I am so tired. Like, seriously exhausted. I suppose it's understandable, seeing as I have a new little baby. But this little baby is a pretty dern good sleeper. She sleeps for long stretches at night, so I'm getting decent sleep (usually 6-7 hours; although this week there were a number of later nights for me, so ... that might explain it). And there were a few days this week that I took little short naps with Camille. Those days I always feel a bit better than the days I don't take a nap. But it also means that I don't get much done. Anyway, I'm really feeling it today. I got both girls to fall asleep at the same time for what I'm hoping will be a LONG nap, so I finally got down to business in preparing the lesson I have to teach in Relief Society next Sunday (It's been on my list all week, but I never seem to have a chance to get going on it). But as I'm sitting there studying a chapter in Preach My Gospel, my eyes are unsteady and unfocused, and I'm having a rough time focusing my mind on what I'm reading. Geez!
This week has been fairly low-key, although I have been feeling off my game. I was telling Daniel last night that maybe I just need to lower my expectations of what I can get done. Because some days, like today, I have a pretty good stretch of time in the middle of the day to do some work. On the days that Camille sleeps well, I can get a lot done. But then there are other days when she isn't so cooperative, and it takes everything I've got just to help her sleep. I seemed to have some of those off days this week. I got only the bare minimum done. I kept scratching things off my to-do list to do at a later time because I just couldn't do it all. And that's okay. I just have to keep telling myself that.
Daniel and I have been getting up early in the mornings this week. I've been trying to get up around 6am for the past several weeks. I'm pretty good, though I do allow myself to sleep in a day or 2 a week. For me, it's this: either I wake up early so that I can workout, read my scriptures and start my day off the right way, or I can sleep. Because I can't do both. If I don't workout and read my scriptures in the morning, there is a good chance that my energy will be all gone by the end of the day and it just won't happen. Plus, Camille's awake time is in the evening when I would be able to make it up anyway. Despite being tired all the time, it feels good to wake up in the morning, early enough that everyone is still asleep and I can exercise and study my scriptures in peace. I've been trying to be better, too, about getting ready in the mornings. Some days it doesn't end up getting done until later in the day. But the goal is to do it. I don't want to be a frumpy, dumpy, slovenly stay-at-home mom. I don't feel good when I don't try to look good. It really does seem to make a difference. I think the problem I have sometimes is that I have a lot to do and 2 kids and a husband to take care of, and I have a hard time justifying spending a lot of time getting ready. Especially in doing my hair! But ... since it really does make a difference in how I feel and what I do, I think it's important. Besides, I notice that I'm less likely to play outside, go to the park or offer to help someone when I haven't even bothered to get dressed that day. So, clearly ... it's time to be better. And I've done fairly well the last couple of weeks. I allow myself to miss days here and there. Life happens, so I try to be forgiving. But as long as it isn't the norm.
I've been thinking, ever since Camille was born, about how love works sometimes. I thought it was amazing that once she was born, I automatically loved her and was concerned for her. Before she was born, I was only slightly concerned that I wouldn't like her as much as I like Brooke. Because I love my little Brooke! I think she's the most delightful little girl. But I had no reason to worry. Because I love Miss Millie! I think she's the most delightful baby girl. And what is most inexplicable, is that not only do I love them both and have enough room in my heart for them and Daniel, I find that my love for them is more than what it was before. I love Brooke and Daniel more than I did before we had Camille. It's like having one more person in our family didn't require that I divide my affections more between everyone, so that everyone got a little less love from me; it sort of increased my capacity to love; it expanded my love, so that everyone has more than what they started with!
I think something like this happened when Brooke was born, too. There is something about having a baby that makes me fall in love with my husband all over again. It happened again with Camille. Watching him be a daddy, and such a good one at that, just does something to me. I love to see how tender and fun he is with Camille. He loves her almost as much as I do. :) And he and Brooke are like 2 peas in a pod. They are so alike in so many ways. It makes me laugh! And cry...
Sometimes, I look at Brooke or Camille and I watch them, and my heart just swells. It's a physical reaction. I feel something. It's amazing! I love being a mother! And I'm blessed with such fun, sweet, cute, beautiful girls!
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Last Week's Moments
The past week has been a bit crazy. Which is part of the reason I haven't written.
Brooke was being so cute on Wednesday of last week. I was cleaning her bathroom, and Camille was laying on a blanket in the loft. Brooke was just hanging out with Camille, laying down next to her and talking to her softly. She is always doing cute stuff like that! Tonight, after cleaning up the loft, Brooke started reading books to Camille. And earlier tonight, I was making dinner and Brooke was hanging out with me, sitting on the car. Brooke talked to her, and was keeping her updated on what was going on, explaining, "Mom's making dinner, Camille." It's so fun and cute to see her being such a good big sister.
Brooke, Camille and I took the car on Thursday. We went shopping a little bit and then went to visit Allison Leishman and Lucy. Brooke had fun playing with Lucy while Allison and I chatted.
We took the car again on Friday so that we could go to the zoo. After dropping Daniel off at work, we stopped for a little bit of shopping at Target. We needed snacks and such for the zoo; plus, I had a few more things to get for our date night. Afterwards, we went home so that Camille could get a little sleep and so I could get some food and things together before we went.
We didn't get to the zoo until almost 12:30pm. We made a quick-ish stop at Hobby Lobby so that I could get supplies for a RS craft night. And then once we did get to the zoo, I had to nurse Camille and we had to wait for Maelee and Eli Lungren to get there. They came, and we got into the zoo a little after 1pm. It seemed a little late for us to be going in, but it turned out okay.
It was fun to go with Maelee and Eli. Eli was so excited about Brooke and Camille. He kept pushing Brooke in her stroller and peeking at the baby in her car seat. We hit only the most important animals: the giraffes, the chimpanzees, the hippos (there was a baby hippo!), the tiger, the bear, the gorilla. And, of course, some other animals along the way. Brooke had a grand ole' time! After seeing a bunch of animals, we walked up to the play area for Brooke and Eli to run around and play before Maelee and Eli left. Maelee was out of steam and patience with Eli, so they had to go. We stayed for a bit longer, but not much. Brooke was great. She was a trooper, especially since she had to walk for a lot of the time. But Camille would not sleep! I was shocked. She is normally such a great sleeper; even in her car seat, if she is in constant motion. I thought for sure she would conk out at some point either in the car or at the zoo. But she sure didn't. And by the end of our time there, she was very upset.
What's funny is that after nursing her in the car and driving all the way home, she still didn't sleep! After a full day of not sleeping, she would sleep in the car. No. She cried off and on all the way home. Silly child.
After we got home and I put Camille down for a nap, I started getting Brooke ready for bed. She missed a nap, so ... early bedtime! Daniel got a ride home. And I started getting ready for our hot date. We went to Italy for our date! I chopped veggies and got some dough ready; put out a bunch of candles and set the table; found a playlist on Youtube with some fun Italian music. And we made calzones for our dinner. While they were baking, we had some conversation cards that we went through to have some good talks. We had a little, adorable date-crasher. A cute one. Named Camille. She was asleep for the first part of our date, and then woke up sometime during the calzone-making.
We had dinner, and then probably would have done more fun activities. But our date-crasher needed some help in getting back to sleep. So, I went to take care of that. We still had a wonderful, Italian evening! I'm loving the international dates we are having! That's one more stamp in Daniel's Love Passport!
Saturday was a pretty relaxed day for us. Daniel and I both worked out a bunch. We are doing the arm challenge this month, and at this point, it takes a long time for us to get the whole daily workout done. Brooke probably watched too much tv. Later in the evening, we both got ready to go out. We had a babysitter come watch the girls and we went to a wedding. A friend of ours and a new convert to the church, Christine Liu, was getting married at a member's house. Afterwards, we went to get some dinner at the Corner Bakery. We had a good night out, the first in a long time!
Sunday, after church, I went to visit Briana (I'm getting back into visiting teaching again after a few months ... slacking) and then we had Bruce over for dinner again.
