Well, just about everything has been crammed haphazardly into boxes. We've got a humongous truck parked outside. It must be moving day!
People are supposed to show up around 9:00 to help us load up the truck-- I hope they actually show up and we have enough help! Wish us tons of luck getting situated tonight!
(Bentley is totally excited about the truck, let me tell you!)
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Can This Week Get Any Worse?
I have mastitis. Isn't that supposed to be something that cows get? What in the world is it doing plaguing me, especially this week when I really am just too busy for crap like this?
Anyway. I started to get worried last night when I had some pain. Then around midnight I realized that I couldn't sleep because I was shivering. My temperature was up to 99.6, so I put on my warm pajamas and tried to sleep some more. At 1:30 Kendra woke up to eat, and then my temperature was 101.5, so that's when I finally called a nurse.
Long story short, I got to drive myself to Urgent Care a half-hour away for a 3:00am appointment, where the doctor confirmed that Yes, I did have an infection, gave me some antibiotics, and sent me home to try to get some more sleep. (Yeah, right-- Kendra was up again at 6:00, and both kids were wide awake by 7:00.) I will say this, at least there's no traffic on I-66 at three in the morning. And the Urgent Care place was surprisingly efficient-- I was in and out in half an hour, so that was good, at least.
And now, I just put Kendra down for a nap, so I need to try and get Bentley to nap, too, so I can get some sleep.
Anyway. I started to get worried last night when I had some pain. Then around midnight I realized that I couldn't sleep because I was shivering. My temperature was up to 99.6, so I put on my warm pajamas and tried to sleep some more. At 1:30 Kendra woke up to eat, and then my temperature was 101.5, so that's when I finally called a nurse.
Long story short, I got to drive myself to Urgent Care a half-hour away for a 3:00am appointment, where the doctor confirmed that Yes, I did have an infection, gave me some antibiotics, and sent me home to try to get some more sleep. (Yeah, right-- Kendra was up again at 6:00, and both kids were wide awake by 7:00.) I will say this, at least there's no traffic on I-66 at three in the morning. And the Urgent Care place was surprisingly efficient-- I was in and out in half an hour, so that was good, at least.
And now, I just put Kendra down for a nap, so I need to try and get Bentley to nap, too, so I can get some sleep.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Happy Birthday, Bentley!
It seems like barely yesterday I'd had what would prove to be one of the scariest and most rewarding days of my life. Steady labor and forty minutes of pushing culminated in an emergency c-section, that left me with a beautiful baby boy...
And then, I blinked and suddenly that you were a whole year old, and so happy and fun I could hardly wait to have another!
And now, here you are: two years old, and still my fun, sweet boy. It's hard to believe how much you've learned-- from discovering your hands to walking to talking-- in so little time! This coming year, I guess we'll work on how learning how to eat without smearing food all over your face... But for now, Happy birthday, Bentley! I love you!
And then, I blinked and suddenly that you were a whole year old, and so happy and fun I could hardly wait to have another!
And now, here you are: two years old, and still my fun, sweet boy. It's hard to believe how much you've learned-- from discovering your hands to walking to talking-- in so little time! This coming year, I guess we'll work on how learning how to eat without smearing food all over your face... But for now, Happy birthday, Bentley! I love you!
Addendum
Well, after worrying a ton last night and finally deciding that I really needed Craig to take the day off today to help me with the kids, and various things like that, I woke up this morning to feed Kendra and discovered that... my ankle hardly hurt at all. So either I have the most mild sprain in the world, or maybe I'm just a big wimp. I'm not really sure. But I am really thankful that it feels as good as it does-- just a little stiff, and not nearly as flexible as normal. But manageable. Manageable is good. I'll keep icing, elevating, and taking ibuprofen, but things should be not too bad after all.
Anyway, I figured I should let you know before I milked this for more sympathy than it deserved!
Anyway, I figured I should let you know before I milked this for more sympathy than it deserved!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Just When You Thought Life Couldn't Get Much Crazier...
... it throws a sprained ankle your way!
At least, that's Craig's diagnosis: swollen, hurts to put weight on it. Yeah, how ridiculous is this?
