WHOO-HOO!!

  NO MORE SHIFT WORK! NO MORE SHIFT WORK!!  Doug has been moved off shift work!! There was an opening for day staff and they asked Doug to take it! That means working Mon-Fri 530am to 5pm.  Weekends off. He does have to stand 24 hour duty every 8 days but still! It means I an sit down and have dinner with my hubby almost every night. He gets to see Emily before she goes to bed almost every night. No more crazy hours. We can actually plan things to go do now! He can go to church and do his calling. The guy he has to work under isn't that great, and sometime this fall he'll have to work 14-16 hour days for a little bit, but the good outweighs the bad. Plus he gets holiday off now ( as long they don't fall on a duty day ) and can take leave. 

Excuse me while I go do my happy dance.

Deep thought from Wendy's

 I'm putting Emily to bed, Doug's washing dishes and the radio's on.  This Wendy's ad came on for their late night menu. One line caught my attention. " Just because the sun goes down doesn't mean your standards should " Sounds like something from the New Era. Emily please remember that!

Greetings from the President

 I found the coolest thing for Emily during random bored googling last night.  You can submit to the greetings office in the White House for a greeting from the President and the First Lady, for births, wedding and anniversaries. You can submit one request a day. So I sent in a request for Emily's birth.  How cool is that? In about 6 weeks Emily should get a letter from Pres. Bush and Laura welcoming her as a brand new American.  That'd be kinda a cool present for someone who just got married or just had a baby.  Anyway now that I've babbled about it for a little bit here's the link. I hope! I don't know why I can't get links to work.  

http://www.whitehouse.gov/greeting/ 

 Ha! It worked! When Emily's letter comes in I'll post a picture. 

Wedding

I did this once already but myspace bulletins don't last very long so I decided to do it again. 

What month & year were you married?
July 2007

How did he ask you?
Doug  (on one of our many late night calls while I was in London) asked me to have something nice to change 

into because he wanted to stop by the temple after the airport and had something to ask me. 

He asked me on this little bench (which they have now removed :'( ) and he didn't kneel down which was

amazing because whenever I daydreamed about being proposed to, the daydream guy never kneeled. 

Where did you honeymoon?
Geneva, Idaho

Can you still fit in your dress?
Not right now. Losing baby weight. I did so good until those last two months of being peggers

What was the worst gift you got?
None really. 

What flavor was your wedding cake?
Lemon with raspberry filling. I think I shocked everyone by not picking chocolate

Were you a bridezilla?
Yes but only the day before. You would be too if you were me and went through what I did

What's one thing you would change about your wedding?
Honestly? I would have not wanted certain people there

Do you still look at your wedding pics?
Yes

What colors did you use?
Rose and Grey

Where did you tie the knot?
Maryland

Whats one funny thing that happened that day?
Doug and I exchanged rings without anyone noticing. 

How many showers did you have?
1

Did you cry?
Right after I got dressed and my mom, my sister and I were looking in the mirror in the brides room.

And I teared up a bit during the ceremony

Did you give any wedding favors away?
Hershey kiss roses 

Who caught the flowers and garter?
Sister Large caught the flowers and we decided against throwing the garter

Who was your officiant or minister?
Brother Peake? 

How much was your wedding dress, undergarments and all?
Around $200

Was there dancing?
A bit

Where was the reception?
Gloucester Ward 

Would you go back and do it over again?
Yes

How long did you have to plan your wedding?
Since early Sep 2006

What kind of car were you in when you drove away?
Doug's old CRX. I miss that car. It was fun to drive

How many in your wedding party?
I had 4 bridesmaids and Doug had 1 groomsmen. The other two guys couldn't make it because of military duties

Did you do anything different in your wedding or reception?
I was married in the temple which is different to some and we didn't throw the garter

Did you save the top layer of your cake for your 1 year anniversary?
Our cake lady made us an extra layer to keep, so we didn't save the top layer.

 But it did taste pretty good a year later

What was the grand total spent on your wedding?
I'm not sure. Around a $1000?

Who traveled the farthest to attend your wedding?
My grandpa came from CA

Do you regret having anyone in your bridal party?
Not at all. 

Midnight Feeding

   It's time for Emily Grace's midnight feeding. But she's still asleep. I walked over to the crib to check on her and my sweet little girl is asleep with a smile on her face. Then I feel it. The pins and needles feeling like my boobs are falling asleep which lets me know I'm making milk. . And before I can grab a washcloth ( since I'm already in my p.j's ) I feel the drips. I'm leaking. 