Monday was such a busy day for me. I had a lot of cleanup to do, as I was recovering from the weekend. Brooke didn't take a nap, which always cuts into my time to get things done. And I had to make dinner for the missionaries. Plus, I was preparing for my craft activity for Relief Society, and I spent many hours in the evening cutting strips of tulle for it. It was just a lot. I was a little put out with Daniel about not helping so much. I felt so overwhelmed. The house was a mess, there were dishes everywhere, I have people all day demanding things of me, I had all these strips to cut, and I needed help with something. I was hoping he would take the baby so I could work; which he did... for a little bit. And then he went upstairs to do his own thing, leaving me with Camille. I love being with my baby, but it was a bad night, and I was extremely frustrated. After we read scriptures together, said prayer together and said individual prayers, he apologized for not helping more. Then when I came down, because I had to pump, he came down to cut up strips for me! It was so nice of him! And very helpful.
One funny and cute thing happened that night as well. We are currently watching a cat for Tom Engman, one of Daniel's coworkers, while he and his wife are between homes (living in extended stay). The first week that she was here, she was so scared of us that she hid most of that week in random places. It was very sad. But then she started warming up to us. Mostly she hides during the day and comes out to get some love and attention at night. Well, last night, when I was nursing Camille to sleep and watching tv, Callie comes up to us, meowing and looking for some lovin'. She kind of circles me and Camille, becomes interested in Camille and starts sniffing her head. Then, she started licking Camille's forehead! It was so cute! I was dying. But what was even better is that Camille woke up, stopped nursing and started crying. She really didn't like Callie licking her! It probably felt weird to her, that rough cat tongue. It was too funny! Naturally, I pushed Callie away, and Camille went back to nursing and sleeping.
Here are some funny Brooke and Camille things:
Brooke was being so cute on Wednesday of last week. I was cleaning her bathroom, and Camille was laying on a blanket in the loft. Brooke was just hanging out with Camille, laying down next to her and talking to her softly. She is always doing cute stuff like that! Tonight, after cleaning up the loft, Brooke started reading books to Camille. And earlier tonight, I was making dinner and Brooke was hanging out with me, sitting on the car. Brooke talked to her, and was keeping her updated on what was going on, explaining, "Mom's making dinner, Camille." It's so fun and cute to see her being such a good big sister.
Brooke, Camille and I took the car on Thursday. We went shopping a little bit and then went to visit Allison Leishman and Lucy. Brooke had fun playing with Lucy while Allison and I chatted.
We took the car again on Friday so that we could go to the zoo. After dropping Daniel off at work, we stopped for a little bit of shopping at Target. We needed snacks and such for the zoo; plus, I had a few more things to get for our date night. Afterwards, we went home so that Camille could get a little sleep and so I could get some food and things together before we went.
We didn't get to the zoo until almost 12:30pm. We made a quick-ish stop at Hobby Lobby so that I could get supplies for a RS craft night. And then once we did get to the zoo, I had to nurse Camille and we had to wait for Maelee and Eli Lungren to get there. They came, and we got into the zoo a little after 1pm. It seemed a little late for us to be going in, but it turned out okay.
It was fun to go with Maelee and Eli. Eli was so excited about Brooke and Camille. He kept pushing Brooke in her stroller and peeking at the baby in her car seat. We hit only the most important animals: the giraffes, the chimpanzees, the hippos (there was a baby hippo!), the tiger, the bear, the gorilla. And, of course, some other animals along the way. Brooke had a grand ole' time! After seeing a bunch of animals, we walked up to the play area for Brooke and Eli to run around and play before Maelee and Eli left. Maelee was out of steam and patience with Eli, so they had to go. We stayed for a bit longer, but not much. Brooke was great. She was a trooper, especially since she had to walk for a lot of the time. But Camille would not sleep! I was shocked. She is normally such a great sleeper; even in her car seat, if she is in constant motion. I thought for sure she would conk out at some point either in the car or at the zoo. But she sure didn't. And by the end of our time there, she was very upset.
What's funny is that after nursing her in the car and driving all the way home, she still didn't sleep! After a full day of not sleeping, she would sleep in the car. No. She cried off and on all the way home. Silly child.
After we got home and I put Camille down for a nap, I started getting Brooke ready for bed. She missed a nap, so ... early bedtime! Daniel got a ride home. And I started getting ready for our hot date. We went to Italy for our date! I chopped veggies and got some dough ready; put out a bunch of candles and set the table; found a playlist on Youtube with some fun Italian music. And we made calzones for our dinner. While they were baking, we had some conversation cards that we went through to have some good talks. We had a little, adorable date-crasher. A cute one. Named Camille. She was asleep for the first part of our date, and then woke up sometime during the calzone-making.
We had dinner, and then probably would have done more fun activities. But our date-crasher needed some help in getting back to sleep. So, I went to take care of that. We still had a wonderful, Italian evening! I'm loving the international dates we are having! That's one more stamp in Daniel's Love Passport!
Saturday was a pretty relaxed day for us. Daniel and I both worked out a bunch. We are doing the arm challenge this month, and at this point, it takes a long time for us to get the whole daily workout done. Brooke probably watched too much tv. Later in the evening, we both got ready to go out. We had a babysitter come watch the girls and we went to a wedding. A friend of ours and a new convert to the church, Christine Liu, was getting married at a member's house. Afterwards, we went to get some dinner at the Corner Bakery. We had a good night out, the first in a long time!
Sunday, after church, I went to visit Briana (I'm getting back into visiting teaching again after a few months ... slacking) and then we had Bruce over for dinner again.
Monday was such a busy day for me. I had a lot of cleanup to do, as I was recovering from the weekend. Brooke didn't take a nap, which always cuts into my time to get things done. And I had to make dinner for the missionaries. Plus, I was preparing for my craft activity for Relief Society, and I spent many hours in the evening cutting strips of tulle for it. It was just a lot. I was a little put out with Daniel about not helping so much. I felt so overwhelmed. The house was a mess, there were dishes everywhere, I have people all day demanding things of me, I had all these strips to cut, and I needed help with something. I was hoping he would take the baby so I could work; which he did... for a little bit. And then he went upstairs to do his own thing, leaving me with Camille. I love being with my baby, but it was a bad night, and I was extremely frustrated. After we read scriptures together, said prayer together and said individual prayers, he apologized for not helping more. Then when I came down, because I had to pump, he came down to cut up strips for me! It was so nice of him! And very helpful.
One funny and cute thing happened that night as well. We are currently watching a cat for Tom Engman, one of Daniel's coworkers, while he and his wife are between homes (living in extended stay). The first week that she was here, she was so scared of us that she hid most of that week in random places. It was very sad. But then she started warming up to us. Mostly she hides during the day and comes out to get some love and attention at night. Well, last night, when I was nursing Camille to sleep and watching tv, Callie comes up to us, meowing and looking for some lovin'. She kind of circles me and Camille, becomes interested in Camille and starts sniffing her head. Then, she started licking Camille's forehead! It was so cute! I was dying. But what was even better is that Camille woke up, stopped nursing and started crying. She really didn't like Callie licking her! It probably felt weird to her, that rough cat tongue. It was too funny! Naturally, I pushed Callie away, and Camille went back to nursing and sleeping.
Here are some funny Brooke and Camille things:
- While Daniel was helping Brooke brush her teeth the other night, she grabs the soap. He takes the soap away from her, and she immediately exclaims, "Dad! Share!"
- Brooke, after getting out of bed one night (I think one of the nights that her mouth was hurting), "I can't go back to bed!"
- Brooke has started coloring pages better; still scribbles, but more centralized in places where things should be colored.
- I have these exercise tension cords of differing strengths, that have detachable handles. Brooke pulls those out of the closet and uses them as a stethoscope, checking on my heart and on my boo-boos. So funny!
- Camille has come so close to rolling the last couple of days. When she is laying on a blanket in the loft while we are playing, she rolls right onto her side. Yesterday she was trying to roll even further over than that, even, and the only thing keeping her from rolling onto her stomach was her little arm. Later that day, she rolled all the way over, but she was on the couch next to me, so I'm not sure I can count that. She was on a little slope; that probably helped. One minute I see she's on her side, I look over at Brooke, look back at Camille, and she's on her stomach! She'll be rolling over in no time!