It all started with me trying to do too much. I was carrying Kendra's bumper set (which I have never unpacked and am looking forward to finally using once we move) down the stairs, along with a change of clothes for Craig, and planning to run right back up again and grab as much of the contents of Bentley's closet as I could carry to take to the house, thus saving myself a box or two of packing and unpacking. But as I was coming down the stairs, I somehow managed to trip right at the end. I'm still not entirely sure what went wrong-- I know that the diaper bag was on the bottom step and I was trying to decide if I should step to the side of it or just step over it, and somehow it got all messed up and before I knew it I was slammed against the gate kneeling haphazardly and awkwardly on top of the diaper bag. One of those horrid moments that takes your breath away AND hurts, but before I could even catch my breath again, both the kids started crying so I had to take care of them. Apparently watching mommy fall down the stairs is scary.
Anyway, No big deal, was all I thought at the time. Okay, that's not entirely true-- it hurt and I was annoyed, but I was walking around just fine, so I wasn't exactly worried or anything. I got the kids and the bumper set in the car, we headed to the house, and we got to work. I was smart enough to not try to do the heavy cleaning I'd planned to do, and instead opted for sitting in a chair screwing hinges back onto the cupboard doors (they're almost all hung again and my kitchen is starting to look very kitcheny!).
Three hours later I realized that I had a problem because the pain had gradually gotten worse and suddenly I could barely walk.
So, yeah, it looks like I've got a sprained ankle. First time, for what it's worth. (Yeah, not much. I know.) Could my timing possibly be any worse? Anyway, I'm home now, and the kids are in bed (thanks to Tom and Donna). So my job for tonight is to ice and wrap and hope this heals as fast as possible. Wish me luck.
At least, that's Craig's diagnosis: swollen, hurts to put weight on it. Yeah, how ridiculous is this?
It all started with me trying to do too much. I was carrying Kendra's bumper set (which I have never unpacked and am looking forward to finally using once we move) down the stairs, along with a change of clothes for Craig, and planning to run right back up again and grab as much of the contents of Bentley's closet as I could carry to take to the house, thus saving myself a box or two of packing and unpacking. But as I was coming down the stairs, I somehow managed to trip right at the end. I'm still not entirely sure what went wrong-- I know that the diaper bag was on the bottom step and I was trying to decide if I should step to the side of it or just step over it, and somehow it got all messed up and before I knew it I was slammed against the gate kneeling haphazardly and awkwardly on top of the diaper bag. One of those horrid moments that takes your breath away AND hurts, but before I could even catch my breath again, both the kids started crying so I had to take care of them. Apparently watching mommy fall down the stairs is scary.
Anyway, No big deal, was all I thought at the time. Okay, that's not entirely true-- it hurt and I was annoyed, but I was walking around just fine, so I wasn't exactly worried or anything. I got the kids and the bumper set in the car, we headed to the house, and we got to work. I was smart enough to not try to do the heavy cleaning I'd planned to do, and instead opted for sitting in a chair screwing hinges back onto the cupboard doors (they're almost all hung again and my kitchen is starting to look very kitcheny!).
Three hours later I realized that I had a problem because the pain had gradually gotten worse and suddenly I could barely walk.
So, yeah, it looks like I've got a sprained ankle. First time, for what it's worth. (Yeah, not much. I know.) Could my timing possibly be any worse? Anyway, I'm home now, and the kids are in bed (thanks to Tom and Donna). So my job for tonight is to ice and wrap and hope this heals as fast as possible. Wish me luck.
Packing
So we have begun packing. I use the word "we" pretty loosely here, because what's actually happened is that I've packed a grand total of five boxes (six, if you count finally putting tape on the box of maternity clothes that I packed up months ago!), and Craig has probably packed about twenty. It turns out that he is WAY better at packing than I am. I have this weird need to look at everything before I put it in the box, which really slows down progress. Craig, on the other hand, manages to just throw stuff in, while simultaneously managing to carefully wrap anything breakable. It's truly an impressive sight.
