A Christmas to Remember!

I thought it was time to update after the nutty NW weather, the "Christmas of Changed Plans", and Hannah's big present. After a week of amazing snow amounts, crazy traffic situations, and Keith being off for a week (he was supposed to be off for 5 days, but it was stretched due to his office being closed!), I am now looking at a more typical outdoor scene for this area--drizzly rain & patchy, slushy snow. It was a different Christmas, for sure, but it was still wonderful. Keith's whole family--minus Mary, as she is actually in Bethlehem!--was supposed to be here, but due to the weather, no one made it except Noah. Noah got here last Sunday night, just as the record-making snow was falling. We have spent the last 5 days watching movies, eating snacks, chatting about all the Christmas memories, and the guys have been playing computer games galore. On Christmas Eve, my parents & Senia came over to deliver Hannah's main present--a beautiful kitchen set from both grandparents, great-grandparents, and Mom & Dad. Hannah was appropriately excited & happy about it; she started fixing up meals right away! We got some cute video that was able to suffice for those who could not be here in person. :) We had a nice quiet Christmas eve dinner with homemade pizza and a small version of my family's Jello Ribbon Salad (thanks, Senia!) We tried to watch the Claymation Christmas special (a tradition in both our families, actually), but Hannah only made it through "We Three Kings," which, if you have seen that show, is at the very beginning. Christmas morning I woke up at 7am and got everyone else up--well, Hannah was actually already awake, so that worked out. We gave her a rocking horse that we've had since she was born, and it is the perfect size for her now--she's a little shy about it, and I think she is afraid it is going to start neigh-ing at her like her friend Emily's horse. :) We then headed to Starbucks, as is our new tradition as of the last 3 years on Christmas Day--thank you to those VOLUNTEER baristas (Anne!) For dinner, we headed over to my grandparents' house, and Noah was such a good sport about it, since he really doesn't know any of those people. However, I figured a full meal at a stranger's house on Christmas would probably be better than peanut butter sandwiches at our house. ;) (When we planned on meals for Christmas week, we had the groceries split up between the families that were coming into town...when that changed, we had to make other plans.) The rest of our evening was spent snacking, watching movies, and...gaming. The day after Christmas, Hannah & I hitched a ride with Mom, Dad & Senia to head out shopping, looking for bargains, and braving the crowds. Target wasn't too bad, but by the time we got to the mall, it was crazy! After some good deals, more Starbucks, some bagels, a trip to Fred Meyer & the DMV, and a potty chair for Hannah (more on that later), we finished up around 4:00. We started at 9:00, so I'd say that was a full day! Dad was good enough to drive us everywhere, as the roads were still pretty slick & slushy, creating a bit of a roller coaster experience for any driver. When I got home, I discovered that someone had decided to reinstall our entire computer with its programs, and consequently we had lost all saved e-mails, bookmarks, and e-mail addresses. I was not a very happy camper. I pointed out to Noah that he better take note of what makes a wife angry, and he politely agreed, stifling his smile. After grumbling for a while, we had dinner & then put Hannah to bed. We watched more movies & ate more snacks, while the guys did more gaming--do you notice a theme here?? Today Hannah & I are going to a wedding (I love weddings, especially at Christmastime), and then tomorrow after church (which we haven't been to in two weeks because of weather cancellations!), we are getting together with my family for our Christmas celebration. After that we are having the Nelson Christmas Party at my parents' house, which was postponed last week due to...weather issues. (There are a few themes here, can you tell??)
Needless to say, this Christmas has been different, but still memorable & fun. I have enjoyed having Noah here, even though his presence makes me outnumbered in the male-to-female ratio. :) He is very polite, he helps clean up the dishes, and he knows when to keep his mouth shut. I think he is going to make some woman very happy! :)
All that said, as much as I always LOVE Christmas every year, I am going to be ready for some state of normalcy starting on Monday. I am really happy that Senia is still here for 2 more weeks, and I am looking forward to being a little less constricted with the weather in terms of hanging out with her. I am still listening to Christmas music, though, because the theme of Christmas is one I am not ready to let go. Christ is still present in our lives now & always, and I like the reminders that the songs bring.

Well, that is my Christmas wrap-up for this year. Stay tuned for more on Hannah's potty training (we'll see) and the fun of the kitchen set. :)
I hope everyone's Christmas was as memorable as ours, no matter what the weather.

STUCK!

Well, today was a long day. First, I should probably mention that yesterday afternoon our starter went out on the car. This is something we were expecting to happen, as the car had been struggling for the last month or so. It was really a matter of waiting for it to stop starting eventually--so every time we'd get in the car for the last month, we would basically pray that the car would start. Yesterday it didn't. I knew today would be hard, but it's been a while since I literally could not leave the house--at least to go farther than where I can walk. I think Hannah was quite a bit younger the last time, so she probably was still napping twice a day, maybe not walking, etc.
To start it off, Hannah woke up at 7am, so by 8:15 we had had breakfast, taken a bath and gotten dressed. What now? We played with all of her toys, we went up & down the stairs, we got out the play-doh, I made cookies, we read books...only to find when I looked at the clock that it was 9:15. Oh brother. Walk time! We went for a super-long walk, and we only headed home when I figured both of our fingers & noses were in danger of frostbite. After getting home & trying to keep Hannah busy with any number of songs, dances, books, etc, we had lunch & I put her down for her nap before noon! Yikes. She didn't actually go to sleep until almost 12:30 because, well, she hadn't really done much to expend any energy, right? I, on the other hand, was exhausted & ready for a nap myself. Hannah was up within 2 hours and it was back to "entertainment mode." We did a few more games, read some more books & I started some spaghetti sauce. I put on "Little Drummer Boy" to try & catch her attention for a brief 24 minutes (I know, I'm horrible--I allowed my under-2-year-old to watch the horrid television; well, I'll have you know that she sat through about 1-minute increments & then went and played or screamed elsewhere in the house.) *Oh yes, and her latest thing is screaming randomly for no apparent reason. That's fun.
At 3:30 we headed outside again to walk down the street & look at the lit snowman in our neighbor's yard. At 4:15, I got a call from Keith saying that he wasn't going to get home until 6:00pm. Lovely. Two more hours of...what??? Well, that last bit of time was kind of a blur because I was doing anything I could think of to keep Hannah (& myself) from falling apart at the seams. Now that it is 7:15 and Hannah is getting her snack from Daddy, saying her cute little words & doing her own sign for "I Love You," I can't really think back to why the day was so hard. It's amazing what mommy-memory does...right from that first labor experience, you just forget the negative things...or at least you forget why it was so traumatic. :)
Thankfully, my mom (bless her!) is coming over tomorrow so I can (borrow her car &) go get a haircut, run some errands, and generally have a break. The ironic thing is that Hannah will probably be napping the majority of that time, but I'll take what I can get! :)

I've done it...

