Tantrums...

And the toddler tantrums have begun!!  The last few days Evie has decided that it's not fair that I won't let her do what she wants, that I'm the meanest mom in the world, and that I'm totally ruining her life (am I really going to have to do this again in 12 years or so??).  She's only 11 months old and we're already doing the screaming fits... My child is just so advanced... *sigh*

This is a cute picture to remind me how sweet she can be, haha!

All this new independence she's gained by mastering the whole walking thing has really pushed us forward into a whole new stage of life, and I'm not sure that I'm happy about it!!  I know that this is totally developmentally normal, but I've got to say, I'm not really prepared for it.  I think I'm grieving a little bit; I'm just so sad that I've lost my sweet little baby who was completely dependent on me and trusted my every decision!  I feel like this year of baby-hood has gone by way too fast!

Wish me luck on as I embark on the next year (or two or three), I think I'm going to need it!!!!

Top 3 things I've learned to do in a hurry...

The top three things I've learned to do in record time since becoming a mother:

1. Eating

2. Bathing

3. Peeing

This list could actually be about a million times longer, but these are just my personal top 3, haha!

Seriously though... You know how girls are notorious for taking forever in the bathroom?  Well, a while back I was out having a "girl's day" with a couple of other moms while the hubbies had the kids.  Seeing as one of us mommies was pregnant, we made the inevitable stop at mall restrooms... and I was ASTOUNDED at how quickly we were all in and out.  It was crazy!  This may sound like an incredibly odd observation, but having made group excursions to the bathroom all my life, and yet never with my fellow moms, I didn't realize what a difference there is!

Also, I've always been a faster eater than Karl, but even now I can beat him to the end of the meal while feeding/holding a squirming, crawling, kicking baby... And I think that deserves a little respect!

I guess this is just another one of those talents born of necessity when a little-one comes along ;)

I Am Thankful For...The Lord's Timing

Everyone has been doing the whole "thankful" thing on FB for November, so I thought I'd get into the spirit ;)

One thing that I have been extremely grateful for in the past year is the Lord's timing.  It's something that I've not really been so excited about in the past, and I'm trying to keep that gratitude fresh on my mind so I don't forget!

I am a planner... I need to have things planned out in advance and I like to know how I'm going to get there, so sometimes it's really hard for me to let the details be up to the Lord.  For example:

I've wanted a baby since well... not incredibly long after we were married.  I knew it wasn't a great idea at the time (we had no jobs, were not very far along in our degrees, and were barely married), but I really couldn't help it, I'm pretty sure it's biology ;)  Finally, after a couple of years of being married, I had a baby down on our plan (yes, I actually have a written plan for our lives), and Karl had semi agreed to it.  Our first child was perfectly planned, he/she was going to be born in May 2012 a month after I graduated with my bachelors degree... And if it was a girl we were going to have her middle name be May, after her great-grandma, AND because she was born in May (isn't that so cute??).  And then, after I had finally come to terms with waiting and had my perfect plan in place, the answer came that we were supposed to have a baby...  My mind was blown.  I had a PLAN!  It was going to be great, I KNEW this was the way it was supposed to be!  Luckily I really wanted that baby so it wasn't TOO hard to convince me, haha!!

Anyway, I accepted that answer and started trying to work this baby into a new plan, but baby didn't come.  I took a few months before we finally got the news I had been waiting for.  So THAT was pretty confusing... I was assured that it was time, and yet I had more waiting to do.  I didn't know what to think about that!  If I had gotten pregnant as soon as we had gotten that answer, I would probably not have gone to school that fall (since baby would have been due right at the beginning/middle of the semester).  Instead, our baby was due right before finals... which didn't seem much better, but I felt like I should go to school that semester.  So I went to school.  It wasn't the easiest thing in the world, but it actually went pretty well, and was DEFINITELY easier than doing school with a baby!

Then we got to the end of the semester, and to Evie's due date, and she didn't come.  I was getting pretty nervous because I really needed to be able to take my finals, but I tried really hard to trust in the Lord's timing.  Finally Evie came, on Thursday, during one of my final presentations, and I had finals on Monday.  Turns out, that was probably the best day she could have come.  If she had come a day earlier, I wouldn't have gotten my final projects done in time, and if she had come a day later I wouldn't have had enough time to study for my finals.  And luckily, the teacher whose final presentation I missed liked me and his wife had a baby the semester before, so he was very nice about it :)  I studied and got through my finals just fine (Evie was sleepy enough that it wasn't a big deal to leave her to take them), and I managed to get all A's that semester!