The good news, though, is that our packing philosophies are basically opposites when it comes to unpacking-- that's when Craig wants to look at everything and ponder it before he decides where to put it, whereas I want to just throw it right back on the shelf it was on before just to get it out of the box. So the plan is for me to do most of the UNpacking, so I will be pulling my weight, eventually.
Meanwhile, Kendra is apparently worried that we'll leave her behind, because she managed to scootch herself into a box the other day. (And no, she doesn't count as one of the boxes that I've packed!)
The good news, though, is that our packing philosophies are basically opposites when it comes to unpacking-- that's when Craig wants to look at everything and ponder it before he decides where to put it, whereas I want to just throw it right back on the shelf it was on before just to get it out of the box. So the plan is for me to do most of the UNpacking, so I will be pulling my weight, eventually.
Meanwhile, Kendra is apparently worried that we'll leave her behind, because she managed to scootch herself into a box the other day. (And no, she doesn't count as one of the boxes that I've packed!)
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Political Rant
(Disclaimer: if you don't agree with my politics, feel free to argue back! Should be fun, and we'll still be friends!)
So I have a guilty secret to confess. Ever since her article making fun of Mitt Romney as well as Mormons in general, I keep reading Maureen Dowd's op-eds in the New York Times. I don't know why I do it, because the woman is absolutely ridiculous. Even a fair number of liberals agree that she doesn't say much of anything worth considering seriously, but for some reason I keep reading her anyway. And she manages to make me angry every single time!
So now I'm responding to her most recent article, 'Barbies for War!'
It's supposed to be an attack on Sarah Palin, but mostly it comes across as an attack on Alaska. It's funny, because I know that your average New Yorker doesn't really understand that there's more to America than the Big Apple (and I of course exclude my three sisters from my huge generalization here-- they are neither average, nor average New Yorkers!). But to make fun of Palin because she was mayor of, "a town that is a soulless strip mall without sidewalks set beside a soulful mountain and lake," is just inane. Did she mock Bill Clinton for being from Arkansas, which is basically a soulless state with strip malls but minus the gorgeous scenery? Of course not. She loved Bill! And I'm sure that his experience as a governor more than qualified him to run a country, as has Obama's experience as a senator. The hypocrisy just goes on and on.
She also makes fun of Palin, as well as your average Alaskan, for enjoying hunting. Now, I make no claims to like hunting. But I cannot for the life of me understand why so many liberals feel that hunting is considered so evil/white trash/below the likes of Maureen Dowd, but killing unborn babies is every woman's right. Does anyone else think that's a little weird? Or that society's morals are insane? Because if you gave me the option of killing a moose or a baby, I would have to choose killing the moose. (And I might add that our methods for killing moose are considerably more humane than how we kill babies. I would love to see what PETA would say about sucking a moose's brains out with a vacuum.)
How do the books at Sarah Palin's Pentecostal Church make Palin any less desirable a candidate than the anti-American teachings of Jeremiah Wright? How do Dowd's mean and nasty comments about how mean and nasty Palin is prove anything? (And why is it so terrible if Palin "seems mean," but funny when Obama flips off Hilary and makes comments about lipstick on a pig?) Why is it that Troopergate is worth writing article after article about, but no one seems interested in Biden's plagiarized speech?
Ironically, for all the media's talk that McCain and Palin are avoiding the issues, the media doesn't seem to be too keen on actually talking about the issues, either. Unless by "issues" you mean Bristol Palin's baby. (But Ann Coulter already made that point, so I'm not being particularly original here.)
Anyway. I could go on and on, but those are the main points I needed to make. Next post I'll be back to talking about my kids and stuff, but this needed to be said.
So I have a guilty secret to confess. Ever since her article making fun of Mitt Romney as well as Mormons in general, I keep reading Maureen Dowd's op-eds in the New York Times. I don't know why I do it, because the woman is absolutely ridiculous. Even a fair number of liberals agree that she doesn't say much of anything worth considering seriously, but for some reason I keep reading her anyway. And she manages to make me angry every single time!
So now I'm responding to her most recent article, 'Barbies for War!'