After trying to ignore the Christmas displays in Fred Meyer, Costco, the mall, etc for the last few weeks, I finally decided yesterday that it was time for me to start listening to Christmas music. (Well, it actually started with someone *cough*Senia*cough* telling me I could get a free "Tennessee Christmas" ringtone, at which point I spent a ridiculous amount of time searching online for "free" ringtones, which don't exist but instead all re-route to the same darn $19.99/month membership.) Anywhoo, after listening to Amy Grant's "It's the Most Wonderful Time of Year" ringtone a number of times this weekend and getting gleefully happy during each 10-second snippet, I decided I would just go ahead & start the rest of the music full-throttle. It has been SO great! I can't tell you how happy it can make me, and you want to know something: Hannah likes it too! The first day I played some in the car (via a local radio station because they are already playing non-stop Christmas music), Hannah started bouncing up & down in her car seat and smiling from ear-to-ear. Amazing! My love of Christmas music has already been passed on...It's all very exciting, and although I will still wait until after Thanksgiving to do any decorating, the "glorious strains" are filling my heart with joy!!! (And no, that is not an exaggeration.)

Garlic Breath

A while back I read in my Health magazine that eating a clove a garlic a day will keep you cold-free for this season. (Or any season.) So, a few weeks ago, I tried the theory out when I was sensing a cold on the horizon. It actually seemed to help--either that or it was: a) psychological or b) the 6 gallons of water I chugged that day, effectively flushing the bug out of my system.
Yesterday I was again feeling the scratchy signs of a sore throat & ensuing cold, so today I gritted my teeth and ate some chopped garlic on a piece of toast. I'll tell you something: that stuff BURNS going down! My sore throat is actually (momentarily?) gone, but I'm guessing it is because the garlic sting has disguised the lesser sore throat.
We'll see what happens in the next couple days...besides the fact that Keith will be sleeping as far away from me as possible & that our friends we're dining with tonight will be thinking "is she wearing some sort of garlic perfume?"

***Update: I still haven't had a cold yet this season...however, I did have the stomach flu...Hmmm...

Pumpkin Carving

Last night after dinner, we got Hannah ready for pumpkin carvin'. Following in my parents' footsteps, we stripped Hannah down to diaper only, as that seemed to be the easiest way to handle the inevitable mess.

Although Hannah did take one spoonful of "guts" out, she was more interested in eating the orange goop & slippery seeds than actually digging it OUT of the pumpkin.

After the hard work of carving out the pumpkin (or rather, cheering Daddy on), Hannah decided she needed to de-stress by taking a couple laps around the house.


And yes, that is her diaper she is holding.

Today, though, we finally got a picture of the finished product (with Hannah's clothes ON.)

Dessert Disaster

Last weekend I was asked to bring desserts to a family birthday party, so I thought I would be my own Betty Crocker and bake a chocolate layer cake & a key lime pie. I know. My first cue that it was not going to go well was that I discovered the night before that I did not have powdered sugar. Now some of you may or may not know that frosting of any kind generally requires powdered sugar...and a layer cake is not a layer cake without frosting. I was not off to a good start towards the new Mrs. "BC." Sunday after church we rushed home and I got going on the pie. Crust in the oven--check. Pie filling made & baking--check. Cake made & baking--check....on to the frosting....whoops. Discover that I underestimated the amount of cocoa powder needed; decide to run next door with fingers crossed, hoping they have baking cocoa (they did.) Cooking frosting & notice a faint burning smell. Sniff, sniff...hmmm. Not the frosting. Where is that coming from?! Peek in the oven & open it to see a huge plume of smoke blast out of the oven. Agghhh! Cake has bubbled up over the cake pans & is now burnt to a charcoal-crisp on the bottom of the oven (reminiscent of Senia's latest baking trauma.) Cakes are not baked through; they are still jiggly. I did everything right: I measured correctly, I poured into the correct pans, I made sure the racks were in the right place, I preheated...I guess it will always be a mystery. Pull cakes out after baking for a few more minutes in a cooler oven (Keith's idea--I guess I should call him Mr. BC. :) After cooling, transfer cakes to wire rack...well, "transfer" is a loose term--I threw them quickly onto the rack as they started to crumble. Frosted "cakes" and layered, turning them into one big slanting pile of chocolate. (See picture.) I called it "Chocolate Blob." Surprisingly, it tasted fine (how can you go wrong with chocolate, chocolate cake?) The key lime pie was a success, too, if I may say so. I would even make the chocolate cake again...as long as the smoke alarms have new batteries & the kitchen is well ventilated.

She's Growing Up!

Well, now that Hannah is almost 16 months, I figured I should write a post about her changes in the last few months--and there are quite a few! She is definitely seeming more like a toddler every day, and she has such a good, fun-loving spirit. She now walks 99% of the time (crawling is "just for fun" now & then), and she is close to being able to run. Especially when she goes around the corner to "hide;" then when we say "where's Hannah?" She comes dashing out with a big smile on her face. She is starting to say more words, including ball, hot, beep (when she pinches noses, thanks to Grandpa Dale), and she signs a number of things, including more, please, thank-you, music, bird, & water/milk (she has blended the two together). What I think is most amazing is that she is understanding & comprehending a lot more of what we are saying. For example, yesterday I said "Let's go upstairs & take a bath." She walked right over to the stairs & climbed up towards the bathroom. :) It's nice to be able to talk to her & actually get a response. (Now I don't sound so crazy talking, although supposedly some people still think it's weird to commentate during shopping trips.) I also see the effect of the "human sponge," as the other day Hannah started walking around with her arms folded--apparently I do that more than I think...
With all of these good, fun things, also come a couple struggles. I recently read in my Parents mag that often the "terrific twos" rear their heads at the half birthday marks. Hannah is a couple months early, but much to our dismay, the other night Hannah actually stomped her feet after getting upset about something. :) I smile because it was actually somewhat funny to see this little person displaying anger. (And it probably seemed like something really inconsequential--to me--like us taking away the tupperware for the night.) Since then, she has thrown herself on the floor and kicked her feet (you know the body position), but I definitely caught her peeking to make sure I was watching. Hannah also has a very strong will...like others...and I have no doubt she will be making her opinions known for her entire life (a pattern that seemed to be evident from her first days as a newborn.) My mom mentioned yesterday, too, that she is growing into her role as a drama queen as well, so she & Aunt Senia will have a lot to talk about. ;) (Love you, Seni!)
So that is what is happening in Hannah-land. After all is said and done, though, she is such a joy, and like Afton has told me...there's nothing sweeter than watching them sleep...

