Is It Naptime Yet

When you’re busy time flies. Last week I think I did well at getting my work done. I should have read more and watched a couple more lectures. But the discussion postings that I needed for my three online classes all got done, though one was not my best work. I’m trying hard to stay on top because I think I can get B’s, but if I slack I know those might fall to C’s.
Saturday we were able to go to a temple session. It was the first time we’ve left the girls with someone. They were with some friends, the Lee’s. They have six kids, so ours just blended, plus theirs love to play with Lilah. It was nice to have some time to ourselves.

Today Eden had a doctor’s appointment. She weighed 15 lbs. 14 oz. and is 26 1/4 inches tall, or long, however you want to look at it. She’s now in the fiftieth percentiles, so I think she’s going to stop gaining so much weight, like Lilah did, and settle into a smaller percentile. We’ll see, she may turn out to be bigger then Lilah, but I think she’ll be smaller than average still. Both my girls had to get shots. 🙁 Lilah did well and didn’t cry, and Eden started to cry at the third shot. She calmed down pretty quickly though and was pretty good while we were at my parents. I went there to have my mom refreshed my memory about putting in zippers. So I got Eden’s in, mine will wait until I get the hem line even on my skirt. I only have three weekends left, and two of them I have other things to do, so hopefully I can get them done. AAHHH! I think I can be done as long as no problems arise. Saturday it seemed like whenever I got something done, it wasn’t working and I had to take the stitching out. it was nuts. I just need to be patient and pay more attention to what I’m doing.

Lilah was sick this weekend, and so my mom on Sunday gave us some cough medicine, because she’s just been coughing. I gave her some on Sunday night and she slept okay that night, woke up at about 6:45 am, had fun talking to daddy while he got ready for work, but then I made her sit in bed with me while Jon took his shower. She fell back asleep and didn’t wake up until 11:00. So yesterday she didn’t take a nap and we got her to bed “early”. I put in in quotes because the plan was to get her into bed by 8:30, but it didn’t happen until 9, which is just half an hour early. She woke up like normal today and now is back in bed, (it’s 12:56), but only because she didn’t eat her lunch. We had potpie and rice last night for dinner. It was a Marie Calendar’s pot pie, which is new for us, so she didn’t eat it very well. Last night she only ate half her serving because I put some away and we told her she couldn’t have any ice cream sandwich if she didn’t finish her dinner. SO today for lunch we were to eat the leftovers. She didn’t want to. So I set a timer and repeatedly told her she had to eat her rice and pot pie by the time it went off, or no lunch. I then raised the stakes and said she would have to take a nap if her lunch wasn’t eaten. I also had bread with butter and honey there for her to eat once she was done, because having something she likes, usually helps her eat. She said she would eat once the timer went off and I tried to tell her once it went off she would be going to bed if her lunch wasn’t eaten and I kept telling me to be quite because Eden was asleep. I was frustrated because she wasn’t eating. So then the timer goes off. (I had set it for ten minutes) and she gets a look and then decides she might try to take a bit of food. The look of let me redeem myself now that the time has run out. But I swiftly took her tray away and said we needed to go to bed, because when we don’t eat we have to take an early nap. I’m not sure if she needs it, but she hasn’t exited the room yet. I’m not sure if I want to use naps as a punishment for not eating, but I also figure one of the reason’s she’s not eating is because she’s tired, or doesn’t like it. I guess I just didn’t have any leverage this time. Last time we were at odds about eating lunch we had planned on taking a walk after lunch, so I was able to negotiate her to eat or we wouldn’t take our walk. (I know I’m a horrible mom for not letting my child exercise. ) She really wanted to take a walk, so she ate her lunch. Today it was just that she couldn’t eat anything until dinner. In which i hope she doesn’t get too hungry, or wake up too early before dinner, because I know she’ll be hungry.

P.S. She woke up and I was soft and gave her the bread and honey to eat.

They wouldn’t let me put all my pictures on one blog, so here are the rest from Sunday.