It's supposed to be an attack on Sarah Palin, but mostly it comes across as an attack on Alaska. It's funny, because I know that your average New Yorker doesn't really understand that there's more to America than the Big Apple (and I of course exclude my three sisters from my huge generalization here-- they are neither average, nor average New Yorkers!). But to make fun of Palin because she was mayor of, "a town that is a soulless strip mall without sidewalks set beside a soulful mountain and lake," is just inane. Did she mock Bill Clinton for being from Arkansas, which is basically a soulless state with strip malls but minus the gorgeous scenery? Of course not. She loved Bill! And I'm sure that his experience as a governor more than qualified him to run a country, as has Obama's experience as a senator. The hypocrisy just goes on and on.
She also makes fun of Palin, as well as your average Alaskan, for enjoying hunting. Now, I make no claims to like hunting. But I cannot for the life of me understand why so many liberals feel that hunting is considered so evil/white trash/below the likes of Maureen Dowd, but killing unborn babies is every woman's right. Does anyone else think that's a little weird? Or that society's morals are insane? Because if you gave me the option of killing a moose or a baby, I would have to choose killing the moose. (And I might add that our methods for killing moose are considerably more humane than how we kill babies. I would love to see what PETA would say about sucking a moose's brains out with a vacuum.)
How do the books at Sarah Palin's Pentecostal Church make Palin any less desirable a candidate than the anti-American teachings of Jeremiah Wright? How do Dowd's mean and nasty comments about how mean and nasty Palin is prove anything? (And why is it so terrible if Palin "seems mean," but funny when Obama flips off Hilary and makes comments about lipstick on a pig?) Why is it that Troopergate is worth writing article after article about, but no one seems interested in Biden's plagiarized speech?
Ironically, for all the media's talk that McCain and Palin are avoiding the issues, the media doesn't seem to be too keen on actually talking about the issues, either. Unless by "issues" you mean Bristol Palin's baby. (But Ann Coulter already made that point, so I'm not being particularly original here.)
Anyway. I could go on and on, but those are the main points I needed to make. Next post I'll be back to talking about my kids and stuff, but this needed to be said.
Mad Skills
Bentley gets down on the floor to enjoy some playtime with Kendra.
It turns out that when I prop her up, Kendra can actually sit up for a bit! (She does better when Bentley isn't around to knock her over...)
She was almost as excited about this fact as I was!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Failure
Last Thursday I announced that I would cook dinner while Craig and his Dad continued to work on the house (Donna had to go to Enrichment; all other days she has faithfully worked on getting the house ready, too, just for the record). Since we only had three adults in Manassas, I figured it only made sense for me to take Kendra and Bentley home with me, too. No big deal, right?
Yeah, shoot me if I ever think that I can manage both kids while making enchiladas again. Maybe if I'd been cooking something that didn't require dipping my hands in a tomato-based mess of gloppiness, I could have managed, but not this meal, and not this night. In what I now realize was a major tactical error on my part, I decided to put Kendra in the highchair so that Bentley couldn't harass her. I should have put Bentley in the highchair, because then she would have been safe AND he would have been detained, but that didn't occur to me until AFTER Bentley had managed to trail cornflake crumbs from the table to the couch. And I'm not talking Hansel & Gretel breadcrumb trail. This basically looked like the yellow brick road.
Fortunately for my own sanity, once the enchiladas are put together, they need to bake for 45 minutes, so that gave me time to put Kendra to bed (the phrase "safe and sound" has a whole new meaning now that I'm always looking for places where Bentley can't reach her!), and also time for vacuuming. And Bentley loves it when I vacuum, so we had fun cleaning together. So with all that, by the time Craig and his Dad arrived for dinner, the house was no longer appalling. I won't go so far as to call it clean-- I couldn't do all that AND clean up the dishes I'd used to make dinner-- but at least it wasn't embarrassing.
Next time I'll just order a pizza.
Yeah, shoot me if I ever think that I can manage both kids while making enchiladas again. Maybe if I'd been cooking something that didn't require dipping my hands in a tomato-based mess of gloppiness, I could have managed, but not this meal, and not this night. In what I now realize was a major tactical error on my part, I decided to put Kendra in the highchair so that Bentley couldn't harass her. I should have put Bentley in the highchair, because then she would have been safe AND he would have been detained, but that didn't occur to me until AFTER Bentley had managed to trail cornflake crumbs from the table to the couch. And I'm not talking Hansel & Gretel breadcrumb trail. This basically looked like the yellow brick road.