  I love the nights she sleep through the night. Waking up with slightly damp sheets the next morning not so much fun. At least it's not a different reason the sheets are kinda wet. Ah, the joys of breastfeeding. Lol. 

Emily and I hate shift work

 Hold on I need to fix that Emily, Doug, and I hate shift work. Here's why. 

 Week 1. Swing shift. 12am to 12pm

48 hours off

Week 2. Mids. 8pm to 8am

48 hours off

Week 3.  Days. 5am to 5pm

4 days off

Of course even through we live less then 10 miles from the shipyard where his ship is at right now with traffic and getting onto the ship he has to leave an hour before he has to be there.  So that means it takes him an hour to get home too.  And now it's becoming more rare for him to come home on time.  He's getting home an hour or more late. It's starting to be 12-14 hours days.  We're hoping things change soon. It's been rough getting Emily on a normal sleep pattern when Doug's is always changing. And of course Connie made me laugh when she said " At least he gets overtime" No such thing as overtime in the military. And since the ship is getting ready for crew to move on board in Oct. we lose $300.00 a month.   I know I sound whiney and other people have bigger problems but I want my husband home every night and for him to see Emily for more then an hour some days.  So there's my rant. Thank goodness we get out of the navy in May! 

4 Months

                                                                Then maybe 5 minutes old
                                                                    4 month olds
 We took Emily Grace to her 4 month check up last week.  Doug was happy because he got to go to this one. He felt bad for missing the last one. She's doing great. Emily now weighs 15.9 pounds and is 25 1/2 inches long. She's in the 95 percentile for her height.  My baby's tall! She's getting so good at scooting rolling over now. I need to find out how to add sound to my blogs. She's starting to giggle.  A big person giggle that makes her tummy shake.  Like the laughing baby ripping paper on youtube.  It's so sweet.  and she's starting to understand and like peek-a-boo. She's grown so much.  I can't believe she's so big and so little at the same time.  Kinda like when she was born.  When you think about delivering an 8 pound baby it sounds so big! But when you hold that 8 pound baby she's so tiny.  

Real Parenting

This is real parenting. Lol. And just funny. I have a terrible time with links so I just copied the column. It's written by Bob Lonsberry

    MY LIFE IS GOING TO CRAP

 My life is going to crap.

 Literally, that’s all I do anymore.

 Oh, I’m not the one doing the crapping. It’s my son Jack, the 3-year-old. His colon rules my world.

 He’s been potty trained for almost a year now, but like anyone his age, when he says he’s got to go, he’s got to go, and you’d better jump.

 I kid you not. If we’re driving down the road, and Jack says he’s got to go pee-pee, the van screeches to a halt, the side door slides open, and somebody’s cornfield gets irrigated.

 At first, I insisted we try to find bathrooms, like at a McDonald’s or something. But experience has taught us that there is no time for that. If we’re walking down the sidewalk, and Jack says the word, I will turn him loose on your lilac bush.

 Somehow he’s got it in his head that it’s ok to pee on car tires.

 I think he learned it from the dog.

 But this isn’t about Number One, this is about Number Two.

 Young Jack, as part of the struggle for Alpha Male status in the household, has observed that, “I’ve got to go poo-poo” is the ultimate parental-control trump card. He says, “I’ve got to go poo-poo” and all of a sudden, no matter where we are or what’s going on, everything drops and he becomes the center of the universe.

 Someday, when he’s scraped who knows what out of his own children’s crevices, he’ll understand why.

 Unfortunately, he’s a poop tourist.

 When we go someplace new, he likes to poop there. If we go visit people, he’s got to poop. If we go to a store, he’s got to poop. If we go out to eat, he’s got to poop.

 We went to the mall the other day and he had to poop three times before we could get back to the car.

 And each new bathroom he visits is like Disneyland. He’s got to check the place out, usually with great admiration. He’s particularly impressed with those hot-air hand dryers.

 I’m glad he enjoys it, because I’m not that fond of the experience. Not at all.

 There I am, some dope being dragged along by my finger by a 3-year-old, asking anybody with a name tag where the bathroom is.

 Unfortunately, it seems we can’t import enough illegal aliens to clean public restrooms in America and most of them get pretty rank. So in we go, me wiping down the toilet seat, him wrestling himself out of his pants, me trying not to gag at the smell of day-old urine, him not quite getting things under control once he’s on the throne and sending a room-crossing arch of brand-new urine across the floor.

 And then we wait.

 This kid takes after his mother, the one who reads Harry Potter on the potty.

 He hops up there, little legs dangling off the front of the toilet, pants down around his ankles, twiddling his thumbs.

