We are a happy family!

I have a couple funny stories.

1. We were having family night. I'd make cookies that day so we decided we were going to take a plate over to our bishop's house. I covered the plate in tin foil so Clara wouldn't know what we were giving them and make a scene. I was really excited to see if she would give them the plate willingly (I was pretty sure she would). So we got to the bishop's house, gave Clara the plate when she got out of the car, let her carry it up to the door, and we rang the doorbell. After standing there for a minute or two Clara was ready to head home so she turned around with the cookies and started walking away. We decided to leave the plate on the doorstep, so we brought her back and had her set it down. As we were walking away she got so upset that we were just leaving that plate there she started crying and screaming bloody murder. The further away we got from the plate, the louder she screamed. Joe and I couldn't help but just bust up laughing....so much for secret service. The whole neighborhood knew we were there. I could just picture the neighboors peeking out their windows to see if anything was seriously wrong. So much for a spiritual FHE!

2. The other night we went in to check on Clara and we found her like this:


Joe gave me this giant stuffed dog for Valentine's day when we were dating. Clara loves the thing and somehow hauled it up in her bed so she could sleep with it. This has happened three nights in a row now. She absolutely adores animals so one of these days we'll have to figure out what would be an appropriate pet for her. I haven't quite determined what it should be yet...

We also have some fun news. We are buying a house! We close on it this Friday, and will be moving in the 30th of April. We feel really blessed because everything just seemed to work out really well. We'd been saving for a little while, and with the way the market is right now, we felt like it was a good time for us to buy. We found a foreclosure out in Saratoga Springs that far exceeded our expectations for our first home. The bank replaced all the carpets and repainted everything in the house so it is basically move-in ready. The yard needs a lot of work, but Joe and I don't mind doing that kind of stuff. We couldn't be more thrilled with what we got for our money and are excited that we'll be able to stay in this house for a long time. I'll get some pictures up when I can.

Pregnancy Downer...

This is two nights in a row now that I have woken up in the middle of the night, totally awake and haven't been able to go back to sleep. It drives me nuts! Am I really already to that stage? I thought that wasn't supposed to come until later on!

I've entertained myself by reading (Joe got me a Kindle DX for my birthday so that makes it really fun) and eating (that's the other weird part is that I've been starving). I've also been thoroughly entertained by Joe. He does some crazy things in his sleep! My favorite was last night when he rolled over and said, "Well what are you going to do about it." I think I almost wet my pants I was laughing so hard.

The hardest part is when I get to the middle of the day, after I put Clara down for her nap and I can hardly keep my eyes open, but I don't want to take a nap so I don't have to do this all again that night. Does anyone have any advice? I am kind of at a loss here...

On the upside, my energy is still great. I am switching between yoga and another prenatal workout every morning and just love them! Cravings have quelled, so anything sounds good. Joe can finally feel the baby move (and wow is this girl active!).

I was really enjoying this stage of pregnancy...until about two nights ago;)

It's Official!

Well, it's official...we are having another GIRL! We couldn't be more excited. It's funny because when Joe and I were watching the ultrasound, we could already tell how different this one is going to be. Can't wait for her to come!

Her Mother's Daughter

I went into Clara's room one morning a few weeks ago and this is what I saw.

That's right...two binkis! The weird part is that when I was little I wanted to have two as well. One to suck on and the other to poke in my eye. Apparently this bizarre trait is genetic...

Not my proudest parenting moment...

So I think I've been avoiding writing this post for a couple of reasons.

1. About a month ago we moved Clara from a crib to a toddler bed. It was time. Who needs sleep anyway right?

2. It was not my proudest parenting moment.

Let me explain a little bit. My parents have this adorable little toddler bed that they offered to let us use. We knew we needed to get her in a bed soon because we didn't want her to feel displaced when the baby comes. So we agreed.

My dad pulled it out of storage and did a lot of work on it to sand it down, fill in any holes or scratches, and paint it. It looked beautiful when he was done. So we set it up for Clara at their house and she got really excited about the cool bed in the living room. We thought, "Great, she loves the thing already. This shouldn't be that bad."

We brought it home and set it up during family night. Clara was beside herself excited. She was trying to help Joe in any way possible. It was so cute!

Then the ominous time arrived and we got her ready for bed, did the normal routine and put her down to sleep at 8:30PM like normal. To our total surprise she sayed in bed...for about an hour and a half. After that hour and a half she was literally up every 2-5 minutes. We figured the fun of it started wearing off for her. So as we continued to put her back to bed hour after hour and our patience continued to wear thinner and thinner, she finally went to sleep around midnight as Joe and I were turning in for the night. We were so relieved when she finally went to sleep and we were probably out ourselves in a matter of minutes.

Then I woke up suddenly around 3:30AM. I got the impression to go and check on Clara. When I went into her room, she was still laying in her bed, but she was laying in a pile of throw up. I felt like a terrible mother. We got her up, got her cleaned up, and I ended up sleeping with her the rest of the night in her bed. I felt so bad. Clara has always been so good about going to bed, and that night she'd just been trying to tell us she didn't feel well!

The upside to this story is that since then we really haven't had many issues at bedtime at all. There have been a couple nights where she gets out of bed, and all it takes is us opening the door and she races back to the bed, gets in, puts her head on the pillow and pretends to snore. She is such a good girl! I am working harder to understand what she is trying to tell me now, and it has been so interesting to see her independence grow. I think she feels like such a big girl now. Every day she is saying one or two more words. It is really cool to see.