Because I had a baby that December, I was on an online "birth board" and I actually met someone, who randomly was outgoing at told me she was an intern with this program for new moms in Utah County and was wondering if I wanted to be a part of it.  I talked to her more, and I found out that she was doing the same major as I was and they were looking for interns for the summer (right when I needed an internship!) and that the deadline was coming in up really quick.  I was kind of scared, but I REALLY needed an internship in order to graduate, and this seemed like it was right up my ally.  So I applied, interviewed, and I got it!

I started the internship, and I really liked it, but about half way through, I realized there was no way I could possibly get all 325 hours (bleh!) that I needed to graduate, so I had to ask if they would be willing to keep me on.  My supervisor was very excited to have me stay actually, so I was pretty happy with that.  I was disappointed that it was taking me so long though, I had planned to graduate this fall semester, and I just couldn't do as much as I wanted because I had a baby (who was not part of my plan!). Then, just before the end of the semester, my supervisor let me know that they would be able to pay me during fall, which was a complete lifesaver!  We weren't sure how Karl was going to work full time and go to school full time this semester, but this way he was able to drop a couple of his shifts at Chrysalis and it has been much easier for him.

I really don't think I'm explaining this well, but since we had Evie in December of 2011 (both much later and much earlier than I had planned) things have really been falling into place for us.  I have been so incredibly grateful, because through most of this year I haven't been able to see what the next step was, but we have trusted in the Lord and his timing, and it has worked out much better than I could ever have planned.  It's been an amazing learning experience for me!

I am especially trying to remember this lesson, because I'm having some major timing issues suddenly popping up in my life.  I was actually offered a position with the program I was interning with, and I really wanted to take it.  I said that I was most likely going to take it when I was first asked about it, I wasn't even going to ponder and pray about this decision because this just seemed to perfect!!  But then I had my doubts, and sure enough, I had to turn the position down.  I'm still a little sad about that, but I'm trying my best to be trusting.  This will give me the most time to work on my final 2 classes I need to graduate and to spend focusing on Evie (who really needs me).

My second timing issue is our next baby.  No, we're not already working on the next one, but surprisingly enough, I did have the next one on the schedule already.  I've been trying to logically plan out when the best time to get pregnant would be considering all the factors.  Like I didn't learn my lesson the first time around...  Anyway, now the idea of me getting my masters degree has come up, and that completely throws a wrench in the baby plan.  I don't know how this one will pan out (we're still working out the details), but I am determined to let the Lord guide my future.

So... the point of ALL that rambling is that I am so grateful for the Lord's hand in my life, and I am dead-set and determined to let him guide my life more in the future.

Evie's 1st Halloween!!

I'm so incredibly excited for this holiday season, since it will be our first with Evie being old enough to enjoy it (last year we got to do Christmas/New Years, but she was just a sleepy newborn)!!  The holidays just haven't been the same the past several years; I think I'm getting too old, too "mature", and too busy to really enjoy them the way I used to.  I'm really hoping that having a kid in the house will revitalize our holiday spirit!!

That being said, I was worried about this Halloween; Karl had to work all night, Evie had been sick and miserable all week before, and it always snows on October 31st (it's basically a Utah tradition).  I was pretty sure everything was ruined, but we actually ended up having a pretty good experience!  The weather was absolutely fantastic; like record highs!  Evie didn't even need the blanket I brought for her.  *Completely sidetracked train of thought here, but I'm pretty sure Evie has THE best luck with weather.  I was worried about having her in the winter with blizzards and such, but last winter was superly warm.  The day we took her home from the hospital it was so warm we didn't even need to cover her up, she was fine with just her sleeper!*  Anyway, back on topic, Evie was feeling a little bit better by Halloween, and she made THE cutest lady bug I've ever seen :)

We went trick-or-treating with my mom and my two youngest sisters, Mary (9) and Maia (4) around my old neighborhood.  It was good to see some of the people from my stake again and show off my bebe :)

Evie wasn't quite sure what we were doing at first, but after about the second or third house (when the guy let her reach into the big bowl of candy and take one) she was hooked.  She pulled out this little box of Milk Duds, which was the perfect size for her hand and made a great sound when she shook it!  She thought it was the coolest thing that we were going house to house and people were just handing her awesome toys!  Then she got her hands on some chocolatey/cream thing wrapped in foil (I couldn't really see what it was in the dark), and the next time we came to a porch light I realized that it had completely disintegrated into a sugary goo all over her hands and was dripping out of her mouth!  It had melted in her warm little baby hand and she managed to chew her way into the wrapper, haha!  After THAT she was totally and completely sold on this whole "Halloween" thing. ;)  By the end she was marching up to doors and doing her "gimme" hand, and was thoroughly disappointed when people didn't offer her any, it was seriously cute.

