I was grateful for her thoughtfulness, but still put off calling because I assumed it would be expensive and still wasn't totally convinced it would work.

When Libby was 6 weeks old, I had a particularly hard day and was in so much pain that I was sobbing. I knew I HAD to do something to fix this or I was going to call it quits. I finally took the time to ask my insurance company about chiropractic benefits and was surprised and grateful to learn it was covered at 80%. I then called the chiropractor and made an appointment for that afternoon. The chiropractor told me she had a "Diplomate" certificate, which means she has additional training beyond chiropractic school to work on pregnant women and infants. As one of the few chiropractors in the area with this training, she worked with lots of babies and was confident that she could help.

On that first appointment, the chiro confirmed that Libby did indeed have a very tight jaw, as well as tightness in her neck and the muscles on her skull, which pulled her head to one side. I had noticed that she always turned her head to the right, but didn't realize it was the result of too-tight muscles. (Her head had been slightly lopsided since birth, as a result of her position in my pelvis and this could very well have caused the tight muscles. Just imagine how your neck feels when you wake up after sleeping on it wrong. Libby had been in that position in my pelvis for weeks.)

I was told it may take 8-10 visits for lasting change, but I could experience some relief before then. Sure enough, after just a few visits, Libby was chomping less and sucking more and nursing sessions were no longer taking over an hour. By the time Libby was 8 weeks old, my nipples were no longer cracked and bleeding. Still, I was not pain free and wanted to make sure things were really better once and for all.

The chiropractor had noticed from day 1 that Libby did not lift her tongue up when she cried. Rather, it stayed flat at the bottom of her mouth. She asked if Libby had been checked for tongue tie and I said, no, but that she could extend her tongue beyond her lips just fine (the standard test for a restrictive frenulum), so I assumed it wasn't an issue. I went home and did some research, however, and found out that there is such a thing as a posterior tongue tie, which manifests itself differently from the more common anterior tongue tie and is harder to spot.

At the next visit with the chiropractor, she gave me the contact information for an ENT in the area that could determine for sure whether Libby had a tongue-tie and perform a frenectomy if necessary.

I immediately made an appointment with the ENT, who turned out to be an incredibly nice women with a new baby of her own. She confirmed that Libby had a Type 3 posterior tongue tie and recommended a frenectomy, although the choice was mine. Of course I didn't want to put Libby through any unecessary pain (the procedure is done without anesthetic, as it's risky to anesthetize babies so young, especially for such a quick snip), but the doctor said it was "very unlikely" that it would NOT help, so I decided to go for it. Libby cried hard for about 30 seconds, but calmed down as soon as I fed her and was then happy and smiling again, so I didn't feel too bad. I didn't notice immediate results as many mothers do, but since Libby was already 8 weeks old by this point and had learned "bad" sucking habits, I knew it would take time to retrain her tongue how to suck properly.

We continued to see the chiropractor for a couple more weeks to continue working on her jaw and neck tightness. Once those were resolved, we ended our appointments. While I still had some pain, it was nothing like those first 2 months.

Since then, I've had relatively few problems, with a couple of episodes of plugged ducts and recurring mastitis, though never as bad as that first time. I still have occasional soreness during feedings, but it is night-and-day from the pain I used to experience, and something more akin to an annoying pinch rather than sandpaper rubbing on an open wound.

So, why did I stick with it?

Sure, there are the nutritional and immunity benefits Libby receives from my milk, but it's more than that. Just like I wanted to experience the miracle of growing a baby in my own body, I wanted to feed my baby with my own body. I think it is truly amazing that my body has this God-given ability and I wasn't willing to give up the experience of being able to provide for my baby in a way that no one but I can.

What got me through it?

Physically, what got me through the pain was ibuprofen, heat packs, Motherlove nipple cream, and visits to the chiropractor. Oh, and never wearing shirts. Emotionally, what got me through it was my very supportive husband, and lots and lots of pleading with the Lord. Throughout all the pain, I did have moments of comfort that gave me the encouragement to keep going.

Was it worth it?

I can finally say yes. While I used to dread nursing Libby, I now look forward to it, as it gives me time to cuddle with my baby and kiss her sweet head while she happily slurps away. I used to wonder how it was possible that people actually enjoyed nursing, but I can now say I'm one of those people.

I want this...

2011-01-13T10:37:00.002-05:00

via

Might have to give learning to knit a more serious effort. Only, winter will probably be over by the time I finish.

[Apologies if this post shows up a hundred times. Blogger was not cooperating.]

4 months

2011-01-04T13:36:00.004-05:00

At 4 months, my sweet little girl weighs 13 pounds, 13 ounces, is 24.75 inches long, and has a head circumference of 41.5 cm. (Why is length measured in inches and head circumference in centimeters?) All of her measurements are in the 60-something-th percentile, meaning she is perfectly healthy and about as average as can be. They rechecked her head 3 times because apparently it has grown a lot. When she was born, it was only in the 6th percentile! (Sure didn't feel that small.)

She has just found her toes in the last week and likes grabbing them almost as much as she likes grabbing my hair, my glasses, my necklace, my shirt, my lips, etc. I think the real reason why women lose hair after having a baby has nothing to do with hormones and all to do with babies' hands. Moving on...

Libby is still a very sweet, good natured baby. She is generally happy and fusses very little. However, you try to put her down for a nap or suck her nose clean, and that girl can make some serious noise. She is a smart little girl and will start thrashing her head in protest if she even sees the nasal aspirator.

Nights are getting better. Twice in the past week Libby slept 7 hours straight. But she likes to keep me on my toes and sometimes only sleeps 3 hours at a time. Average is about 5. Now that I've finally mastered nursing lying down, I don't mind the nighttime feedings as much though. She's so cute when she falls asleep next to me that sometimes I don't want to put her back in her crib.

Libby's Michael Jackson pose

Now that she has better control of her hands, she is finally interested in some toys. Her favorite is definitely this rubber thing that looks like an electron.

I love how her feet are always in the air when she's on her tummy

She also likes books of any kind, and especially likes to hold them. She even tries to hold the hymnbook at church.

I feel so grateful to be Libby's mom. I am still astounded at the miracle of her life - that I got to grow her inside of me and that I get to have the awesome responsibility of taking care of her and teaching her and watching her develop. It truly is a privilege.

Babies, babies everywhere!

2010-12-20T13:57:00.004-05:00

I mentioned when I was pregnant that Jared and I were taking a Bradley birthing class. Rather than your average 1-2 day class at the hospital, this course spanned 12 weeks. That's a long time to spend discussing birth canals and lamenting pregnancy pains with fellow classmates. While we didn't become let's-hang-out-on-the-weekend types of friends with any of our classmates, we enjoyed our class a lot and were excited to get together for our class reunion and meet everyone's babies.

Can I just say that 7 little babies lying next to each other is an adorable thing. And hilarious. I'm pretty sure 2 of the babies were open-mouthed kissing.

Libby is the one in the black shirt, if you can't tell.

In age order from youngest to oldest...

Libby and the boy next to her somehow linked arms...

When we got home, we found Libby looking like this... my cute little Trekkie.

Miami Trip

2010-12-20T13:40:00.004-05:00

Libby and I went to Miami last week to visit Jared's sister. It was a great trip. Libby was an absolute perfect angel baby on the plane, for which I was incredibly grateful. It was also nice that I had the entire back of the plane to myself on the flight down and had an empty seat beside me on the way back (I may or may not have discouraged people from sitting next to me by changing Libby's diaper on that seat while people were boarding).

While we were there, we went to the Seaquarium which is like a small version of Sea World (I suppose...I've not yet been to Sea World). Not sure if I've mentioned it before, but I LOVE aquariums. Anyway, Libby seemed to like it, too because she was very alert and seemed to enjoy staring at the fish...

and the killer whale show...

So fun! Anyone know how someone becomes the person who rides on the nose of the killer whale?

Poor Man's Christmas Decorations

2010-12-12T21:05:00.003-05:00

Sad news: we don't have a Christmas tree. We didn't get one last year either. It doesn't bother me though because we don't really have room for one anyway. As long as we have other Christmas decorations, right? Well...we got out the holiday box and turns out, the only decorations we had were 2 stockings and a wreath holder. Not even a wreath to go on it. We considered buying decorations, but we'll be moving in the next several months and we just don't want to add any more stuff to our pile that we have to move. Plus, you know...we're still poor students and when it comes down to it, I'd rather buy diapers than decorations.

So.....our Christmas decorations this year are comprised of our 2 aforementioned stockings (plus a 4 foot long stocking for Libby that was too hard to resist at only $1), a strand of colored lights, and homemade paper snowflakes hanging from the ceiling by white thread.

One of these days (hopefully next year!) we'll have an awesome Christmas tree and real decorations, but I might just make paper snowflake making a Benson tradition for years to come.

3 months

2010-12-03T10:11:00.002-05:00

Picture to be uploaded later - my monitor is fried and I'm using Jared's computer that sadly, has no Libby pictures on it.

My little girl is 3 months old, which seems so old and yet so young. I was looking at some pictures of her from her first week and I almost can't believe how tiny she was - just 6 pounds the day she came home from the hospital. She was so skinny! It really is true that babies grow up so fast. It's incredible and miraculous and a little bittersweet all at the same time.

This past month, Libby has:

learned to laugh! (which is the most thrilling thing in the world to me)
gotten much better at holding up her head
sat in the Bumbo without totally falling over
rolled over several times from front to back (she can only roll to the right - I cannot help but be reminded of Zoolander when I think about this)
outgrown most of her newborn sized clothes :(
discovered that her hands are the greatest toys ever

Love, love, love her.

My thankful list

2010-11-25T10:37:00.005-05:00

Poor girl was so tired here. And maybe I should have taken the picture before I opened the can. Then the label wouldn't be torn and my baby wouldn't be playing with sharp edges. I'll remember that next year.

I'm thankful for:

Jared
Libby
my family
Jared's family, which I guess could fit under "my family" but I'll give them their own bullet point because they're just that great ;)
my Savior
a place to live
my health and the health of my family
our cozy space heater (most favorite recent purchase)
Reese's Puffs cereal (I just can't get enough)
pumpkin cheesecake
our friends Madelyn and Brian for having us over for Thanksgiving dinner!
memories of wonderful, wonderful Thanksgivings past at Grandma and GramPaul Luther's house
libraries
my sewing machine
Libby's sweet, sweet smiles and laughs
our washing machine (especially today since Libby pooped on our bed)
disposable diapers (see above - my daughter is a poop machine)
the modern luxuries of indoor plumbing and electricity
the beautiful fall weather
my education
Jared's education/job
cell phones, so I can talk to my family even when they are far away!