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Moments of Happiness
It's interesting how some days are better than others. Like, in terms of my behavior and ability to handle things. And in terms of Brooke's behavior and ability to handle things. For example, one day last week, I think it was Friday, Brooke was just driving me CAH-RAZY! She was unusually defiant and the messes she was making were just more ... everything ... than usual: bigger; messier; more irritating. Now, on a better day, for me, I am sure I would've handled this better. But I was having a hard time dealing with it, and it resulted in me being unusually short with her, and, I hate to admit, sharp. She got one LONG time out in her crib (because she wouldn't stay in her room for her full time-out. At one point, she left her room to grab Dolly. That completely defeats the purpose of time-out, of course. I confiscated the doll and put her in her crib, where she proceeded to scream for several minutes before I went in to her).
Today was a different day. Brooke was clearly feeling better today. I'm sure her lip and mouth were bothering her, but she was playing about like normal. She made her usual messes (not out of the ordinary like the other day), and I was totally chill about it. I try to remind myself that they are just messes. They can be cleaned up. And although that means more work for me, it's nothing to get really upset about.
Anywho, we had a pretty good day. I was a bit of a pushover on the tv issue. We watched more than we should have and more than usual. I guess there are those days too. I've been trying to focus more on the "moments of motherhood". People are always saying to "enjoy every minute", because kids grow up too fast (true) and they'll be gone before we know it (also true). It always rubs me a little bit wrong when people say thing. Because I submit that it is IMPOSSIBLE to enjoy every minute. Like I wrote before, we all have those days. Those days when no matter what I do, how hard I try, or how many prayers I send heaven-ward, I'm a little too harsh and short with my kids. Yes, even the little one. And besides. The work of motherhood is time consuming, tedious, monotonous, and thankless 90% of the time. And there is no break.
So, no. I will not even try to enjoy every minute. It would just make me anxious. But I will enjoy almost every minute, and I will look for those fun, special moments that bring joy. I find a lot of them throughout the days. I love hearing Brooke sing, especially when I realize she is singing all the words perfectly of one of her favorite songs. She actually does know them! I love catching Camille's eyes and getting a quick little smile from her. I love sitting down to do puzzles, shape boxes or duplos with Brooke, and reading to Camille.
Here was yesterday's moment for me. Or I should say, one of the many:
We went outside to draw on the patio with chalk. Brooke got herself some chalky buns!
*Drawing shapes for Brooke to identify*
And one of today's:
*Brooke, giving treats to Callie, a cat we are watching*
Today was a different day. Brooke was clearly feeling better today. I'm sure her lip and mouth were bothering her, but she was playing about like normal. She made her usual messes (not out of the ordinary like the other day), and I was totally chill about it. I try to remind myself that they are just messes. They can be cleaned up. And although that means more work for me, it's nothing to get really upset about.
Anywho, we had a pretty good day. I was a bit of a pushover on the tv issue. We watched more than we should have and more than usual. I guess there are those days too. I've been trying to focus more on the "moments of motherhood". People are always saying to "enjoy every minute", because kids grow up too fast (true) and they'll be gone before we know it (also true). It always rubs me a little bit wrong when people say thing. Because I submit that it is IMPOSSIBLE to enjoy every minute. Like I wrote before, we all have those days. Those days when no matter what I do, how hard I try, or how many prayers I send heaven-ward, I'm a little too harsh and short with my kids. Yes, even the little one. And besides. The work of motherhood is time consuming, tedious, monotonous, and thankless 90% of the time. And there is no break.
So, no. I will not even try to enjoy every minute. It would just make me anxious. But I will enjoy almost every minute, and I will look for those fun, special moments that bring joy. I find a lot of them throughout the days. I love hearing Brooke sing, especially when I realize she is singing all the words perfectly of one of her favorite songs. She actually does know them! I love catching Camille's eyes and getting a quick little smile from her. I love sitting down to do puzzles, shape boxes or duplos with Brooke, and reading to Camille.
Here was yesterday's moment for me. Or I should say, one of the many:
We went outside to draw on the patio with chalk. Brooke got herself some chalky buns!
*Drawing shapes for Brooke to identify*
And one of today's:
*Brooke, giving treats to Callie, a cat we are watching*
Sunday, January 11, 2015
An Out-Of-Control Fat Lip
This weekend didn't go at all like I'd wanted it to. I was hoping to
have a little dinner and movie date-night at home with Daniel; but he
worked late and didn't get home until about 7:30pm. We put Brooke to bed
and then didn't do much for the rest of the night. Mostly took care of
Camille. I was falling asleep as I was trying to put Camille to bed, so I
laid down with her in our bed and slept for a couple of hours. It was a
much needed nap, but that really put a damper on our date night.
Saturday, I slept in, got some chores done, Brooke watched tv all morning long, and Daniel and I watched Castle and let Camille sleep in my arms during Brooke's nap.
When she woke up (or rather, when I went to get her, because she didn't really fall asleep), she had a little something to eat, and then we went for a long walk. I had 2 days to make up on my walking schedule, so I had to walk a total of 50 minutes. Brooke said she wanted to come. And so we went, even though it was raining. We had a really good time! I was surprised that she wasn't more anxious to go home or go to the park (although she did ask several times to go to the park). She didn't seem cold or upset at the rain. She just talked to me about what she was seeing, she sang songs and asked me to sing to her, ... it was fun!
We took a weird route so that I could get my time in, and then we ended it all by stopping at the park on the way home. Mostly we played in the sand, "making castles" according to Brooke. And then we swung on the swing-set together. And just before we were about to leave, Brooke climbed up the playground. It was wet, her shoes weren't so good and there were sand on the bottoms. She tried going across the bridge, slipped and fell down on the bridge. I said to be careful, it was a little scary. She walked across the rest of the bridge. Then she turned around to go back over, slipped and fell, right over the edge of the bridge. It was at least a 4 foot drop, probably more like 5. Her legs went first, but curved under her body so that when she hit the turf, she landed mouth first. She screamed and blood was just pouring out of her mouth. A lot of blood.
I took her to the bathroom to get toilet paper to help clean her up. She didn't want me to touch it, so it was hard, and she was still screaming. We basically ran home. Daniel and I teamed up on her (Camille was still sleeping) to help change her clothes and clean her up a bit. I just thought she'd gotten a bloody and fat lip. But Daniel had the presence of mind to worry about her teeth. We checked them. They looked bad. There was blood all around her front 4 teeth, like they'd been jammed up into her mouth when she hit.
Daniel took her to an urgent care facility, just to make sure everything was okay. Camille and I stayed home, hung out, and started making dinner. The doctor said to just let Brooke's mouth heal. Her teeth seemed to be okay; at least, they didn't move when he touched them. He did say that her teeth might turn gray, and that we might want her to see a dentist if they did, that it was an indication of nerve damage. That would make me so sad, if her teeth got all black!
We also fed the missionaries last night, after Daniel and Brooke came home. And Siv Flick dropped by to pick up some more of my frozen milk. All in all, it was a pretty intense evening. I felt so sad for Brooke, and a bit guilty, too. I cried almost the whole time I was going to pick up the missionaries. And then I cried to sleep that night, too. We tried to do everything we could to get Brooke to eat and to make her comfortable. But her mouth was so busted up! It wounded my heart! It makes me so sad to see her so hurt and in such pain and discomfort. And seeing her fall and hit the ground at the park just keeps running through my head.
She didn't sleep well last night. I didn't sleep well last night either. She woke up a few times, and I went to her one time when she didn't go back to sleep. I couldn't just let her cry.
