Christmas stuff with the boys

At school, the boys participated in their winter thingy... or whatever they are calling the Christmas concert these days. Here is Ethan celebrating his Canadian heritage:


Ethan with other kids at the concert.

One of his songs:


Scott was Scott. His class sang "My Country ' tis of thee", but he said he was allergic to the song and refused to sing. (Looks like we will have to have a family home evening on citizenship and patriotism). Strangely he is not allergic to it when he sings it by himself in his bedroom. I guess he doesn't perform on demand. It didn't matter too much because it was too crowded to see him. We were stuck at the waaaaaaay back. I snuck up to the front and got this great shot of the back of the head.



(Just left of the kid in the red shirt). If you could see him from the front he had an American flag sweater on. Given the crowded conditions that was as good as I was going to get.

Moving on... or actually moving back in time.

Ethan got to play the part of the innkeeper at our Christmas pageant at church. He got to be the good one... or at least the not so bad one. He let Mary and Joseph stay in the stable.

Apparently innkeeper fashion at the time was to wear turtlenecks on your head with a broach, neckties for belts and oversized shirts. Ethan was a litle nervous when it was time to say his lines, but I was pretty happy that he had his lines memorized.



As you probably have gathered, Scott doesn't perform in public. He turned down the part of playing Mary and Joseph's donkey. In lieu of an actual performance, I got this video when I found him playing piano in the priesthood room.



He plays this song over and over and over at our house on the electric keyboard (thank goodness for volume buttons). To his credit he did pick the melody out on his own after watching this video (It is a spoof of this one ).

Finally, here are our Santa shots. Normally we would go to visit our favorite Santa Joe from our old ward but events conspired against us this year.

Scott actually chose to see Santa on his own. He couldn't pass up those blue candy canes. :)

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, or whatever you happen to be celebrating this year.

Manhole Scientist

At least once a week Scott takes us on a tour of "manhole territory" which involves going around the block and stopping at every manhole to listen for water. On special occasions, we take a flashlight to peer into the tiny hole in the cover to see what is inside. Despite never being able to fully see the interior, Scott makes diligent attempts at every opportunity.

Last week, to our amazement,they were actually working on one nearby. Now we bring you exclusive video documentation of an insiders view of the famed Southern California manhole in its natural habitat. Move over Steve Irwin, it's time for the manhole hunter.
(This video is not for the squeamish among you)






This was his follow-up report:

Big brothers

Ethan and Scott love their baby sister. When they go to school or anywhere else, the first thing they do when they get home is find Elizabeth. Scott held Elizabeth today for the first time (his choice to wait so long). He continues to write her notes, although they are tending to be descriptive, "Elizabeth wears diapers" or "Elizabeth has blueish grayish eyes" rather than expressing any particular sentiment. Ethan loves to hold her. When she naps on the couch, Ethan likes to lie beside her and watch her. When I was nursing her on my bed this afternoon, Ethan brought in a pile of books to read. "I like to be with Elizabeth," he explained.

Before and after (just for fun)

Here I am, in all my 41+ weeks of gestational glory. HUGE and ready to get that baby out.



Here I am, on the day we came home from the hospital. Even with the encumbrances of c-section recovery, I am much more comfortable with Elizabeth on the outside.

Getting to know you

A few more details

Elizabeth and I came home from the hospital today.

The surgery went really well, and we had excellent care. Only one nurse bugged me. I didn't like her screechy way of talking to Elizabeth, but she did a great job of swaddling and burping her to induce sleep so that I could sleep.

Even the hospital food was good. The hospital has the practice of doing a celebration dinner for the new mom and a guest, which included a very nice salad, fresh fruit, sparkling cider, cheesecake, and choice of salmon, chicken, or pasta entrée. We drank our sparkling cider in long-stemmed flute glasses. So what if they were plastic?



Now we're home and she is even more adorable at home than she was at the hospital. The boys were delighted to meet her. Ethan has held her over and over; Scott wasn't ready to hold her, but he was excited to bring me diapers and wipes when I needed them. He had written her a number of notes and left them in the crib. I include a sample below. Yes, those are real flowers that he picked himself and taped on to the note:



Mr. M is completely won over. He keeps saying, "I love this girl." Now, on to real life with three kids. Wish me luck (and lots of sleep)!

Elizabeth!!!!!

The waiting game

I woke up yesterday morning around 6:15 am with contractions about every 7 minutes. These continued for an hour, so I made the call to the great Uncle Shaun to let him know that we'd likely need him to come over and watch the boys. He obligingly got up, showered, and appeared at our house.

The day didn't quite go as we planned. Although the contractions continued fairly steadily, and were sometimes as close together as 3 minutes, there was no real progression in intensity or pain. Uncle Shaun spent the day with us, helped pick up a nice rocker/glider that one of my violin students had given us, and we fed him.

We did finally go to the hospital last night because the contractions were sometimes 2 minutes apart, and I have heard so many stories of people delivering at home that I wanted to be safe. We were happy to be sent home after being put on the monitor and then checked by the doctor (who was Ethan's doctor years ago at a different hospital across the city). Dilated one measly centimeter, which is no change from 10 days ago. He asked how close we lived to the hospital, then told us to come back when the contractions were 3-5 minutes apart and so intense that all I couldn't do anything else.

We came home to kids who were bathed and asleep AND played Scrabble with Shaun and Whitney, then consumed enormous quantities of chocolate chip cookies baked by our best babysitters! Way better than hanging around in the hospital.

The comforting thing about a full day of contractions is that I am no longer worried that I'll end up with a c-section (scheduled for Friday if I don't deliver on my own - one day shy of 42 weeks) and I don't have the fear of my uterus rupturing anymore.