Here on some close-ups. They were lying on Jon’s belly and legs.

Here is the family on a Sunday morning before we’ve showered.
I hope these are enough pictures to satisfy Amber. 🙂

This weekend was interesting, starting with Saturday. Lilah had been in the living room, and I vaguely remember hearing her say how pretty she was, then she came into our bedroom, and showed us how pretty she was.

She kept telling us how pretty she was since she wrote on herself. Jon and I have mixed feelings about children writing on themselves with pens. He’s okay and I’m not so okay with it. This is the type of occurrence that makes it not okay. Anyways, she’s cute, just blue.

I was able to get the girls dresses cut out. Hooray! Eden slept and Jon watched them while I did it.
Eden also had her first solid food on Saturday, rice cereal, but I have yet to give it to her again. I will today. It just adds one more thing to the routine, which will multiply by three before I know it and I will be making baby food, and feeding her all the time. I just can’t imagine having to fit feeding Eden solid foods into my day. It’s just a few minutes a day, but when you add up all the minutes it takes, you lose an hour or two a day, and I already have so much to do.

Here are some fun pictures we took on Sunday. Eden lost her sock, so Lilah was trying to put the sock back on Eden, but Eden kicks her legs to much. Lilah is still learning the art of putting on her own socks. I’m sure she could do tons more if I gave her the time to learn and didn’t rush her so often. In this picture she was trying to put Eden’s sock back on, and she kept saying “Let me put your sock back on Eden.”

Classes started back up this Tuesday. I think this will be my busiest semester ever. I have six books to read for History, two for my women in crime class, the Bible for my Bible as Literature class and a textbook for my psy class. How did I get myself into this!?! My mind is already revolting at the thought of how much information I will be processing. I must stay positive though. I know if I take the time I can do it, it’s a matter of finding the time. I have a Tuesday evening class, which I think will be fun. It’s Social Psychology, so my teacher is focused on the fact that we will contribute to class. There are also a couple of girls I’ve already befriended, so it seems like I’ll get adult contact on a weekly bases. Not that I don’t get adult contact, I do have a husband and go to church weekly, but it’s nice to go and meet other people.

This weekend was fun though. We had Andrea’s bridal shower, and I think it went well. Everyone seemed to like the games and it was fun to have Andrea stuff ten pieces of gum in her mouth for the bubble gum game. She really should have had twelve, but I was nice a couple of times and only gave her half pieces. (the game is one where we get answers from the groom ahead of time, and then the bride has to get the correct answer that the groom gave, otherwise she gets a piece of gum.) It was enjoyable though.

Monday I sewed most of by skirt together, I need to alter it a little because of the edging that’s on it. so I have the waistband left and the zipper. I’m hoping to get the girls dresses cut out this weekend, and start sewing on them the next weekend. I hope to be done by the second week of February, so I can then go to my Mom’s house and do the button holes and zippers, by machine doesn’t do either of those. Lots to do, but so little time.

Life is crazy, but when is it not?

I’ve finally finished the girls drapes!!! It only took me five months, but hey who’s counting. I got a good start then school started and then it seemed whenever I had down time there were either other things that needed to get done, or I wanted to relax because of all the other things I was doing. It was just tough to get going at times. But I think they look great, and they really block out the light, I have blackout fabric in them, so when summer comes I think they’ll help a lot, and right now they’ll help with the cold. Now I just have to cut out and work on our living and dinning room sets.I would also like to paint the girls room, but Jon says I would have to do it alone because there are too many other home improvement items on his lists that need to get done, painting is just a it looks better project, not it needs to be done so we can use it project. If the walls were white, I’m sure he might want to get it done sooner, but being the skin tone tan, as Andrea described them, they’re more acceptable. I just think it’s fun seeing their room take on personality, rather then just being blinds, or whatever we get to block out the light. (We used blankets and a cut up duvet cover that we bought at DI for our old place. Why make drapes if we didn’t own the home we were living in. But those are now in our living room to cut the glare out, our TV is right across from the window and we get a lot of sun though it.)

