Once More, With FEELING

Here are a couple more videos of the zombie. Upright this time, but more blurry. I give up.

Zombie

Well, Ivy's "walking". I guess it's more of a toddle. And she looks like a zombie would, with her arms sticking out in front of her. It's funny. I took a little video of it the other day, but because I'm a nerd I took it sideways, not realizing I was doing that. So kink your head to the left to watch. And maybe I'll do a re-shoot one of these days, before her zombie state turns into normal walking, but take it with my camera upright. Until then, enjoy my amazing videographing skills, mixed with Ivy's sweet Thriller moves. (I put that video down there, too. She walks kind of like them at 1:10.)

Bittersweet

This is the last can of formula I will ever buy. It's kind of a milestone, in a way. And it makes me kind of happy, but kind of nostalgic in a way.
Happy, because I'm leaving the baby phase. Nostalgic, because I'm leaving the baby phase.
I can't wait until Ivy is walking, and talking. No more carriers, no more diapers (some day), no more hungry newborn cries during the night. No more bottles, no more pregnancy. No more high chair soon. I don't have to try and hold a struggling baby on my lap during three hours of church. She'll be able to feed herself, and tell me things, and climb the stairs. Her little personality will keep blooming. And then she'll be a toddler, and then a kid, just like her brothers. I can't wait to see what kind of people my four wonders will become.
But.
There's nothing like feeling that little body wiggle around in your tummy during pregnancy. There's nothing so miraculous as birth. Holding a newborn and smelling their sweet scent at 2 a.m. is irreplaceable. I'll miss cuddling with a baby. And even now, my boys still love to cuddle with me, but someday they'll grow out of that, where kisses from Mom will be oh so gross, and can she be any more embarrassing?
I hope that I'll be able to strike the right kind of balance. That even on the days where my kids are driving me crazy, I can appreciate that the woes come from them eating the entire banana bunch in one day instead of it being over a totaled car. That on the days where my kids are so sweet and good and try their very best, I can appreciate that the joys are from them learning and living and growing instead of from the sweet newborn straight-from-heaven moments. I hope that I can enjoy it all, and then remember the good in every stage of their lives, and cherish every minute, even the crazy minutes. And I hope that time doesn't rush away, or go too slow, but that time becomes the timeless moments.
Moments like these.

The boys watching Mythbusters while all cuddled around Pete.


Me tickling Ivy.


(If you can't tell what I was videotaping, Ivy is growling. She's been our only growler, and it's so funny!)

Suck/Rocks

Thing that sucks: Having the whole family sick with an awesome cough/cold, stuffy/runny nose thing.

Thing that rocks: It's not the barfies.

Thing that sucks: I've got it, too. Yet, the world does not stop for a mom that is sick.

Thing that rocks: Taking a two hour nap with my two-year-old. (So the world did stop. For two hours, anyway.)

Thing that sucks: My three-year-old throwing a fit about taking medicine, and him spitting it out all over my hand.

Thing that rocks: My 8-month-old totally takes the medicine.

Thing that sucks: Going over-budget at the grocery store. And the money getting tighter and tighter...

Thing that rocks: Knowing our tax return will be coming in a month or so.

Thing that sucks: Taking my 8-month-old in for shots at the health department, and having it cost more than our co-pay, but not knowing that until they're ringing us up. Oh, and the shots in the thighs of the 8-month-old.

Thing that rocks: Having said 8-month-old thisclose to crawling. And her top teeth are almost through her gums.

Thing that sucks/rocks: My two-year-old not getting into stuff as much lately. Rocks because it's less work for me; sucks because it sure was fun to blog about. (However, I believe it's a temporary reprieve; he is still himself, after all.)

Thing that sucks/rocks: Eating at Red Robin for free with my sisters and mom. (They practice for a few days, and give out passes to people so they can make stuff-like a dress rehearsal.) Rocks because it's so dang yummy, and great company. Sucks because when it's open, it's a $10 meal, meaning a $10 burger. And the smoothie/lemonade drinks are, like, $4. Yikes.

So, what sucks or rocks for you?

Brought to You by the Letter O

Old Man Hair:



Ivy's hair was looking like a comb-over. And she has a big old bald spot in the back. So I gave her a hair cut.



My kids' first haircuts leave much to be desired, and Ivy proved she was part of the rule, not the exception. So now it's kind of a bowl cut, but it will grow out and look a little better soon enough. I hope.




Ouch!

Guess we won't be getting our family pictures taken this coming Monday after all.