Hello, my name is Heather & I am an e-mail addict.

Yes, it's true. I've decided that I probably check my e-mail an inordinate amount of times throughout the day. Like the next person, I usually turn on the computer when I get up and bring up our e-mail soon after that. I'll also check it before going to bed. The OCD part is that I continue to check the e-mail at least 50 times throughout the day--sometimes minutes after I've already checked it. I don't know why, exactly, but I have some theories:

*We have recently had some luck on Craig's List, so I am constantly curious to see if anyone has e-mailed about an item for sale.
*I have a number of family/friends that I keep in touch with via e-mail; i.e. my sister, who is away at college in Duluth (sniff); my cousin & good friend from high school, both of whom are HEADING away to London; friends in Spokane; my mom...who, admittedly is about 2 minutes away from me, but sometimes e-mail is just easier. (You get the picture.)
*I have too much time on my hands.
*I am simply addicted.

Whether it's one of these possibilities or not, I do really enjoy that little thrill I get when I see the words "Downloading 1 of...e-mails" or the e-mails that are bold, signifying UNREAD! (On the off chance my husband is able to get to the e-mail before I can.)
Anyway, that is my addiction. I guess it's better than something seriously life-threatening, although I'm sure decades from now, our children's children will be laughing at how dumb we were to actually touch computers, since that will be found to cause some horrible disease like "computer flu." At that point, people will just wave their hands over little keypads or something, think about an e-mail, and it will get written & sent. Then I would be there, thinking all day, waiting for e-mails to come in...

New Way to Watch--Sooo Funny!

This is great if you know Pachelbel's Canon--which is probably everyone. Just watch. I laughed...a lot!

I updated this post with the actual video "play button," thanks to Afton's assistance. :)

"Why does everything happen to ME?"

Once again, I am finding myself without adult playmates. For the millionth time, both my sister and my mom are gone at the same time, with Mary on her way out in a month or so. You'd think that would not be a big deal, but when you're used to having them over every day or every other day, there is a big, gaping hole when they aren't there. I realize that not everyone has the luxury of having family around at all, and I'm sorry if that's the case for you. However, for me, it's simply a fact and I really do enjoy it. Senia is always up for going on walks, running errands, or just playing with Hannah while I do something ridiculously wild like take a shower. My mom is great about watching Hannah while I teach piano, also going on errands & walks, and taking Hannah during my "voluntary timeout(s)." Mary is somehow able to play with Hannah, pet our cat Mocha, and visit with me without skipping a beat. (She'll be a great mom!) Above all, though, I enjoy the easy-going, interesting & fun conversation that we can have whilst giving Hannah lots of love and attention. Now granted, I love my moms groups, and they are wonderful for both Hannah and I, providing me support and encouragement, as well as playtime & valuable learning lessons for Hannah. At those, though, the conversation is (understandably) centered on everything "baby" or "toddler." While I thoroughly enjoy that and find it very helpful, there are also times where I just want to talk about the Olympics, or The Office, or maybe even something as profound as feelings or emotions about relationships, faith, etc. Mom, Senia, and Mary are my outlets. So you can see why I might be a little disturbed to find them all gone or leaving...it's not that I don't want them to experience new adventures & enjoy their school, vacations or volunteer opportunities, it's just that sometimes a girl's gotta be a little selfish. :)
And now I'm done ranting.

P.S. I'll give a back rub to the person who can name where that quote is from.

Isn't it too early for the Terrible Twos??

Well, it's official. I need a break from being a mom. This may sound horrible, or it might sound completely reasonable, but at some point, I'm sure all moms get to this moment. My break doesn't have to be long or even overnight--we're just talking a few hours of Heather-time, sans Hannah. (I don't even like typing that, but it's the truth!)
Today was one of those days where I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin out of restlessness at approximately 9:00 this morning. Hannah was up by 8:30, and we'd had our breakfast...and my day was empty from then until 6:00pm. I did the responsible & appropriate Mom Thing and took us both out on a nice walk, picking some blackberries on the way. That was good, but then as soon as we got back to the house, Hannah was a wreck. She cried when I took away my cell phone, she cried when I took away the lotion she was holding, she cried when I took away the raw pie crust that she was eating. Now, you might be wondering why I'm so cruel in taking all these things away, but I was giving Hannah other options all the while. And these weren't little fake cries, but real live alligator tears & big "wahs." One thing I found interesting--and somewhat amusing--was that during one of these outbursts, she actually took a second to open her eyes to make sure I was watching. Hmmmm...That IS interesting.
At any rate, after a total nap time of 1.5 hours, Hannah was really falling apart by 5:00 when Keith got home (EARLY!!! :) She did one of those smiley, whiny cries that seemed to say "Daddy, save me from the mean mom!"
Now I'm sitting here doing stuff online & trying to think of the things I can do during my voluntary timeout on Friday. My mom has graciously offered to watch Hannah so I can do just that. Any ideas for something free that will be relaxing & fun at the same time? :)
What's amazing, though, is that despite all of today's frustrations & difficulties, I still find myself wanting to go outside and be with Keith & Hannah, even though these are precious minutes to myself. Ahhh, the power of unconditional love in action. :)

The Par-tay!