My poor beautiful girl! It's so sad! Her lip got so fat last night before she went to bed that she looked kind of like a duck to me. And I don't mean that as a joke, to be funny or snarky. It really made me sad. I just hope she gets better soon. Daniel sent a picture and text out to the family, asking for some prayers that Brooke would feel better. Everyone has been concerned and sad for her. But I think the prayers are working. Today after church, the swelling seemed to be going down quite a bit. And Brooke, though still somewhat subdued, was a little back to her normal self. She was a little fussy, but wanted to play with her toys and read books. She even started mimicking me as I was making faces at her. It's been hard to get some food in her. She can only drink through a straw. The doc told Daniel not to lift her lip or disrupt it too much, because it'll take longer to heal. Poor thing wants to eat real food, but she can't! I hope she feels better tomorrow.
Saturday, I slept in, got some chores done, Brooke watched tv all morning long, and Daniel and I watched Castle and let Camille sleep in my arms during Brooke's nap.
When she woke up (or rather, when I went to get her, because she didn't really fall asleep), she had a little something to eat, and then we went for a long walk. I had 2 days to make up on my walking schedule, so I had to walk a total of 50 minutes. Brooke said she wanted to come. And so we went, even though it was raining. We had a really good time! I was surprised that she wasn't more anxious to go home or go to the park (although she did ask several times to go to the park). She didn't seem cold or upset at the rain. She just talked to me about what she was seeing, she sang songs and asked me to sing to her, ... it was fun!
We took a weird route so that I could get my time in, and then we ended it all by stopping at the park on the way home. Mostly we played in the sand, "making castles" according to Brooke. And then we swung on the swing-set together. And just before we were about to leave, Brooke climbed up the playground. It was wet, her shoes weren't so good and there were sand on the bottoms. She tried going across the bridge, slipped and fell down on the bridge. I said to be careful, it was a little scary. She walked across the rest of the bridge. Then she turned around to go back over, slipped and fell, right over the edge of the bridge. It was at least a 4 foot drop, probably more like 5. Her legs went first, but curved under her body so that when she hit the turf, she landed mouth first. She screamed and blood was just pouring out of her mouth. A lot of blood.
I took her to the bathroom to get toilet paper to help clean her up. She didn't want me to touch it, so it was hard, and she was still screaming. We basically ran home. Daniel and I teamed up on her (Camille was still sleeping) to help change her clothes and clean her up a bit. I just thought she'd gotten a bloody and fat lip. But Daniel had the presence of mind to worry about her teeth. We checked them. They looked bad. There was blood all around her front 4 teeth, like they'd been jammed up into her mouth when she hit.
Daniel took her to an urgent care facility, just to make sure everything was okay. Camille and I stayed home, hung out, and started making dinner. The doctor said to just let Brooke's mouth heal. Her teeth seemed to be okay; at least, they didn't move when he touched them. He did say that her teeth might turn gray, and that we might want her to see a dentist if they did, that it was an indication of nerve damage. That would make me so sad, if her teeth got all black!
We also fed the missionaries last night, after Daniel and Brooke came home. And Siv Flick dropped by to pick up some more of my frozen milk. All in all, it was a pretty intense evening. I felt so sad for Brooke, and a bit guilty, too. I cried almost the whole time I was going to pick up the missionaries. And then I cried to sleep that night, too. We tried to do everything we could to get Brooke to eat and to make her comfortable. But her mouth was so busted up! It wounded my heart! It makes me so sad to see her so hurt and in such pain and discomfort. And seeing her fall and hit the ground at the park just keeps running through my head.
She didn't sleep well last night. I didn't sleep well last night either. She woke up a few times, and I went to her one time when she didn't go back to sleep. I couldn't just let her cry.
Brooke's 1st Haircut
So. I took Brooke to get her first haircut on Thursday (January 8th)! It was ever so exciting. We went to Kidz Cuts and Waves, a family-friendly hair salon. It was perfect for us! Brooke chose to take a seat in a little pink car and our stylist, Stephanie, put on Frozen for her to watch. Brooke did so well! She was very still (partially because the movie was a wonderful diversion) for most of the cut. She did get a little antsy towards the end, but I suppose that is understandable. It didn't take very long. I asked Stephanie to just give her a cut that would even her hair out, and to cut it to the shortest layer, which was along her jawline. At first she gave Brooke a cut that seemed a little long to me, not quite what I had in mind, and didn't exactly even it ALL out. I told her to take a bit more off, and I'm ever so glad I did! Her little bob is just so cute!
I got a little misty there at the end, when she was finishing up Brooke's haircut. She just looked so big, getting a big-girl haircut and everything. I felt so sad that she's getting so grown up (okay ... I know she's only 2 and 1/2, but even so... time is just flying!). I really had to get control of myself so I didn't totally embarrass myself in the salon.
.jpg)
After her haircut, she wanted chicken nuggets for lunch, and since she did such a good job with her cut and because I was just feeling sentimental and emotional, we drove to Wendy's for a bit of lunch (for her, not me).
We all took a rockin' nap when we got home, and afterwards, Brooke helped me make some banana chocolate chip muffins with some of our old bananas. That was a BIG mistake! I ate 3 that night!
After we picked Daniel up from work, I jetted off to pick up some Cafe Rio for Nick and Maelee Lungren. I had to run to Burbank to Hobby Lobby. I am in charge of a Relief Society craft night and I needed cheap craft supplies. Anyway, I went to take dinner to the Lungrens, went to Hobby Lobby before they closed, and then went back to visit with Maelee for a while. We had a good long talk. She had her baby really prematurely around Thanksgiving time and then lost their baby a little over 24 hours later. It really hit me hard, being a mom, but also because I have a beautiful brand-new baby. I went to the funeral and kind of fell apart. So, during my visit with her this week, she told me what had happened and how she's dealing with it and everything. It was really nice.
I got a little misty there at the end, when she was finishing up Brooke's haircut. She just looked so big, getting a big-girl haircut and everything. I felt so sad that she's getting so grown up (okay ... I know she's only 2 and 1/2, but even so... time is just flying!). I really had to get control of myself so I didn't totally embarrass myself in the salon.
After her haircut, she wanted chicken nuggets for lunch, and since she did such a good job with her cut and because I was just feeling sentimental and emotional, we drove to Wendy's for a bit of lunch (for her, not me).
We all took a rockin' nap when we got home, and afterwards, Brooke helped me make some banana chocolate chip muffins with some of our old bananas. That was a BIG mistake! I ate 3 that night!
After we picked Daniel up from work, I jetted off to pick up some Cafe Rio for Nick and Maelee Lungren. I had to run to Burbank to Hobby Lobby. I am in charge of a Relief Society craft night and I needed cheap craft supplies. Anyway, I went to take dinner to the Lungrens, went to Hobby Lobby before they closed, and then went back to visit with Maelee for a while. We had a good long talk. She had her baby really prematurely around Thanksgiving time and then lost their baby a little over 24 hours later. It really hit me hard, being a mom, but also because I have a beautiful brand-new baby. I went to the funeral and kind of fell apart. So, during my visit with her this week, she told me what had happened and how she's dealing with it and everything. It was really nice.
Miss Millie
Camille is simply the cutest baby around! Just see for yourself:
Here are some fun things I love about Camille:
Here are some fun things I love about Camille:
- She is super smiley. Nearly every time I look at her and say, "Hi, Camille!", she gives me a big smile. It's pretty funny and cute. Brooke was definitely a more serious baby. What's really funny is that sometimes I'll be doing something, Camille will be sitting in her bouncy chair nearby, and I'll look over at her and catch her staring at me and smiling. It just melts my heart!
- When I lay down or sit down with Camille facing me and start talking to her, she starts cooing and talking back to me. She makes this funny noise when she starts talking, kind of somewhere in the sinus area, like a long, drawn-out snort. Though she's more pushing air out of her nose than drawing it in. It's very hard to explain, but definitely adorable.
- She does this thing while nursing that I don't particularly love, because I think it's making me sore again. She kind of clicks her tongue against my nipple/the roof of her mouth almost every time she takes a draw.