I feel like I could list so many more things because as I look around me, I realize I am thankful for EVERYTHING I see - including the aloe plant beside me and the Scotch tape on the table - but if I start listing things like that, this post is going to get ridiculous pretty fast. So I'll just end with a big

Happy Thanksgiving

to everyone!

5 a day keeps the doctor away

2010-11-11T19:54:00.002-05:00

[Scene begins with Jared and Jenn sitting at the computer researching the podunk towns where they may eventually live. Jenn tries to offer Jared a bite of a mandarin orange.]

Jared: "no thanks"

Jenn: "have you had any fruit today?"

Jared: "yeah, a lemonhead."

Mother knows best

2010-11-11T11:02:00.004-05:00

I'd like to think I've gotten pretty good at deciphering my baby's cries and moods. Hungry = she sucks her hands like crazy. Tired = whimpers and usually slows down (she never stops bicycling her legs, but it at least gets slower when she's sleepy). Gassy = she's even squirmier than usual.

I can also tell a lot by her face. For instance:

Overall, Libby has an incredibly good temperament. She's usually only fussy around feeding times and that generally has to do with being a) hungry, b) gassy, or c) both. Otherwise, she's all smiles.

Hooray for happy babies!

2 months

2010-11-05T10:40:00.005-04:00

It feels like so long ago that I looked like this:

Forgive my not so modest appearance, but this is the most pregnant picture I have of me - taken on August 28th, just 4 days before Libby was born. I had just gotten home from working out (meaning, trying to get the baby out).

Two months later, and I have this precious little joy to smile at every day.

Stats:

Birth - 6 lbs 8 oz (25th percentile), 19 inches long (33rd percentile)

1 month - 8 lbs 10 oz (27th percentile), 21.5 inches long (50th percentile)

2 months - 10 lbs 13 oz (49th percentile), 23 inches long (80th percentile)

Head circumference? I have no idea. It was 29th percentile at 1 month and 28th percentile at 2 months, but as far as the actual measurement, I just can't remember. Sorry Libby. I should write these things down.

At 2 months old, Libby is really good at:

-pulling mommy's hair

-smiling

-splashing like crazy in the bath

-holding up her head (She holds it up pretty well when I have her on my shoulder to burp, but sometimes she seems to suddenly lose control and her head comes crashing down into mine. We've headbutted each other countless times this past month, but she is a stubborn little girl and won't let me hold her head still.)

I'm also proud to report that Libby has learned to eat without biting me. I wouldn't say she's quite good at it yet, but she's much, much better. We've been visiting the chiropractor, which has helped a lot. We also discovered last week that Libby had a tongue tie, meaning her tongue was attached too tightly to the bottom of her mouth and restricted its movement. So, I took her to an ENT who snipped the frenulum under her tongue. Poor girl did not like that at all, but I think it has helped quite a bit. I just wish someone had noticed the tongue tie earlier and could have saved me 8 weeks of excruciating pain.

Libby is also super tough and only cried for about 30 seconds after getting her shots this week. Way to go, girl.

New LDS website

2010-10-27T19:47:00.002-04:00

I always loved the first day of school. All the way through college, I loved it. The first day brought new folders, new pens, and the opportunity to organize. I've never been great with organization, but I have always loved trying. A notebook with freshly labeled dividers is a beautiful thing.

I can't believe it's been over 4 years since my last first day of school, but today I feel the excitement of a new beginning again because I have discovered the awesome new church website and its Study Notebook feature. Like always, you can do all your gospel reading online (scriptures, lesson manuals, general conference talks, magazines) but NOW you can highlight (in 4 different colors!), tag, make comments, and organize your notes into folders. I can't wait to get started.

Libby's birth story

2010-10-26T10:49:00.003-04:00

Before I commence with the story, I just have to say that having a baby has desensitized me to conversation topics that may be uncomfortable for some people. After having countless people in the hospital (and I'm not talking just nurses and doctors) see me naked and ask me about my nipples, I just stopped worrying about modesty. So...if you're not into birth stories or you think you might feel uncomfortable looking me in the eye after reading all about my cervix, you might want to skip this post. ;)

Oh, and this is LONG, since I mostly wrote it for my own memory. Consider yourself warned.

Let's begin on August 27. I went to the doctor for my regularly scheduled visit at 39 weeks and 2 days. My doctor said I was only dilated to a 1 and not at all effaced, so I probably would not be having the baby anytime in the next week. She also estimated the baby’s weight to be 6 lbs 5 oz at the time, which totally shocked me because I had just been expecting to have a big baby (Jared and I were both bigger than average babies and I was told at about 32 weeks that I was measuring a little large).

Fast forward to Tuesday, August 31. Jared and I went to bed that night like every other night the past few weeks, hoping the baby would plop out overnight in my sleep. Or wait, maybe that was just my silent wish… Anyhow, Jared stated his prediction that I would start having contractions that night at 3 AM. About 1:15 AM, I woke up to use the bathroom. When I came back to bed, I felt a strange little drip. I rushed back to the bathroom, wondering if I had not quite emptied my bladder. I came back to bed and again, as I was trying to climb into bed, I felt a little drip. I stood at the side of the bed for a few minutes, just wondering, “could this be my water breaking?” Jared woke up and asked what I was doing. I was almost hesitant to even tell him, because I was so unsure. It took a couple more trips to the bathroom before I was finally convinced that this was definitely amniotic fluid and not urine. It was dripping slowly and I wasn’t feeling any contractions, so I put a chux pad down on the bed and tried to go back to sleep. Jared was able to fall asleep, but I wasn’t. I guess I was too nervous and excited. Turns out, Jared’s prediction was dead on, because somewhere around 3 AM, I started to notice some slight cramping. The cramps were off and on and irregularly spaced, but I knew they had to be contractions. I continued to lie in bed until Jared woke up about 6 AM and I suggested we go for a walk to get things moving before it got too hot outside. We ate some breakfast and then headed out to walk laps around our apartment complex. (Funny side story: While we were walking, we decided to go pick up our mail at the office. A woman who works in the office looked at me and said, “you haven’t had that baby yet?!” I told her matter of factly, “I’m having it today.” She responded, “Oh good, I’m sure you’re happy about that.” I’m pretty sure this woman had no idea I was actually in labor and just assumed I meant I was going to be induced today.) Walking definitely sped things up and my contractions became much more regular, occurring about 4 minutes apart and lasting about 30 seconds each. They were still quite tolerable at this point, but I was using deep breathing to relax through them. We finally went back inside the apartment and I spent the next few hours trying to find a comfortable position. I stood in the shower for about an hour, rocking back and forth from side to side, which felt great. After the shower, I tried sitting on the birth ball and lying down, but both of those positions were uncomfortable. Interestingly, I found that if I sat or lied down, my contractions spaced out but got much more intense when they did come. Since standing or walking was the only tolerable position, I paced around the apartment while trying to watch an episode of Pushing Daisies on Netflix. It was hard to concentrate though, and eventually I decided to get back in the shower. Again, I stood in the shower rocking back and forth, but this time the contractions were more intense and I had to concentrate much harder on my breathing. Jared was timing my contractions and they were getting closer together, but we were trying to wait for the magic 3-2-1 rule (contractions 3 minutes apart for 2 hours, lasting 1 minute each) before going to the hospital. My contractions never quite lined up to that rule, though. After they had been coming less than 2 minutes apart, lasting 45 seconds, for almost 2 hours, we decided it was time to go.

The 15 minute car ride to the hospital was difficult and I was silent most of the way there, focusing intently on breathing slowly and keeping my whole body relaxed. As we walked into the hospital, I suddenly started crying, not because I was in any more pain than I was a few minutes ago, but because I couldn’t believe this moment was here and I was scared. We walked to the registration desk and they had Jared deal with the paperwork while they led me back to labor and delivery. He didn’t have to sign very much and they probably would have just had me wait with him, but they saw I was crying and I heard one lady say to the other “she’s really uncomfortable; let’s go ahead and get her back there.” They pulled up a wheelchair for me, but even the thought of sitting down made me hurt worse and I told them I would rather walk. Once I got into the labor room, I thought the first thing they would do is check my cervix and let me know if I was even far enough along to be admitted. I was surprised when they went ahead and hooked me up to the monitor to check the baby’s heartbeat and my contractions. After 30 minutes of monitoring, the nurse checked me and said I was about 3-4 cm dilated, 90% effaced, and +1 station. I was slightly disappointed that I was only 3-4 cm because I was so uncomfortable, but I felt better about it when the nurse told me I was doing great considering how firmly the baby’s head was pushing down on my cervix.

After monitoring, I got into the shower and stood in there until I was too tired to stand anymore. Then, I let the tub fill with water and spent the next few hours alternating from sitting to kneeling in the tub. During this whole time, I was trying to conserve energy and relax. Talking or making noise of any kind (screaming, crying) would have taken entirely too much effort, so I was basically silent for hours. Eventually, I started shaking uncontrollably and no matter how much I tried to relax, I could not get rid of the shakes. I was already exhausted and was starting to get a little panicky that I could not relax. I told Jared that I thought I wanted an epidural. He calmly tried to tell me that I could do it, but I told him that I wanted to at least go ahead and get the saline started, so the epidural would be an option. He went to find my nurse, but she was with another patient. It took about 20 minutes for the nurse to come in and start the bag of fluids. I was still laboring in the tub at this point and was having contractions that felt different now. I felt like I was involuntarily pushing with each contraction. I wasn’t making any effort to push, but I felt like my body was pushing the baby down. After an hour of receiving fluids, the nurse called the anesthesiologist. I asked to be checked before he inserted the epidural and the nurse said I was about 8 cm dilated and that I could easily have another couple of hours to go, plus an hour or more of pushing. I felt like that was impossible because I already felt like pushing when I was in the tub. (I can't believe I'm going to admit this, but I found out later that apparently I was pushing in the tub, because I had a bowel movement without realizing it.) When she told me I was only 8 cm dilated, I thought that if I was already in this much pain, I did not think I could endure the pain of going from 8 to 10. So I told them to go ahead with the epidural. The anesthesiologist inserted the needle and gave me a “test dose” of lidocaine and epinephrine. My legs got a little tingly and the intensity of the contractions did diminish, but I could still feel the pressure of the baby moving down and I could still feel and move my legs.