Kids say the darnedest things

Overheard while the boys were supposedly cleaning their room: "Ok, Mr. Bear, it's time for your enema. PBTHTHTHTHTHTHTHTHTTHTH!"

Blessings everywhere

I tell you, being 9 months pregnant elicits the nicest treatment from people. Tenants, vendors, friends are all telling me how wonderful I look, how beautiful my skin is, how impressed they are that I am going up and down the stairs. People are giving me presents and asking how I feel. They forgive my forgetfulness. Strangers smile and congratulate me.

The last 24 hours have been one long shower of blessings. It actually started Tuesday evening, when I finally managed to track down the carseat I wanted in the color I wanted (I wanted something neutral, not pink, not covered with elephants) in a Pasadena baby store. I promptly bought it over the phone, knowing I'd be on that side of town on Wednesday. I picked it up yesterday morning before heading to a board meeting for a music foundation I work for.

During the board meeting, the board members asked me to step out for a few minutes. When they called me back in, they told me they were giving me a 10% raise AND a Christmas bonus. Just as affirming, perhaps more affirming, they told me how much they appreciated my work and that they really wouldn't be able to function without me. They also presented me with baby gifts for Elizabeth and a cake topped with pink pacifiers. Oh, the love:)

This morning, the boy who pooped finally did it again, after holding things in for 3 days. I won't go in to any more detail, but I feel like we are getting closer and closer to regular bowel movements. Hurray!

A bit later this morning, Mr. M got an email from his boss, telling him the wonderful news that he had been awarded a Graduate Research Assistantship for the spring (through April). This means that Mr. M will need to work a set number of hours (but not clock in), will receive a fixed stipend AND that his tuition and health insurance will be paid. Sweet manna from heaven!

Here's another blessing, not as important in the long run, but it makes me feel good. I got a somewhat spontaneous haircut last Friday, which is nothing like I've ever had before, and I love it! It has a style! It takes about 10-15 minutes with the hair dryer in the morning. I don't know how different it looks to other people, but to me, it makes a HUGE difference. It's nice to be 9 months pregnant and still feel cute. I have included a picture, albeit a goofy one, because I know you are all DYING to see my belly and my hair.

And now, my whole calendar is clear. Today, I will tidy like a 'pidee (that's what we call spiders at our house) and count my blessings.

What am I waiting for?

What am I waiting for? There is nothing new in my inbox. I click my Google reader - nothing new there. I check Facebook - nothing new there. Sane and intelligent people are gone to bed. There is nothing in the news worth staying up for. My accounts are all updated. There are plenty of more productive things I could be doing, SLEEPING, for one. Or clearing off the table. Or studying scriptures (although I did just prepare a lesson to sub in Primary tomorrow).

Why am I here? What is it that is so compelling about a glowing screen? Am I the only one who feels this? What do you do to tear yourself away? How do you self-regulate on the computer?

I'm going to turn on my cleaning music (low volume, I know it's late) and work on my dishes. I will feel better.

Defecation celebration

*TMI Warning: Read at your own risk. This post will discuss bodily functions!

It's 8:30 pm. I'm sitting on the floor outside my bathroom, reading the grocery ads and taking notes on the sales, while trying to encourage my child to empty the contents of his bowels.

"I won't!" he declares. He has already been sitting on the porcelain throne for at least half an hour. Mr. M has confessed his fear to me that this child has more willpower than the rest of us.

"You are going to sit on this toilet all night until the poop comes out," I insist, wincing inwardly. If he sits on the toilet all night, it means that Mr. M and I will have to trade off sitting on the floor monitoring his bowel movements, or lack thereof.

"I'm holding it in!" he crows.

I counter, "Don't you know that poop is poison? All the stuff your body wants to get rid of goes in poop and you need to get it out. If you hold it in, it will hurt more tomorrow. PLUS, if you go poop tonight, you can sleep in underwear" (not the pull-ups Mr. M brought home from the store).

10 minutes pass. He pushes perfunctorily, once and again. Nothing.

Mr. M pops out of the boys' bedroom, interrupting his story to Ethan, holding a pair of tighty-whities. "If you go poop right now, you can sleep in these AND I'll tell you a long story AND you can have an ice cream cone!" He disappears back into the bedroom.

When the clock reads 8:45 pm, I say to my son, "If you push out the poop right now, you still have time to get a story from Dad before he leaves to go set up chairs at the church. And you get icecream. And you can sleep in underwear."

He weighs his options. He starts to push! His face turns red, his body contorts, and....

TRIUMPH!

"Mr. M, it's time for a poop inspect!" I call gleefully.

The deed is done! The bottom is wiped. Congratulations and general joviality all around. Ice cream, underwear, and a story for the boy who pooped.

Great news

Just found out last night that Mr. M's job has been extended. It was supposed to end this Friday, but it will now run through 12/24 for 10 hours per week! This is great news for two reasons: first, it means we will still have a little money coming in, and second, he will still have his office to go to and work on his research and writing. We are very happy.

Scott, our self-proclaimed manhole scientist, is obsessed with writing notes. He writes sweet variations on a theme of "I love you" and gives me folded up papers about 5x per day. He will occasionally write one to Dad or Ethan. My favorite, from last weekend, was a note written to Harvey, the Super Sewer-Surfing Pig (a fictitious character from the boys' bedtime stories). The note said, "Oink oink oink", which translated into English means, "Harvey, I love you." Scott rolled it up, put a rubber band around it, and left it in Harvey's mailbox, which can be located on the back of the toilet in the boys' bathroom.

I'm off to finish my violin teacher training with Cathy Lee. My delightful husband is in charge of the boys today, getting them ready for school (which he usually does anyway), and making sure they get there and get home at the right times. All on foot. Love you, Mr. M!