Fortunately for my own sanity, once the enchiladas are put together, they need to bake for 45 minutes, so that gave me time to put Kendra to bed (the phrase "safe and sound" has a whole new meaning now that I'm always looking for places where Bentley can't reach her!), and also time for vacuuming. And Bentley loves it when I vacuum, so we had fun cleaning together. So with all that, by the time Craig and his Dad arrived for dinner, the house was no longer appalling. I won't go so far as to call it clean-- I couldn't do all that AND clean up the dishes I'd used to make dinner-- but at least it wasn't embarrassing.
Next time I'll just order a pizza.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
"This one likes me!"
I believe that the quote I used for this post is what my Grandpa Hansen said when he discovered that his second grandchild, Tracy, didn't have a problem with grandfathers like Leah had had (Leah quickly got over this as soon as she saw how much attention her grandfathers suddenly lavished on Tracy!). This quote sums up how I feel about Kendra these days. I'm not sure what triggered it, but she has suddenly become a completely devoted Mama's Girl. A smile from me is all it takes to get her to beam and giggle in sheer joy, and if I should make a move towards the door or even (horrors!) walk through the door and out of her sight, she has a complete meltdown.
Separation anxiety: it isn't any thing too unusual in babies. But Bentley never had it, so it's not something I've ever experienced. Bentley never cared a bit if I suddenly walked out of the room. He cared even less if he left the room that I was in! I sort of wondered why it was that some people had babies who liked them so much, but figured I just wasn't that lucky and in the meantime, I may as well enjoy being able to hand him off to someone when needed without listening to any crying. But now that Kendra is the complete opposite, it's proving interesting. There are times where I want to yell over her tears, "I'm right here! I'll be back in eyesight in ten seconds, just deal already!" But at the same time, I have to admit that it's sort of nice feeling needed. This one likes me!
Separation anxiety: it isn't any thing too unusual in babies. But Bentley never had it, so it's not something I've ever experienced. Bentley never cared a bit if I suddenly walked out of the room. He cared even less if he left the room that I was in! I sort of wondered why it was that some people had babies who liked them so much, but figured I just wasn't that lucky and in the meantime, I may as well enjoy being able to hand him off to someone when needed without listening to any crying. But now that Kendra is the complete opposite, it's proving interesting. There are times where I want to yell over her tears, "I'm right here! I'll be back in eyesight in ten seconds, just deal already!" But at the same time, I have to admit that it's sort of nice feeling needed. This one likes me!
The 4th Stooge
Apparently slapstick humor is totally in when you're nearly two years old. Every so often, Bentley will randomly decide to smack my face and then burst into fits of laughter over it. Of course, I try to grab his hand and tell him in my very stern mommy voice that hitting is not funny. The last time this happened, he laughed even harder and began arguing, "Funny! Funny!" It was the first time he'd ever said that word before; how do you keep a straight face and argue against a new word?
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Talent (Part 2)
I had to get Bentley up early from his nap today (which I hate), but what I saw when I got him pleased me no end: he'd managed to climb out of his bed, get all his books, and then was sleeping in the middle of them all. I'm not sure which made me happier-- the fact that he likes books (Yay, yay, yay!!!) or the fact that he got back into bed and actually napped!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Talent
So if there's one thing about being a mom that I think I'm pretty good at, it would have to be naptime. I may occasionally forget to feed my children (especially Bentley, since he is never hungry), and although I have great intentions of disciplining them and teaching them everything from the ABC's to the gospel, I'm afraid most of that hasn't exactly happened yet. But when it comes to getting my kids to nap, I'm a pro. Bentley usually takes a two hour nap (sometimes longer) and Kendra gets two of those, so at least they are well-rested!