 Some times he has to coax it out.

 “Come on, poo-poo,” he will say. “It’s time to go live in the potty.”

 Usually I just stand there and try to be encouraging and supportive. It’s kind of like being a labor coach, without the Lamaze breathing. And I don’t have to cut the cord.

 We’ll make smalltalk. And I’ll smile at him and tell him he’s a good boy.

 If he gets that look on his face like he’s straining, I’ll politely look away until I hear the plop.

 I figure even a 3-year-old’s got to have a little bit of privacy.

 In the spirit of the Olympics, we count the plops. You do that with little kids. You are always on the lookout for ways to reinforce their number skills. In a similar vein, I think Jack is the first person ever to sing “Now I Know My ABCs” in the bathroom at the Chinese buffet.

 But about plops and the Olympics – in case you’re keeping score – my kid did Michael Phelps one better.

 Unfortunately, in the era of esteem building, kids expect praise. Junior can’t sneeze without getting a gold star.

 So when he slides off the toilet and the fruit of his loins floats there on public display, he expects some kind of compliment.

 And these kids are smart, if it’s not sincere praise, they know, they can see right through you. So you’ve got to stand there and look down and act like you’re seeing the Mona Lisa for the first time. And by “Mona Lisa,” I mean that 30-year-old poster of Farrah Fawcett Majors.

 The one where she’s cold.

 “Oh Jack,” you say with all the pride you can muster, “that’s one heck of a poop.”

 And then, to be convincing, you’ve got to include some detail, you’ve got to specifically compliment one of its traits.

 “Son, that looks just like Florida,” you say, having a flashback to his state puzzle. “Do you know the capital of Florida?”

 Sometimes it’s number, size or color that elicit your praise. Sometimes it’s content.

 “I didn’t know you had corn yesterday, son.”

 “Jack, I told you not to eat any more crayons!”

 Once he named one of them. But Uncle Poopy wasn't with us long.

 Fortunately, he doesn’t fully grasp the fact that I have a camera on my cell phone. If he did, we’d be sending portraits of them to all the relations.

 Being young, Jack likes to brag. As we walk out of the bathroom he announces loudly to no one in particular, “I went poop.” Then he almost congratulates himself, and gives a recap play-by-play. “I had to push really hard. There are four poops. One of them looks like Mr. Potato Head.”

 But I’m getting ahead of myself.

 Because no job is finished until the paperwork is done.

 And that, unfortunately, is my job.

 He slides down off the toilet, looks back admiringly, waits for my complimentary commentary, then he bends over.

 And that’s not typically a pretty sight.

 And you’re haunted by the fact that he’s going to want to do this very same thing at the next store you go to.

 Like I said, my life is going to crap.

- by Bob Lonsberry © 2008 

 I hope the link works. :) http://www.lonsberry.com/writings.cfm?go=4

Pigtails

  Emily Grace's hair has always been long enough for pigtails but I wanted to wait till she was a little older before doing her hair in pigtails. I didn't want to hurt that brand new baby scalp. So we started doing pigtails in the past month.  I love how cute she is in these photos. 

             

Hubby Survey I stole from Catlin

Survey about the hubby.

1.) Sitting in front of the TV.. What is on the screen?

Football season is coming up. So that and Two and a Half Men.

2.) You're out to eat what kind of dressing do they get on their salad?

Ranch

3.) What's one food this person doesn't like?

                                                                                    Canned carrots

4.) You go out to the bar.

We don't go to bars, but when we go to a party with the guys from work he drink IBC. 

5.) Where did he/she go to high school?

Bearlake High School

6.) What size shoe do they wear?

I don't know..

7.) If this person were to collect anything, it would be...

He collects coins

8.) What is their favorite type of sandwich?

Philly steak and cheese that I make

9.) This person could eat __________ everyday.

Cheese

10.) Favorite cereal?

Sugar Smacks

11.) This person wouldn't be caught dead wearing...

Pink

12.) Favorite sports team?

Idaho State

13.) Who will he/she vote for?

Not Obama

14.) What is their sign?

Leo

15.) What is something you do that he/she wishes you didn't do?

Stop trying to get his attention like a 5 year old in a store. " Doug! Doug! Come herrreeee!!!"

16.) How many states has this person lived in?

Five. Idaho, Virginia, Arizona, South Carolina, New York

17.) What is he/she's heritage?

He's Swiss

18.) You bake them a cake for their birthday... what kind is it?

It was vanilla and looked like his truck

19.) Did he/she play sports in high school?

No

20.) This person could spend hours...