My report

It might have been a crazy day: a broken air conditioner, leaking solar panels on the roof which dripped down into the apartment below, a jammed garbage disposal, a tenant calling to complain about ants in her parking space (!), and a plumber coming to work on rusty pipes.

However, the day started nicely at the boys' school and continued very well. I was helping Booster Club at the new family breakfast and was treated to bagels and pulp-free orange juice. Scott got to play on the kindergarten yard for over an hour with kids his age and was extremely happy. He has no fear and makes friends naturally. When we go to the school, he tells me, "Mom, there are no strangers there." He loves wearing his assistant manager badge when we go out so everyone will know his name.

Back at home, all the vendors who came to deal with the problems listed above came during their scheduled windows and none of them overlapped. Scott read me a silly story that made us both laugh; I got in a quick nap before running to the bank, picking up Ethan from school, and vacuuming. The boys played nicely on Mr. M's computer during my one violin lesson of the day, and I got the pork chops in the oven before the boys' last swimming lesson with Tyler.

Ethan's freestyle is much-improved; his arms are consistently coming out of the water and now he just needs to master the headmotion of breathing. Scott had a momentous lesson today, swimming 3/4 of the length of the pool freestyle (5 strokes, 1 breath, 5 strokes) and diving to retrieve a torpedo from 7 feet. Both boys cited swimming lesson as their favorite part of today.

Ethan ate everything at dinner (!) and cut his pork chop with a knife, rather than spearing it whole on his fork and biting off chunks. He even said nice things about the food. Scott declined a pork chop, but ate lots of mashed potatoes studded with peas. They listened to our after-dinner Book of Mormon chapter without wiggling or jumping on each other and then read quietly on the couch from the same Asterix and Obelix book. Ethan also practiced standing on his head. His record, which he just set tonight, is 1m 27 seconds. (My record headstand from my teenage years was 6m 32 seconds. Is he my son or what?!)



Tonight after the bedtime ritual, I'll do some tidying and probably read some more of Beethoven's Hair and Blessings of a Skinned Knee: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children. Last night I finished Wild Swans, a very intense book about 3 generations of Chinese women from the not-so-distant past. Or maybe I'll just go to bed. I'm sleepy.

My little man and random thoughts

Scott has become the man of the house for much of the day. This morning we took out the recycling and stopped at his favorite climbing tree on the corner to test out his new sneakers. (Thanks, Grandma Gail!) Halfway up the tree, he pronounced that the shoes were "great and effective". He says he will teach Elizabeth how to climb trees and will keep pebbles away from her because they are a choking hazard.

On our walk around the block, he collected 4 twigs and a pebble. "This is manhole territory," he declared. On top of each manhole, he dropped a twig, presumably to identify it as a manhole. At the last manhole, he dropped a twig and the pebble. As we turned the corner, he announced, "This is tree territory now," then spying a manhole, "but we are still in manhole territory, too."
I love this guy!

I love our peaceful days now that Ethan is back at school. Ethan is happy, too, although he says he hasn't learned anything yet. Last Friday, he received his first homework packet, which he is supposed to turn in this Friday. He did it all in about half an hour on Friday and Saturday, even the 3 extra credit pages. I hope there is something there that will challenge him. He complained on the first day that there was no hard math, but that he hoped there would be hard math on the state tests that happen in the spring. I told him to give it some time, that they were probably still reviewing and getting going. I suspect that academically, he'd be fine in 2nd or 3rd grade, but physically and socially, he fits in just right with the 1st graders. I imagine we'll be dealing with similar issues with Scott once he starts his pre-K class in a few days. He is reading me silly poems right now from a book called Laugh-eteria.

On the topic of Ethan, I'm trying to be a "strength detective" and really notice the good things he does. I tend to be critical of him, and I'm not sure why. I left him a note on the breakfast table this morning telling him how much I appreciated the quick and quiet way he went to bed last night. (I also included a scripture for him to work on memorizing; he loves to memorize!) The usual scenario is that he gets out of bed about 5 times, and there is usually a lot of giggling and roughhousing that goes on with Scott before they settle down. Last night, no giggling, no getting out of bed, just straight to sleep after my lullaby. They must have been worn out from playing with the friends we visited yesterday afternoon.

Elizabeth must be getting uncomfortable because she is VERY squirmy. Her motions are visible and my belly sticks out in strange ways as she moves around. 2 more months. I do not remember feeling so ready to give birth this far ahead of a due date. However, I think I've already topped my maximum weight with Ethan and I'm close to reaching the maximum weight with Scott. That may have something to do with it. Sigh.

Daily report

Because I know you are all dying to know the details of my day...

This morning at 9 am I taught a group violin class to 3 giggly girls, ages 4-6. Crossed the street for the boys' swim lesson. Water was 79 degrees, a bit cold for my skinny guys. Even Scott was shivering at the end of his lesson. After Tyler the teacher left, I got in the pool and worked on motor boat kicks, pool jogging, and front crawl. That counts as exercise, so I get to transfer $5 to my Tahiti fund.

Made ham and cheese quesadillas for lunch, with a side of apple slices.

Cleaned out the shower in apt 21 (vacant), swept cobwebs off the balcony light there, and swept up the dead bees from the parking garage, since they bother the tenant who parks under the light and I didn't want her to call me about it again.

Killed 6 fruit flies. It's slow going to reduce a population of fruit flies one at a time, but I am determined to be rid of this infestation.

Priced airfare to Amsterdam and hotels. Mr M is going in September for a week as one last hurrah for work before he devotes himself full-time to becoming ABD (All But Dissertation).

Opened a new bank account with WaMu/Chase for 2 reasons: they'll give me $125 as soon as my direct deposit goes in and they are conveniently located.