- She's a pretty fantastic sleeper. Mostly. She sleeps A TON ... especially when we think about Brooke as a baby, who barely slept. She still has a hard time sleeping during the day unless I'm holding her, which results in her taking a whole bunch of short naps. Although, she does take one super-nap during the day that lasts for a few hours. That's usually when I have the time to lay down with her for a little while while she's falling into a deep sleep. She is sleeping really well at night. Several hours at a time, once we get her down. And she only wakes up once to feed, if at all. Our next goal with her night sleeping is to gradually move her bedtime up. It's funny, she sleeps straight through church! People think she is an angel baby (well ... she is!) because they never hear her cry, and she's almost always asleep in my arms.
- She kind of drools/bubbles a lot. Her little baby spit is super bubbly all the time.
- She has gotten so used to being swaddled when we put her to sleep that she has started putting her arms straight down to her side when she feels us putting her in the swaddler. :)
- Sometimes she giggles when I'm taking her clothes off. It's so funny and cute! Usually it's when I'm taking her onesies/shirts off. Like something that I do kind of tickles her or something. I love it! I wish she would laugh more. Heaven knows I try!
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Scriptures and Cell Phone
The girls and I have had some pretty good days. It was awesome to have Daniel all to ourselves (well, ... I mean, that he didn't have to go to work) for a few days in a row. Basically New Year's Eve to Sunday. I told Daniel that it wasn't just that it's nice to have some help with the girls; it was also just nice to have him around. Even if he were home working, and not interacting or helping, it would still be nice.
On Saturday, we slept in, put Christmas away and put Brooke down for a nap. She took a pretty good one, so in the afternoon, we went out. Just to do a little shopping. We went to the mall. I exchanged my Bath and Body Works lotions that I got for Christmas for several bottles of body wash. The whole mall was having super sales, which I found odd. The week after Christmas. Anyway, we went to a few other places, looking for yoga pants for me (some that would actually fit and didn't need to be altered ... not an easy task, given my unbelievable height. We were not successful that day) and a new comforter for our bed. And, of course, Daniel took Brooke on the merry-go-round there. We had a good time. Camille slept most of the time. She doesn't especially love being in her car seat, but once the car gets moving, she generally falls right to sleep. And then she continues sleeping just fine as we stroll her around places. We got home that night just in time to feed Brooke a little something and put her to bed.
Sunday was fairly uneventful. Church was good. Brooke loves going to nursery, and all the leaders are quite smitten with her. She's always anxious to get going while we are in Sacrament meeting. Daniel had a new class. He teaches the 11-12 year-olds in Primary, and it being the start of a new year, he had all new kids. He's a pretty awesome teacher. He team teaches with another man from the Spanish Branch. One day when his partner was going to be out of town, he asked me to go to his class and be his team teacher for the day. It was fun to watch him teach those kids. He was really great at it! He was clear and simple in his teaching, and he encouraged the kids to do better.
After church, Salvador came over for dinner. I made butternut squash and sage risotto (YUM!) and we had a good time catching up with him. We haven't seen much of anyone since we had Camille, which is understandable. But I think Daniel wants us to start reaching out to people again. And with Camille being such a good baby, I suppose it's entirely possible. We're starting to get into a bit of a groove.
Last night, we went to a baptism of our friend, Christine Liu. She's a Chinese girl who has been investigating the church for many months. The missionaries came to our house to teach some of her lessons, so we got to know her a bit. She's been waiting for her mom to get home from China so that she could get baptized. Her mom is ready to join the church, too, but some family issues have come up. Anyway, Brooke took a late nap, luckily, so we carted the girls off to the baptism. Brooke was really charming the people in our vicinity. She kept singing, whether or not the piano was playing. We tried to get her to be a bit quieter, but we were only partly successful.
Brooke has been so cute lately. The past few days, she has been insisting on carrying around the little copy of the Book of Mormon that we've been reading with her, and also my old slide cell phone. I just let her use it as a toy, since I got my new phone a year and a half ago. It's so funny. This morning, she wanted her scriptures, her phone, her lips (chapstick) and her quarter. It was a little much for her to carry in her little hands, so I had her grab her little purse (the one I made her) to put it all in, and she carried it around for a while. But mostly she likes to carry her phone and Book of Mormon.
Today we had a great day. In the morning, we cleaned up a little (I did my designated chores for the day) and read in her new favorite book, the princess book she got for Christmas. She super loves that book! She mostly wants the stories of Ariel. I try reading other ones to her, and she always asks for Ariel. Sometimes she allows me to read stories of Belle, but not much. :) She asks to read that book all the time.
Camille usually sleeps the whole morning away, and I always wake her up around the time I put Brooke down for a nap, just so I can feed her. But this morning, she didn't sleep so well. So we brought her out into the loft to play. We pulled out toys to dangle in front of her face, we read her some books, we talked to her. Brooke was fun. She wanted to lay down next to her and read next to her. While she was still awake, I gave her and Brooke a bath. Brooke had a bath yesterday, but she always wants to get in with Camille. Before Brooke got into the bath, I could tell she needed to poop, so I held her over the toilet to poop in. It was very exciting. I gave her a treat later for going poop in the toilet. We're hoping she feels more motivated when she has little experiences like that.
It's been a rough sleeping day for Camille. She usually sleeps a ton. But today she hasn't slept for long stretches, except for this afternoon. While Brooke was napping, I nursed Camille to sleep while watching "Castle" and then held her for a while just letting her sleep. I put her down in our bed just before Brooke woke up, and she slept for the rest of the afternoon while Brooke and I played. We went outside to blow bubbles and throw balls. There are a couple of neighborhood girls that really love Brooke and think she's cute. Daniel has taken her out to play with them before. They found us while we were outside today, and they came to play with Brooke. She had a really good time with them ... up to a certain point. She liked throwing balls with them and blowing bubbles. But when they started wanting her to play things she didn't understand or do things she didn't feel comfortable doing, she was done. We went inside and watched "Frozen" instead, after I woke up Camille to feed her.
Today was laundry day, so tonight, Daniel and I have been teaming up to finish. He did all of his ironing, and I folded everything else. I also cleaned up the kitchen from dinner. Camille is really upset tonight, probably just over-tired. Poor thing. She's been upstairs screaming, and Daniel isn't having much success calming her down. I should probably go help. I am sure nursing will help her to calm down. I've been kind of sore lately, though. I think she kind of gnaws on me a bit.
On Saturday, we slept in, put Christmas away and put Brooke down for a nap. She took a pretty good one, so in the afternoon, we went out. Just to do a little shopping. We went to the mall. I exchanged my Bath and Body Works lotions that I got for Christmas for several bottles of body wash. The whole mall was having super sales, which I found odd. The week after Christmas. Anyway, we went to a few other places, looking for yoga pants for me (some that would actually fit and didn't need to be altered ... not an easy task, given my unbelievable height. We were not successful that day) and a new comforter for our bed. And, of course, Daniel took Brooke on the merry-go-round there. We had a good time. Camille slept most of the time. She doesn't especially love being in her car seat, but once the car gets moving, she generally falls right to sleep. And then she continues sleeping just fine as we stroll her around places. We got home that night just in time to feed Brooke a little something and put her to bed.
Sunday was fairly uneventful. Church was good. Brooke loves going to nursery, and all the leaders are quite smitten with her. She's always anxious to get going while we are in Sacrament meeting. Daniel had a new class. He teaches the 11-12 year-olds in Primary, and it being the start of a new year, he had all new kids. He's a pretty awesome teacher. He team teaches with another man from the Spanish Branch. One day when his partner was going to be out of town, he asked me to go to his class and be his team teacher for the day. It was fun to watch him teach those kids. He was really great at it! He was clear and simple in his teaching, and he encouraged the kids to do better.
After church, Salvador came over for dinner. I made butternut squash and sage risotto (YUM!) and we had a good time catching up with him. We haven't seen much of anyone since we had Camille, which is understandable. But I think Daniel wants us to start reaching out to people again. And with Camille being such a good baby, I suppose it's entirely possible. We're starting to get into a bit of a groove.
Last night, we went to a baptism of our friend, Christine Liu. She's a Chinese girl who has been investigating the church for many months. The missionaries came to our house to teach some of her lessons, so we got to know her a bit. She's been waiting for her mom to get home from China so that she could get baptized. Her mom is ready to join the church, too, but some family issues have come up. Anyway, Brooke took a late nap, luckily, so we carted the girls off to the baptism. Brooke was really charming the people in our vicinity. She kept singing, whether or not the piano was playing. We tried to get her to be a bit quieter, but we were only partly successful.