Here is a close up of the fabric. It does make you a little dizzy, but only because there is so much fabric compared to wall space. The room is 9×11 feet, and the wall with the window is 9 feet with a nearly a six foot window!

School starts next week…Yikes… I just hope I can handle it. Eden and Lilah are both needing a lot of attention. Eden is getting older and wants attention, and Lilah is noticing that, which makes her also want more attention. She doesn’t like to do as much by herself, but she will read and talk to Eden. The other day I was doing dishes and had Eden in the exersaucer, and Lilah woke up from her nap, so she read a couple books to Eden and then brought her blocks over to build. Though Eden is in a stationary object, Lilah Kept saying “They’re my blocks Eden, you can’t play with them”, or “Watch out Eden, don’t knock over my blocks.” It was just amusing.
I’ve also had a slobbering Eden. Here’s a picture of her foaming at the mouth. I think she’s getting ready to start teething, or at least push a tooth through. Plus we’ll start her on solids later this month, on the 25th, unless she starts eating too much before then.

I guess I’m more writing this down so my children and grandchildren can know about me and why I chose to go to school. Also in a conversation it was mentioned about why I’m getting an education in psychology, what can I do with it? Really I don’t plan on doing anything with it. But maybe someday I’ll get a masters and go into counseling of some kind, or maybe not. The future is a long ways away and I may change my mind.

To tell the truth about why I went to college is because it was expected of me and I didn’t know what else to do. Most of my friends were going to college and it was just the next step. I worked at a law office at the time I graduated high school it was expected of me to go to college. It was just the natural thing to do. It sounds pathetic really. I went because I had the opportunity, but it more or less fell into my lap.

I went to UNLV because there was the millennium scholarship. In which I had to graduate with a weighted GPA of 3.0 from a Nevada high school, and that was really all that was required, from that they gave me $960 per semester, about half of my tuition and fees, so I went. It would have been dumb not to. I decided I would have psychology as my major. This seems like a strange choice, but in reality it goes back to 8th grade, where they did a career quiz and decided what field you would be good in, psychology was what they scored me for. So that was my first exposure to Psychology. Then has I got older and was first attending UNLV I decided it would be fun to be a criminal psychologist, that is if I ever went into a serious career. Then I decided that would be too crazy of a career, just mentally, so I figured maybe if I ever do have a career I would want to work with wayward teenagers, or pregnant unwed mothers, all within the church social system, so I could use religious opinions as part of the counseling. I’m not sure if the church has their own counselling system, but I do know they have their own social work system for adopting, and that would be were I fit in. But in truth I’m only getting my education because it’s been free and I’ve been able to go to school. I don’t plan on ever using it for a career except if Jon died, or became disabled, or if I wanted to when I’m older. I really can say, I like the idea of not needing to worry about working. I like the thought of being a mom and doing things around the house. I like the thought of being supported by my husband, that’s his job, my job is to be a mother and wife. I like the thought that if I never work, I would be able to go across country and take care of my daughter during the last weeks of pregnancy, or the first weeks of her child’s life, if necessary. I enjoy knowing that I can fulfil my duties as a mother because my husband supports me, not just financially but spiritually. At one point I mentioned when I was done being a mother I might have a career, and my mother-in-law said, you’re never done being a mother. I meant once my children are out of the house. She meant that work as a mother is never done. Granted she was about 68-69 when her last child left the nest, due to the fact that two of her children have down syndrome, and I think she would have had them stay even longer, if it weren’t for the fact that she’s getting older and so is dad, so she needs to focus her energy on him, and they needed to become more self reliant.