While they were placing the epidural catheter, my doctor had arrived to check on me. It was about 5:30. She said the nurses had called her and told her they predicted it would be about 8:30 before I was ready to start pushing. However, my doctor decided to go ahead and check me again. She was surprised to find that not only was I completely dilated, but the baby was already so far down the birth canal that she could only insert her finger up to her first knuckle before touching the baby’s head. (Which makes me wonder if the nurse who said I was only 8 cm 30 minutes ago was right...) She told me she would go get changed right away and I could start pushing. She and the nurse both left the room and I started pushing with just Jared there. The doctor and the nurse came back and the nurse told me she was not going to hook up the epidural drugs since it was already time to push (I had the catheter in my back, but no drugs dripping in yet). This was fine with me because I knew I was close and I wanted to be able to feel the contractions enough to push with them. With each contraction, I pushed 3 times for 10 seconds each. I was surprised by how nonchalant everyone in the room seemed at this point. The doctor was making polite conversation, telling Jared to tell the nurses about what he is studying at school. She also asked me some questions like “are you a swimmer? Because you can hold your breath for a long time” and “does everyone in your family have fast labors?” I couldn't believe she was trying to make conversation with me! At one point, the doctor told me that she could cut an episiotomy and the baby would be right out. I told her I wanted to try pushing through a few more. Sure enough, just a couple more contractions and Libby was out! She was born at 6:09 PM. After quickly suctioning her mouth and nose, they placed her on my chest and I held her for quite a while before Jared cut the cord and they washed and weighed her. Apparently I pushed a little too hard and required some stitches. While the doctor was stitching me up, I was surprised to find that I still felt quite a bit of pressure in my pelvis from the placenta. Once the placenta was delivered (which did not require any pushing, because it was so far down in the birth canal that the doctor could easily pull it out), the pressure was relieved. I asked to see the placenta (wouldn't you be curious, too? or is that weird?), so the doctor lifted it up out of the bowl. She lifted it by the umbilical cord, which was twisted, so the placenta started spinning around like a tire swing and sprayed blood all over me, Jared, and the room. It was awesome.

Libby was very healthy, with Apgar scores of 9 and 9. She weighed 6 lbs 8 oz and was 19 inches long.

Libby's first picture. I think Jared and I were both a bit dazed at this point because the nurse had to suggest to us, "hey, maybe you should get the camera out and take a picture."

Ramblings

2010-10-14T16:45:00.004-04:00

Remember how I mentioned that Libby slept 5 hours one night? Turns out it was just a fluke. Bummer. She's still quite the handful with hour-long (painful) nursing sessions, but I'm trying to enjoy the little things (like her cute little smiles as she's falling asleep and her adorable hands that like to grab fistfuls of my hair) and pretend like the pain doesn't exist. Speaking of nursing, I went to a La Leche League meeting yesterday, hoping I could get some help (wasn't very helpful, unfortunately) and Libby was by far the youngest baby there...like by a couple of years. All the other babies were at least 2 or 3 years old. I know that how long a woman nurses her child is a personal decision and I am not saying there needs to be an age limit, but it was just funny to me. When I asked a question related to nursing a newborn, the ladies were all like "can anyone remember that far back?"

This is totally unrelated, but I have to share this recipe that I recently discovered. It's a sweet potato salad and it is awesome. I found it when I was trying to figure out what I could make that would use up the sweet potato, celery, and onion in the fridge. I didn't think Jared would really like it, since he's not a big fan of sweet potatoes, celery, OR onions, but he actually requested that I make it again. Hence, we have had this twice in the past week. You gotta try it.

1 month already!

2010-10-04T10:45:00.003-04:00

Oh Libby. Sweet Libby. AKA Libster, Munchkin, Offspring (that's Jared's name for her), and sometimes Little Miss Fussy Pants. Can't believe she's already 1 month old. Last I remember, it was August and I was swimming in the pool. Now it's October and I'm wearing sweaters and I have a baby? Seems like September went by in a sleepless blur.

It's been a hard month, but I sure love this little girl. Also, I have the best husband in the world. I can count on one finger the number of times I've done the dishes in the past month and that's a nice feeling.

I knew that being a stay at home mom was a full time job, but I didn't realize that I would literally spend 8 hours a day just feeding this child. She is still eating 8-9 times a day and takes 45 minutes to an hour to eat. That translates to eating every 2.5 to 3 hours. By the time she is finished eating and I get her to sleep, that leaves anywhere from 1.5 to 2 hours for me to sleep. But! Last night, the child slept for 5 hours! Too bad I woke up after 3 hours to the sound of her sleep grunts. I couldn't get back to sleep because I kept thinking she was going to wake up any minute. I think my body no longer knows how to sleep more than a few hours at a time. But maybe the Libster will surprise me again tonight and we'll both get a good night's rest.

We finally gave her her first real bath on Saturday. I know, seems like a long time to wait to bathe her, but it took 21 days for her cord stump to fall off. And then...it was just easier to keep giving her sponge baths as needed. But once I noticed she was accumulating stuff in her neck creases (milk, probably), I decided it was time to break out the tub. Anyway, here are the obligatory first bath pictures. Can you believe she slept through it??

Meet Libby

2010-09-21T13:27:00.004-04:00

Now that she's 20 days old, I think it's high time to finally introduce my precious daughter.

Libby Claire

Born 9/1/10 at 6:09 PM

6 lbs 8 oz, 19 inches

I've been delaying posting about Libby's birth until I finish writing her birth story, but it's taking me forever because I am trying to include all the details that I want to remember. And every time I consider sitting down to finish writing it, I realize I would rather sleep instead.

So until I get around to writing down the details, suffice it to say that my water broke in the middle of the night, I stayed home as long as possible, labored in the tub for 5 hours at the hospital (during which time I thought I might pass out from pain and exhaustion), pushed for 35 minutes, and had a healthy baby girl.

As hard as it is having a newborn, it's totally worth it when I look at this sweet face.

Homestretch

2010-08-01T13:17:00.004-04:00

I was soaking my aching hips in the bath this week when the baby kicked so hard, she made ripples in the water. It suddenly occurred to me how amazingly REAL this baby is - that even though she is still inside of me, she is alive and has the power to affect things outside of me. I thought about it again later in the week, when I was sitting at the kitchen table reading with a book propped up on my stomach and the baby moved and nearly knocked the book off.

I am so excited about this little girl arriving that it's getting hard to concentrate on anything else. Of course, that could also have something to do with the fact that the baby is making her presence known constantly these days by wriggling down into my pelvis, pressing on nerves, spreading my hips, jumping on my bladder, etc. But I love it. Even if my back hurts and I sometimes have to waddle, I feel so incredibly grateful to be able to have a child.

36 weeks

I can't wait to meet you, baby!

Magic Etch A Sketch

2010-07-22T14:13:00.002-04:00

Have y'all seen this before? There was an article on cnn.com recently about this guy who does some incredible artwork with the Etch A Sketch. The article is gone now, but you can see his gallery on his website. The Michael Jackson montage is my favorite, but they are all incredibly impressive!

A note about bellies

2010-07-18T20:35:00.003-04:00

I'm all for manners and social graces, but some white lies just don't cut it. Sometimes when I tell people how far along I am, they like to say things like "I looked like that at 4 months!" or "I can hardly tell you're pregnant!" I don't really get why people say things like this. First of all - HELLO. Look at me!

Second of all, I wonder if people are just trying to make me feel better about myself. That's nice and all, but it's really not necessary. Besides the fact that I know I look like I swallowed a watermelon and I will absolutely not believe anyone who tells me I don't look pregnant, I understand that having a baby means your stomach pokes out. And I'm perfectly ok with that. In fact, I think it's pretty amazing. So when the kids in the hospital (and we all know kids are more honest than adults) say things like "your big, huge belly is in the way!" or "why is your stomach sticking out so much?" I take it as a compliment. It means I'm growing a nice healthy baby.

Newsflash

2010-07-07T19:55:00.006-04:00

Whoa, is it seriously July already? Let's see...what has happened in the past 2 months since I last posted?

~Took an anniversary trip to Asheville, NC where we visited the Smoky Mountains, hiked to a bunch of waterfalls (including one where we were led by a volunteer guide dog named Spot), and watched hippies with dreads play drums.

~Went to Texas for a few days, saw my family, had a baby shower, and spent many hours studying for the ACE personal trainer exam.

~Took the personal trainer exam (which was required for my job); didn't pee my pants or pass out from hypoglycemia (which I was worried about since it's a 4 hour test with NO BREAKS) thanks to the super nice proctor who made exceptions for me due to my condition of being with child. Officially got certified though I officially don't know how to train persons.

~Laughed when I found wheat in Jared's pockets while doing laundry. Laughed even more when I found wheat in Jared's belly button.

~Began nesting. Bought a crib, car seat, and stroller; washed and organized all the baby clothes, blankets, etc; found an awesome pediatrician that gives out her cell phone number, makes house calls, and doubles as a lactation consultant.

~Grew a lot.

Update on the growth of the little one

2010-05-10T09:13:00.003-04:00

Mother's Day - 23 weeks

I know the lighting is terrible in this picture, but check out how pointy my belly is!

I'll be 24 weeks in 2 days and according the the Mayo Clinic, baby should be measuring 15 inches long! What the heck? That seems gigantic!

Interesting events since last update:

1. Near fainting episode on the bus. I was sitting down comfortably on the bus on my way to work reading Husband-Coached Childbirth when suddenly everything started to go dark. I knew immediately that I was about to faint and I started sweating like crazy. To make things worse, my stop was coming up really quickly and I was afraid I would be passed out and miss my stop and it would be an hour before the bus came back around to it. Fortunately, I willed myself to remain conscious and was able to make it to my office without passing out.

What I learned: My doctor says I need to increase my salt intake. My blood pressure has been low lately (92/45, 100/60). Jared bought me a giant bag of sunflower seeds to suck on.

2. Ice pick headaches. Has anyone heard of these before? They're basically very short (1-2 seconds), very intense pains in my head. They're so intense I feel like I'll pass out if they last even a second longer, but they always go away very quickly. I've had them for years, but hadn't had any in 6 months until a couple of weeks ago, when I started having them multiple times a day. So my OB sent me to a neurologist.