Went to our branch library and browsed the pitiful selection. Nothing at all by Elizabeth Gaskell, only 3 Brother Cadfael books by Ellis Peters (I've read them already), nothing new by Ann Perry, and those were the only names I could remember. I did bring home a treat for me though: Sense and Sensibility, which I haven't seen in long enough that I can't remember it, except the scene at the end where Emma Thompson sobs with joy that Hugh Grant is available and calling on her.

Made dovi (chicken peanut stew) for dinner, along with rice and spinach. Read scriptures with the boys, updated Quicken, did snuggles and lullabies with the boys, browsed Facebook, cleaned up the dishes and the kitchen. Ate a small handful of chocolate chips and almonds, my lazy indulgence.

Left to do tonight: fill out my timesheet, fax in the vacancy report and change of direct deposit to the office, transfer those $5 to my Tahiti fund, tidy the living room, read scriptures, brush teeth. Mr. M just finished the Daily Swiff and our floors are clean.

General summary: life is good.

Count your many blessings OR stream of conciousness

Since our last post, so many things have happened, mostly good -

I turned in enough ink cartridges to Staples that a huge reward check came, just in time to rescue me from the woes of a broken wireless keyboard. I bought a brand new USB ergonomic wave keyboard and still have some in-store credit leftover. I brought in the very comfy office chair from the storage room/office and have been quite pleased with my computer comfort.

Grandma Gail came to visit for a week. She came to the Hollywood Bowl with the boys and me on our last week of SummerSounds to see Shammy D and his neighborhood block party. Grandma Gail also got to watch Scott and Ethan's first swim lesson with Tyler (see photo above of the boys in their swimwear.) She and Uncle Shaun took the boys to the Getty Center and when Ethan came home, he announced that the Getty WASN'T boring, after all. I had a pleasant afternoon all to myself. On Sunday, we attended a different ward since a huge YSA Conference had displaced us and were pleasantly surprised to have the speakers be the Rick Schroder family. (I haven't seen him since Silver Spoons!)

We are down from 6 vacancies to 3. I'm optimistic that with the start of school coming, we'll fill up by the end of the month. Anyone out there looking for a great one-bedroom with an exceptional apartment manager?

The solar panels that heat the pool have *had the bun. It has been almost 2 weeks now that we had to stop using them because of leaks, and the pool temperature has dropped from 88 degrees to 76 degrees, too cold for boys with no body fat to swim for longer than 2 minutes. On the positive side, I have learned a lot about how the pool filter, the pump, the timer, and the solar panels work. We are getting bids from companies for repairs, but I have a hunch that our swimming season is over for this year.

We got our carpet professionally cleaned and bought a new vacuum! The joy of clean floors was contrasted with the sorrow of vacuuming over our cord tonight and munching it. Down, down, down to the depths of despair... and then up, up, up to the euphoria of undeserved blessings after calling American Express, making a Purchase Protection claim, and receiving a credit in the full amount of the vacuum price. AmEx just won my loyalty forever.

I have been feeling those nesting urges. We vacuum almost every day and Swiff every night. I scrubbed my dining room and entryway walls. I have visited Home Depot to buy materials for violin lessons, screws to fix Ethan's bed, and a Zip-It for our drain. My laundry system is in place. Elizabeth's clothes (thanks everyone!) are hanging in her closet, arranged by size, waiting for her arrival.

I went to the doctor today and was surprised to learn that I had gained 13 lbs this month. It's ok, though, since I had only gained 7 lbs in the preceding 5 months. Go Elizabeth (or maybe I should say, grow Elizabeth!) While there, I also learned that if your pen explodes in your purse all over your planner and then you get ink all over your hands and your shirt, rubbing alcohol will get it all out. Thanks, Nurse Courtney!

In addition to weekly private lessons, most of my violin students now come to a group class for an hour each week. It has done wonders for them all, so much so that I vowed to find a way to continue them during the school year. The two little ones who had such a hard time during private lessons (starting the lesson lying on the floor saying, "I'm tired!" is not a good beginning) have made the most obvious progress. It has also been really helpful for the moms to see other moms and other kids in class. Yay for group classes.

The end.

*This is a Canadian expression popularly used in my family to mean that something is broken or worn out beyond repair or use.

The happiest day of my (recent) life

Last Friday was a great day. I cooked one of my favorite dinners, which includes porkchops, browned, then baked in cream of mushroom soup. Ethan and Scott both turned up their noses at the porkchops. I begged, I pleaded, I incentivized (ask me about our new point system), and then....

Scott tried the porkchops first. He had one small bite, then another! He liked it and asked for more!

To add to the excitement, Ethan agreed to try one small bite of porkchop. Amazingly, he also liked it and ate his whole little piece!

At long last, a real dinner that everyone will eat. I feel so loved when people eat my food. It was a very happy day.

Happy 4th of July!

What is a cousin?

From a conversation in the backseat on the way home from church:

Cousine: (muffle snuffle wuffle)

Scott: No, we can't make friends, but we can make cousins.

Mr. M: Hey, Scott, what do you think a cousin is?

Scott: You know what a cousin is.

Mr. M: Yes, but I want YOU to tell me what a cousin is.

Scott: A cousin is a human you make friends with.

Vacation cuteness

We are on vacation! We flew to Wichita almost a week ago to stay with C, J, and their 4 kids. C and J have been wonderful hosts; they even gave up their own bedroom for us and the girls gave up their bunkbeds for the boys. (Before you think we're complete jerks, C and J are sleeping in the baby's room next door in a bed.)

I have been exploring my inner slug by taking daily naps, reading library books, raiding the garage freezer which is stocked with ice cream sandwiches, and enjoying all the food that C and J have prepared for us. Our boys have had such a great time here; besides the fun of playing with cousins the same age, they have loved being in a home with stairs, bikes, and a yard with a lake and mud. Good times!