In other truth. I also want to have a degree to show the importance of an education to my children. I don’t know the exact numbers, but children are more likely to go to college of their mother has a four year degree. I also want to set the example of going not to make money, but to improve yourself and any opportunities that may come your way. I also am shaping myself as a person while I go to school, and shaping my spirit. I go to school to help me. It gives me joy and substance to my life to be a student and a mother. I’m proud to say I’m a mother, but I’m also proud to say I’m a student, and that I may never use my education for financial gain. Going to school has also helped us when we’ve been unemployed. My scholarship money and loan money has helped us through those times. Had I stopped when I was married, or once I had Lilah, I know we would be worse off financially. Also we’ve been told to get an education by the prophet. The church has set up the perpetual education fund to help our return missionaries gain educations to better their lives and to raise themselves and their families out of poverty.

I know psychology is kinda a fluff science, but had I chosen another degree, I wonder if I would be finishing in the Fall. I’ve been able to take so many classes on-line, and that has greatly blessed and forwarded my education. I really just want a degree. Since I may never use it in the career world, why not take what I’ve been given. Granted I may have changed majors had other degree’s been available on-line, but this one works for me and my needs.

In reality it seems nice to be able to say that the state paid me for my education. Through the 5 1/2 years of scholarships, grants, and now tuition reimbursement with Jon working there, it’s covered any expenses of fees, books, or gas. So even if I get no financial gain later, I have already gotten financial gain now by going. Not to mention my testimony which has strengthened through getting an education and enduring other trials while pursuing one.

To sum it all up. I don’t want to use my education to get gain in this life financially, I want to use it to improve myself so I can e a better mother and wife, not to mention the security of at least having a four year degree.

Life has been busy. Carolyn, Kristi, and I are planning Andrea’s Bridal shower, and we’re also trying to include Christa, one of Andrea’s bridesmaids. She’s a sweetheart, but very busy, so she’s bringing the cake. Kristi is doing the food and Carolyn and I will be in charge of the games. I’m trying not to be to controlling. I have a tendency to do that, so I’m mostly giving suggestions. I have lots of time on my hands, though I should be using it to clean and organize my house, I instead got a list together of games and sent them to Carolyn, so we can decide what to do. It’s been busy. We also need to decide what to give away for the games. We’ll probably need to go out this next week, since it is this next Saturday.

Yesterday was sooo busy. I dropped Jon off at work, and he took Lilah with him, so I could run errands on campus, he works at UNLV. I had to get my minor declared, and I got advised for my last two semesters, and put in the starting work for my graduation application. I’ll have to go back and pick the packet up on the 27th. It took about an hour and a half since I was at the advising center for 45 minutes, it took them half an hour to get me in. Then just walking across campus with Eden and waiting in line at Student Services. Luckily Lilah just hung out on Jon’s and Andrea’s laps while they worked, and then played just a little with them. I just hope she wasn’t too much of a distraction. Their is no supervisor in the office and they all are salaried, but I don’t want to push the envelope. Jon wants to know when “Take your daughter to work day” is so he can take Lilah with him. (maybe I shouldn’t tell him). It’s fun that he enjoys her so much. It took forever on campus though, so I got to my parents late, at 10:30. Mom and I went shopping for fabric, I found some really cute embroidered fabric with a scalloped edge, for the girls dresses and my skirt for Andrea’s wedding. I will need to buy a top, which I planned on doing anyways. We also had lunch and stopped at Khol’s to exchange a top for mom, so it was an all day affair. I then picked Jon up at work, in which I fed Eden before we met Carolyn and Dominic ( boy she nannied) at Chuck E Cheese. Howard also brought Howie and Kaitlyn and a few people from Carolyn’s work came with their kids. Lilah loved playing there. Her and I played ski ball. (well she would walk the ball up and then throw it in, she mostly got the hole that had no points because it was close and she would place it there) She also took Jon around and they always ended up in the kid area with the little rides that move. She cried when we left, but I’m sure it was also because she was tired since she was woken up at 6:45 am and had only slept for a total of 25 minutes during the day, and that was even at two different points in the day. All in all we left home at 7:45 am and didn’t return until 8:55 pm. I’m surprised both girls held up so well.