Hunting, playing with Emily

First " Solid" Food

 Emily is eating solids now! Well, ok it's not really solid. It more of thick rice milk but she likes it.  The first time she wasn't so sure about it. Now she gets mad when the bowl runs out! 

Emily napping with her aunts

So for some reason I haven't been able to get photos to work in my posts, but since it did for some reason I'll tell you about Emily and her adopted aunts.  The photo above is Emily and her Aunt Connie. Aunt Connie is going to school in Idaho and dating lots of guys. But she comes back every couple months to see her niece. And other people I assume. But no one as cute as Emily!  This is Emily and her Auntie Apples.  We call her Auntie Apples because she's blond on the inside red on the outside. Honestly. She's a blond who dyes her hair red.  And she was acting blond one day so we called her apples for some reason.  

  

Baby Names

I want to make something very clear.  Doug and I not trying for another baby right now. 

  1. That'd be crazy.  Emily is only 4 months old

 2. That'd be crazy. I just gave birth 4 months ago. 

 And 3. I don't want any baby rumors flying around.  Hopefully I made myself clear about not trying for a baby right now. 

We do have more names picked out. We picked them while I was still preggers.  So here they are.

  1st boy- Henry Douglas ( after his great- and great great grandfathers and himself )

  2nd boy- Edward Valin ( I picked Edward before I read Twilight which I just read two days and Valin well..I have my reasons. Lol)

  2nd girl- Victoria Ruth ( After me and his Grandma. She'll go by Ruth )

Other names up for consideration in case we need more are Charles Homer ( Homer is after his Grandpa ) Amanda and Sophie.  

  

Chewing on my knee

Emily Grace is on her blanket on the floor having some tummy time right now.  To practice rolling over and lifting herself up.  Well, she couldn't pick her toy while laying on her tummy. So she scooted herself in a around so she was right next to my knee.  And started chewing on my knee.  She's smart huh? Still gets to be on her tummy and she gets to chew on something. Lol. She's such a cutie. She rolled back over onto her blanket , is chewing on her toy sheep and telling me all about it.  I really hope taking the time to listen to her babble now, that she'll take the time to talk to me later. 

Visit to Grandpa's

 We went to my Grandpa's house in CA this past weekend.  It was a fun, crazy, sad trip.  We left our place dark and early Saturday morning. Our flight left at 6am and we got there at 5:30. We had to run for our plane. I left Doug in security and ran to try to hold the plane so he could get on. I have the diaper bag and Emily running as fast as I can with my shoes half on. Emily's laughing because she thinks running is funny.  We flew from Richmond to JFK to Oakland. Emily was so good on the flights. She didn't cry. She was asleep or playing on both flights. On the flight to Oakland we were in the back by the bathroom ( which was nice because we were close to the changing table in there) so of course the line was right next to our seat. Emily "talked" to everyone in line.  We got to Oakland just fine and Mama ( she went out the week before) met us at the airport. We got on a shuttle bus to train station and Grandpa picked us up on that end. 

   It was so good to see him. He hadn't met Emily Grace yet and he was so excited. He nicknamed her Princess Bright Eyes.  I love being at my Grandpa's house. We just relaxed at his house on Saturday. 

  Sunday we went to my Uncle Randy's.  Growing up I was told Uncle Randy doesn't like kids. It not true. He doesn't know what to say to them. He does like babies before they can talk and once your a young adult. He loved Emily and she seemed to have importain things to say to him. 

  Monday Doug, Mama, Emily and I went to San Francisco. We walked up and down the huge hills. We were going to ride the trolley till we saw the line that wrapped around several blocks. So we hiked it to chinatown. We had so much fun! I found this beautiful tablecloth for half off.   Doug bought Emily a big fan with cherry blossoms on it. And for Doug's coin collection we got him a new coin with his zodic on it ( the rooster ) and one for Emily with the rat. Emily fell asleep during lunch. We had dim sum which was amazing!! One of Doug's friends told us we needed to try dim sum while we were out there and we weren't sure what dim sum was.  You sit down and they put a piece of paper with the menu on it. Then they go around with trays of food and ask what you'd like off the tray. They put what you pick on the table and mark your little menu with a stamp. The food was so good! It was such a great way to try new foods! And all the prices for everything is on the table so you can keep track of how much your spending. The only thing we tried that I wasn't crazy about was the sweet rice wrapped with lotus leaf.  