Brooke has been so cute lately. The past few days, she has been insisting on carrying around the little copy of the Book of Mormon that we've been reading with her, and also my old slide cell phone. I just let her use it as a toy, since I got my new phone a year and a half ago. It's so funny. This morning, she wanted her scriptures, her phone, her lips (chapstick) and her quarter. It was a little much for her to carry in her little hands, so I had her grab her little purse (the one I made her) to put it all in, and she carried it around for a while. But mostly she likes to carry her phone and Book of Mormon.
Today we had a great day. In the morning, we cleaned up a little (I did my designated chores for the day) and read in her new favorite book, the princess book she got for Christmas. She super loves that book! She mostly wants the stories of Ariel. I try reading other ones to her, and she always asks for Ariel. Sometimes she allows me to read stories of Belle, but not much. :) She asks to read that book all the time.
Camille usually sleeps the whole morning away, and I always wake her up around the time I put Brooke down for a nap, just so I can feed her. But this morning, she didn't sleep so well. So we brought her out into the loft to play. We pulled out toys to dangle in front of her face, we read her some books, we talked to her. Brooke was fun. She wanted to lay down next to her and read next to her. While she was still awake, I gave her and Brooke a bath. Brooke had a bath yesterday, but she always wants to get in with Camille. Before Brooke got into the bath, I could tell she needed to poop, so I held her over the toilet to poop in. It was very exciting. I gave her a treat later for going poop in the toilet. We're hoping she feels more motivated when she has little experiences like that.
It's been a rough sleeping day for Camille. She usually sleeps a ton. But today she hasn't slept for long stretches, except for this afternoon. While Brooke was napping, I nursed Camille to sleep while watching "Castle" and then held her for a while just letting her sleep. I put her down in our bed just before Brooke woke up, and she slept for the rest of the afternoon while Brooke and I played. We went outside to blow bubbles and throw balls. There are a couple of neighborhood girls that really love Brooke and think she's cute. Daniel has taken her out to play with them before. They found us while we were outside today, and they came to play with Brooke. She had a really good time with them ... up to a certain point. She liked throwing balls with them and blowing bubbles. But when they started wanting her to play things she didn't understand or do things she didn't feel comfortable doing, she was done. We went inside and watched "Frozen" instead, after I woke up Camille to feed her.
Today was laundry day, so tonight, Daniel and I have been teaming up to finish. He did all of his ironing, and I folded everything else. I also cleaned up the kitchen from dinner. Camille is really upset tonight, probably just over-tired. Poor thing. She's been upstairs screaming, and Daniel isn't having much success calming her down. I should probably go help. I am sure nursing will help her to calm down. I've been kind of sore lately, though. I think she kind of gnaws on me a bit.
Friday, January 2, 2015
Finally Caught Up
Whew! I've been trying for weeks to get all caught up in my journal. Taking such a long break from writing after having a baby was not the best of ideas. But what else could I do? It was pretty crazy around here for a while, as well you know.
And so, I feel much better, knowing that I at least have all the big, important stuff down, even if I did miss some of the fun, cute details. Details like: once when we were going to pick Daniel up from work, the girls are in their car seats in the back, Brooke starts naming off colors randomly. At first, I think she sees Christmas lights all around town, and she's just calling out the colors she sees. But that didn't completely make sense. Then I realized she was calling out the colors she was seeing on our car stereo! It changes colors constantly, and she was just naming the colors she saw as they were changing. It was so cute and funny when I finally realized what she was doing.
Anywho, I don't know what this year is going to bring. I really haven't thought too much about what I'd like to accomplish. Well ... I suppose that's not entirely true. Daniel and I have batted around the idea of running a half marathon together, in honor of Camille, by around her 1st birthday. That means that I have to start training, like, 2 months ago. I've started a walking program, just to build up my strength and fitness a little bit and to lose some weight.
That's another of my goals: get down to my goal weight. I was doing pretty well about the time we got pregnant with Camille. I was counting calories and really working out a lot, and I was down to what I was before Brooke was born. Now I'd like to get even past that, if I can, to be about what I was when we got married. I still have 25 pounds to go, though, if that's my goal. Ooo. That'll take me, like, 6 months!
It's hard to think of good things to work on because I have this new, demanding little creature to take care of. So, I can talk all I want about the improvements I'd like to make in the house, in my body, in my mind, etc., etc., etc. But it'll depend in a large part on how Camille is. We'll get her better sleep trained in the next few months, so I'll have more time at night. But taking care of 2 kids takes a lot of time.
Despite that, I would like to do what I did last year, and every month take a section of the house to work on. De-junk. Re-organize. Deep-clean. It worked well last year, and I've already started on my January list, which is the kitchen. I especially think it's important to de-junk and re-organize since there is a good chance we'll be moving into a smaller house sometime this year. Daniel is looking at getting a job in LA, which means we'll likely be moving somewhere closer to the city so he doesn't have such an awful commute. We've talked about moving back to Burbank. But it means we'll be paying a lot more for less space. A downsize. And we have a lot of stuff.
Another thing I'd like to do this year is read more. I kind of got out of the groove of reading when I went to school, and then read a bit more once I graduated, and then stopped reading so much when Brooke was born. Busy season is coming up very soon, within the next few weeks. And normally I'd have a list of projects to work on and fill my evening time, while Daniel is working so much. But, I don't have a list of projects right now, nothing big that I really even want to work on, and I do still have a small baby, who is probably going to need me to hold her a lot at nights. Books are a good remedy for this situation. I need to stimulate my mind more with books, and I could do less of the mind-numbing activity of getting into tv shows. Plus, my book list is ridiculously long. I'm never going to get through it unless I commit to dedicating more of my time to reading. So, this year will be a year of many books for me, ... hopefully.
I've already read several books in the last few months since Camille was born. With a new baby, I spend a lot of time sitting. I sit and nurse a baby. I sit and pump. I sit and hold a sleeping baby (which is what I'm doing right now, as I'm writing). All this sitting leaves me a little bored and restless ... unless I also have a book in my hands. I downloaded an app on my phone that connects to libraries. You can download audio books and digital books. I've read several books on my phone. And while I would rather have a read, tangible book in my hands, I always have my phone, and it's just ever so convenient to pull up a book on my phone and read.
We'll see what this year brings us. So far I see a lot of caring for my family and a lot of fun with 2 cute little girls. Possibly a job change for Daniel and a move closer into the city (which isn't the happiest of thoughts for me). I hope I can be a better, more loving and patient mommy, get myself better organized, and do more fun things for holidays and birthdays throughout the year. I hope to be a better wife and to plan fun dates for my handsome husband. And I hope that I can better myself and my relationship with my Savior. That is probably the most important goal of this year.
And so, I feel much better, knowing that I at least have all the big, important stuff down, even if I did miss some of the fun, cute details. Details like: once when we were going to pick Daniel up from work, the girls are in their car seats in the back, Brooke starts naming off colors randomly. At first, I think she sees Christmas lights all around town, and she's just calling out the colors she sees. But that didn't completely make sense. Then I realized she was calling out the colors she was seeing on our car stereo! It changes colors constantly, and she was just naming the colors she saw as they were changing. It was so cute and funny when I finally realized what she was doing.
Anywho, I don't know what this year is going to bring. I really haven't thought too much about what I'd like to accomplish. Well ... I suppose that's not entirely true. Daniel and I have batted around the idea of running a half marathon together, in honor of Camille, by around her 1st birthday. That means that I have to start training, like, 2 months ago. I've started a walking program, just to build up my strength and fitness a little bit and to lose some weight.
That's another of my goals: get down to my goal weight. I was doing pretty well about the time we got pregnant with Camille. I was counting calories and really working out a lot, and I was down to what I was before Brooke was born. Now I'd like to get even past that, if I can, to be about what I was when we got married. I still have 25 pounds to go, though, if that's my goal. Ooo. That'll take me, like, 6 months!