What I learned: The headaches are nothing to be concerned about. Just an overactive or easily irritated occipital nerve. The neurologist calls these headaches "migraine volleys." Also while I was there, she so kindly informed me that 1) I have a very long neck, 2) I am a weakling (that was the exact word she used when telling me that I have "basically no musculature" around my neck and shoulders and that I need to do some strength training) and 3) I have a heart murmur. Thanks, doc. Actually, she was very nice and informative, but I walked away thinking 'really? She just called me a weakling?'

3. Mother bear showed her face. I was rear-ended on my way home from work last week. There was no damage to the car, but I was incredibly angry that this woman hit me (and didn't even get out of her car!). I yelled at her to watch where she was going, then got back in my car and drove away. I was too angry to think straight and didn't get her insurance info. We were both heading down the same street and she ended up in the lane beside me with her windows rolled down. At this point, I started to really worry about the baby and I decided she had not learned her lesson, so I yelled at her again. I was shocked that I did this since I never yell, but I can only attribute it to fiery maternal instincts. Turns out, after consulting with my doctor, I needed to go to the hospital to get checked out and make sure I wasn't having contractions. So I ended up in labor and delivery for an hour or so, hooked up to a monitor.

What I learned: I was told my uterus was "irritable" (having small contractions) but it was nothing to worry about and the baby was fine. Also, the labor and delivery rooms are huge and look like hotel rooms. Sweet!

4. We started a childbirth class. We're taking a Bradley class and it has been really great so far. My main reason I wanted to take a class was so that I could be as informed as possible and make educated decisions regarding my pregnancy and birth. This class is 2.5 hours every Monday night for 12 weeks, which seems like an incredibly long time to some people, but I think it's great. There's so much to learn about pregnancy and childbirth and I am keenly interested in knowing what is going on with my body. I'm not okay with sitting back and being poked and prodded and cut open without having any idea what's happening. It's also really exciting to have 2.5 hours dedicated each week to talking about and getting excited about this baby. Last week, a massage therapist came to the class to teach the menfolk how to give massages during pregnancy and labor. That's a class any woman can appreciate.

Patio Gardening

2010-04-24T18:31:00.003-04:00

I long for the day when I have a home with a lawn and space for a real garden, but for now, we are making the best of our apartment living and decided to try our thumbs at some vegetables this summer.

We planted tomatoes, cucumbers, yellow squash, okra, jalapeno peppers, banana peppers, and sugar snap peas.

I was interested in trying the Topsy Turvy tomato planter (has anyone tried it?) but Jared said we could make our own upside down planter. So we did. And it was free. Jared simply cut a hole into the bottom of a cheap plastic pot that we already had, inserted the tomato plant (so the plant was sticking out the bottom of the pot, turned it upside down and added soil. He also cut 2 holes in the sides of the pot and attached some rope. Then we hung it from our balcony. I'm excited to see how it does.

On a totally different note, I tried to do some maternity clothes shopping at Target today, but couldn't find anything that I wouldn't have to wear another shirt underneath. Seriously, if I am going to be pregnant in the sticky North Carolina summer, I sure am not going to wear any more layers than necessary. Why is it so hard to find shirts that aren't see through and have a modest neckline? Anyway, I gave up on shopping for clothes for myself and instead romped through the baby section with Jared. I've probably looked at Target's baby clothes 5 times this month, but today I finally bought something. My first baby purchase:

It's a girl!

2010-04-05T21:12:00.003-04:00

I have to admit, I was surprised. For some reason, I just assumed this little baby inside me had to be a boy. Maybe because even before I was pregnant, anytime Jared and I talked about a future baby, we always referred to it as a "he." But I am definitely excited about this little girl. I felt her first kicks 2 weeks ago today and they have been getting stronger and more frequent ever since. It's so exciting to feel, I can't help but smile to myself when I feel her kick.

And just a few pictures to update those interested folks (mostly my family, I'm sure) on my belly growth:

15 weeks

16 weeks - taking a walk at the park

17 weeks

Just realized I missed the 18 week picture. Coming up on 19 weeks in a couple of days. I thought I was hiding my pregnancy pretty well at work, but when I announced last week to my coworkers that I was pregnant, they all said "oh, we've known for weeks. But thanks for letting us know anyway." Apparently they would talk about it whenever I wasn't in the room and try to guess how long I was going to wait to tell them. Plus, I've had 2 bold people ask me if I was pregnant before I ever said anything about it. So I guess it's now becoming obvious and there's no more need to hide the fact that I can't button my pants. Or zip them for that matter. Bring on the stretchy panels!

26 weeks till Baby Benson comes...

2010-03-04T19:04:00.002-05:00

...and changes our lives forever. The ultrasound below was taken at my first appointment (10 weeks). I am 14 weeks now and had another appointment today. We got to hear the heartbeat again, but I still have a hard time believing there is a baby inside of me. At my next visit (18 weeks), we will find out the gender! That seems so soon to me. I still don't feel pregnant. And as far as looking pregnant, I haven't gained any weight yet, but I do think my stomach is sticking out more than usual, especially at night. Is that normal? Sometimes I show Jared my belly in the evening and he accuses me of sticking it out on purpose...it's a noticeable difference at night.) It's crazy to think that in just 4 weeks the baby will be developed enough to clearly tell the gender. My doctor said that you can actually tell as early as 14 weeks, but there's no additional benefit to having an ultrasound that early, so we'll wait until 18. Can't wait!

Gaga Gag

2010-02-17T21:42:00.003-05:00

Check out these series of photos before the link disappears. Of particular interest: photos 2, 5, and 14. Seriously? This woman is so ridiculous I can hardly stand it.

Makes me think one thing: histrionic personality disorder. Especially when I read this quote from her: "I used to get made fun of for being either too provocative or too eccentric." Textbook histrionic.

Snowed In

2010-01-30T18:24:00.003-05:00

When I was living in Utah, I always hoped to be snowed in and have to stay home drinking hot chocolate and watching movies instead of go to work. My wish never came true in Utah. I may have had a hard time getting out of the parking lot at times, but I always made it. Today, in North Carolina, we are snowed in. I'm not sure how many inches of snow/ice we got, but it really doesn't look like much. But when we went to the car to take a quick trip to the grocery store and return a red box movie, we couldn't get the car to roll over a small patch of ice/snow behind the back tires. After spinning the tires for a while, we gave up and came back inside. Turns out being snowed in is a little bit boring. We don't have any good movies to watch and I feel lazy not leaving the house all day. Church has already been cancelled for tomorrow, so we won't be leaving the house tomorrow either.

I thought people were crazy for stocking up at the grocery store the other day, but now I'm glad I did some extra shopping this week!

Never catch a falling cactus

2010-01-02T21:55:00.002-05:00

While Jared was kindly propagating an aloe plant for me today, he accidentally knocked a potted cactus off the windowsill. Reflexes kicked in and he reached out to catch it. Dang reflexes. His thumb was covered with cactus needles. Those suckers were long and went in deep - some even under his fingernail. Poor guy. It reminded me of the dog on Homeward Bound that gets a faceful of porcupine quills.

Christmas Blessings

2009-12-31T20:36:00.002-05:00

We had a great Christmas holiday and I feel so blessed. We flew out to Salt Lake for a couple of days and then headed up to Idaho to spend a week with Jared's parents. I feel blessed that I was able to take 7 days off work even though I just started in November. I feel blessed that there were no delays or complications on our flight out to Utah (although Jared and I did have to run full speed through the airport to catch our flight as they were announcing "last call" for boarding). I feel blessed that we were able to see several friends and family members, go skiing/snowboarding, and have a merry time. I feel blessed by the generosity of others. I feel especially blessed that a bird hit the plane we were supposed to fly home on and there was a convenient and remarkable delay that allowed us to spend a night in Dallas with my family, whom I did not plan on seeing over the holidays. Of course I feel blessed for the gifts I received, too, but most importantly, I'm grateful for the gifts of life, health, marriage, family, and the Savior.

I hope all of you had an equally Merry Christmas.

No Grinches Here

2009-12-05T17:02:00.006-05:00

Sometimes I feel like Thanksgiving and Christmas come and go so fast, I forget to pause and enjoy it. There's all this anticipation for Christmas Day and then - poof! - it's over before you know it.

That is why I like to start listening to Christmas music in November. The more you get to celebrate Christmas, the better! I don't get the nonsense behind waiting for a certain date to pass before it's acceptable to start celebrating. Ridiculous! Also, since there's no such thing as Thanksgiving music, I'm a fan of letting the Thanksgiving holiday share Christmas' music. Which is why I sometimes (like this year) start listening to holiday music in October. It gets the Thanksgiving spirit flowing! And anyone who says otherwise is a grinch! ;)

Speaking of Thanksgiving, we spent this year in Miami with some of Jared's family, which was great. The only picture we have to show for it is this one, in which I look completely ridiculous. Enjoy.

We don't have a Christmas tree this year (we'll be out of town anyway), but we went shopping today and got a poinsettia and some awesome elf stockings for our mantle. Our first Christmas decorations! Speaking of elves, I have a little elf in the kitchen today making sweet treats like peppermint patties, chocolate-cinnamon-chili ice cream, and roasted banana ice cream. I love that elf.

My elf friend at my apartment about 4 years ago. I still can't believe that the man I'm married to now is the same goofy guy that used to come visit wearing spandex and thermals.

Week one

2009-11-08T19:13:00.002-05:00

My first week of work has come and gone. Turns out I am not used to actually doing something every day. Or waking up at 5:45 AM. I've been pooped this week. But at the same time, it feels so good to be doing something! My week was filled with orientation, reading stacks of policy and procedure manuals, and trying to navigate the labyrinth halls of the hospital. I can now successfully find my way from the bus stop to my office. And from my office to the bathroom. That's about it. I've got a lot of orienteering to do. I feel like a freshman in high school all over again. Give me a few weeks (or months?) and I'm sure I'll be used to it, but right now, that place is BIG.

Speaking of the bus stop, the hospital is so large and has such limited parking, that pretty much all employees have to park at a park & ride and take the city bus to the hospital. It sounded like a huge hassle and sucker-of-time at first (especially since I have a 30 minute commute just to get to the park and ride), but it's not that bad. It's about an hour total (my drive + bus ride), but riding the bus at least saves me from having to drive through the awful campus traffic myself. Did I mention it's a university hospital I'm working at? It is. University traffic + hospital traffic = incredible congestion.

Since I've been doing boring orientation stuff all week, it's hard to tell just yet what the job is going to be like. But I'm pretty sure I'll like it. I'll be working primarily on the adolescent psych unit and the eating disorders unit. I'm excited to learn to practice recreation therapy in a hospital setting.