Of course, this is also my greatest challenge, because it makes it really hard for me to ever leave the house. Like this morning-- I had great plans to go to Costco and possibly Wal-mart. I even thought about walking to Wal-mart (Costco is closer, but we need a gi-normous box of diapers, and I didn't want to try and get that home along with the two kids in the double stroller!)! But by the time I'd gotten Bentley and myself dressed, Kendra was getting fussy, which means she needs some sleep. And her naptime trumped going to the store. Maybe if the stuff I was planning to buy would have been stuff that we desperately needed, like if we were totally out of diapers, then I would have just kept her up. But when she's tired and getting cranky, there just didn't seem to be much point. So now Bentley is also napping, and I need to do the dishes and shower, and, time permitting, get a nap myself. Those are the three things that can only be done when Bentley is asleep. I suppose we'll get to Costco and Wal-mart some time later. Right.
Of course, this is also my greatest challenge, because it makes it really hard for me to ever leave the house. Like this morning-- I had great plans to go to Costco and possibly Wal-mart. I even thought about walking to Wal-mart (Costco is closer, but we need a gi-normous box of diapers, and I didn't want to try and get that home along with the two kids in the double stroller!)! But by the time I'd gotten Bentley and myself dressed, Kendra was getting fussy, which means she needs some sleep. And her naptime trumped going to the store. Maybe if the stuff I was planning to buy would have been stuff that we desperately needed, like if we were totally out of diapers, then I would have just kept her up. But when she's tired and getting cranky, there just didn't seem to be much point. So now Bentley is also napping, and I need to do the dishes and shower, and, time permitting, get a nap myself. Those are the three things that can only be done when Bentley is asleep. I suppose we'll get to Costco and Wal-mart some time later. Right.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Pics
Kendra takes advantage of Bentley napping to play with his stuff. Why is it your older sibling's toys are always so much more fun than your own?
Here you can see the gap in Bentley's teeth.
This is our primed kitchen wall (which Craig is painting cream-colored right now!). Look closely and you can see the sort of things that Craig does which prove that he knows how to make me happy.
Kendra giving me one of her "Yay, I'm healthy again" smiles.
Firsts
We've had a few "firsts" in our family during the last 24 hours, so I feel the need to tell everyone about them. We'll do this chronologically, since I can't think of any way that makes more sense than that...
The first and most obvious first is that Craig finished his first week of school! YAAAAAAAY for Craig! Only a whole bunch left to go. But I'm very proud of the good work Craig does teaching.
The next one, then, is that last night, Bentley slept in his "big boy" bed for the first time! (I don't know why it has to be a "big boy" bed, but it just is. Ask anyone who's gone through this process...) Yup, until now he's been in a crib, and honestly that's worked so well I sort of hated to change it at all. But since we'll be moving soon (IN THREE WEEKS!!!), it made sense to me to get him used to a bed first. I didn't want to overwhelm him by putting him in a new room and in a bed all at the same time. And I didn't want to have to take the crib apart to move it, only to do it again a month later when Kendra inherited it and we needed to move it into her room (it won't fit through the doorway when it's assembled). And besides all that, I realized after the fact that it's better to do all this now while he's got carpet under the bed, as opposed to the hardwood floors in his new bedroom, just in case he manages to fall out.
So we finally did it last night. Of course, the whole thing was a huge process for Craig and I. The twin-sized bed is actually part of a bunkbed set that Craig had as a kid, so we changed the headboard out for the top bunk piece, which has a bar that goes along the side. We figured that might keep him from falling out, since Bentley moves a ton in his sleep. But then we were worried that he could get stuck under the bar, so I stuffed a bunch of pillows there. And then I put all our couch pillows on the floor under it all, just in case. Who says first-time parents worry too much?
After all that prep-work, the actual event of having Bentley sleep in his bed went surprisingly well. He cried when we first put him there, and then again about twenty minutes later, so Craig went and tucked him in once more. And after that he slept just great! And right now he's napping there, so I think this is as smooth a transition as I could have hoped for. I'm afraid the blinds to the window right next to the bed are suffering a bit, but if that's the biggest problem from all this, then I think we can still count ourselves lucky.