Well, the Breaking Dawn party was fun, interesting & maybe not something I would need to do again. :) (I would've written this post earlier, but I was too busy reading the book--in 48 hours.)
Senia, Mary & I decided to go to the Borders near us as opposed to Powell's because it was closer...as much as we were disappointed to not give blood...We arrived at the scene at about 9:30 and were given a wristband with the number 674 (!) on it--that was to receive a book!! We discovered later that fortunately, those numbers were somewhat arbitrary and the wait was not long. The store was already pretty crowded at that point, and the party had just began. We saw teenage girls in prom dresses (for the Forks HS Prom), teenage girls with an array of t-shirts--both professionally made & handmade, teenage girls with costumes representing various Twilight characters, and more teenage girls. Notice a theme? Nevertheless, we forged on & pushed ourselves into the sea of people (teenage girls.) There were older people (including some guys) at the store, but we quickly discovered they were simply customers hoping to sit in a nice quiet (haha) bookstore & sip their lattes or chai teas. Poor, unsuspecting people. :)
The night started off with a trivia game, which consisted of minute details from the book (aka--the temp in Phoenix when the book series begins; which was 75, by the way...not something I recalled during the game.) These gals had obviously spent some serious time studying to prepare for such an exam. :)
Next was the debate of the "Edward vs. Jacob" camps. If you don't know what that means, read the books. :) Mary, the lone Jacob fan in our little group, somewhat reluctantly snuck over to that side of the room, which was actually more populated than I would have guessed it would be. For the next few minutes, these gals were screaming (yes, SCREAMING) comments back & forth about who was "hotter," who was better for Bella, and who could give her a better life. At one point, I attempted to raise my hand to say something, but the judges were obviously only paying attention to the jumping, screaming, fanatic girls in front of them. I was just waiting for someone to burst into tears while emotionally defending Edward or Jacob. I might add that before the party, the three of us had a very in-depth, psychological debate about the pros & cons of Jacob or Edward, and none of those points were brought up in the Borders debate. Hmmm...
After a short break for everyone to regain their composure, the costume contest started. That was fun to see how people dressed up, but it was a bit sad when someone would come up & there would only be a few claps. :( Brought back memories of some uncomfortable talent shows & such. So when someone would get that response, we would try to clap wildly instead!! :)
Then for the next hour, they did a couple raffle prizes & started to get things organized for the actual book release. That was the most organized part of the night--oohhh, if only I could have gotten a hold of a megaphone during the games...
Anyway, according to the receipt, we got our book at 12:45am on August 2nd. I started reading as soon as we got home (sorry, Senia & Mary, but a girl's gotta have her priorities) and finished at 1am yesterday morning. Whew! I loved it--I know there have been some controversial comments online about the book's plot, but for a teen vampire saga, I think it is really entertaining & very well worth reading.--See my earlier post "Vampires are SOOOO Cool!"

WinCo Wins

Brand-name items are interesting for me. I've never been one to worry too much about brand-name clothing or shoes; I don't really care if I have Fred Meyer pants or Payless shoes. If they get the job done & don't fall apart after a few washings, I'm happy with them. Groceries are a different story. I used to really feel good about my pantry, cupboards or refrigerator if I had "Kellogg's," "Heinz," "C&H," etc. I was really making it if I had some Trader Joe's items in there. After reviewing our budget a while ago, we decided to try shopping at WinCo to see how it went. The savings were pretty obvious; especially if I went with the generic brand. However, I didn't want to become a regular WinCo shopper. For some reason I really kicked my heels in at the idea of having all those generic brands in my cupboards, and more importantly, that I would have to bag my own groceries!
Well, with gas prices (going down, though--yeah!), food price increases, and the point that WinCo is just minutes away, I couldn't keep giving excuses when Keith would ask "Tell me again why we don't just shop at WinCo?" I finally gave in when I saw how much I had spent at a competing store, only to get home with one bag of groceries. At WinCo, I knew that amount would buy twice as much!
Although going to WinCo is still a bit of a difficulty for me, I like it a little more knowing that I'm saving a lot of money & that I've noticed more people that "look like me" there, in terms of silly superficial demographics. You really can see every range of people there; it's quite interesting. Sometimes I forget "the rules;" for example, yesterday I was there & without thinking, pulled my cart forward when the lady in front of me pulled hers to the end to bag (gasp!) When she came back to pay, she said--somewhat rudely--"exCUSE me, MISS!" I apologized and backed up, only to run into the guy behind me who had mistaken my pull-through as valid.
Anyway, it's a work in progress. I've decided the benefits outweigh the negatives, and, as Senia has pointed out, you can't beat their bulk section!

Breaking Dawn at the break of dawn...

Well, the time is drawing near. Come August 1st, I will be heading to Powell's for a release party! I never thought I'd be "that person" that would be so interested in a book to attend a midnight release, but it sounds like so much fun. Mary & Senia are going to come along, and we are going to party it up vampire-style! I will definitely be posting more about it later, but it is going to be lots of fun, if for no other reason than I get to hang out with my best gals. :) My act of service for the night will be giving blood, as they say, "To the Red Cross, not vampires..." which will be interesting but hopefully uneventful.
That is all I have to say about that for now.

In other news, Hannah is as fun as ever! She is getting a little longer & a little chubbier (at least in my opinion) and it is fun hearing her "talk" in her little voice. It's fun to try to imagine what all she is saying. Tonight we went on a walk & she was just chatting away with her little leg resting on her stroller tray--so casual & relaxed. Her newest thing is that she makes a little round-lipped face and says "Woo-woo" when she sees a dog. I have to say that it is PRETTY cute! :) She has also had some fun times in her little wading pool; the other night she even went skinny-dipping and even sat down. The water is becoming a little less intimidating for her, which is nice to see.

Well, that's enough for now; I've been wanting to post something, but I have a hard time coming up with topics that I feel will be interesting for people to actually read. :) Senia, I could use a few more "post-starters." :)

We made it through!