We visited the zoo on Friday, which was quite possibly the best zoo I' ve even seen. It was nicely laid out, so the walking paths go around the animal exhibits on all sides. There were also numerous indoor air-conditioned spaces for animal observation. We saw a tiger feeding, elephant training, and ate our lunch in the gorilla tent, where Ethan had the thrill of learning through observation that gorillas urinate. It happened to be 99 degrees the day we were there, and it happened to be "Wet and Wild Day", which meant that a fire truck was present all afternoon, spraying its hose into the air and creating a huge muddy puddle for zoo-goers to splash and swim in. I think it was the best day of Scott's life!

Yesterday and today, we visited the YMCA. I have never seen a YMCA like this before! Besides the regular things you'd expect like weight machines and a lap pool, there is a climbing wall, and a family pool with fountains and a mini-waterslide, as well as an outdoor waterpark with a lazy river, two water slides, and a shallow pool for splashing and wading. Wow, wow, and wow!

Besides exploring my inner slug, I am beginning to get in touch with my more feminine side. Last night, when I came in from my walk, J was sitting at the table, surrounded by ribbons, buttons, cloth flowers, and plain barrettes. (C and J have 3 daughters.) J invited me to make a few hair clips, so I made some for BabyGirl and I even made two for me. It was surprisingly easy and quite fun. Maybe I will turn out to be more of a girlygirl than I had previously thought.

Speaking of girlygirls, Mr. M has one big toenail that seems to have a fungus. It has been this way for years and is not especially nice to look at, although it seems to be doing better in recent months. The 5 year old girl of the house, a tousled blond who loves carebears, cheerleading, and hugs, was standing by him and looked down at his sandaled feet. "Oh!" she exclaimed, "your sick toe is CUTE!"

Our baby is ....

a GIRL! We were stunned when the ultrasound tech showed us that it is definitely a girl. Mr. M immediately started thinking of the boys she would date that he wouldn't like, and I started thinking of bras, periods, hormones, and self-image. We are feeling more settled and more excited now that we' ve had a few days, and yes, we know most of our worries won't be relevant for at least a decade. Ethan and Scott are also looking forward to this new little woman joining our family. Scott talks about her every day and loves to look at the baby websites to see how big she is (about the size of an heirloom tomato - sounds delicious!). She is scheduled to arrive sometime around November 14th. We're planning a VBAC.

I suppose it will be time to see if all our pre-girl vows will hold: no bows glued on heads, no froofy headbands for non-existent hair, as little pink in the wardrobe as possible, and above all, no princesses! I suspect some of these may go by the wayside as Miss M expresses her own personality.

I've been feeling a bit of pressure from myself. Suddenly, I am the dominant role model for a child. She will base her ideas on womanhood and motherhood on me. Thank goodness, I still have 5 months to become perfect and go to bed at night, keep the kitchen clean, stay on top of laundry, overcome my critical nature, develop charity, and keep the fridge stocked with healthy snacks and ingredients for delicious meals. Oh yeah, and turn into a fun mom who doesn't lose her temper, is so positively motivating that her children love to tidy up the nursery and always put their shoes on the shoe shelf. Let's not forget memorizing hundreds of scriptures to quote to the children, singing fun songs in the car so no one quarrels, and doing projects on Saturdays like puddle-mucking, frog-catching, and gardening.

Sigh. I think it will take longer than 5 months.

It's probably coffee

The M family just returned from an extended M family gathering in Las Vegas for a wedding. We stayed in a huge Vegas-style house, rented for the occasion. It had a swimming pool with a waterfall, a sauna, a home-theatre with reclining leather seats and a projector, a pool table, so many fireplaces I didn't count them (who needs a fireplace in Vegas though? What's that about?)... We filled the house with aunts, uncles, cousins, children of cousins, siblings, and even a few grandmas and grandpas. It was really fun to be surrounded by family.

When we arrived the first night, it was pretty late. We stumbled off to our bedroom, dug out pajamas and toothbrushes, and headed to bed. Scott, our intrepid 4 year old, was crawling around the floor. "I found something gross under the bed!" he exclaimed, holding up a small foil package marked "Her Pleasure"; it was split open and had something inside it. "It's probably coffee," he added, as his dad took it in disgust, threw it away, and took Scott to wash his hands.

Thankfully, we found no other such packages during our visit. The wedding was lovely; the boys had a great time playing with my former roommate who generously took them to Pump It Up and then fed them pizza; we enjoyed catching up with far-away family members. It was a fun weekend.

Stay tuned for the sequel - "Return of the Inlaws"... coming soon.

Feeling groovy and liking bullet points

I enjoyed the freedom of bullet points in the previous post so I'm going with it again:

• Scott finished all 20 doses of his ubergross glue-flavored antibiotics. His hearing seems to have returned to normal, and we'll see what the doctor says next week at the follow up. My thoughtful visiting teacher brought him cookies as a reward for taking all his medicine.
  
  
• I'm showing enough that one of our tenants patted my belly. I HATE it when people pat my belly, but I smiled at her and said, "Yep, there's a baby in there." My friend Rachelle says she has a button which she will lend me (nudge, nudge) that says something to the effect of "Hands off the belly! Grr!"
  
  
• I got a call from my good friend Dorothea letting me know that her husband, Warren, just got set apart as the bishop of their new ward. Been down that road, and I'm so glad not to be on it right now. Warren will be a fabulous bishop, and Dorothea will be an equally fabulous bishop's wife.
  
  
• We're heading to Vegas this weekend for a wedding in a rented minivan and bringing back Mr. M's parents for a few days.
  
  
• I bought a Swiffer wet/dry sweeper, and I love it! My floors have never been so clean! I also splurged and bought generic facial wipes for me, AND I have flossed every day since my dentist appointment, even last Saturday when I went to bed at 1 am.
  