The next first is my own-- I actually intentionally drove below the speed limit on the freeway today. Gasp! In my defense, it was pouring rain beyond even what my little Seattle-self is used to, and since I was driving the Saturn, it seemed prudent. I think I went 45 the entire time, and even that felt like pushing my luck on occasion. Whew! But I did make it home safe and sound, so no worries! For those of you who have heard about our Stake musical, this morning was the first rehearsal. It was a bit weird going since they haven't actually cast any parts yet, but the rehearsal managed to be worthwhile despite that fact, so I was glad I went. If by some chance I manage to get a speaking part, I'll give you a heads up later!
Our final first comes from Kendra who has (drumroll, please) finally figured out how to roll from her tummy onto her back! She's been going from her back to her tummy for ages now, but today was the first time I could see her consistently going back and forth between the two, and it was a lot of fun watching her go. She was dressed in sleepers (this rain has really cooled things down), and so she was fascinated with her toes and kept grabbing at them and rolling back and forth. So fun! And it always cracks me up to see how much babies can move around on the floor just by rolling a bit-- she made some good distance that way!
So that's my update for now. I'll try to download some pictures next.
The first and most obvious first is that Craig finished his first week of school! YAAAAAAAY for Craig! Only a whole bunch left to go. But I'm very proud of the good work Craig does teaching.
The next one, then, is that last night, Bentley slept in his "big boy" bed for the first time! (I don't know why it has to be a "big boy" bed, but it just is. Ask anyone who's gone through this process...) Yup, until now he's been in a crib, and honestly that's worked so well I sort of hated to change it at all. But since we'll be moving soon (IN THREE WEEKS!!!), it made sense to me to get him used to a bed first. I didn't want to overwhelm him by putting him in a new room and in a bed all at the same time. And I didn't want to have to take the crib apart to move it, only to do it again a month later when Kendra inherited it and we needed to move it into her room (it won't fit through the doorway when it's assembled). And besides all that, I realized after the fact that it's better to do all this now while he's got carpet under the bed, as opposed to the hardwood floors in his new bedroom, just in case he manages to fall out.
So we finally did it last night. Of course, the whole thing was a huge process for Craig and I. The twin-sized bed is actually part of a bunkbed set that Craig had as a kid, so we changed the headboard out for the top bunk piece, which has a bar that goes along the side. We figured that might keep him from falling out, since Bentley moves a ton in his sleep. But then we were worried that he could get stuck under the bar, so I stuffed a bunch of pillows there. And then I put all our couch pillows on the floor under it all, just in case. Who says first-time parents worry too much?
After all that prep-work, the actual event of having Bentley sleep in his bed went surprisingly well. He cried when we first put him there, and then again about twenty minutes later, so Craig went and tucked him in once more. And after that he slept just great! And right now he's napping there, so I think this is as smooth a transition as I could have hoped for. I'm afraid the blinds to the window right next to the bed are suffering a bit, but if that's the biggest problem from all this, then I think we can still count ourselves lucky.
The next first is my own-- I actually intentionally drove below the speed limit on the freeway today. Gasp! In my defense, it was pouring rain beyond even what my little Seattle-self is used to, and since I was driving the Saturn, it seemed prudent. I think I went 45 the entire time, and even that felt like pushing my luck on occasion. Whew! But I did make it home safe and sound, so no worries! For those of you who have heard about our Stake musical, this morning was the first rehearsal. It was a bit weird going since they haven't actually cast any parts yet, but the rehearsal managed to be worthwhile despite that fact, so I was glad I went. If by some chance I manage to get a speaking part, I'll give you a heads up later!
Our final first comes from Kendra who has (drumroll, please) finally figured out how to roll from her tummy onto her back! She's been going from her back to her tummy for ages now, but today was the first time I could see her consistently going back and forth between the two, and it was a lot of fun watching her go. She was dressed in sleepers (this rain has really cooled things down), and so she was fascinated with her toes and kept grabbing at them and rolling back and forth. So fun! And it always cracks me up to see how much babies can move around on the floor just by rolling a bit-- she made some good distance that way!