All in all, it was a pretty good Halloween :)  There were a lot of things I wanted to do that we didn't get to, and I'm hoping next year Karl will be able to trick-or-treat with us, but with a baby this adorable, how could we not have the best Halloween ever, regardless of all that stuff??

Silly Mommy...

Today, as I was driving home from work, I saw a house that had those fake spider webs all over it for Halloween, and I thought to myself "Oh, Evie wanted some of those for our house!"

And then I had to seriously think about that particular thought...  In doing so, I realized that there's no way my 10 month old could have had a conversation with me about Halloween decorations, lol!

Then I remembered that the other night I had a dream that Evie and I had been talking.  In my dream I asked her how we should decorate our house and she told me that she really liked those pretend cobwebs.  I thought that was cool and I asked if she liked the idea of hanging them on our living room decorations... and she told me she thought that was silly and she didn't think it would look that good.

And that was that.

Apparently, subconsciously, I really took that conversation to heart!  Karl thinks Evie must be psychically communicating with me in my sleep, haha!!

Impossibly Easy Gluten-Free Deliciousness (a.k.a Cheesecake)...

Okay, I'm gonna say that this recipe has basically saved my poor gluten-free life (though not my waistline... unfortunately, haha)!!  My one biggest problem with going gluten-free has been the lack of yummy treats.  I'm not a huge baker in the first place, and gluten-free flours and baking really freaks me out, so there has definitely been a lack of sugary goodness in my house for the last couple of months.  Luckily, I found a way to modify this super easy recipe to be gluten-free!

What you'll need:

• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Gluten-Free Bisquick® mix
• 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, cut into about 1/2-inch cubes and softened 
• (Optional, strawberry glaze or other topping)

What to do:

• First, heat the oven to 350°F and grease 9-inch pie plate.  

• Next, place milk, vanilla, eggs, sugar and the Bisquick mix in blender. Cover and blend on high speed 15 seconds. Add the cream cheese. Blend 2 minutes longer. Pour into pie plate.
• Last, but not least, bake 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean; cool.  If you want to add a topping, this is the time to do it! Refrigerate until ready to serve. Cover and refrigerate any remaining cheesecake.

I LOVE this stuff, I try to make sure Karl eats at least one slice... you know, to make me feel like I'm not eating an entire cheesecake by myself, haha!  For the original recipe, go HERE ;)  Enjoy!!

Month #9

Wow... Okay, so Evie has now been on the outside of me for longer than she was inside of me!  I know, all of you who have not had children yet (and possibly those of you who have had a few and are "so over this") are thinking that I should probably stop marveling over this kind of stuff ALL THE TIME, before my head explodes and everyone stops caring...  But, I can't!  It's just so amazingly mind-blowing how quickly time is passing and how much she is growing and changing!  I honestly think that watching your child grow and learn during the first year is the most amazing thing in the entire world.  So, here is my summary of the wondrous things Evie has been up to during month #9 :)

-As far as the growing part goes, at her 9 month appointment, Evie weighed 17 lbs 4 oz, and was 27 inches long.
 

 

-She walks!! She finally started officially walking a few days before she turned 9 months!  She is now walking like a champ, she can squat down to pick things up and then stand back up and keep on going!  She can carry things (things I would have thought WAY too heavy for her) while she walks, pivots, turns, and basically wanders around in circles just because she can.

 
-She loves to carry her baby around (i.e. her glow-worm, stuffed elephant, pink bear, brown bear, or purple hippo doll, depending on which is closest) and pat it on the back to put it to sleep.  She will sing to and bounce her babies, which is the cutest thing EVER.  Her "sign" for baby is to pat her chest like she's patting a baby on her shoulder.  She LOVES babies.  She and her 4 month old cousin Melody get baby-sat together by my mother, and Evie just loves her.  When Mel cries Evie has to go over to my mom and tell her to make the baby feel better (i.e. she climbs on my mom, who is trying to calm Mel down, and pats her chest furiously to show my mom how to make the baby stop crying).