Hooray for jobs!!!!!!!

Graveyard frights

2009-10-31T09:00:00.000-04:00

Turns out Jared's blinking red bike light is perfect for jack-o-lanterns.

Happy Halloween!!!!

Good vibes are in the air

2009-10-30T10:36:00.009-04:00

I want you all to know something...

Dreams come true. Prayers are answered.

I got a job!

Not just a job, but the job. The job I have been trying to get for over a month. The job that I thought eluded me when my first interview seemed to go horribly wrong. The job for which I endured an all-day interview. The job that is actually in my field and pays more than minimum wage (take that, Staples!).

As of yesterday, I am now officially licensed to practice as a recreational therapist in the state of North Carolina. (That is an answer to prayers, too. NC is picky and initially gave me grief about my transcript, saying I didn't meet the educational requirements to be licensed. Psshh, I showed them.)

So I start on Monday. I'll be working in the adolescent psych unit of a large hospital. With a large, respected, and well-established recreation therapy department. Which is awesome in nearly all regards. Only problem is, with my measly 2 years of experience, I feel like a kindergartener that just enrolled in college - it's amazing that I got in, but holy cow, now that I'm in, I'm scared.

.............................

In other news, Jared and I went camping last week. We got lost on the way there and didn't arrive at the trail head till well after sunset. But not to fear, we had 2 headlamps. When both lights started to fail and it started to rain and we still hadn't found the campsite, we decided to just stop right where we were and set up camp there. But we talked ourselves into looking just a few minutes longer and thankfully, we found it. Which was good because there was a firepit and building a fire just makes me feel better.

Mawaige, that bwessed awangement, that dweam wifin a dweam

2009-10-28T16:57:00.003-04:00

As I popped on over to CNN.com for the fourth time today (I'm still unemployed, what can I say?), I immediately noticed this headline.

Mate debate: Is monogamy realistic?

I was reading along, generally disgusted by the degradation of morality in our world, when I read the most shocking paragraph of the article.

People seeking shorter, more secretive dalliances now have more opportunities than ever online. One example: The Ashley Madison Agency, a dating Web site for married men and women, which claims 4.5 million members and greets visitors with the motto, "Life is short. Have an affair."

My jaw dropped when I read that motto. Sure, it's not too dissimilar to the famous Las Vegas motto, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas," but at least the Vegas motto leaves the specifics to your imagination. This dating service is blatant about their purpose. It disgusts me.

Besides disgust, the other feeling I get when I read things like this is gratitude. I'm grateful that I'm a Mormon. Why? Because I know that marriage between one man and one woman is not just "a useful social convention" as this article would tell you. Marriage is meant to last forever. Not just this lifetime, not just until you get sick of each other or someone new comes along. Forever.

Good Things Only

2009-10-15T11:24:00.004-04:00

I have so much to be grateful for, I am rededicating myself to focus on the positive things in my life. Which really shouldn't be hard, considering I have a safe place to live, food on my table, knowledge of Jesus Christ, and a loving husband and family. What more do I need?

Besides, the past week has been awesome. Let me tell you why.

1. Vacation!!! Jared and I went to Miami last weekend to visit his sister, brother-in-law, and nephew. We had so much fun! It was great to hang out with them, go to the beach, see some sights, play the wii, and just relax.

Jared, Sarah, and baby A at Miami beach

On Sarah and Josh's balcony, overlooking the bay

1) Can you believe I'm holding a Burmese python?! 2) Jared and baby A looking adorable in their matching church clothes 3) downtown Miami

2. I had a second interview for a recreation therapy job. It would be an awesome opportunity, so I'm very grateful that I even found this open position. Since I'm only focusing on good things, I won't go into detail about the anguish of an 8 hour interview. I'm just glad it's over. ;)

3. Fall is here and I am inspired to do what I consider to be Fall cooking. I recently made pumpkin cheesecake, sweet potato soup, and spaghetti squash. Today I am going to make chicken pot pie for the first time. I love warm, hearty dishes and they are especially fun to make when the weather is cold and rainy (like it is today). Also, Jared made an absolutely perfect batch of peppermint ice cream last night. Ah, the simple pleasures of life.

Flash Mob

2009-10-07T10:47:00.002-04:00

Ever heard of a flash mob? It's when a group of people secretly organize an event (on the internet), meet at a predetermined place, execute the action/event, and disperse as if nothing ever happened. I knew of them happening at BYU when I was there, but never actually participated in one, though I thought the idea was pretty neat.

But this....

THIS is the flash mob to beat all flash mobs. Ever.

Read this article for more details.

The Woes of Unemployment

2009-10-06T15:25:00.004-04:00

There's nothing like getting an interview for an awesome job to make you feel confident and optimistic.

There's nothing like botching an interview for an awesome job to make you feel small and hopeless.

I just finished a 2 hour phone interview. I've been studying and preparing for this interview for 2 days straight. I've spent 10-12 hours in the past 2 days studying Recreation Therapy books from college, trying to remember all the diagnoses and medical terminology and psychological theories that I learned. I wrote down 4 pages of possible questions and answers to common interview questions, including situational questions, and practiced them over and over.

And then I wasn't asked a single one of those questions. I wasn't asked one single question about my knowledge of therapeutic recreation. I wasn't asked what skills I have or what my strengths are or where I see myself in 5 years or what my philosophy of recreation therapy is or what activities I would use to treat a 10 year old patient or how I resolved a conflict with a supervisor.

The interviewers used behavioral interviewing techniques. As soon as they told me that's what they were about to do, I silently groaned. Besides the fact I find these interviews terribly uncomfortable, Jared just attended a conference last month in which a behavior specialist said that behavioral interviews are worthless.

The basic idea of behavioral interviewing is that past performance will predict future behavior. Instead of saying how you would react to a certain situation, you have to explain how you actually did react to a situation. This is supposed to guarantee more honest answers, because the interviewer will pick apart everything you say to make sure your story is complete.

Anyway, I think I realized after I got off the phone why I find these interviews so difficult. I have a terrible memory. So when I'm asked a question like, "describe a time when a negative situation could have been avoided by identifying a risk earlier," I kind of freak out. I hope the interviewers don't think I'm lying when my story seems a bit flaky. I just can't remember! Also, I don't think behavioral interviewing questions are necessarily applicable to every job. For instance, I was asked the question, "describe a time when you were working on a major project for a supervisor and the focus of the project changed, but the deadline remained the same." I think I can honestly say that I have never been in this situation. But I can't just say, "oh that's never happened to me. Next question, please." So I have to come up with some distantly related experience and try to cram it into the parameters of the question. Does that really help predict my future behavior? Or does it just demonstrate how well (or poorly) I can manipulate the question?

I'm so tired of job hunting. Please, someone just let me work!

.................

The optimist in me cannot end this post on such a pathetic note. I'm sure something will come along. Hopefully before we go broke.

Also, don't you love fall?

I'm squealing with delight!

2009-09-25T11:00:00.000-04:00

Sorry if you think animals in clothing look ridiculous, but isn't this cute? I love the pigs!!!

Also, you're causing me to lose my hearing

2009-09-24T16:40:00.005-04:00

Not that I retract any of my statements from my last post about the annoyances of cigarette smoke, but I think I might actually prefer to be subjected to cigarette smoke than to extremely aggravating, loud motorcycles. Yes, I think this may be my very biggest pet peeve EVER. Let's make that loud vehicles in general, whether it's the revving of an engine that splits my head open or the thumping of bass that rattles my windows, excessively (and pointlessly) loud vehicles are #1 on my hate list. At least today.

We've been dealing with the annoyances of Loud Motorcycle Man for over a month now. His piece of junk motorcycle takes at least 3-5 tries to start, so I get to hear that beautiful revving approximately 6-10 times per day. Today, it never would start. But he kept at it for a constant 10 minutes. Several times, it popped so loudly it sounded like a gunshot. This is it, I decided. No more. I'm not putting up with this. Problem is, while I have no inhibitions complaining about this on my blog, I'm way too non confrontational (er, chicken? but mostly non confrontational) to say something directly to him about it. Lame, I know. But I just can't. (I doubt it would make a difference, anyway. I've actually seen our sweet 80 year old neighbor complain to him already about disturbing the peace, and it hasn't changed a thing.) Instead, I'm thinking of writing him a letter and putting it on his door. Or making a complaint to our apartment manager. Or to the city. Or county. Or whomever else could possibly get him to shut that thing up.

Anyway, while researching our local noise ordinances, I came across this article that points out negative effects from loud noises. Of course, there's the potential for hearing loss. But what I really found interesting was the other possible problems. These are all warning signs that noise is affecting your well being.

If you can't hear consonants you can hear people talk but it sounds like they are mumbling. - Yes! So maybe Jared isn't mumbling after all! I just can't hear his consonants!

If you hear ringing in your ears a long time after you've been exposed to a loud noise. - Check.

If you feel an overwhelming sense of anger toward the person causing the noise. - Overwhelming enough to blog about it.

If you fantasize about violent reactions to the noise. - Um, check? I don't fantasize about me being violent. But I wouldn't mind if the motorcycle was damaged in a mysteriously violent way.

If you feel stressed, or if your heart beats more rapidly, at the onset of loud noise. - Um, yes. But that could be from the anger, right?

If you find yourself feeling less friendly, less charitable, or less communicative after being exposed to loud noise. - Check. All I want to do right now is complain.

If you get upset just thinking about loud noises and their origins. - Like right now?

Excuse me, but you are killing me

2009-09-21T19:19:00.003-04:00

There are 2 dirty words I'd like to talk about today.

Secondhand smoke.

I have had this subject on my mind for a while now, but have refrained from writing anything for fear of sounding like a complete jerk. But I just found this new article that shows that the American Heart Association is on my side in this argument, so I will proceed.

1. I was lounging at the pool one day when I overheard (eavesdropped?) a conversation between an older man and a woman about my age (I feel weird calling myself a "woman" - sounds too old. Let's just say girl.) So this man and girl strike up a conversation and the man mentions that he smokes. The girl goes on to tell him that he should definitely quit - she did, and it was hard, but worth it. Then she climbs up on her soapbox and starts ranting and raving about how nonsmokers have no RIGHT to complain about people smoking because they just don't know how hard it is to quit.

Ok.