Well, this last weekend was our first (well, my first) extended time away from Hannah--our first together. Keith has been away overnight a number of times since Hannah was born, but I had only been away from her one night when we did a trial run a couple months ago. :) Keith & I decided we wanted to work at a retreat that was being directed by Keith's sister & brother-in-law, Anne & Nate, along with another family friend, Jonathon. (It was called Journey with Christ, for anyone who may have heard of that organization.) Anyway, we left Thursday afternoon, and as it got closer to the "drop-off time," I grew more & more anxious. I got that feeling in my stomach like you do when you start work again on Monday, or right before you go to the dentist, or the night before a huge exam. We got to my Mom & Dad's house and I got Hannah's stuff settled. The good thing is that she's been there plenty of times, so it wasn't like she was unfamiliar with her surroundings. We wanted to make the good-byes short, so we pretty much left within a few minutes. I don't know what I was expecting, but Hannah did not so much as shed one tear or show a turned-down lip! Meanwhile, I was gulping the huge knot down my throat & trying not to start bawling or tell Keith "Never mind." To make matters worse, my mom handed me a little note that said "Mommy & Daddy" written by "Hannah." :) It was actually very cute but it did make me tear up a little bit. Anyway, we made it to Yakima just fine and then I was pretty much okay for the weekend except for one breakdown when my mother-in-law, Theresa, specifically mentioned to the leadership group to pray for Hannah since it was her birthday. :) Then Theresa & a few others working had a little party for Hannah, "in absencia" (or however that is spelled.) It was nice to have the support on both ends!
When we got home, Hannah was busy playing with Grandma, Grandpa & Senia, and she didn't seem to have missed us at all. I guess that is good in a way, as I'm sure it gets harder to leave them as they start to actually REALIZE you are leaving!

Reflections...

Well, after 2 or 3 not-so-subtle hints from my sister about a new post, I figured I'd better come through. Since Hannah's 1st Birthday (!) is coming up in a little over a week, I thought I'd do some reflecting on this past year, as well as do a little update on Hannah's progress as she comes to the one year milestone.
For one thing, I can't believe it has been a year already--I'm sure everyone says that after becoming parents, but it really is true that time flies!! We just attended my annual choir banquet, which seems strange since last year at this time I was VERY pregnant & hoping Hannah would make her arrival that night. (Although we didn't even know she was a girl at the time; she was still "Baby" or "Little Jerry," as we called "it.") Almost exactly a week later, Hannah came into the world & it has been one amazing journey since then. A few items from our life this year (besides Hannah being born):

*Keith switched jobs/careers from auto mechanics to bank security
*I worked part time at CSG; bringing Hannah with me for the first month back
*I quit work
*We bought a house (yes, in that order. :)

Hannah has truly been a blessing over this last year & we look forward to continuing to watch her grow & change. In these last couple months alone, Hannah has learned to:

*crawl (& get very fast very quickly)
*pull herself up
*move around furniture
*say "Dada" (& maybe "Mom," as of today--although I'm not positive)
*move/"sing" along to "The Itsy Bitsy Spider"
*open & close doors (from her level--not actually turning the door knob)
*pull any & all items off of shelves
*go up the stairs

Also, she has gotten 5 teeth--but not much more hair. :) Anyway, besides the physical & developmental growth, we have been delighted by Hannah's blooming personality as she discovers her world. She loves to clap, and she will pretty much smile at anyone until they look her way. In general, she really has a lot of joy for daily life, and that is something we could all use more of!

I hope this doesn't come across as a brag session instead of how I meant it to come across--a few thoughts on how Hannah has enriched Keith's & my life over this last year...and how we know she will in the years to come! Happy 1st Birthday, Hannah!!

Babies Galore!

Well, it's been a while since I posted something Hannah-related, so I figured I'd better do so. :) Today we had 3 other moms and their babies over for a playdate. It was a lot of fun, and all of them were pre-walkers, so Hannah fit right in. It is amazing, though, how different each baby is--even if they are the exact same age! All of them were at different stages of crawling, and Hannah was the only one pushing her little push toy around--I'm bragging a bit, but that's okay, right? ;)
The moms were all so nice & friendly; it's just been really wonderful to get to know some other moms with babies about Hannah's age. Now you may be wondering how I met all these women & babies...or maybe you're not wondering, but I'm going to tell you anyway...These are the options of how I did this:

A) Online
B) Standing in the mall play area with a sign that said "Need Other Moms to Play With!"
C) Using Telepathy
D) Waiting around for other people I know to have babies

Well, the answer is...A! I went to Meetup.com (which is a great website, by the way) and filled out a profile. Then all you do is choose which groups you want to belong to. You kind of "apply" via a message on the website, and then the organizers contact you if you've been "chosen." It's a very thorough process....just kidding; my guess is as long as you have a picture of yourself holding a child, you're in. :) After a 30-day trial period in the group (and you can be in more than one) you pay a nominal annual fee (anywhere from $6-$10; it's the best money I'll ever spend!) and then you're a member. Then it's just a matter of choosing the events you want to attend or hosting your own. There is a range of activities, some of which have costs associated--but you don't have to go to any of those if you don't want to! It's very cool. I've managed to fill up the last couple weeks pretty nicely with an activity every other day, and it works out well for both Hannah & I!
Anyway, that's what I've been doing, post-vampires. :) (I'm done with the third book and waiting anxiously for the fourth--coming out Aug 2nd!)
Hope you are all well!

Vampires are SOOO cool!

Well, this title may seem really weird, but if you have read (or are currently reading) the "Twilight" series books, you will know what I mean. :) Afton recommended these literary "drugs" to me, and she even supplied them to me! I have finished the second of the three-part series, and I am "thirsting" for more. :) Haha. Okay, enough with the metaphors and on to a more detailed description of why I am seriously considering becoming a vampire. ;)
First of all, let me tell you that I am NOT a science-fiction-genre type of girl. I thrive on living & reading about reality, or about things that could possibly happen in real life. I watch reality TV (or at least The Office, which is close) and I read books that either take place in the current time period, or at least very good historical fiction. When Afton first told me about these books, she raved...but I was skeptical.
Upon reading the first page (the preface--not even the first actual page of the chapter) I was totally hooked! For the next 24 hours I read every chance I got--and with a 10-month-old, you'd think that would be impossible, but obviously, I found time. (Ask my husband, who, at various times would try to distract me with silly questions about dinner or something.) During the novel, I kept feeling compelled to ask myself "How could this EVER be possible?" or "Oh yeah, like that could really happen." But as soon as I stopped trying to explain or reason away every part of the story, I REALLY got into it, and all of a sudden I realized I believed what I was reading. At a couple points, my heart was actually pounding as if I was watching the scene unfold--I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!
Now, please don't get me wrong--I do not really think vampires are real, nor do I really want to be one (I mean, who wants to drink blood--yuck!) What I am saying is that this book is written very well and I would highly recommend it. Not only is the portrayal of a particular clan of vampires very interesting & fun to read, there is a beautiful unrequited romance that develops that literally brought tears to my eyes. I have to run--I need to start the last book...and wait for the movie to come out in December. :)

Sissy's Home!