-Evie loves to make phone calls and text on phones. I'm really sorry if you get random phone calls from my phone with a baby jabbering or squealing on the other end...  She has gotten really good at pressing all the right buttons!  She always talks to daddy on the phone, which is adorable.  Her conversations usually go something like "Heyo? Da? Dad? *random babble*".  If she sees a phone on tv or hears a phone buzzing/ringing, she'll put her hand to her ear and look at us to make sure we see/hear the phone.

-She loves turning pages like crazy...  It's a little hard to read books with her currently because she is just so darn intent on turning the pages, that she's not as interested in the story or pictures (unless it's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, and then we just make animal noises and she looks at the dog page A LOT).  We also can't leave any of OUR books out that we don't want abused, she extra likes big people books--the more pages the better!

-Evie loves to press buttons... Which means she changes channels with remotes, turns off and on the xbox (on the console  and with the controller), she makes it impossible for me to use my laptop because she loves to push the power button and put it in and out of hibernation and also type things with the keys, and she loves cell phone buttons.

 -She loves to do what mommy does.  She likes brushing her hair and my hair, and she likes to put on mascara... Well, she pokes herself in the eye with the tube while I'm getting ready for the day, haha.  She also loves to unload the dishwasher and likes to dust.  She has always been fascinated by the vacuum for some reason, even when it's running, she's not afraid of it.  I guess it just seems like a really cool toy?

-Evie likes to take baths.  The other day I was taking a bath and she heard the water running so she ran over and kept banging on the door.  Karl, who thought she just really wanted to see me, finally gave in and let her into the bathroom.  Evie immediately started trying to take off her clothes and climbing into the tub.  It was so cute that I forgot to be bothered by the fact that I have no privacy/personal time anymore, haha.

-She says words!!  Here is the list thus far: 

• Daddy ("dada", which she's been saying for ages now... Since 8 months maybe?)
• Mommy ("mamamama")
• Dog ("dogdogdog"... she also knows the sign for dog, so she usually says it and signs it, totally cute. She also says dog for cats, haha.)
• Chichi (which is her word for nursing... Totally my family's fault; they all use Spanish for random things)
• Bye-Bye ("bybybybybybye"... This one she doesn't say often because she can just wave instead)
• Hello? ("Heyo?"... She only says this when talking on the phone, so she doesn't really know what it means, but she says it!!)
• Night night ("nynynyny"... which I don't think she really understands.  I think she just uses it when she's really tired because we generally say "night-night" when she gets to that point, haha)

I'm going to say she has 4 official words, and three much less official ones ;)

-Evie thinks it's funny to put things on her head, bite mommy's nose (thank goodness her teeth haven't come in yet!), dance to music, make silly faces, and to pretend to make daddy and mommy go night-night.  She is a very happy baby and SUCH a character!  I know I've said it over and over, but honestly, the more she can express her personality, the more of a goof-ball we're finding out she is!  I love her so much!!

-Aaaand, last but not least, Evie's favorite type of music is rock (thanks to Daddy)... with the occasional Dora the Explorer songs, for variety ;)

I can't wait to see what this little-one has in store for us next!  I honestly love being a mommy, I can't say it enough.  No matter how terrible things like lack of sleep can be, somehow--amazingly--my beautiful little baby makes up for it all.  I am so grateful that she's in my little family, our lives have never been happier or more complete!

Gifting it Forward

Hey guys!  I saw this post on my friend Jessie's  Blog and I just had to participate!

So what's the deal and what's it all about?  Well, it's about gifting it forward, a way to give more than you receive ;)

Here’s how it works: I get a gift from Jessie, then I give a gift to 3 people, those 3 people give a gift to three people each which makes 9 people and so on and so on. So, the first three people to comment on this post will receive a gift from me. It may be something that I wish someone would give to me or it might be something that I already own and love and want to share with you!

The RULES:

• Within a year, I’ll share a gift with the first three people to comment on this post.
• In order to receive your present you have to play along.  Spread the love on your own blog promising to send a little special something to the first three people who comment on your blog post.
• You’ll have 72 hours to post about it on your blog, or I’ll have to move on to the next person.
• You also must make sure I have a way to contact you (ie. send me your email, or I can contact you on facebbok, etc.)