I will concede that one who has never smoked does not know what it is like to try to quit. Also, I do not question whatsoever how hard it is to quit. BUT, do not tell me I don't have a right to complain about people smoking around me. Regardless of whether or not it's a hard habit to kick, it does affect other people. It makes my apartment stink when my neighbors smoke. It is bad for my lungs. It is filthy to have cigarette butts on the sidewalks around my house. It makes my food taste funny in restaurants. So yeah, I think I will go right along complaining. Because I'm not ok with other people's bad habits intruding my life.

2. Shortly after the pool incident, I saw a woman smoking in her car. With the windows rolled up. AND A BABY IN THE BACKSEAT. I'm sure this happens all the time, but it really makes my blood boil to see it. I feel so sorry for those tiny babies and their tiny lungs.

3. Let's talk about this article I mentioned earlier. Basically, it reiterates what has been said before, but with new data. There is no safe level of exposure to cigarette smoke. Even a few puffs of a cigarette, OR breathing someone else's secondhand smoke increases the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

"Those exposed to air pollution* and secondhand smoke had a 20 percent to 30 percent higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease compared to those without exposure."

4. Besides the increase in risk of death from cardiovascular disease, secondhand smoke causes lung cancer, lung infections, asthma attacks, reduced lung function, and inner ear infections. Plus, it may be linked to breast cancer and puts babies at an increased risk for SIDS. This is all secondhand smoke we're talking about here. People who don't smoke are dying of cigarette smoke related causes! That is unacceptable!

So, what is to be done about this? Easy - smoking bans. Strict ones. Thank goodness, North Carolina just passed a bill to ban smoking in bars, restaurants, and government buildings. But it still doesn't include workplaces (or my neighbors' apartments, dangit). Without even looking for it, I actually just ran across an article in USA Today this morning about smoking bans. It says that 2 separate studies show that heart attack rates fall 17% within a year after smoking bans take effect. To put that into perspective,

"Given that there are about 920,000 heart attacks every year, the studies suggests that public smoking bans could prevent more than 150,000 of these, according to the Cardiology paper."

There's also this article on CNN, which reports the same new statistics, but also tells that secondhand smoke can affect your heart in as little as 20 minutes!

Sadly, smoking bans aren't going to help those children (or adults) who live with smokers. To give those nonsmokers a fair chance at health, smokers are going to have to be dramatically more responsible when it comes to where and when they smoke.

I don't mean to sound unsympathetic or judgmental. It is every individual's own prerogative to choose to use substances that are known carcinogens and have a great chance of leading to their untimely and completely preventable death. But it is not acceptable for people to use those substances in a way that contributes to the preventable death of innocent associates.

The end.

(Whew, that felt good.)

*While the issue of air pollution contributing to our possible death is equally disturbing, I am choosing to ignore it right now so I can more fully exert my wrath on the issue of secondhand smoke.

One of my favorites so far

2009-09-18T17:24:00.001-04:00

I think everything about this video is exquisitely beautiful.

And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children...

2009-09-17T12:12:00.002-04:00

and the heart of the children to their fathers.

I have been wanting to do family history research for a while now, but kept procrastinating getting started. Most of my excuse was the fact that the new family search website (new.familysearch.org) was not yet available in Utah when I was living there and I was just going to wait until that became available and made things easier. I've been in North Carolina since January though, so I've obviously procrastinated a bit. BUT, I just started looking up ancestors last night and today and it is so exciting! I have found out that many of my ancestors were born, married, or died RIGHT HERE in my county in North Carolina! This is extraordinarily exciting to me for some reason. I want to go find their graves and...I don't know...take pictures of them?

Seriously, if you have not already done so, check it out: new.familysearch.org.

A very round about way of saying "look at my new blog!"

2009-09-14T11:32:00.009-04:00

I started out college as a Broadcast Journalism major, initially hoping to be a news anchor. Along the way, I discovered there were aspects of broadcasting I really enjoyed and others that I really hated.

Enjoyed: shooting and editing video. LOVED editing video. Even though we received little to no instruction on how to use the software (we used Avid), it was so fun to play around with and figure out.

Hated: everything else about reporting.

Needless to say, I did not stick with it. But the whole point of this introduction is that I was able to learn some cool things along the way and have some great opportunities. One of those opportunities was working in the newsroom. BYU did (still does?) a live newscast at 4:00 PM every day. (When I was working there, we aired only on campus channels, but were in the process of getting onto Provo cable.) Anyway, I really didn't know anything about this opportunity, but I was interviewing for a TA job and told my professor about my interest in the technical side of things more than the reporting side. She then proceeded to tell me that they were looking for someone to be the graphics editor for their newscast that started airing live in one week and would I be interested? I said sure, and was immediately hired. Keep in mind, they did not ask me anything about my graphics background or abilities - I think they just needed someone, anyone. And that is how I accidentally became the "graphics editor" for BYU Daily News.

When I started, they gave me about an hour of training on the program they use to produce the show (basically, it's what allows you to choose which camera angle goes live and when, and which graphics to put on screen and when). I didn't need to know all the ins and outs of this program, because that was the producer's job, but I had to be familiar enough with it to get all my graphics on screen at the right time. For instance, when the weather person was talking, I had to follow her cues and change the graphics from the nationwide map to the 5 day forecast at the appropriate time. In addition to the whole hour of training I received, they told me I could/should use Photoshop to create/edit graphics and pointed me in the direction of a Photoshop manual. So I had about a week to figure out how to create quality looking graphics for over-the-shoulder shots (when the anchors are talking and there is a graphic over their shoulder), CGs (character graphics - names and titles that appear below reporters and sources during a story), and weather. It was quite intimidating at first, and never really stopped being nerve wracking, especially when something went wrong during the newscast and a graphic didn't load properly and I had to scramble to find something and put it on screen manually. While I appreciated the trust they placed in me, I hated that I received basically no training, because I could have done such a better job if I had known more about Photoshop and the other program (I can't remember the name).

Anyway, fast forward to today. I don't remember anything about Photoshop. Seriously, what are all those layers about and how the heck do I work with them? I have such a terrible memory. BUT, I use a simple program called Photoscape to edit photos sometimes and even though it is not nearly as capable as Photoshop, you can get some decent results if you play with it long enough. I've been trying to figure out how to make my blog look better and finally decided to download a free banner and background. I used Photoscape to edit the banner and make it my own.

Here was the original banner:

And here is my new banner!

I'm kind of excited about it. ;) So for any of you who feel like you aren't quite up to the challenge of Photoshop, I recommend Photoscape as a great way to get started on photo editing. I also just downloaded paint.net which I've heard wonderful things about, but I haven't really used it yet. What do the rest of you (non-techies) use?

Remembering 9/11 - A Message of Hope

2009-09-11T08:34:00.001-04:00

I am SO grown up

2009-09-07T18:38:00.003-04:00

I am in the market for a sewing machine. I need something that is easy to use since my entire sewing experience involves making one very ugly wrap around skirt (leopard print, even....what was I thinking?) and a lopsided pair of pajama pants (which I happen to love). But I also want a machine that will grow with me. Meaning I hope to improve my sewing skills and don't want to regret buying such a cheap machine that it no longer fits my needs a couple years from now. Make sense?

So...who has suggestions? I'll take any advice I can get: recommendations for specific models, useful features I should look for, things I should stay away from.

Thanks, y'all!

Backyard Nature Walk

2009-08-28T16:34:00.004-04:00

Today I went on a walk. I like taking walks, but I tend to freak myself out if I go alone. Initially, it's the fear of rapists that gets me. But then I hear things creak and see things move and start imagining how I'm going to get back home if I get bit by a rattlesnake because you're supposed to minimize movement so the venom doesn't spread. Don't get me wrong. I love the outdoors. But when I am alone in the woods, I start to get a little irrational.

So when I stepped on a leaf today and nearly gave myself a heart attack at the sound of it, I told myself to quit being a sissy. All I've seen today is a rabbit, a lizard, and a giant butterfly.

Nothing to be scared of.

But then I started to notice an extraordinary number of spiderwebs. Not only were they extraordinary in number, but they were extra extraordinary in size. We're talking 10-15 feet across, easy. I sometimes like to venture off the path a little bit, walk down by the stream, have some alone time. But after nearly walking into a giant, big-enough-to-catch-a-human spiderweb more than once, I decided to stick to the trail.

Nice and safe on the trail. All I'm seeing are flowers...

bugs...

mushrooms...

and then, right there in the middle of the nice safe trail: the giant beast of the forest, Aragog! Now I know what kind of monster was making those larger than life webs! This thing was dead and it still freaked me out.

Ugh.

Wanderings around the northeast

2009-08-24T12:19:00.005-04:00

Did I mention that Jared and I went to Niagara Falls/Palmyra/Kirtland this summer? We did. It was about a 9 hour drive from where we were in Greenville, Ohio. At first, I wasn't really looking forward to all that driving (and in such a short time period...we left on Friday and came back on Sunday), but I'm really glad we went. It was a lot of fun and I was glad to be able to see some places I had always wanted to see.

First, we went to Kirtland, Ohio and saw the historic Kirtland temple and community. Did you know the Kirtland temple doors were originally green? At some point, they must have been painted white, but once it was discovered that the doors were initially green, they were restored to their original color.

Next, we went to Niagara Falls. We got there Friday night just in time for the weekly fireworks show. That was pretty cool. We had missed the fireworks on Fourth of July because our poor dinky town got their fireworks confiscated, so we were excited to see an even better show than Greenville could have put on. We camped in the area and went back the next day to see the falls in the daylight. It rained really hard while we were there. Plus, we went on the Maid of the Mist boat ride, so we were pretty much soaked by the time we left.

But it was warm, so we still had a good time. And we went to Canada. We parked on the American side and walked across the bridge to Canada. I thought it was hilarious that the Canadian border patrol asked us "what is the nature of your visit today? Where are you going? Why?" I was tempted to say, "I don't know...we're really into natural landmarks...is there anything like that around here?"

But to Canada's credit, getting into Canada was a bazillion times faster than getting back into America. Those people were SLOW.

After a few hours of getting drenched at Niagara Falls, we headed to Palmyra. We went to the Palmyra temple...

...took a tour of the printing shop where the Book of Mormon was published, saw the Smith farm and the Sacred Grove...

...and then we headed to the Hill Cumorah pageant. It was great for the first 40 minutes, but then the sky unzipped and started pouring. Apparently rain doesn't usually stop them and they rarely have to cancel the show, but there was lightning in the area, so it had to be done. So I only got to see the first half of the show. I was really looking forward to seeing Jesus come in on a zip line, but alas, maybe some other time.