   We drove out to Golden Gate. On our way there it was sunny and bright. About 5 minutes before we got there the fog rolled in.  Goodness that was some fog! It came in fast and thick.    Traffic was bad so we changed our minds about driving over it.  We went to this viewing spot right next to the bridge. We hiked up to the top of this huge hill. It was freezing. Doug was smart to bring our jackets. Emily was all bundled up. She was not impressed at all with the fog or the cold. We tried to take pictures of when the wind blew the fog enough for us to see the bridge. There was this cool old fort on the hill. We walked back down through it to stay out of the wind.  Doug had fun hiding with Emily in the barracks. 

   This was the first time I had been out to Grandpa's since his stroke. This was the sad part of the trip.  My Grandpa had a stroke 2 years ago this summer. It happened right towards the end of my first term.  It was part of the reason I came home so suddenly. He recovered so much better then what everyone thought he would. It's hard seeing him struggle. He's 83 years old but he's never seemed old.  I'm so glad we went to see him. And that crazy cat of his.

    I can't end this without explaining this cat. My grandparents adopted this cat about 10 years ago.  She came from an abused home and was very shy. Well she quickly got over her shyness and went to undivided loyalty to my grandparents. Tabby is a great hunter. She got rid of my grandparents gopher problem for them. My Grandpa spoils this cat.  She gets a can of fancy feast every morning and night.  The problem? She doesn't like it. She take a lick to humor my Grandpa and then goes to her dry food dish. It's been going on 10 years now. He pulls out 3 different cans, asks her what she wants put it on a china dish, she licks it, looks annoyed and goes over to her dry food.  It's far and in between that she eats it. I think she does every blue moon to make him happy. All I can say is this, if Tabby out lives him the fancy feast will end.  

50's Housewife

  So it's slightly off subject of being a mom, but part of my being a mom is being a wife so it kinda fits. I found this online when thinking about how to do my dream kitchen. So of it is a little extreme but I found some of it actually kinda useful. Such as planning dinner ahead of time, if you have the weekly meals planned out less quick trips to the store and less impluse buying.  Having the clutter cleared away before the hubby gets home makes sense too. Who doesn't like coming home and having it look nice. It's relaxing.  And saving my complaining until he's been home for a few minutes isn't a a big deal. The stress of Doug's job is insane right now, so I know he needs to get it out and just relax when he gets home. Now if it's something urgent then of course I tell him right away. Krizy being a pain in the butt can wait a few minutes.  The never complain rule is pretty stupid.  Anyway..here's what I found. 

50's Style Housewife

Have dinner ready:
Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.

Prepare yourself:
Take fifteen minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when he arrives home. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.

Clear away the clutter:
Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your man arrives, gathering up school books, toys, papers, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order and it will give you a lift too.

Prepare the children:
Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if neccessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.

Minimise all noise:
At the time of his arrival eliminate all noise of washer, dryer, dishwasher, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad to see him.

Some dont's:
Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he's late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day.

Make him comfortable:
Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillows and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing, and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax - unwind.

Listen to him:
You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first. Make the evening his: Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of stress and pressure, his need to be home and relax.

The goal:
Try to make your home a place of peace and order, where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

Extract from Home Economics Book - 1950

She's rolling!

  Emily Grace rolled over yesterday!!! She was laying on her tummy and flipped herself over!! Doug put her back on her tummy and she did it again! She did it three times! She's getting so big! Rolling over is a big milestone for babies. I'm so proud... I think I need a tissue, my baby's getting so big!! 

Baby Blues

 I was looking back over my blog and saw that I forgot to blog about something. The baby blues. I had always been told baby blues were just whiney women who were upset because they weren't getting all the attention anymore.  As I found that isn't true at all.  Baby blues lasts up to 10 days, any longer then that it's post partum depression.  If it lasts longer then 10 days or if you have thoughts of harming your baby, yourself of others see a doctor asap.  I did get baby blues. It hit when Emily was about 3 days old. It was the craziest thing. I was so happy but I felt like crying all the time.  I felt horrible for feeling that way and didn't want to tell anyone because I felt bad about feeling that way. When Emily was about 4 days old I started having weird thoughts.  The weirdest of all the thoughts I had was to leave Doug and Emily. I started thinking that I was going to be a terrible mother to Emily and that I was going to ruin her. That Doug and emily would be better off without me.  At the same time I was having these thoughts I was thinking " Whats wrong with me?! I love Doug and Emily! I don't want to leave" So I did what I should have done on day 3, I talked with Doug. He wasn't upset with me.  He understood and let me have that big cry I needed.  After that just every once in a while I'd get sad. Doug was great through it. By day 10 it was gone.  Baby blues is real and it's nothing to be ashamed of.