Well, this is a test to see how fast Senia responds now that she is HOME! :) I am so glad that she is back from college for the summer, especially since she happens to attend a college that is about a million miles away (she should know--she and my brother drove home from MN Thursday & got home last night.) Anyway, I am thrilled that she ended up coming home, and I am excited for all the fun stuff we will be doing throughout the next few months (namely, hanging out at home, going for walks/swims/runs(?)/classes at the gym, going to the mall or Target just to browse, going to the beach, spending time outside with Hannah, watching Hannah splash around in a wading pool, talking, drinking coffee, watching The Office, watching The Cosby Show, watching movies, talking some more, laughing, having Senia overnight, etc. etc.) (Did I miss anything, Sen?

Anyway, it is good to have her back nearby. Beyond that, I'm just really thankful that we have the kind of close relationship where we WANT to hang out endlessly with each other. That is worth more to me than even SHE knows. :)

Ahhh...I know it's sappy, but I don't care. That's my prerogative.

The Smile

I love this little cheesy grin Hannah has been showing off lately. She scrunches up her nose, squints her eyes, and shows her two teeth by giving an open-mouth smile. It makes me laugh every time, and she knows everyone likes it! :) She's already a social butterfly. What I love more than the smile itself, though, is the reaction that she can get out of people--even the most surly & grumpy. In the last couple of days, in particular, I've found how fun it is to watch & see how Hannah tries so hard to interact with everyone, and if they don't look at her or don't notice her, she just sits there & smiles at them until they DO look! This is especially fun when her target is someone of a particularly grumpy nature and one who seems to not have anything to smile about. The other day, the clerk at the DOL was kind of a pouty woman, and it seemed like she wanted to be anywhere but there. As soon as Hannah flashed her grin, though, that woman melted & became a baby-talking, gushing queen! :) Then yesterday when Hannah and I were waiting in line at the Dr's office, the receptionist was a bit the same way, and once Hannah showed that little wrinkled nose & scrunched-up eyes, the woman couldn't look away! :) I think this phenomenon is truly a gift from God--it's a way to brighten someone's day and help each person remember that there are still innocent, young minds in this world that just want attention & love--and then they are perfectly content & happy! This thought has been on mind these last few days, and it really makes me happy to know that my little one can bring a little bit of sunshine to someone's day, just by smiling a silly little grin. :)

*On a more selfish side note, it also wins people over very quickly, which can be handy if you want an extra plate from Starbucks, a cup of water from any food vendor, or a blank check. ;)

New thoughts on being a mom

Okay, now that Hannah has just turned 10 months (yesterday), I thought I'd do some updates to my previous posting about "Things I've Learned about being a Mom" (or whatever that title was.)
For those of you that don't know, Hannah started crawling a couple weeks ago while her girlfriend, Kayla, was over. It was almost as if she'd known how all along, and then she finally decided "Well, if Kayla's going to do it, I can too!" Since then, we've discovered that out of necessity, we have to vacuum/sweep/mop MUCH more often because otherwise Hannah will be eating all sorts of edible & non-edible snacks throughout the day. Last night I remarked to Keith that I don't even want to think how dusty & gross our carpet & linoleum was at our apartment, since Hannah wasn't crawling there and, well, let's face it...weeks go by without doing it! :) Oh well, new house, new rules.
So that's my thought on the crawling business.
Also interesting is how the level of stress & busy-ness in regards to parenting is all relative. A busy day for me consists of a trip to the gym in the morning, an appointment in the mid-afternoon, and maybe having someone over for dinner or coffee. Then my friend Molly came over with her three boys, with whom she stays home 3 out of 5 days a week. After a rousing visit of puzzles, cookies, screaming kids, and a couple tantrums thrown in here & there, I asked her what her daily schedule is like. She kind of laughed and said "This." :) After they left, both Hannah & I seemed fairly relaxed--and I was thinking twice about having any other kids (just kidding...that kind of thought is always fleeting!) :)
Lastly, I noticed something yesterday that I've heard of moms doing, and never really thought about me doing it until then. In the late afternoon, after Hannah had taken a fairly short nap, I decided that we would go to the mall for a while to kill some time before dinner. Keith wasn't going to be home until later, as he had night class, and Hannah was a little cranky, so I figured it was either that or start to really resent not being in a lecture for 4 hours. ;) I felt better as soon as we got to the mall, not just because we were able to get out of the house, but also because there were people to observe, kids for Hannah to watch, and--this is the kicker--all sorts of adults that I might talk to! Seriously, the whole time we were there, I was making eye contact & conversation with anyone who happened to look my way (which was easy, since I had a baby with me, and everyone wants to talk to babies!) I spent about 15 minutes in a candy store discussing what to buy with the clerk, and I went over & interrupted an old neighbor simply to say "Hi." What is with me? Oh, that's right, it's the old "I've-been-talking-to-my-baby-daughter-for-the-last-few-hours-and-am-craving-some-adult-conversation." Like I said, I've heard of it happening, but it hadn't hit me until yesterday. What's even weirder is that I had had two other adult encounters earlier in the day, so it's almost as if I was on a roll and needed to continue that pattern. Hey, at least I've found an outlet--talking to anyone who glances our way, whether they want to or not!
Anyway, this is a really long post suddenly, so I think that's all I'm going to write. Let me know if any of you have had this experience! Ooopps, there's an adult at the door--gotta run!

Our Open House

We had a great time at our open house yesterday! It was so fun having people over to OUR PLACE and knowing that we had the room to have 30+ guests at once! :) It was really great to see a bunch of our dear friends & family, and fun to show off the house--especially the pantry; definitely the highlight of every guest's tour. ;) I felt like we had a nice spread of snacks & goodies, and everyone seemed to have a pretty good time. I was really excited that we received a number of plants--some things to add to our yard--yeah!
Incidentally, I have to say that as much as I have hated weeding in the past, I have a secret...it wasn't SO bad when I was doing it in our flower beds. :)
Anyway, we had a wonderful time yesterday and I also discovered (or maybe rediscovered) how much I enjoy having big groups over. Of course, it's always a relief when the party is over because then you can have the peace & quiet, but then I always start thinking a little bit about the next time to have a get together!
Well, that's all for now. Time to kick back & enjoy my morning coffee--along with a leftover goodie from yesterday! :)

How it feels to have a piano in my possesion again...