  
• We have five apartments vacating in June. FIVE! It's a new record for vacancies. I calculated last night that since we've been here (almost a year) there will have been a turnover of around 30%. That's what happens when the economy goes bad.
  
  

Healthy, hearty, and .... deaf

We have all recovered and are doing much better. Here's the executive update:

• From yesterday to today, I started showing. Every time Mr. M saw me today, he smiled at my tummy and then at me. It's wonderful to be married to a man who loves his children.
  


• Scott has suffered an acute (but hopefully temporary) hearing loss. At the pediatrician today, he pretty much failed the hearing screening. He had headphones on and was supposed to raise his hand when he heard a beep. He hardly heard any beeps until they were so loud that I could hear them. When the Dr. looked in his ears, he said, "Oh, there's definitely fluid in there." He is now taking antibiotics for 10 days, which should kill the infection, make the fluid dry up, and restore his hearing.
  
  
• Mr. M and I went to the dentist. I was not looking forward to explaining why I hadn't flossed for about 2 months, but they were nice when they heard about gagging and vomiting. My gums aren't even throbbing after the tooth cleaning, so maybe they went easy on me.

We have lots of fun things planned for the summer, which officially begins Memorial Day weekend: lunch at the Fire Station and a ride on a fire truck, overnight visits from friends near and far, birthday parties, a quick trip to Las Vegas, a visit from Grandma and Grandpa M, a big trip to Wichita, finding out what kind of baby we're having (Cyril or Tallulah?), Sounds of Summer at the Hollywood Bowl with friends, a trip to MN for me to see my brother home from Mongolia, a weekend escape (for me) to San Diego for a Suzuki class and visit with friends, NOT to mention all the fun in the pool, at the beach, museums, the library, the park... Let the party begin!

Sick, sick, sick

We have been sick at the Moo household. I have a cough, which gets crazy sometimes and causes me to lose whatever happens to be in my stomach. Ethan has the cough, but a very mild version. Scotty has got the full-blown bug. He had a fever yesterday of 101.8, the cough, the glazed-over mouse eyes, the lack of appetite. Today his fever rose to 102.4. I will probably check in with the pediatrician tomorrow, but we are giving him Tylenol to bring down the fever. He's very cheerful, just a lot more mellow than usual and spends his day lying on the couch with his blanket.

Thank goodness Mr. M has not been sick. He is holding us all together with lime popsicles and good dinners. We love you, Mr. M!

Teach them correct principles

Do you ever catch yourself midsentence and realize what you are saying sounds ridiculous? Or that the lecture you are giving your kids is the one you need to hear yourself? Am I giving myself away here?

Tonight while I was trying to enjoy my dinner with Mr. M, the boys were shrieking with laughter at the new game they had invented. After several attempts to stop the madness, I finally sent Mr. M after them while I intoned, "We have a rule in our house and that rule is NO THROWING TOILET PAPER IN THE LIVING ROOM!" Except that I started laughing as I heard the silliness of the rule. I mean, who needs a rule like that? Mr. M pointed out that we needed to teach the principle of respecting the furniture and the living room, rather than creating rules. We could never create enough rules to keep things sane around here.

Instant Love

I called the hospital advice line this morning because I had some spotting, and the advice line booked me an immediate appointment. I felt really calm driving to the appointment, although not sure what to expect. Many women near and dear to me have experienced miscarriage, and I tried to prepare myself for the worst. Thankfully, the worst is not to be, at least, not today.

My tiny 3 cm baby waved at me today during the ultrasound. The doctor wasn't looking for just that second and didn't see it - it was only for me. Only 10 weeks old and already a sense of humor!

TTC : 17 DPO I POAS: BFP!!!!

Well, let's just say that if you know what I mean, you've probably read some of the websites I was frequenting regularly for a while.

If you don't know what I mean, here are some indications that might point you towards the right conclusion (NOT FOR SENSITIVE READERS):

1. Lime popsicles are my favorite food right now. I've had 3 today, and usually, I'm a one-popsicle-per-day girl, if that.

2. My first popsicle of the day doesn't really count because it got thrown up, along with the Polish pickles and pizza crust that I snacked on this afternoon. Alliterative, but yucky the second time.

3. I sleep A LOT. Yesterday, I visited my dear friend Greek Goddess and had a lovely time, BUT I missed my habitual 1 pm nap. I went to bed at 6:45 pm, woke up 3 hours later, ate a bowl of ice cream, and went back to sleep til morning. Today, I had a two hour nap while the boys watched Cars.

4. I think about food A LOT, mostly wishing my mom were around to prepare it because everything she makes tastes good. She could probably cook dirt and I would be drooling over it.

5. I have designated a place in my house where I throw up. It's my kitchen sink. I keep the left side clear so if I need to yak, there's space available. I always rinse everything down and spritz the sink with bleach water right away. (I never throw up in the toilet anymore. It's too awful.) I try to close my windows so the neighbors don't hear the demons being called forth from my stomach.

6. I have been to the doctor twice in the last few weeks.

7. If you haven't figured it out by now, this will clue you in. Scott has been telling people that "mom has a baby in her tummy". We are absolutely delighted and expect the baby to arrive sometime in November.

And now, it's past my bedtime:)

Life is good with sleep and exercise

I have been feeling so happy the past two days. It's probably because I am finally getting enough sleep. I've also been getting up earlier and walking Ethan to school. He holds my hand and we walk up the hill together, dodging cars, and wishing for more sidewalks. Yesterday, on our morning walk, Ethan told me all about Garfield's favorite season. Did anyone else know that Garfield loves fall? He loves the colorful, crisp leaves ..... because they remind him of potato chips. Ethan loves spring. He loves the blue sky, the flowers, and the sun. Me too.