These are the rules set forth by somebody somewhere back in the links of links of links. They are what they are and they shouldn't be changed.

So, who wants to play???

 

Cauliflower-Crust Pizza

Yes, you heard that correctly... I said cauliflower pizza crust... as in a pizza crust made from cauliflower (and a couple other things)!  AND, it actually tastes pretty darn good!  I got Karl to eat it and he hates veggies in most forms!!  So, if you're looking for a gluten-free/low-carb pizza option that is relatively cheap, this is for you.

The first thing you're going to need is riced cauliflower... How the heck do you "rice" cauliflower, you ask?  Well, it's actually not too hard, especially if you have a food processor (which I don't...)  Anyway, for this part you'll need:

• 1 bag of frozen cauliflower (these usually come in 16 oz packages, I believe, though this will give you way more than enough cauliflower for your pizza)
• A food processor, or a cheese grater
• Cheese cloth or a plain dish towel

1. Microwave your frozen cauliflower in a covered microwavable dish until cooked.  Don't add water when cooking.  Time wise you can most likely go by the package/any adjustments you need to make for your particular microwave oven.

2. When the microwave beeps, take out your bowl and carefully drain any water off your cauliflower.  Let it cool.

3. Time for the ricing!  I simply use a regular cheese grater and grate my cute little cauliflower florets... but it is a bit of a pain, and this can happen:

One of the dangers of ricing by hand... Baby attacks!

If you have a food processor you can use that to get your cauliflower to a rice like consistency.

4. If your cauliflower rice is very juicy (which it will most likely be) then I suggest putting your rice in some cheese cloth or a dish towel/piece of fabric and using that to squeeze as much of the water out as you possibly can before continuing with the crust.

Alrighty, now we're ready for the actual crust/pizza making... For this part you'll need:

• 1 cup riced cauliflower
• 1 egg
• 1 cup grated Italian blend cheese (I like one that has parmesan, asiago, fontina, etc.)
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp parsely
• Pizza Sauce
• Mozarella cheese (or you can use the Italian blend again, which is what I like to do)
• Pizza toppings (we will just be broiling to melt the cheese, so make sure any toppings are already cooked and safe to use!)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.  I also like to use parchment paper.

3. In a medium bowl, combine your cauliflower, egg and Italian blend cheese. Press evenly on the pan with your fingers. It works best if you kind of spoon the mixture out over the whole pan and press it into shape from there.  Make sure that it's the same thickness in the middle as it is on the edges, this will help keep it from being sloppy and "un-crust-like".

4. When you have your crust all pressed out, sprinkle it evenly with your oregano and parsley.

5. Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  The first couple times I tried this my crust turned out a lot soggier than I wanted it, but cooking it for the longer time really helped!

5. Remove the crust from the oven and add your sauce, toppings, and cheese!

6. Put your assembled pizza back in the oven under the broiler until the cheese is melted.  This can happen pretty quickly, so keep a close eye on your pizza!!

And voila! Your magical cauliflower pizza is ready!  I originally got this recipe from Your Lighter Side, which is a great blog for low-carb (and incidentally gluten-free!) recipes.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we have!!

Changes...

Just for fun...

Me, August 2011

Me, August 2012

I can't believe how quickly and dramatically things have changed!  So crazy!!  And all I can say is, I love my life ;)

Four Years and Counting...

Today, Karl and I have been married for 4 whole years!! I suppose compared with eternity (which is the eventual goal!) 4 years is nothing, but I honestly feel as if we've already spent a lifetime together.  My brain really has a hard time remembering events in my past with out trying to insert Karl into the memory, there just couldn't have been a time before him, right? 

Anyway, to celebrate this momentous occasion, I have quantified our life together and have found some fun numbers to share!  Did you know that...

• We have been married for 1461 days

• We have been a couple for 5 years, 10 months, 1 week, and 5 days!

• We have moved 5 times (though thankfully we've only lived in 2 cities!)

• We have been to 5 different temples (Provo, Mt Timpanogos, Draper, Salt Lake, and Bountiful)

• We've been to 10 states together: Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri!!

• Between the two of us we have completed 245 credit hours at 2 different universities and have received 2 Associate degrees.  Also, 47 more credits, and we will have 2 Bachelor degrees!