Taking Senia's advice, I decided to start this post with this sentence. I figured it was time to give my faithful readers (all 3 of them) a new post.

First of all, I absolutely love having the piano here. I've found myself itching to play it, which is ironic since most of the years I was taking lessons, I had to force myself (or my mom had to force me) to play--or at least to practice. I think I've always enjoyed playing the "fun stuff" (performance repertoire, classical, Broadway, etc) but it was hard to tackle the technique practice & the theory. Again, now I'd sort of like to audit a theory class because I've lost some of the ability to immediately notice chord progression, key signatures, etc. (This probably sounds like mumbo-jumbo to some of you, but that's okay.)

Anyway, the piano arrived just a couple weeks ago, when Keith's parents came for Easter. It was pretty momentous, especially since Patrick drove the piano here in his small Mazda truck all the way from Washtucna. I was a little worried that the piano might end up here in pieces, but he had tied it down & it was safe the whole way. :) When they got it to the house, Keith & the guys had decided to move it in through the back door (across the yard & deck, since there were only 2 stairs), but once Patrick got stuck in the mud (it was of course raining), they realized they had to take it up our front steps (about 5 of them.) Fortunately for them, I was in Hannah's room this whole time, otherwise I probably would've been out there trying to direct something I knew nothing about. :) This piano is very heavy (I've heard) and it took 4 guys to heft it up. (It probably could've used 6 guys, but we were short on people.) Our kind neighbor, who we've already enlisted a couple of times, helped the guys. All I heard from upstairs was a lot of loud bangs & bumps, some laughter & a few grunts & groans. When I got downstairs, the piano was there and even in a playable key! :) Now that it's been sitting there for a few weeks, it still sounds pretty good. Although I don't have perfect pitch or anything, I feel like it's actually in pretty good tune for being moved 200 miles & lifted up stairs.

Anyway, I'm thrilled to have it. At some point I'd like to have it finished, as it's pretty scratched up (what do you get for having it in a household of 6+ kids for 25 years?), but for now, I'm really enjoying just playing it & remembering why I was so intent on starting lessons 20 years ago--whoa, that's a long time! :)

Spring!

Ah--there's nothing like a spring morning...sitting here sipping my hot coffee, eating breakfast & enjoying the peacefulness of the snow falling outside the window....WAIT!!!! Snow?!!? Yes, that's right. It is snowing in March in the northwest. :( This is NOT spring weather. I'm just holding out hope that this is a sign for a REALLY nice, hot summer!! Any thoughts? (And yes, Senia, I know it's all relative because you've had lows in the single digits, but it is not supposed to be like that here!) Grrrr. (Or should I say "Brrr?") Back to the igloo.

Ah...the Sweet Life.

I'm sitting here checking things online, watching "Live with Regis & Kelly", and sipping on my coffee. Is this really what being a stay-at-home mom is about? Hannah is taking her nap, and I must say--I can't believe I get to do this for my job! I mean, I know that there are more stressful days & that there are more to come, but right now, this moment--I love this! I hope it doesn't reflect badly on me that I love it while Hannah is sleeping...Just in case, I will say that when Hannah is awake, I love my job then, too! :)
We are really loving our new house, and it feels great to be in a place that we OWN. I find the smallest things enchanting--like taking GREAT pride in the old-school washer & dryer we adopted from my cousins. :) Oh well, to each his or her own...
What else--I am thoroughly excited for The Office to come back on with new episodes on April 3rd!! Since the main people who check this blog are Afton & Senia, I'm sure you also share in my excitement for that event.
**Side note: I feel like this post is incredibly unorganized, and I feel bad about that, but I'm told that that is okay--that blogs are for whatever you want to say!! So, fine!

Anyway, things are going well right now, and Hannah and I are going to have a fun week. I am busy almost every night with choir activities, so during the day I'm hoping to really enjoy my time with Hannah--maybe going to the mall just to walk around, which is something that my mom & I discovered Hannah really likes now!! She was looking at all the lights & she was "driving" the little car stroller like a pro. What's funny now that I'm home with Hannah is that I now really enjoy even the smallest of errands--later I need to go to Target & Whole Foods, and I am SO looking forward to it! Errands & outings aren't stressful anymore because I don't feel like I have to fit them in with my work schedule, Keith's work schedule, and Hannah's nap schedule. :)

Well, that's about it for me. Sorry this is so random. I'm typing things as I think them, which is highly unusual for me. :)

More later!

Things I've Learned...

Since becoming a mom just 8 & 1/2 months ago, I've learned some very random (but very helpful) tidbits about parenting, raising children, family-friendly societies, etc. Here are some of them:

*I know the location of every elevator in the mall and all department stores.
*I know which bathrooms have changing tables. Sadly, this does not always include Starbucks locations, which is why one time I found myself changing Hannah on the regular table. :) (Take that!)
*I know how to position myself in restaurants in order to nurse inconspicuously.
*I know how to manipulate my body in ways so as to carry Hannah (with or without of her car seat), her diaper bag, a grocery bag or two, and miscellaneous toys. In addition...
*I know that I do not have to take the diaper bag in EVERY place I go. Most of the time, I'm only a few steps away from the car, and the wet or stinky diaper isn't going anywhere!
*I know it takes very little to amuse & entertain Hannah (stiff paper of any kind, sweatshirt pull strings, anyone's hair, her shoes, etc.)
*I know that I love Hannah more every day! :)

Okay, so that last one was a given & maybe a little schmaltzy, but you know what I mean. Anyway, that's all for now. More on the house later...