Troy was playing in my turtle collection, more specifically with the one on the left. It has a light underneath the shell that the boys find fascinating. Apparently Troy was playing with the light switch and pulled the turtle down on top of himself. He has a nice shell shaped bruise on his face.



Here's another look:




Olympic Bowlers We are Not

We took the kids bowling. Pete killed the rest of us with the impressive score of 97. And...we were playing with bumpers. And...I came in last, under Jakob and Brock.



Troy wanted to help me improve my form and my score, but I was past hope this time around.



I taught Jakob that you need to dance after every ball you shoot (roll?). He has some sweet moves, especially in his day-glo bowling shoes on the ultra polished floor.




Ooooh, hands!

I love it when kids discover their appendages.




Only the cutest kid ever!



Brock's going to be such a heart throb when he grows up.




Ott in the making:

Jakob could draw all day long. When I can steal the "big computer" from Pete, I'll have to scan in some of Jakob's masterpieces. (The scanner is hooked up to the new computer. I'm on the lowly old computer right now.)

Now if only we can get to Sesame Street...

For a Laugh

Here's a video of Ivy laughing. She laughs the most at fake laughing for some reason. Sorry the video is all wiggly-I was holding the camera and doing the fake laughing while leaning closer to her over and over, and I wasn't looking through the camera to make sure it was holding still.



And here are a bunch of really crappy pictures of the rest of us. Here's me about a month ago:


My Brocky Foo-Foo with an Ironman toy, I think:


The Christmas ornament viewpoint of Pete:


Here's Ivy, but notice Jakob picking his nose in the background:


And now he's eating it (and Ivy's drooling, too):


Troy's drugged face:


Yep. A super photogenic family!

4 freaking 30 a.m.

The cry. The squint at the clock.

Really? Really? You've been sleeping through the night lately, yet tonight you already got up at 1 a.m. Ugh. Maybe if I just lie here she'll go back to sleep.

Crap. I hope she doesn't wake Troy up. He's probably asleep on the floor by the door instead of his big boy bed. Should I get a bottle or a pacifier? Bottle, pacifier... Hm. If I knew where her pacifiers were.... I think there are two downstairs. Do I want to go downstairs? Ugh.

*Sigh* Okay, she's not falling back asleep. Maybe I'll just get the bottle. I'm so glad I clear a path to the kitchen every night. Oh yeah, I put a new fridge lock on the fridge. Okay, turn the head so as not to get blinded by the bright bright fridge light. Nope, not that, not that either...got it!

Should I heat it up? Yeah, I'll be nice. Okay, turn the head away from the microwave light, and...where's the start button? Hm, the microwave light is kind of pleasant compared to the fridge light.

Alright, let's put the lid back on and---*gasp*! Are you kidding me? My 4:30 coordination just knocked over the bottle? UGH! Kill me now! Alrighty. Just what I wanted to do while half asleep, clean up milk and make a new bottle. Now I have to measure it out and stuff. Sheesh.

Okay, Ivy, I'm coming. How's your diaper? Eh, it'll hold till morning. Well, the real morning when I'm slightly more coherent, anyway. And off to the rocking chair.

Dude, for real? You're going to fall asleep before even drinking anything? WHY didn't I go for the pacifier instead? No way am I going to waste my efforts on you sleeping. Maybe if I shake the bottle a bit in your mouth. A bit more. Okay, and time for me to tilt my head a little... Dude, it's been 15 minutes, how much have you had? An ounce? That's it? Dude, I'm going back to bed.

Let's put you down slowly, slowly...aw, man, the blanket fell over your face! Please stay asleep, please stay asleep...And, blanket removed successfully. And, turn the head from the fridge light. And back to bed.

Wait, do I have to pee? Should I go now or just wait till morning? No way am I turning on the bathroom light. I hope I don't wake Pete up when I flush. Is that Ivy again? Are you kidding me? You are so crying it out if you wake up completely. Just...don't wake up completely. Sleep is good. Sleep me likey.

So why am I not sleeping again? I'm so tired, why am I lying here awake? Come on, body! Crash, baby, crash! Squint at the clock...5:15. Pete will be getting up any second, and then his shower will keep me up. Grr. And he's up. His shower starts, and now the bed is 10 degrees cooler because he got out of it. Must. Get. Warm. Must...get...*snore*.

Going Bald

Can your hairbrush be mistaken for Chewbacca?

Can you make a wig out of your vacuum bag contents?