• We have had 1 child, increasing our family from 2 to 3!
• While this may be only 1 item... 1 child = 9 months/3 trimesters, 3 weeks of pre-labor, 19 hours of active labor, and then 8 months of the cutest handful I have ever met ;)

I'm sure there are more numbers I could list, and I'm hoping that there will be more and more fun and interesting numbers to share as we progress towards forever, but for now I am totally and completely content with the one item I can't quantify... how much I love my hubby!  I just keep loving him more and more and more as the years pass, and I am currently the happiest I have ever been in my life!  I know this all sounds so cliche, but I guess that's what being so in love does to a person, haha!

Happy Anniversary Karl Andy Smith!  I love you more than I could ever express... even on the internet!

Rather Run When You Can't Crawl...

My sweet little baby took her very first step the other day, so I figured maybe it's time to record the leaps and bounds she's been making lately!  That little girl has no time to sit stil... She is so incredibly driven and determined, it's crazy!  While I love her fiery personality, I'm also a little sad that my baby girl is skipping though all these milestones and trying so hard to become independent so quickly! 

Anyway...  Back around the time she was 3 months old, I thought she was going to be one of those kids who would be content to just sit.  She had NO interest in rolling over... like none...  She hated tummy time, so we didn't do a lot of that, and she just did not seem motivated to move in general.  She could roll over both ways before she was 4 months, but she absolutely refused to do it ever.  She loved being on her back looking around at everything; and you could just tell by looking at those calculating little eyes, that she was making big plans for mischief.  She had such an intent and thoughtful look in her eyes all the time, like she was just taking in everything and learning all she could about the world around her.

Look at those cheeks!!

Then, at about 4 and 1/2 months, she started sitting up.  She was still knocking herself over at this point though (she never did a tripod sit or used her arms to prop her, it was all or nothing with her, haha), so she needed a lot of pillows and supervision ;).

Cutie!!!!

At around 5 months she was able to sit completely unassisted and not fall over, even when she was reaching for things and playing with toys.  At 6 months she figured out how to get from lying down to sitting up by herself, and FINALLY rolling over became important to her because she needed it to change positions.  So suddenly she was rolling like a champ... Silly Monkey!

Little problem solver/maker... lol

Another thing that happened at 5 months was that she suddenly, for some reason, became obsessed with standing up and walking!  I have no idea what made her so intent on the idea that walking was the only way to go... but she has been incredibly persistent!

"Look at what I can do!"

I was worried that she was never going to crawl because she was so insistent that she wanted to be standing up ALL the time.  We couldn't get her to even try getting on her hands and knees.  It has been the biggest struggle to convince her that crawling would get her where she wanted to go much sooner.  We worked and worked and worked with her on the crawling, and finally her auntie convinced her to crawl by tempting her with pudding!  So she finally started crawling 4 days before she turned 7 months old.

And here we are... She is crawling like crazy (I can't keep her out of anything!!), but she still hasn't given up on her walking aspirations.  About a week ago she started really working on standing up by herself, she figured out how to cruise on furniture, and 3 days ago (at 7 and 1/2 months) she took her very first step!!

So much more trouble to get into now!!!

She's up to 2 steps now before she totally loses her balance, and I seriously can't even believe that she's already trying to walk... I thought I had a few more months, but my baby is determined to grow up super quick!!  I kind of miss the little bitty baby who was completely dependent on me... Not that she isn't still completely dependent on me, she just doesn't realize it anymore, lol!!

(PS, 10 points to whoever can get the reference in the title!)

I Hate Monday Mornings...

Ever had one of those days where you've popped awake, looked at the clock, and realized you've slept through your alarm and have woken up 30 minutes late? Have you then, groggily, run around the house trying to get ready--all the while cursing the extremely short weekend and the lack of motivation that left you with no clean clothes to wear to work?  And THEN (with an intense feeling of stress) have you quickly done most of your make-up, gotten half dressed in whatever clothes you could find, grabbed your cell phone that you left charging in the other room, glanced at it...

and suddenly come to the realization that it's Sunday morning, not Monday morning?

And then of course, have you quietly crawled back into bed (where your husband is still blissfully snoring) and tried really hard to pretend that you've been sleeping the whole time while you wait for your alarm to ACTUALLY go off in an hour for church?

Yeah...

Me neither...

Subway Art... Need Help!