Why I Love Harris Teeter

2009-08-20T14:11:00.002-04:00

Harris Teeter is not my new boyfriend. It is a grocery store. And it is awesome. It's hard to explain exactly why Harris Teeter is so superior to other stores, but I can honestly say I enjoy grocery shopping when I go to Harris Teeter. The best way to illuminate the supremacy of Harris Teeter is to compare it to the ultra crappy Food Lion.

Harris Teeter and Food Lion both do the membership card thing, which I hate. BUT at Harris Teeter, you are not scorned for forgetting your card. You can just enter your phone number and still get your discount. At Food Lion, you have to pretend you didn't know you had to bring your card and give the cashier innocent eyes and hope that they scan their own card for you. Also, at Food Lion, sometimes the cashier might just forget to ask you for your card altogether (on a day when you actually have it) and you end up paying twice as much for your groceries.
Speaking of cashiers, the ones at Harris Teeter are always nice! Food Lion apparently does not conduct interviews before hiring people, because their cashiers have terrible people skills. They hire the type of people who refuse to make eye contact and don't say a word to you except maybe to tell you your total.
The customer service at Harris Teeter is so far above any other grocery store, it is impossible to even compare it to another. The other day we were buying a clearance item that did not have a price listed on the item or anywhere on the shelf. So…we got it for free. Yep. A free marinade injector. The cashier that was helping us was also training a new employee and explained to her that it was better to just give it to us for free than to hold the line up and make people wait longer. Can we say GREAT customer service one more time?!
Harris Teeter has a way better deli and bakery than Food Lion.
Harris Teeter carries awesome exotic fruits that I have never heard of but enjoy trying. Food Lion? Yeah right.
To Jared's immense delight, Harris Teeter sells raspberry chipotle sauce, unlike Food Lion or any other grocery store in all of North Carolina (all the ones I've been to, anyway).
Harris Teeter has "customer-in-training" shopping carts, which is definitely the most adorable service a grocery store has ever provided. They have these tiny shopping carts with a flag that says "Customer in Training" that little kids can push around. I love seeing little kids following their parents around like little ducklings with their own shopping cart.
Harris Teeter does double-coupons every single day and triple…yes, TRIPLE! coupons on a regular basis. I saved $35 in coupons in one trip this week.
Jared and I were not able to shop at Harris Teeter all summer since we were gone in Ohio. But good ol' Mr. Teeter noticed our absence and sent us 4 coupons for $5 off a $25 purchase to encourage us to come back. And that is why I will never shop anywhere else.

Edible things

2009-08-10T13:56:00.007-04:00

The National Air Force museum is in Dayton, Ohio and it is huge and awesome. Jared and I went there a month or two ago, but were only able to spend an hour there. I figured that we must have seen about half the museum and assumed that if we went back, we would only need another hour. But when we decided to make another trip to Dayton, Jared insisted we needed 3.5 to 4 hours at the museum. I said fine, but I'm taking a book. Because there is no way a museum can keep my interest that long.

As it turns out, we had only seen 1 of the 7 exhibits in the hour we spent there. So we spent another 3+ hours there last week and it was actually really fascinating...even to me! Jared ran around drooling over the planes, while I was more interested in stuff like this:

SPACE FOOD! Those astronauts are serious about cutting down on weight.

Ok, so Jared was actually the one to point out the space food to me, but seriously, he was like a kid in a candy shop when it came to the planes.

Speaking of candy shops, we went to a chocolate factory last week to take a tour and see if we want to become chocolatiers.

Jared was the only male on the tour, but he held his own. He made a pretty awesome chocolate tulip and even challenged the ladies on the tour to try to top his.

Here's how you do it. First, you dip a small inflated balloon into tempered chocolate and roll it in your desired pattern.

Then you let it dry. Pop the balloon, peel it out, and voila! You have a tulip. Then fill it with chocolate mouse and garnish with more chocolate.

We took this picture just for you, Sarah H. Jared thought you would like it. It's made entirely of chocolate!

As promised

2009-08-07T11:24:00.001-04:00

Since we just celebrated our 2 month anniversary yesterday (and by celebrated, I mean we worked in the corn fields), I figured it was about time to post some wedding pictures. So here you go.

Temple pictures

Luncheon and reception pictures

I’m looking forward to…

2009-08-04T19:26:00.001-04:00

-having a kitchen again! Can't wait to be able scramble eggs and bake bread. My summer without a kitchen has convinced and motivated me to cook more often and make more homemade (not from a box) meals. I'm super excited about my cooking magazine subscription Renae got me for my wedding!
-the pool at our apartment complex! And weather warm enough to swim!
-the gym at our complex! Even though I walk a few miles a day at work, I still feel like a lazy bum and can't wait to get back to the gym. (Ha! I say that like I'm a gym rat or something. Jared usually has to drag me to the gym, where I end up pretending to bike while actually reading magazines. But it's going to be different from now on!)
-having a shower that doesn't take 15 minutes to get warm. (The other day, we got home from work, turned the shower on, walked to the bank to get a form notarized, walked home, and the shower was still not hot enough to get in. This is a true story.)
-taking walks and slacklining in the park next to our apartment. We have an amazing and beautiful trail system that begins right at the edge of our complex.
-going mountain biking again! We've biked around town quite a bit here, but we haven't found any trails nearby.
-restaurants where they season their food. We've tried to not eat out too much, but when we don't have a kitchen and there's not much else to do in town, we've succumbed to the temptation quite a few times. Unfortunately, the food here in our neck of the woods has been disappointing. We've gone to: (1) the favorite local fast food, Maid-Rite, which makes a sloppy hamburger that people seriously line up for. But we both thought it was very bland. (2) the "best restaurant in Greenville," the Bistro off Broadway. Several people have told us this is the nicest restaurant in town, but we weren't impressed. The food tasted like it was frozen and reheated and there was honestly not a stitch of seasoning on my chicken. (3) the "best restaurant in the county," The Inn at Versailles. This place is supposed to be as fancy as it gets around here, so we made the 30 minute drive there for our 1-month anniversary. When you live in the country, your idea of fancy apparently gets a little skewed, though. For starters, the hostess was wearing shorts and flip flops. I got chicken marsala, which I usually LOVE, but it was so disgusting I couldn't even eat it. Jared finished it for me and I picked at his dish, which was only slightly better. I really like going to original, non-chain restaurants, but after these disappointing and overpriced experiences, I'm ready to go back to the city where I can find some good chain food restaurants like On the Border, Cheesecake Factory, and Carrabbas. And we can't wait to try this bbq place in Raleigh that we've seen featured on the travel channel on 2 different shows!

Oh! But I have to mention that we did find a wonderful ice cream shop in Ohio called Graeters. Sadly, the closest one to us is an hour away but they have awesome ice cream - some of the best mint chocolate chip I have ever tasted. Score one point for Ohio!

No offense to cute little Greenville, Ohio. It really is a quaint little town that could be quite nice if it fits your style, but I just can't wait to get HOME to the good ol' South.

Countdown to North Carolina: 11 days! Hooray!

My life as a migrant worker

2009-08-02T21:36:00.003-04:00

So I figured since I was here in Ohio, I may as well work in the corn fields and earn a little bit of cash. I started working for Monsanto, the company Jared is interning with, 2 weeks ago. My job title is corn pollinator. Sweet, huh? Basically, I walk up and down miles of corn rows and shake off the pollen from the corn tassle (male part) into a paper bag and stick it over the female part, the shoot (what becomes the ear of corn). Pretty exciting stuff, no? There are about 60 of us seasonal workers and we pollinate about 12,000 - 16,000 plants a day! That's over 200 plants per person every day...more if not everyone shows up. And that's really only half of what we do. The other half is getting the plant ready for pollination, but you don't need those boring details. My job may not be glamorous, but it is impressive.

Overall, it hasn't been as bad as I was expecting. It has been raining a ton, so that makes for very muddy, wet working conditions. My feet are prunes by the end of the day. The last few days have been gloriously sunny though, so that has been nice. The biggest surprise/pain has been getting what they call corn rash. This is basically the poison ivy of corn. It's common for most people who wear short sleeves to get a slight corn rash on their arms from the pollen falling on their skin and mixing with their sweat. It manifests itself as redness and slight itching. I already knew I was allergic to pollen, so I have worn long sleeves in the field every day to try and prevent this, but got it anyway. For me, it turned my arms and hands and neck into flaming red bumps filled with pus. We're talking hundreds of bumps. And every day, I would just get more bumps on top of my bumps. I've never had poison ivy, but I can't imagine it being much worse than corn rash. I would take a Zyrtec every morning before work and 1-2 Benadryll when I got home, lather myself in hydrocortisone and collapse into an antihistimine-induced coma for a few hours. This seemed to be the only routine that provided any relief. After several days, it got so miserable, they let me switch to a different task in a part of the field that didn't have as much pollen and my rash got much better. Thank goodness that is over.

The best part of the job has been being able to go to work with Jared every day. We're not always in the same part of the field, but I definitely get to spend more time with him than I would if I was staying home. So on the whole, it has been a good choice to go work in the fields. But the work will end this week and I can go back to reading blogs and biking around town full-time. =)

They're here!

2009-07-25T17:03:00.005-04:00

I got my wedding pictures and I do plan to post tons of them on facebook, but here are a few for now! BIG thanks to Big Lou for taking these beautiful pictures! And thank you again to everyone who came to the wedding, gave us a gift, or helped in any way to make our wedding day so wonderful. It was perfect.

I put the pictures in an collage because it is just so much faster to upload. Click to enlarge!

Guess what I just found out!

2009-07-19T18:02:00.004-04:00

I've known Jared for 4 years and somehow the fact that he can juggle has eluded my knowledge until last week. How did I not know this?

This is way too cool

2009-07-17T11:02:00.002-04:00

I've been watching quite a bit of the Tour de France this year...well, more than I ever have before anyway. I think it's such an interesting event. I am fascinated by the dynamics of the competition. For hours, a group of riders may be working together, taking turns riding in the front or back of the group (like a flock of birds!), and then BAM! one rider takes off and leaves the rest behind. They change so quickly from a symbiotic relationship to a predator-prey relationship. Fascinating stuff. Add in the super-human speed and endurance and way-too-low-for-normal heartrates of these amazing athletes, and you have yourself one of the greatest sporting events in the world.