I also found out that my blood work was normal, so I have no thyroid problem. I somewhat wanted there to be a problem, then I could blame the weight loss on something besides me, but I also wanted to have lost the weight naturally. I think I just have a problem with how much I have to eat. It’s just really hard to be eating all the time. I think I’ve created a slight mental block when I get hungry between meals. Because I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, I just don’t always have snacks when I’m hungry. I admit I also feel like a burden when I’m eating so much food, and sometimes their just isn’t anything in the house. I do not want to become too skinny, but I have a fear of gaining too much weight… as do most woman. I just hope I’m not creating an unhealthy mental thought process about eating. I remember after I weaned Lilah I cut back on my eating, as I should have because I was only feeding one person then, not two. But I remember it was hard to eat for two when I got pregnant. It was only three months earlier that I needed to cut down my eating and to start eating for two again was hard for me. I think I still have that same problem now. I seem to be steady inmy weight, so I think I’ll be okay. I know I’m intelligent enough to not fall victim to an eating disorder, but I worry that I will fall victim to a not eating enough disorder. Jon and I have talked about it and have set some rules for me. Mostly he wants me to have an egg in the morning with my meal, to give me something more hearty, and to have snacks between meals to keep me from going hungry. Also trying to buy more foods that appeal to me. (that’s where the burden part comes in. most things I like are more expensive and we are on a budget.) We’re going to look at our budget and figure things out. We’re not poor, we make enough to get by, but we’re still starting out so we have a tighter budget. I wouldn’t have it any other way though. Because to have more money I would need to work, and I don’t want someone else to raise my girls.

As you get older and have kids New Years just becomes a night to stay up late and kiss your husband. Well at least is does for me. We though about going out and getting a sitter, but there’s no where to go if you want to have good clean fun and not be around crazy drunk people, at least in Vegas there’s no where. It’s nice to watch the fireworks that they do, but it bugs us when the come in to close, we like the far away shots that show several of the casinos not just one. We had a good night. Since we watched Star Wars Episode
Three last week, thank you Kristi and Howard, I decided maybe I should see 4, 5 and 6. I have seen most of them at different times growing up, but I don’t remember what scenes go to which movies. We watched part of 4 News Years Eve and finished it Sunday night. I made brownies Saturday night so we ate warm brownie sundaes and had cream soda at midnight. It was fun to be in, but at the same time I longed to be out, I think it’s the youngster in me. 🙂

The break was great though. Jon had the whole week off between Christmas and New Years. We didn’t get all we needed done, but we got a lot accomplished. I also visited my sister Kristi and got old clothes of Kaitlyn’s for Lilah to wear.
I didn’t wash some, so they had the smell of Kaitlyn on them. At least how Kaitlyn smells because of their fabric softener. Jon said it was kinda like being a mother cat whose kittens had been around another cat or humans. It throws you off guard.
Anyways Lilah had a great Christmas and she got pajamas that have feet that glow in the dark, so she calls them her spooky feet and she always wants spooky feet before she goes to bed. I just find her cute. We also pulled the exersaucer out, at least that’s what we call it. and Eden loves being in it. I think she enjoys being able to lay back and relax when she wants and then also being able to stand and play and swirl around.
I have the curtains almost done, I guess I should just be happy I’m almost done. Though I sewed the layers wrong last night, I had the lining, then blackout fabric, then the drape, so when I flipped the blackout and the lining right sides out, the lining was in between the blackout and the drape, where as I want the black out between the lining and the drape. So I had to take that out and start over. So I could have been left with just the hem to do today had I thought correctly or double checked. Anyhow I not have the side hems to put in, then I’ll have Jon hang them for me to let me check and see if the bottom hem will be even when I sew or if I’ll have to do just adjustments. I’m so close yet so far from being done.
I could have done more had I not gotten to preoccupied with reading A Wrinkle in Time. I got Jon the book for Christmas. I finished reading it before him. We were reading together but he fell asleep one night and I got ahead and I just got involved. It’s a great book and I can’t wait until Lilah is old enough to read it, since it it a children’s book for about seven year olds.