Okay, here is my attempt at some "subway" ish art for Evie's room... The room that she doesn't have yet, lol.  Anyway, I'm not sure I really like it yet (it's not quite perfect!), so if anyone has any input on colors, sizes, or fonts, PLEASE help me out, haha!!  I'd like to put it in a fancy gray frame :)

Top Ten Things You Should Know About Me :)

I have been feeling the need to write this for a long time, but I am just now having the guts to actually put it down in words (I just sound like such a crazy person when it’s all put into one place!!).  I have a lot of issues, and I know it, I guess I just want other people to be able to understand some of my eccentricities so they don’t get the wrong idea about me… Or maybe the wrong idea is better than the truth... I don't know!

    
     Anyway, here are the top ten things I think everyone should know about me:

1. I am a quiet person in general.  One of my closest friends thought I was a snob when she first met me, because I’m quiet.  Numerous people have thought I hate them... because I’m quiet.  I don't make friends easily because I'm just too quiet.  Usually the quietness stems from the fact that I’m tired and my brain doesn’t form usable sentences when I lack energy.  The rest of the time I just don’t know what to say.  I’m not great at conversation, but I love to listen and be supportive, with whatever problems or ideas you want to send my way.
2. I am not a morning person and I really like my sleep.  Wake me at your own peril, lol!  No matter how fun the activity, I probably won’t want to be involved if it means being up and about before ten in the morning. 
3.  I like making plans... Well, actually, I need things to be planned.  I don’t like spontaneity, which is a cause for great contention in my marriage, as Karl doesn't like anything BUT spontaneity--he thinks planning too much takes the fun out of life.  For me, though, not having a plan makes me anxious to the point of psychosis (or nearly so, anyway).  I get very stressed out when things are sprung on me, even if they should be easy and enjoyable things.  I like to have a plan at least a day in advance, which I know most people don’t understand, but it’s something I need.  If you would like to hang out with me, the best thing to do is to say “hey, would you like to hang out tomorrow (or give me a day, like “Wednesday”) evening and do _______?”  This helps me plan and prepare mentally, and I feel a lot better and am a lot less likely to freak out and just not respond to you.
4. I hate talking on the phone.  Calling people causes me great amounts of anxiety and I may not answer your phone calls.  I really prefer texting, I have unlimited texting, so feel free to text me, email me, or leave me a voicemail if you really need me.
5.  I don’t keep my phone with me at all times.  I don’t have a smart phone, I just do silly things like texting and calling on my phone, so I usually leave it somewhere (while I'm chasing an extremely active baby all over the house) unless I need to do one of those two things. I really am sorry if I don’t get back to you right away.
6. I tend to forget to text people back.  I’m not ignoring you, I’m just busy, at work, my baby is trying to help me text, or I fell asleep and forgot!  Please feel free to bug me again. I am superly sorry if this offends anyone.
7. I am an introvert.  While you may think this means I’m shy (which I am…), what it really (also) means is that being around a lot of people is draining for me.  I like hanging out with a couple of close friends at a time.  I don’t like crowds of people (and by this I honestly mean like 3+), and I don’t like being around people for long periods of time (like more than a couple of hours).  I need time to recharge after seeing people.  I need alone time just for myself.  I’m finding that I really even need alone time from Evie too, which is a hard thing to do.
8. I get embarrassed easily and I stay embarrassed for a long time.  I don't like situations that can be potentially embarrassing, and I don't like other people to be embarrassed.  I'm actually overly empathetic, which sounds like it should be a good thing, but I end up doing things like feeling really embarrassed or guilty FOR other people... It's kind of sad.
9. I like to listen, but I have a really hard time sharing.  I am very happy to listen to problems, I don’t get weirded out by odd questions, problems, or stories--I am a health person (which covers everything from child development/heath, to sexual relationships/heath, to psychology, to weird diseases, to behavior change), so I’m not too surprised by most things, and I generally won’t judge you ;)  I am, however,  a little reluctant to share.  Part of that is just not knowing how to express myself the way I want to (see #1), part of it is a trust thing, and part of it is that I don’t have much to talk about aside from my craziness and my adorable baby… and I figure people get tired of those topics :)
10. I have a lot of health problems (I promise, I'm not a hypochondriac), and I have a hard time doing things that take a lot of activity or last a long time (I know, I feel like an old lady most days).  I also don’t have a lot of energy because of some of my health problems, which is another reason people think I hate them.  When I don't have energy I will often zone out and stare off into space, or have a blank to unhappy look on my face, which makes it seem like I'm disinterested, grumpy, sad, etc., when in actuality, I just don't have the energy to do anything with my face or to be involved very actively in the conversation.