But that's not the point of this post. The point is the Chalkbot. The Chalkbot is the robotic child of the Livestrong Foundation, created to paint biodegradable chalk messages on the streets of the Tour de France. Anyone can submit messages to the Chalkbot on this website. You can basically write whatever you want. I think the idea is to write messages of hope, both for the riders and for people battling cancer. Supposedly they don't screen the messages, but I'm not sure how they choose which ones get printed. At first I thought I read that they would print all the messages they received up to 100,000. But recently, I read another article that said they would just email you if your message was chosen and send you a link to picture of it. Sorry I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but it's such an incredible idea, I had to share! Go submit your message right now! And let me know if yours gets chosen. I'm really curious to find out exactly how you get notified, see the picture, etc.

And the story continues...

2009-07-13T22:08:00.004-04:00

The police found our car.

Hooray.

NOT.

I actually wish now that they had never found it, or at least they had waited until we officially mailed off the title to the insurance company and gotten our check. We were so close to having this headache resolved. Like, so close we could taste it. So close we had already planned how we were going to spend every dollar we received from the insurance company (all very wise expenditures, like paying off my car). Jared even flew home to North Carolina to pick up the title to his car (so we could sign it over to the insurance) and pick up my car so that we could eventually get home to North Carolina once we leave this wretched state.

But oh, the timing. Monday - the insurance company is ready to pay out. Just need to send them the title. Wednesday - Jared flies home to get said title. Thursday - Jared drives my Jeep back to Ohio, with said title in hand, ready to mail off. Friday - police find car and ruin everything.

Granted, this is exactly what we had been praying for - for the police to find our car. But the past few weeks have been so crazy, all I really want is for this to be over. But now that the car has been found, we have to deal with *picking the car up from the impound lot, **getting it repaired, and ***ordering new license plates from North Carolina (the plates were stolen).

*We drove the 2 hours to the impound lot today to see the car. We had to pay $55 just to retrieve our few personal belongings from the car. Seriously? I have to pay to get my own stuff out? We were not allowed to take the car, though, because it has no license plates. But it needs repairs anyway, so we got a tow truck to take it to the shop. As far as our belongings, they pretty much cleared us out. Seriously. They even took the emergency food (granola bars) Jared had hidden underneath the floorboard of his trunk. I had no hope for finding my phone or camera, but I was hoping to at least find my clothes or shoes or Jared's tools. But no, all gone. Even Jared's bike rack on top of the car was gone. Oh, but what did they leave for us? My Nalgene (filled with alcohol), our library books, and some cassette tapes. We felt pretty vindicated to find a $20 bill that we had hidden in the car. They may have stolen thousands from us, but we got our $20, suckers!

**Damage: We knew there would be a broken window because we saw broken glass where the car was stolen. Other than the window/door, there wasn't too much visible damage. The ignition is damaged - they obviously used a screwdriver or something to fiddle with the ignition to start the car. When we first tried to put the key in, it wouldn't fit. We finally got it in, but it will definitely need to be fixed. The antenna is also messed up, but that's minor. Mostly, the car was just trashed. It was filled with bottles, fast food wrappers, glasses...just trash in general. And the floorboards are soaked with alcohol. We were also disgusted to find that they actually used the ashtray as an ashtray. When Jared noticed that, he said, "don't they know what an ashtray is for? Storing coins!" All in all, not too bad. But I am not sitting in that vehicle until it has been sanitized.

***If any of you plan on having your car stolen, try to have it happen in the state where you live. Because having your car stolen out of state makes everything harder. Like trying to get new license plates. I called the NC DMV today and they said it will take 3-4 weeks for us to get new plates! We're only going to be in Ohio for 4.5 more weeks, so hopefully we get the plates in time to actually drive the car home. Because we are so not coming back.

The end...for now.

:)

This is Awesome

2009-07-09T08:50:00.002-04:00

Read this post. And watch the video.

Love it. Makes me feel better already about dealing with big, nasty companies. Next time I get mistreated, I'm going to hire someone to write a song about it.

UPDATE: T-Mobile sucks. Even more than I thought before.

2009-07-08T18:40:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, we decided to make the hour long drive to the T-Mobile store so I could get a phone before Jared left for North Carolina (he is flying to NC today to pick up my Jeep which we left there). Originally, I had bought a prepaid phone at WalMart, but I found out there was a better prepaid phone at the T-Mobile store, so I took the WalMart one back. I knew the T-Mobile salesperson probably wouldn't be happy about me buying one of the cheap prepaid phones and getting a replacement sim card, but I didn't expect to get the load of crap she gave me: "I actually can't sell you a sim card for a prepaid phone...that is fraud...I could lose my job...blah, blah, blah." Lots of other crap ensued, including finding out I had to pay $20 for a new sim card AND the store refusing to sell me a sim card because I didn't have an ID. Finally, after I became very frustrated and may or may not have cried a little in exasperation, we figured out I could add Jared on to my account and then he could show his ID. But goodness gracious, was it a mess of an experience. In the end, I went back to WalMart and ended up with a phone from the 1990s. It's actually quite small, but it's got one of those old, terrible screens that hurts your eyes to look at.

Don't know why I felt the need to share so many boring details, but I get so frustrated with companies that claim to be all about their customers, but try to screw them at every corner. And by screw, I mean suck out every last penny.

On a positive note, I'm really grateful that I have a phone again and that all the other issues from having our car stolen are being resolved. We've pretty much got everything worked out with the banks, my new license is in the mail, and we should be getting the check from the car insurance in the next week or two. If only I could get my hot red high heels back...

Life really can be a mess sometimes. I was out with the missionaries tonight teaching a woman about the gospel of Jesus Christ and we started talking about why Heavenly Father allows bad things to happen. I was reminded that "it must needs me that there is an opposition in all things" because we can "[have] no joy" if we "[know] no misery." Isn't that so true? It's after something bad happens that we realize how good we have it. Not to be cliche, but I really think I am seriously, so blessed. ;)

What the Cell Phone Providers Won't Tell You...

2009-07-07T10:39:00.004-04:00

...and why I hate them.

So, my phone was stolen as all of you are probably now aware, and I have found myself in a predicament. Right now, my service is suspended so the thugs who stole my phone can't use it. T-Mobile will only suspend my service for a maximum of 30 days. If I don't buy a new phone and call T-Mobile and ask them to reactivate my account within 30 days, they will automatically (without contacting me) terminate my account and charge me the astronomical early termination fee. I don't want to sign another 2 year agreement with T-Mobile because I plan on switching to Verizon and getting on Jared's (and his family's) plan as soon as my contract is over in a few months. Waaay cheaper.

So basically, my only option is to buy a phone at full price. But have you ever looked at the full prices of cell phones (i.e. - the price without a 2-yr service plan)? They are ridiculous. We're talking anywhere from $150 - $2000. I called T-Mobile and asked them what the absolute cheapest phone they have is and it was $80 for a piece of crap brick phone. I might not mind spending a $100 or so - or even more - on a phone if I would be able to use it for a long time. But Verizon uses a different network than T-Mobile, so their phones are not compatible. That means I will need to get another new phone in a few months when I switch over. (By the way, if you want to know more about cell phone providers and which ones have compatible networks, this is a great resource.

BUT, I am lucky enough to have a brother that used to work for T-Mobile and has all sorts of insider knowledge that the salespeople will never tell you. Maybe this is old news to some of you, but I had never hear this/thought of it before. My brother told me that I can just go to Wal-Mart or any other store that sells prepaid phones, buy one of those cheap phones (we're talking under $20), and ask T-Mobile to send me a new sim card (or go get one at a T-Mobile store...unfortunately I live in the country and the closest T-Mobile store is over an hour away). Just pop the new sim card in the admittedly-piece-of-crap-but-way-cheaper-than-full-price phone and you're good to go. My brother told me to make sure I get a T-Mobile prepaid phone, but you could try getting a phone from another provider as long as it uses a compatible network. Sometimes, providers "lock" their phones so they cannot be used with other service providers, though. In that case, you would have to get someone who works for your provider to unlock the phone for you. Again, reference this website for more info on that.

Is this news to anyone else?

Anniversary

2009-07-06T14:27:00.003-04:00

Today is our one-month anniversary. Hooray! It's been a good month, despite the horrible things that have happened (our car being stolen, along with my identity and thousands of dollars, our hotel being infested with bedbugs and having to move rooms FOUR times). But hey, at least I have a husband to go through these things with. Anyway, I still don't have my wedding pictures, but here are a few more honeymoon pictures. I totally forgot all my makeup at home when we left for our honeymoon, so I wasn't too keen on taking lots of pictures. It was a beautiful place, though!

Feeling a bit...space-y

2009-06-25T10:05:00.004-04:00

I have weird dreams. As random as they are though, there are usually a few constants:

ONE, if I am hot while I'm sleeping, I have a scary dream. This usually involves me running from a rapist, murderer, or kidnapper. Without fail, when I wake up from a scary dream, I find that I have way too many blankets on and I am sweating. You could say that my warm temperature was caused by the scary dream, but I am adamant that it is the other way around. My being warm causes scary dreams.

TWO, when I have to use the bathroom, I dream that I cannot find a usable toilet. The setting and the people may change, but the scenario is always the same. I run around searching for a toilet and eventually find one (or many) but they are all unusable, either because they are occupied, extremely filthy, overflowing, or more often, right out in the open...like in front of tons of people. Last week, I dreamed that I finally found a toilet, but it was a squatter like the ones Sadie told me about from China. Except this one wasn't even a hole in the ground; it was a grate. And it was in the middle of a train station or some other crowded, very public place. This really concerned me because I did not want to leave a mess, so I couldn't go.

Ok, so 3 nights ago, I had a dream that was just way more bizarre than my normal dreams. I had a dream that I went on a SPACE VACATION. Yes, a vacation to outer space. Don't know if we were on our honeymoon or what, but Jared and I boarded a spacecraft to head to the planet Violet where everything was violet - not ultraviolet, just violet...as in the color. It was a really long flight, but the spacecraft was very roomy and luxurious. Our seats were full length and reclined back to a near-horizontal position. Also, the flight attendants gave all the passengers Kindle readers to keep us occupied. Except I don't think there were any books on them. Just the internet, which I don't think Kindle readers actually have, but hey, this was my dream. So anyway, after what seemed like a couple days, we finally landed on Violet. I don't remember actually getting out of the spacecraft, though. I think maybe we just looked out the window. At this point, the flight attendants told us to take our seats again because we were heading back home. I remember dreading the long return flight and wishing I had had more time to explore.

I was pretty weirded out by this dream, but the next night it was back to normal with a running-from-a-creepy-man-peeing-in-a-glass-room dream.