It's hard to think of good things to work on because I have this new, demanding little creature to take care of. So, I can talk all I want about the improvements I'd like to make in the house, in my body, in my mind, etc., etc., etc. But it'll depend in a large part on how Camille is. We'll get her better sleep trained in the next few months, so I'll have more time at night. But taking care of 2 kids takes a lot of time.
Despite that, I would like to do what I did last year, and every month take a section of the house to work on. De-junk. Re-organize. Deep-clean. It worked well last year, and I've already started on my January list, which is the kitchen. I especially think it's important to de-junk and re-organize since there is a good chance we'll be moving into a smaller house sometime this year. Daniel is looking at getting a job in LA, which means we'll likely be moving somewhere closer to the city so he doesn't have such an awful commute. We've talked about moving back to Burbank. But it means we'll be paying a lot more for less space. A downsize. And we have a lot of stuff.
Another thing I'd like to do this year is read more. I kind of got out of the groove of reading when I went to school, and then read a bit more once I graduated, and then stopped reading so much when Brooke was born. Busy season is coming up very soon, within the next few weeks. And normally I'd have a list of projects to work on and fill my evening time, while Daniel is working so much. But, I don't have a list of projects right now, nothing big that I really even want to work on, and I do still have a small baby, who is probably going to need me to hold her a lot at nights. Books are a good remedy for this situation. I need to stimulate my mind more with books, and I could do less of the mind-numbing activity of getting into tv shows. Plus, my book list is ridiculously long. I'm never going to get through it unless I commit to dedicating more of my time to reading. So, this year will be a year of many books for me, ... hopefully.
I've already read several books in the last few months since Camille was born. With a new baby, I spend a lot of time sitting. I sit and nurse a baby. I sit and pump. I sit and hold a sleeping baby (which is what I'm doing right now, as I'm writing). All this sitting leaves me a little bored and restless ... unless I also have a book in my hands. I downloaded an app on my phone that connects to libraries. You can download audio books and digital books. I've read several books on my phone. And while I would rather have a read, tangible book in my hands, I always have my phone, and it's just ever so convenient to pull up a book on my phone and read.
We'll see what this year brings us. So far I see a lot of caring for my family and a lot of fun with 2 cute little girls. Possibly a job change for Daniel and a move closer into the city (which isn't the happiest of thoughts for me). I hope I can be a better, more loving and patient mommy, get myself better organized, and do more fun things for holidays and birthdays throughout the year. I hope to be a better wife and to plan fun dates for my handsome husband. And I hope that I can better myself and my relationship with my Savior. That is probably the most important goal of this year.
New Years' Celebration
On Christmas, Kira Bowen, my cousin David's wife, sent me a text inviting us to go up to their house for New Years Eve. We didn't have any plans, of course, so we decided to go up. Daniel worked a partial day on Wednesday, the 31st. They let everyone go home early from work, because it was a holiday, so Daniel got home, we gathered everything together and put the babies in the car and left. It took us about 3 hours to get there since we had to stop once to change and feed Camille. It was a pretty pleasant trip up there. Daniel and I started listening to a book, "Unbroken", Camille slept most of the time, and Brooke snacked on chips and crackers and read from her princess book.
We got there about 6pm. Brooke hadn't taken a nap, so we had dinner with them and tried to get Brooke off to bed quickly. Once Brooke was in bed, and Camille was still sleeping in her car seat, we played some games with the little Bowen kids. Kira pulled together some funny "Minute to Win It" games: 1) put an Oreo on your forehead and move it down your face, into your mouth and eat it without using your hands in less than a minute; 2) put some oranges in the feet of some stockings, put the stocking waste band around your head, and without using your hands or moving very far from your central location, knock over a circle of water bottles in less than a minute. It was good fun, and so funny to watch those kids do it. I was dying!
We played some other games, then watched a countdown video with the kids before they went to bed (it was 9pm). Once the kids were in bed, we grownups played another games, called "Wits and Wagers", which was really fun. It asked a trivia question which we had to write down our guess for the correct answer, we would bet on each others answers, and then find out the real one. We really enjoyed it. Then we talked and snacked until midnight, yelled "Happy New Year!", and promptly went to bed. I was exhausted. I was pretty much ready for bed when the kids went to bed. :)
It was a bit rough, all 4 of us sleeping in the same room. Brooke woke up when we went in to bed and was a bit restless and fussy for a while. She started crying at one point and woke up Camille. I put Brooke back down and told her to go back to sleep, and then started walking Camille around to put her back to sleep. A little later, Brooke woke up, stood up in her crib, and started fussing again. I told her to lay down and go to sleep. Then about an hour later, Camille woke up to eat. I didn't get much sleep that night.
Camille woke up around 7am to feed again, and not much later, Brooke woke up to play with the kids, and Camille and I went back to sleep for another 3 hours. It was glorious!
We lazed through the whole day yesterday, me mostly taking care of the baby and talking to the kids. Brooke and Daniel played games and colored with the kids. It was a nice day. Brooke, of course, didn't sleep, again. I think she was too worked up and excited to be with so many cool people.
We had dinner, and then we put Brooke to bed. She woke up several times and cried for a while. Daniel usually went in to her, to comfort her and put her back to bed. Once, while we were all playing Skip-Bo, Daniel brought her out to be with us for a little while before putting her back; and even then, she started crying again after a little while. Silly girl.
We stayed up talking and playing games with David and Kira after all the kids went to bed. I really love to be around them. Kira and I are very similar in many ways. And she is the mother I aspire to be someday, so I was just drinking it all in! Her house, the way she treats her kids, the activities that they are all into, everything. It was just refreshing to be in such a loving and peaceful atmosphere. That's not to say it wasn't crazy with all those kids, because it was. But everyone was obviously well taken care of, and you could see they all loved each other and loved to be with each other. I would love to live close to them!
Anyway, we left this morning, after Camille and I finally woke up and fed. The drive back was uneventful. We listened to that book some more and stopped once to get gas and feed Camille. Brooke was clearly so tired towards the end of the drive. We gave her her pacifiers, but she was still a bit grumpy and fussy. She's fortunately taking a nap. Hopefully we can get her well-rested again in the next couple of days.
We got there about 6pm. Brooke hadn't taken a nap, so we had dinner with them and tried to get Brooke off to bed quickly. Once Brooke was in bed, and Camille was still sleeping in her car seat, we played some games with the little Bowen kids. Kira pulled together some funny "Minute to Win It" games: 1) put an Oreo on your forehead and move it down your face, into your mouth and eat it without using your hands in less than a minute; 2) put some oranges in the feet of some stockings, put the stocking waste band around your head, and without using your hands or moving very far from your central location, knock over a circle of water bottles in less than a minute. It was good fun, and so funny to watch those kids do it. I was dying!
We played some other games, then watched a countdown video with the kids before they went to bed (it was 9pm). Once the kids were in bed, we grownups played another games, called "Wits and Wagers", which was really fun. It asked a trivia question which we had to write down our guess for the correct answer, we would bet on each others answers, and then find out the real one. We really enjoyed it. Then we talked and snacked until midnight, yelled "Happy New Year!", and promptly went to bed. I was exhausted. I was pretty much ready for bed when the kids went to bed. :)
It was a bit rough, all 4 of us sleeping in the same room. Brooke woke up when we went in to bed and was a bit restless and fussy for a while. She started crying at one point and woke up Camille. I put Brooke back down and told her to go back to sleep, and then started walking Camille around to put her back to sleep. A little later, Brooke woke up, stood up in her crib, and started fussing again. I told her to lay down and go to sleep. Then about an hour later, Camille woke up to eat. I didn't get much sleep that night.
Camille woke up around 7am to feed again, and not much later, Brooke woke up to play with the kids, and Camille and I went back to sleep for another 3 hours. It was glorious!
We lazed through the whole day yesterday, me mostly taking care of the baby and talking to the kids. Brooke and Daniel played games and colored with the kids. It was a nice day. Brooke, of course, didn't sleep, again. I think she was too worked up and excited to be with so many cool people.