Can you take a bath without using the metal plug?

Do you perk up when Rogaine commercials come on TV?

Do your feet look like a Hobbit's after walking around your house bare-footed?

Then YOU, my friend, had a baby a couple of months ago!

A-Ha!

Finally caught it!

These are a little blurry and off-center, because Ivy was lying on my lap. I was trying to get her to smile, so I wasn't looking at the camera screen to see what the pictures actually looked like. But I'll take 'em.

And a little shout-out here. I loved this video when I was little... (A-ha's "Take On Me")

Ivy's Baby Blessing

This Sunday we blessed our little Ivy. I made her dress out of my old temple dress that no longer fit. YAY for me and my mad sewing/homemaking skills! (Am I full of myself or what?)

We took family photos. Our immediate family pics turned out, well, as good as they can, considering how family pictures go for us. If you want to read about our other experiences, click here or here. And you can see these "precious" moments in the slide show below, labeled Chaos 1-5. Yep, that good.

Here's our little girl.





Here's our most up-to-date extended family photo, which may not get updated for a while. Brianna and Spencer are driving as I type to New York, where grad school and new jobs await them. We're definitely going to miss Beej and Spencer (they're on the right in this pic).

Here are the proud, and I daresay HOT, mammas with the bubbas. My kids call Kar's baby (Micah) "Baby Mee-kah". Cute kids!



*sigh* I loves my fambly.

Mona Lisa Smile

The other day I blogged about Ivy in this post. And I short-changed her, saying there wasn't much to say. Because really, every newborn has their own little things that they do that make them unique.

For instance, this body position, a.k.a. the flip-top head:

I totally think she did that while in the womb, and that's probably what made my legs/nerves/ligaments hurt.

She smiles more and more, but I can't quite catch it on camera. Hence the Mona Lisa allusion. Ivy will be all smiles, but by the time I get the camera, she's done. Or she'll smile and then when she spots the camera, she stops and gets a curious "ooooh" look on her face as she stares at it. So, here's what I've caught smile-wise thus far:





So, not really smiling, but you can tell she's happy.

She loves her tongue. She must be related to her brothers and dad! They all stick out their tongues. Jakob and Ivy have done it the most.


Tummy time? Forget it! Ivy's good for a couple of minutes, if someone is down in front of her. But then she's like, "This sucks, you guys!"

But she adores her brothers. These next shots were taken right after the "I hate tummy-time" shots. And the boys all love her. Sometimes too much. I have to tell them "back away" or "give her some room" or "she's sleeping, leave her alone" a lot.

(This last shot? THAT'S why I'm a mom.)

Miss Piggy

Here's our little Ivy. There's not much to say because, well, she's a newborn still. But oh, she's dang cute, and we all love her to bits and pieces! She has started smiling, and as soon as I can catch it on film we'll post a picture or two. Or ten.

And boy, does she love to eat! And eat, and eat... Which is fine by me, because that means she'll pack on the chub faster, and who doesn't love to squeeze baby fat? She's getting a double chin, which rocks! She does what we've dubbed "sleeting"-which is sleeping while eating. She starts on the bottle and usually at least dozes off, if not fall asleep all the way. But try and take the bottle away, and she's all, "Hey, I was eating that!"

She's been going longer during the last few nights between feedings, roughly 7 hours. Which would totally rock for me if I went to bed at the same time, but I'm stupid and stay up later, so my sleep still gets interrupted at about 6 a.m. Live and learn, I guess.

Micah, Come on Down!

My cute sister Kar had her baby yesterday! Little Micah Hale S. made his debut at 5:45 a.m. Friday morning. Kar had been having Braxton Hicks all through the night Wednesday, so she didn't really sleep well. Then Thursday all day she continued the Braxton Hicks, but they were really intense, and turned into labor pains Thursday night. She said everything went really well, he's already eating like a champ, and Kar seemed to be doing and feeling really well. He is 7 lbs. even, and 21 1/2 inches (I think...). My mom told me Dylan kept saying, "We can't name my brother Micah; that's a girl's name." Dylan and Sadie both seem excited about their new brother.

I didn't get very many pictures because my camera batteries were dying, but here's what I got:

Here's Ben kissing his cute son:


Proud papa:


Little Micah:


And Kar's newest family picture:


Congrats, Kar! P.S.-we're thinking of doing a joint baby blessing, tentatively planned for June 22. We'll let everyone know for sure if that's the date, and which ward we'll end up doing it in.