So that's my update for now. I'll try to download some pictures next.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Wow
So if you've ever spoken to me about politics at all, then it probably won't surprise you to learn that I absolutely loved Sarah Palin's speech at the Republican Convention. In case you missed it, you can find it here. If you missed it, please read it and tell me what you thought, even if you disagree! I'd love to have a real discussion about this (email me if you've got too much to bother typing into that little comment box). Happy reading and God bless America!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Epiphany (not like in Sweeney Todd)
So today while I was trying to cook dinner, Bentley took all of his legos out of the box that they came in and then proceeded to put the box (which is plastic, lime-green, and about a foot long) on his head and say, "Hat!" Then he handed it to me and repeated, "Hat!" so I did what anyone would do and put it on my head as well, much to Bentley's delight. We laughed and then it was his turn to continue wearing it. (Incidentally, I think that box is probably just as much fun as the legos themselves right now-- it's also good for jumping up and down in, apparently!)
Anyway, after Bentley had scampered off to get into some other mischief, it hit me that even though my son is definitely showing signs of terrible two-ness (three weeks and a day away)-- like when he threw a huge tantrum this evening because he didn't have a toy car to sleep with-- there's a lot of really fun goofiness that goes along with being this age. I mean, I'm sure that there will come a time when I won't be able to pay my son to do something that ridiculous, and if I were to do it, it will just elicit an annoyed look and possibly him rolling his eyes at me. So I guess I need to try and enjoy this age and all its weirdness as much as I can. And I need to enjoy the rare time in my life when my son thinks that I am really funny. He's only one once!
Anyway, after Bentley had scampered off to get into some other mischief, it hit me that even though my son is definitely showing signs of terrible two-ness (three weeks and a day away)-- like when he threw a huge tantrum this evening because he didn't have a toy car to sleep with-- there's a lot of really fun goofiness that goes along with being this age. I mean, I'm sure that there will come a time when I won't be able to pay my son to do something that ridiculous, and if I were to do it, it will just elicit an annoyed look and possibly him rolling his eyes at me. So I guess I need to try and enjoy this age and all its weirdness as much as I can. And I need to enjoy the rare time in my life when my son thinks that I am really funny. He's only one once!
Smiles
Well, for those of you who were concerned, I'm pleased to report that Kendra is smiling at me today for the first time in nearly a week! So I guess she is well on her way to recovery. I have to admit that I, for one, am very relieved. She was so sad and grumpy and just not herself at all that I was beginning to worry that I would never get my charming, happy baby back again!
Her rash was actually much worse yesterday, but it seems to have gone away overnight; I can't see any sign of it now. It must have put up a fight before leaving, though, because she cried from about two in the morning until four last night... It was a very long night for me. And for her. But just now as I was feeding her, she kept taking breaks from eating to play with my face and smile at me. Hallelujah! This whole last week, if she paused at all during her feeding it was just to scowl and whimper at me, which really isn't much fun. So this is a huge improvement. It's weird because she wrinkles her nose up to smile sometimes and I think that's a lot of fun, but this week when that nose began to wrinkle it just meant she was angry at me. I got a lot of those looks this week, actually. It's so nice to have happy wrinkles again! Even now as I'm typing she's laying on the floor next to me smiling and kicking and playing with her jingly toy (and pooping, but I guess that goes without saying...). Anyway, one big cheer for getting my Kendra back finally!
Now I guess I'd better go change that diaper.
Her rash was actually much worse yesterday, but it seems to have gone away overnight; I can't see any sign of it now. It must have put up a fight before leaving, though, because she cried from about two in the morning until four last night... It was a very long night for me. And for her. But just now as I was feeding her, she kept taking breaks from eating to play with my face and smile at me. Hallelujah! This whole last week, if she paused at all during her feeding it was just to scowl and whimper at me, which really isn't much fun. So this is a huge improvement. It's weird because she wrinkles her nose up to smile sometimes and I think that's a lot of fun, but this week when that nose began to wrinkle it just meant she was angry at me. I got a lot of those looks this week, actually. It's so nice to have happy wrinkles again! Even now as I'm typing she's laying on the floor next to me smiling and kicking and playing with her jingly toy (and pooping, but I guess that goes without saying...). Anyway, one big cheer for getting my Kendra back finally!
Now I guess I'd better go change that diaper.
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