In the afternoon, Scott and I walk back to school to bring Ethan home. (My total walking for the day is just under 2.5 miles! Woohoo! Another reason I'm feeling so good! ) Usually, Scott rides in the stroller (better workout for me). On the way home, Scott and Ethan like to run down the hill. Last Thursday, they were adorable. They held hands, told secrets, and raced together to each curb. Then they'd sit and wait for me to arrive with the empty stroller. We'd cross the street together, and they'd take off again, holding hands like best friends. It was one of those sweet, sweet times of being a mom.

Scott talks a lot about things he will do when he's a dad. Yesterday, on the way home, Scott saw someone mowing his lawn. "Mom, when I'm a dad, I'm going to learn how to mow the lawn." I told him, "You don't have to wait to be a dad for that. You can learn when you're a TEENAGER. Did you know that I used to mow the lawn when I was a teenager?" He was curious to know how long it would be before he was a teenager and seemed to think Ethan was practically there.

Over dinner that night, Scott announced, "When I am a dad, and my kids are grown up, I will tell them stories about when I was a teenager and I mowed the lawn."

In conclusion, I like my kids.

All things Italian...

Scott just walked over to me, obviously proud of what he had made: "This is an Italian trumpet. I made it out of marble race." He then demonstrated its sonorous qualities, marching through the house and blowing out something that sounded a lot like the USC fight song.

Ethan, not to be outdone, announced that he would be making an Italian trombone. While working on it, Scott slipped off the back of the couch onto Ethan's workspace. "And that is called Italian ooof!" giggled Ethan.

A Primary anecdote

In Primary today, we talked about the important role of fathers: to preside, provide, and protect. Three fathers came to visit Primary and talk about their role and share their thoughts on what those words mean. Our Bishop said that to preside is to guide and lead. That makes sense to me, but part of me wants to argue that mothers also guide and lead, so why does the presiding fall to fathers? And then the other part of me says back, "Fathers hold the Priesthood and they preside, not because mothers can't, but because that's how roles were defined." And then the first part of me says, "But why? Is there something inherent in a father that makes him preside?" And then the second part of me says, "Pray about it."

But I digress. The point of blogging today was to share something from Sharing Time that made me laugh.

Our Sharing Time leader said to the children, "Some of you will grow up to be fathers." Zoe, a 5 year old girl, immediately cried out, "I am going to be a mother." Whereupon, Scott turned around and proclaimed, "I am going to marry you!"

Everything was all decided, I thought, until Zoe's teacher, who had been sitting right next to her, told me after the lesson was over that she muttered under her breath, "I will never marry you!"

Ah, young love.

Another satisfied customer!

Our recipe for homemade bread is so easy that Mr. M made some all by himself! (I'm not a bit proud of him, nope, not me.)

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Mr. M and I had a fantastic evening at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on Friday. If you've never been, it's an amazing experience, although I would never have paid for the seats we had. We kept saying to each other, over and over, "I can't believe we won these tickets!!"

The question which I answered correctly to win tickets was "Starting with the 2009/10 season, Christian Zacharias will be an Artistic Partner for which American orchestra?" The answer was
the St Paul Chamber Orchestra.



The program began with Brahms Serenade #2, which has no violins. Next, came Haydn's Sinfonia Concertante with solo violin, oboe, bassoon, and cello. During the intermission, the stage hands wheeled out a grand piano with no lid. I was confused, until I remembered that the soloist (Christian Zacharias) was also the conductor. He played the Schumann piano concerto, which I played* at Interlochen, and it was a treat to hear something I knew so well. It was very entertaining to see him pounding away at the piano and then start waving his arms to conduct. A few times he leaned waaaay back on the piano bench and I wondered if he would fall off. I also wondered if in the midst of his conducting, he might forget to come in as the soloist. He did neither.

After the concert, we headed over to the Green Room. (I happen to be on a first name basis with the Green Room security guard, thanks to a ticket mix-up earlier in this month with my friend Kathryn.) My friend Leticia from the viola section met us there, and gave us a backstage tour. We concluded our evening on the rooftop gardens/amphitheatre looking out across the downtown skyline. It was a lovely evening and a great way way to kick off the birthday celebrations for Mr. M!

P.S. Did you LOOK at that amazing organ? Next on my list - how to get to one of the organ recitals.

*I played the orchestral violin part, not the solo piano part. Sorry to disappoint anyone who thought my piano chops might have been that good.

I must scream it to the world, my excitement, from the top of someplace very high!*

I just won 2 prime tickets to the Los Angeles Philharmonic this weekend! I am so excited that I've been jumping up and down and screaming it to my living room.

I subscribe to the LA Phil newsletter and every time they send it out, they have a little question at the end about one of their concerts or guest artists. If you are the first one to respond with the correct answer, you win! I sent in my answer yesterday and my gmail said it had been 2 minutes, so I promptly forgot about it, until I got an email this afternoon! The universe is smiling upon me and I am smiling back!

*This is a movie quote. Anyone know the answer? Leave it in the comments. Here's a hint which may or may not help: I've seen it 6x in the last week.

Beautiful, easy, homemade bread

When my MIL sent me a link to Easy No Knead Bread, I was skeptical. After I saw the video, I was curious and determined to try myself.

I'm delighted with the results, crusty exterior and soft, chewy interior. We'll be eating this loaf with our lunch today, a nice and saucy pasta that requires bread for pushing and dipping.

First Five

I got this from Greek Goddess, who got it from from susan's blog, which was taken from cath's blog (which was taken from kate's blog). It's a chain of giving and I like this idea.

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me!

My choice of something for you. There are some limits and restrictions, which I have tweaked to suit my style:

1. It will be sometime this year. Don't rush me:)

2. I don't know yet what it will be - it might not even be tangible. Maybe food or a massage or a bookmark or babysitting or a song or a movie... OOH, possibly a visit, depending on who or where you are.