We had dinner, and then we put Brooke to bed. She woke up several times and cried for a while. Daniel usually went in to her, to comfort her and put her back to bed. Once, while we were all playing Skip-Bo, Daniel brought her out to be with us for a little while before putting her back; and even then, she started crying again after a little while. Silly girl.
We stayed up talking and playing games with David and Kira after all the kids went to bed. I really love to be around them. Kira and I are very similar in many ways. And she is the mother I aspire to be someday, so I was just drinking it all in! Her house, the way she treats her kids, the activities that they are all into, everything. It was just refreshing to be in such a loving and peaceful atmosphere. That's not to say it wasn't crazy with all those kids, because it was. But everyone was obviously well taken care of, and you could see they all loved each other and loved to be with each other. I would love to live close to them!
Anyway, we left this morning, after Camille and I finally woke up and fed. The drive back was uneventful. We listened to that book some more and stopped once to get gas and feed Camille. Brooke was clearly so tired towards the end of the drive. We gave her her pacifiers, but she was still a bit grumpy and fussy. She's fortunately taking a nap. Hopefully we can get her well-rested again in the next couple of days.
Christmas
We had a wonderful Christmas! Since we have a new, little baby, and since Daniel had taken off a lot of work for Camille and for Emily's wedding (so he didn't have any time off left), we decided to stay home for Christmas. It was our first time not being at one of our family's houses for Christmas since we've been married ... well, really, the first time ever. I was kind of excited that it was just going to be our little family for Christmas.
Brooke, Camille and I did some shopping for Daniel in the days leading up to Christmas Eve. And I had some grocery shopping to do, because I had plans to do some delicious food for the holidays. On Christmas Eve, I made a nice dinner, which we had fairly early in the evening. Then we went to a Christmas Open House at a friend's house in our ward. We visited with people, and Brooke played with some of the kids there, and then we went home and put Brooke to bed. Santa was coming, so she needed to get to bed!
Daniel and I stayed up to wrap presents and help Santa, while watching Christmas movies, of course. We had a good night. We didn't have to stay up too late, because Brooke was already in bed. And then there's the fact that we go to bed pretty late, anyway, because of Camille. So it worked out alright.
We all slept in on Christmas morning. Then when we went to go get Brooke, we read some scriptures about the Christmas story. We went downstairs to open presents. Brooke didn't really know what was going on or what to do. She started going through her stocking, and then stopping and playing with whatever she pulled out first, like she didn't know there was more to it. We'd prompt her to keep going through her stocking, and she kept getting distracted by whatever she pulled out next. Daniel eventually helped her empty out her stocking. She even got tired of opening presents by the end. She had one more present, a box of new church shoes, that she refused to open. It took us a while to convince her to open it.
It took us a long time to open all our presents. It was a little confusing, because I had to nurse the baby and pump right off, and then we took a break after going through Brooke's stocking to have some cereal, the fun cereal we all got in our stockings. Then we kept opening presents, taking more breaks now and then to help Brooke, to play with something or read a new book, or to take care of Camille.
We got some good stuff, though. Mom sent us good movies and a couple of games (Stratego and Murder Mystery -- a host a murder dinner set). Daniel got some ties, a plaid shirt (he just looks so good in them), a new cell phone case, some little things in his stocking (cuties, gum packets, subway gift card, candy, cereal), and something scandalous. Brooke got a Rapunzel plush doll, new tights, bubbles, candy, cuties, cereal, plastic animal figurines in her stocking. She also got new shoes, some clothes for Dolly and a princess story book, which she really loves and has been reading and looking at the pictures a lot since Christmas. We (and Santa) didn't know quite what to get Camille, because she's such a little baby. But she ended up getting some food (which she shared with us), a Minnie Mouse dolly (which perhaps Santa should have given Brooke, since she loves it), a new Boppy cover, and some Dr. Seuss baby board books, which Brooke also loves.
Daniel got me some really fancy pearl earrings and some classic books that I wanted. And the girls got me some smelly-good lotion and bubble bath from Bath and Body Works.
For the rest of the day, we just ate a lot, napped, watched "Tangled" and relaxed. I made a good breakfast when we were all done wrapping presents. Actually, it ended up being more of a brunch: omelets for Daniel and Brooke, and a delicious tofu scramble for me, a new recipe that I was skeptical of but ended up being really good. We also skyped with the family and went to the park later in the day. It was pretty cold and getting dark by the time we went to the park, so on the way home, we picked up sticks to take home so we could build a fire. It was nice to warm up to a cozy fire when we got home, and it felt very festive.
*Santa came and brought Disney!*
Daniel and I had fun Christmas Eve night. After we put Brooke to bed, we put on "Elf" and wrapped presents, etc. all night. It was fun, since this was the first time we had "played Santa". We are usually not on our own for the holidays. I liked it. :)
Brooke, Camille and I did some shopping for Daniel in the days leading up to Christmas Eve. And I had some grocery shopping to do, because I had plans to do some delicious food for the holidays. On Christmas Eve, I made a nice dinner, which we had fairly early in the evening. Then we went to a Christmas Open House at a friend's house in our ward. We visited with people, and Brooke played with some of the kids there, and then we went home and put Brooke to bed. Santa was coming, so she needed to get to bed!
Daniel and I stayed up to wrap presents and help Santa, while watching Christmas movies, of course. We had a good night. We didn't have to stay up too late, because Brooke was already in bed. And then there's the fact that we go to bed pretty late, anyway, because of Camille. So it worked out alright.
We all slept in on Christmas morning. Then when we went to go get Brooke, we read some scriptures about the Christmas story. We went downstairs to open presents. Brooke didn't really know what was going on or what to do. She started going through her stocking, and then stopping and playing with whatever she pulled out first, like she didn't know there was more to it. We'd prompt her to keep going through her stocking, and she kept getting distracted by whatever she pulled out next. Daniel eventually helped her empty out her stocking. She even got tired of opening presents by the end. She had one more present, a box of new church shoes, that she refused to open. It took us a while to convince her to open it.
It took us a long time to open all our presents. It was a little confusing, because I had to nurse the baby and pump right off, and then we took a break after going through Brooke's stocking to have some cereal, the fun cereal we all got in our stockings. Then we kept opening presents, taking more breaks now and then to help Brooke, to play with something or read a new book, or to take care of Camille.
We got some good stuff, though. Mom sent us good movies and a couple of games (Stratego and Murder Mystery -- a host a murder dinner set). Daniel got some ties, a plaid shirt (he just looks so good in them), a new cell phone case, some little things in his stocking (cuties, gum packets, subway gift card, candy, cereal), and something scandalous. Brooke got a Rapunzel plush doll, new tights, bubbles, candy, cuties, cereal, plastic animal figurines in her stocking. She also got new shoes, some clothes for Dolly and a princess story book, which she really loves and has been reading and looking at the pictures a lot since Christmas. We (and Santa) didn't know quite what to get Camille, because she's such a little baby. But she ended up getting some food (which she shared with us), a Minnie Mouse dolly (which perhaps Santa should have given Brooke, since she loves it), a new Boppy cover, and some Dr. Seuss baby board books, which Brooke also loves.
Daniel got me some really fancy pearl earrings and some classic books that I wanted. And the girls got me some smelly-good lotion and bubble bath from Bath and Body Works.
For the rest of the day, we just ate a lot, napped, watched "Tangled" and relaxed. I made a good breakfast when we were all done wrapping presents. Actually, it ended up being more of a brunch: omelets for Daniel and Brooke, and a delicious tofu scramble for me, a new recipe that I was skeptical of but ended up being really good. We also skyped with the family and went to the park later in the day. It was pretty cold and getting dark by the time we went to the park, so on the way home, we picked up sticks to take home so we could build a fire. It was nice to warm up to a cozy fire when we got home, and it felt very festive.
Daniel and I had fun Christmas Eve night. After we put Brooke to bed, we put on "Elf" and wrapped presents, etc. all night. It was fun, since this was the first time we had "played Santa". We are usually not on our own for the holidays. I liked it. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)