First trip to the ER

Well, we had an eventful evening last night. We took Clara to the Emergency Room! Here's what happened:

Clara loves to climb things. She is all over chairs, couches, and pretty much anything higher than the floor. On Wednesday Clara was sitting in a chair drinking out of a cup. She was finishing some pineapple juice which she'd really enjoyed. So in her efforts to get every last drop, she tipped her head back so far that she lost her balance and fell off the side of the chair. (That caused the big goose egg in the front of her forehead.) She was fussy for maybe an hour and then she was back to her normal self. No eye dialation, vomiting, nothing. Then yesterday Clara finished her breakfast and stood up in her little booster seat. Next thing I know she falls backward over the top of the chair and smacks the back of her head pretty good on the tile. I knew this one was way worse because it took her much longer to recover and she was fussy for most of the day.

Joe had a basketball game last night so I took Clara over so we could watch. She was seeming a little more normal at the game, so I thought maybe things were looking up. After the game she started to whimper and moan, and then she would sit in a chair almost unresponsive just looking off into space. We put her to bed, but I was really worried something else was going on. I called a nurse, told her what was going on and she recommended we rush her over to the ER.

We were in pretty quickly and the doctor said that with the two bonks in 24 hours he would recommend an MRI.

Poor Clara hated that thing! They strapped her down so she wouldn't move. Thankfully Joe could be in there with her, but she was still screaming her lungs out.

Results of the MRI showed that Clara has a skull fracture. Guess we will have to train her to stop climbing things. She's been such a good girl, but my nerves are still on edge trying to watch her like a hawk.

Special Tricks and Announcements

So I am updating my blog per my mother's request. My family has been here in Utah since June. I kept blogging up for a while after they got here, but then kind of tapered off, because let's face it (no offense to anyone else out there, especially those who have the stamina to update their blogs regularly) pretty much the only reason I had maintained it before then was because I wanted them to have a way to know what was going on with our family.

Occasionally my mom will ask, "Have you updated the blog yet?" I say "no" and the coversation ends. Today however, when she asked and I gave my usual answer she responded with, "Jennifer Lynne, do I have to move back to New Jersey just to get regular updates on the blog?" I was flabberghasted. I honestly didn't even know what to say because I hadn't realized she'd enjoyed them so much. So here I am.

So how is life? Busy and wonderful.

I can tell you that since September I have been working full time from home as the Director of Curriculum Development and Training Supervisor for Eleutian Technology. It's a pretty fancy title for just saying I develop all their training materials and manage a team of trainers. Working is fine. I don't love it with all my heart, but it is a good job, pays well, and we get great benefits from it, so for now it is meeting our needs.

I am still the Primary President in our ward, which can be very exhausting at times, but I know that the Lord is blessing our family. I learn things in Primary that help me be a better mom. I learn things in Primary that help me be a better me. There is something so pure about the testimony of a child, which really brings to you back to the basic doctrines of the Church. The doctrines are so simple and when they are simplified, they help build and solidify a testimony. I have amazing, wonderful counselors really magnify their callings. That has made everything easier.

Joe graduated from UVU with his degree in Psychology in December! We were so excited! He'd worked so hard and got great grades. Grad school might still be in the works but we are still trying to decide if that would be the right thing. We want to make sure it would be a good long term investment (the reason we aren't quite sure yet is because he's not really sure he wants to be doing therapy). So for the time being he is still working for his dad, which has been a good job for him.

Clara had her first day in Nursery today! She turned 18 months yesterday. I was a little nervous about how things would go, but when I carried her in there, she jumped down from my arms, ran straigh over to the group of kids and started playing with toys. She didn't even look back to make sure we stuck around. She was a champ! That little girl loves her independence. Quite honestly, I think she thinks she's an adult.

She does several new tricks that make us, the goofy parents, glow with pride.

She finally blows kisses! (That may not sound like a big deal to anyone else, but we've been trying to get her to do it for almost a year and she never quite got it. Now, she does it full out--kissing her hand twice and throwing out her fully extended arm with a big cheesy grin. I love it!)

Her favorite words are Jesus, cheese, shoes, baby, and up. She understands everything we say, but she's been a little more stubborn about actually saying words. Instead of saying yes or no she just vigorously shakes or nods her head. Usually she just points to what she wants and jabbers. Then when you verify what she wants she emphatically nods her head and grins.

She can make the following animal sounds: monkey (my personal favorite), lion, dog, kitty, and cow. We are working on sheep, bear, and bird, but usually she just makes the same high pitched whine for all three.

She has learned to frown, do a cheeser, a surprised face, and throw her head back in boistrous laughter on command.

She and Joe are the fastest wheelbarrow team any other kid 4 and under could compete with. She is a strong little thing. She got it from her 10-pound-baby father who was walking by 10 months old.

I am continually amazed by this little girl. For example, tonight she was carrying around one of her favorite books. She was a little bit hyper and was running around the living room, when I said, "Okay Clara, it's time to go to bed. Let's go read scriptures." She immediately dropped her favorite book, went sprinting for her room, and when I picked up the Book of Mormon reader, she settled into my lap and sat entranced for an entire chapter. At 18 months my daughter is teaching me what it means to really "hunger and thirst" for righteousness. Being a mother is such a blessing.

Well, if you've lasted this long, you now deserve to hear our big annoucement. We are adding another baby to our family! We are so excited! I am about 13 weeks now. Clara and the baby will be almost exactly two years apart. Clara turns 2 on the 15th of July, and I am due the 23rd. Should be a pretty exciting summer! We couldn't be more happy. There is a very special spirit that a baby brings to your home. Clara still has that special spirit, but it's changed a little as she's grown.

Well I'm exhausted, so I am going to bed, but hopefully the post will do for now. Here are some pictures as well.

Filling Papa's boots

Wearing Mama's Hat

Halloween! Little Red Riding Hood

13 weeks pregnant!