3. Most importantly, you must offer the same deal on your blog - the first 5 people to comment on your blog (or if you do not have a blog, facebook) get something made by YOU! The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win something deLIGHTful by me.

Playing Injured

I slipped out of my Priesthood meeting early today to witness one of the most memorable displays of sheer will and grit while overcoming long odds. It is sure to rank up there with John Beck beating TCU on two bad ankles in 2006, or Robbie Bosco winning the Holiday bowl (and the National Championship) in 1984 playing with a bad knee. No, this had nothing to do with the Superbowl. This was Primary.

Despite suffering a lingual injury only two days ago that surely would have sidelined a less determined three-year old, Scott delivered his first talk.

For those of you that are worried about Scott's frenulum, I assure you that we didn't pump him up with Vicodin and tell to push through the pain. He seems to be doing just fine. I guess mouths do heal pretty quickly.

Here is the text of his talk. He read it all himself. I was very proud.

"This is a picture of my family. My aunts and uncles love me. My mom and dad and my brother love me. My grandmas and grandpas and my cousins love me. I love them too. Heavenly Father loves me and he sent me to earth to be part of this family.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen"

Moral: Don't put a ruler in your mouth

This is not a funny post. This is to inform you of a sad accident that occurred this afternoon at 2 pm. Before you get worried, everyone is fine. But stop reading now if blood makes you woozy.

Scott and I were in the living room, and I saw him put a ruler in his mouth. I have been so beaten down by Scott's independent streak that I figured there was no point in saying, "It's dangerous to put the ruler in your mouth."

Not 30 seconds later, he was on the ground, crying. Blood was coming out of his mouth. I scooped him up and carried him into the bathroom where he cried and cried and kept spitting out the accumulating blood. I got him a clean washcloth and all on his own, he applied direct pressure to his wound.

His wound is under his tongue. Somehow the ruler slipped or he slipped and it looks like he severed his lingual frenulum and also cut the floor of his mouth. That's the thing under your tongue that attaches it to the floor of your mouth.

We consulted Dr. Grandpa, who said that as long as it stopped bleeding, it should heal fine on its own.

Scott has been very mellow since the accident - has mostly lain around with his blanket on the couch and is now sleeping. We would appreciate your prayers on his behalf.

Dinner conversations

Ethan: "Hey, what's the biggest city in California?"

Mr. M: "Los Angeles."

Ethan, ignoring him: "Mom, what's the biggest city in California?"

Me, "Back to you, Dad."

Mr. M: "Los Angeles."

Scott: "What's the smallest city in the world?" He pauses, then answers his own question: "Utah!"

Not surprisingly, I found out today that when Scott uses google earth, it's to watch youtube movies of Bob the Builder and Lightning McQueen. Sigh...

Nytol not needed here.

As Mrs. M has mentioned in a previous post, she has a special ability to fall asleep fast. For the last couple of days, it has been more pronounced. I think it has something to do with our house guests. The house guests were great, but we were very bad about getting to bed on time.

Today the sleep attack happened in the middle of Ethan's family home evening lesson. To Mrs. M's credit, she did make it through the first 2 minutes and even answered a lesson question. But then....

Ethan: "Hey mom, write down what you said on this paper... Mom... MOM! MOOOOOM!"

Mrs. M: "Huh.. mffb.. mer spruf... "

She kind of missed the activity portion of the evening.

Hopefully she will get some undisturbed sleep tonight. A few nights ago, I accidentally interrupted her sleep as I rolled over...

Mrs. M: Hum.. erg... mmff
Mr. M: Sorry, did I wake you up?
Mrs. M: Um. No you didn't wake me up. It was the alphabet.
Mr. M: The alphabet woke you up!?
Mrs. M: Yeah....um..hmm...that seemed to make more sense when I said it.

The alphabet... there you have it. ABCDEFZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

The joke's on me

Remember the guy from church last week who unwittingly insulted my instrument? Guess who is our new home teacher?! Bwahahaha.

Scott requests that I add this comment, "Garfield is mean." For those of you lucky enough to chat with me or Mr. M, please know that we ever say to you, "Noggin.com", the chat has been hijacked by a 3 year old!

Happy Friday, everyone.

Coming to theatres near you....

Overheard coming from Ethan as he was making some kind of ruckus in the other room.

"IT'S ATTACK OF THE..um...ME!!!!!"

Grab some popcorn and cue the scary music, folks.

Playing second fiddle

I played in church today. I should say, I played a violin obligato while a sister missionary sang a lovely arrangement of the hymn Jesus, the very thought of Thee. It was very pretty with some nice entwining harmonies. Those are my favorite.

After our number, the next speaker followed the unwritten Sacrament Meeting rules by making a comment about the music. I was still on the stand, putting the music stand back between the piano and organ when he intoned, "The human voice is by far the most beautiful instrument." I almost choked with laughter; luckily, I had my back to the congregation at that point. I knew he was saying he enjoyed it and she did a great job. I'm pretty sure he didn't consider the implication, "Thank goodness that violin didn't ruin things."

Anyway, we're doing the same number this afternoon. This morning, my ward. Up next, her ward. Watch for us coming to a ward near you...

Birthday celebrations and deep thoughts

Ethan's birthday comes in the midst of the holidays, so I told him we'd celebrate with his friends in January. Tonight he and I were lying on his bed, discussing the details. He kept insisting that there be no candles on his cake. When I pressed him on his reasons, he said, "Mom, I don't want global warming. I don't want the polar ice caps to melt."

Holy awareness of issues, Batman! I told him that his few candles would not have that kind of effect on the world and then excused myself while he and Mr. M had a long conversation (still going 20 minutes later) about what is global warming...