Like I said, I know I have issues.  I'm trying to work on most of them, but I've got to admit, I'm not making a lot of progress very quickly, and some of those things are just never going to change about me.  I want to have friends and a social life (even if it really doesn't seem like, after reading all that), so if you still think you can handle me knowing how crazy I am, I would love to be friends with you :)

My Father's Day Post (a little late...)

Evie loves her daddy.  She always has.

This morning she woke up early and I wasn't ready to get out of bed, so I just sat her between us and let her play while I laid there.  Evie (who has suddenly decided that if she can't crawl or walk she's going to roll, climb, and dive enough to make up for it) was only content with sitting still for about five seconds.  She kept climbing all over Karl saying "dad dad dad dad dad daddaddad".  He was sleeping, and I kept trying to get her to play with me, but she wanted to play with DAD!!  It was the sweetest thing ever.  I know she's not really old enough for "dadadadadad" to mean much, but it was still INCREDIBLY cute.  It kinda reminded me of THIS morning, oh so long ago! 

The other evening I was at my wits end trying to get Evie to take a nap (which has been a huge pain lately), and I finally just gave up and handed her to Karl.  He proceeded to walk around the dark bedroom bouncing my naughty little girl.  This is the conversation they had:

Evie: bababababgugugumemememe

Karl: Yeah, you're so right!  Sleeping is for noobs!!!

Evie: Uhbuhuhbuhbabababa

Karl: Seriously!  Let's never sleep ever again, sleeping is so stupid.  We're not tired.

Evie: ungee ungeedadadadadada

Karl: I know, we should make a club, we're not going to sleep!  And we're DEFINITELY not going to fall asleep in the next five minutes!!!

Evie: Dadad bebebebebe gaga.....*silence*


Sometimes it annoys me that daddy gets to be the best friend and mommy has to do the mean stuff... but at the same time they are just so darned cute together!!  I love them.  I love what an incredibly loving, sweet, and gentle daddy Karl is.  I couldn't have chosen a better father for my children, I am so grateful for him!!  I love those two so much!!

My SIX MONTH old!!!!

Yup, you heard me right, I have a six month old!!!! Can you believe it??  'Cause I can't!!

Here she is six months ago, all 6 lbs 3 oz, 19 inches of her :)  She was such a pretty, chill baby!  All the nurses kept telling us how incredibly beautiful she was, and how good she was in the nursery!  She barely cried, we actually had to force her to eat on a schedule because she wouldn't cry about anything until it was an absolute emergency, lol!  Of course we have since had our share of bad days (and weeks), but she actually was a very happy baby.  She was so itty bitty! I kind of miss Newborn Evie, 

but....

I LOVE Six Month Old Evie :)  How could you not love this face??  She's such a character!!

Evie is now 16 lbs 3 oz, and 25 inches long.  She loves to babble and jabber and squeal (she is not hesitant to share her emotions)!  She makes so many different noises now, she actually sounds like she's talking... Maybe not in English, but still.  

She's been sitting by herself for about a month now, and has moved on to climbing. She's trying so hard to stand up and walk that she's driving mommy and daddy absolutely nuts!  She will use anything to try to pull herself into a standing position, even though she's not really big enough to stand, even when holding on.  She absolutely hates being on her tummy and has just recently started to even consider the idea of crawling.  She wants to be a big girl and walk like mom and dad, crawling is for babies, lol!

She has also just recently started eating solid food, which she has been DYING to do since she was about 4 months old!  So far we've let her have rice cereal and sweet potatoes (ok, and maybe some pizza crust)

The last six months have been a crazy ride!!  Breastfeeding was an incredible challenge, we've had tummy issues and sleep problems galore!  But even though it has been the most challanging, difficult, and occasionally frustrating and annoying undertaking of my life, I can honestly say that I love it.  I have never been happier than I have since Evie came into my life.  I love her so much, and somehow--even though he's now sharing the attention--I love Karl even more than I ever thought imaginable.  Motherhood is an amazing experience that I would not trade for anything in the world.  
I love my baby girl!