Hannah's New Moves

Well, since I don't currently have access to Hannah's baby book, and she is doing new things every day, I thought I'd use this blog as a sort of make-shift baby book or journal. If you don't care to read about each & every minute detail about Hannah's life these days, just pass on by this particular entry! :)

Hannah is a little over 8 months old, and she is changing so quickly every day! She now has her second (bottom) tooth, so when she smiles, you can see 1 & 1/2 teeth. :) She is really exploring those teeth, and she is also exploring the different faces & grins she can make with those teeth (i.e., the chin jutting grimace, the pursed lips, the open-mouthed grin, the coy smile with the tongue stuck out, etc. etc.) We are all getting a kick out of watching her try out these different "looks." Hannah has also been introduced to rice rusks, which are a sort of melt-in-your-mouth baby rice cake. She seems to feel like a big girl as she holds the cracker & sets it down occasionally on her tray or the table. She also likes to grab hold of any type of paper product, and we've seen her attempting to "clean" surfaces with little bits of kleenex, paper towel, etc.
Hannah had her first pool experience the other night while us girls were at the beach--she wasn't sure about the whole thing, but I think it will grow on her as she has more chances to be in the pool. I'm hoping to enroll us in a baby & me swim class ASAP! :) Anyway, when we first put her in there, she was kicking a little and was holding pretty tight to me, but then after a few minutes she settled in & just started sucking her thumb as if to say "This is boring, Mom!" :) The water was a little colder than her normal bath water, so maybe it was just a confusing experience all the way around.
I think she is also trying to clap. My mom has been playing pad-a-cake with her a lot, and now Hannah tries to sort of squish her hands together while they're still in a semi-closed position. (It looks more like she's praying, but I think the ultimate goal is to make that fun, loud slapping noise that she keeps hearing!)
She is still pushing herself backwards from the tummy position, and manages to worm her way around the floor, but we haven't seen her do any official crawling forward. She does do a pretty good plank position--she could beat any pilates & aerobics instructor the world over! This morning on the couch, she managed to bring herself up to a seated position from laying down on a pillow, and although it probably wasn't quite as difficult because of the cushy surroundings, I still think it shows her strength! :)

Anyway, a lot is going on with Hannah right now, not the least of which is a new room & new places to explore--soon!! (The house should be closed by the end of the business day today! Woo-hoo!) For now, Hannah is getting her beauty rest, and I'm taking some time to work on the computer while enjoying the sunshine just outside the window. More to come...

In Limbo

We are homeless. Well, not REALLY, but we are definitely in between homes. We moved out of our apartment last Saturday because our lease was up, and although we were hoping to move into our new house that same day, the house did not close in time. Now, it is Wednesday and the house still has not closed. Fortunately for us, we live very near to my parents, so we are living with them for the next few days. It is going okay, especially since it worked out that we were all out of town off & on from Sunday-today, but it is still hard to not really have a place to be settled. It sort of feels like we're staying in a hotel, except that we still have chores & Keith still has to be at work. It's weird. Plus, I haven't wanted to completely unpack here & get settled, because I know I will just have to pack back up in a couple days. Ah, for the feeling of having EVERYTHING put away & unpacked...it's been a while!
In the meantime, Senia (my sister), is home for a week for Spring Break, so we are having fun together--playing with Hannah, exchanging back rubs, going for walks, and drinking coffee. :) It's been fun, and in that sense, it worked out well that I was here at Mom & Dad's for this time, as it's given Senia & I undivided time. (Sisters are good for that kind of visit because when you get annoyed or tired of one another, you just say so & go into a different room for awhile.) :) (Don't you think this is true, Senia?) Although I can't imagine ever being annoying to Senia...

Our little baby is doing well with the transition--she hasn't had any major attitude problems, and she is exploring her surroundings with curiousity & excitement. I hope the change to the new house goes as well...and that we don't have any traumatic experiences like an accident or a messed up carpet. Hannah is doing well, too. ;)

Well, that's it for now. I know this was a lot of rambling, but as Senia informed me, blogs aren't supposed to be as formal & well-thought-out as my last couple of entries. Well fine, how's this? :)

Elizabeth Berg is a Mind Reader!

Have you ever read one of Elizabeth Berg's books? When reading those, do you find yourself saying "How does she know exactly how I think & feel?!" Well, I just finished reading "A Year of Pleasures," and I think it might have changed my life. It's about a woman who has lost her husband to cancer, and how throughout the next year, she learns how to live on her own and how to, eventually, thrive. The idea of even reading this book scared me because I have this fear of losing Keith (maybe that's a fear for every wife/mom/husband/dad, but sometimes I feel like no one else thinks about it as much as I do.) However, after finishing the book, instead of feeling sad & scared, I felt uplifted & encouraged. The book also made me realize (again) that we truly need to cherish each day & every minute with our loved ones--the main character, Betta, starts thinking back on her life with her husband, and she starts to regret the fact that she would sometimes ignore him or give him the cold shoulder when she was upset--because once he's gone, she realizes the triviality (is that a word?) about those fights. I thought this was especially poignant, as I know all too well that sometimes I get offended or angry about really small things that Keith says or does, so I'm really going to work at being forgiving & understanding. Lest you think this whole post is somewhat morbid, I also felt that this book reminded me that if I have a dream or goal that is important to me, that I don't have to wait for a tragedy to propel me to follow through with it! I really want to start living my life in that way, and I think it could make my life generally happier, less stressful, and more fulfilling! The other thing that struck me about this book was that the character felt a lot of peace after a friend of hers told her the metaphor that God holds a big stack of cards in His hands, and on those cards are the names of every person on earth. Also on those cards are the words "I Love You," which I think is important to remember---not only does God hold each of us, He also LOVES us, and He does everything to "prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jer. 29:11b) What an encouraging thought and what a wonderful way to consider life!

Am I really a blogger?!?!

Well, since this is my first blog, I guess I'll start out with the basics. I'm a mom to an eight-month-old baby girl named Hannah, and she is a wonderful addition to our family (my husband Keith, our cat Mocha, and me.) Keith and I were married 2 & 1/2 years before Hannah was born, and we were ready for kids! We have so enjoyed finding out all the joys (and, admittedly, a few frustrations) of parenting, and we have truly been blessed with Hannah, as she is a great first baby. She's fairly easy-going and happy, and she really only cries when something is truly wrong--i.e. lately, as she's been teething. :) I recently quit my job so I could be a stay-at-home mom, and that was SUPER exciting. I'm hoping to start teaching piano (hence the Music Mom title) and I try to surround Hannah with as much music, reading, stimulation, learning, etc. as possible without totally overwhelming her or myself! :) I'm really interested in this whole blogging thing, and I look forward to the idea of sharing thoughts with other moms or moms-to-be out there! Let me know where you're at in this whole "Mom thing!" Until later...