"You've got to bat your eyes, like this."

Julia performed a new trick for us last night. She has learned to pucker up her lips ("like this"). It's so stinking cute! And hilarious! As you can tell by the laughing in the background. She puckers up at the beginning and then again at the end. Enjoy!

What We've Been Up To

Good crud, it's already Wednesday. That means my book eshow closes tonight! Shameless plug, I know. But you can't blame a girl for trying, especially since the party at my house on Saturday was. . . less than well attended. A note to all people who receive invitations: you should really RSVP, whether you can or cannot come. Otherwise the hostess might have to plan on 25 people just in case, when really only 2 show up. And then she has lots of cookies leftover. Which her husband loves, so I guess there are no complaints there.

ANYWAY.

Sunday night we played Scrabble. This is of note because we haven't played a game in a long time. We haven't played a game with just the two of us in even longer. Most games just aren't fun with 2 people. Scrabble is an exception. I remember playing Scrabble as a kid, and it really wasn't that fun because all the words we came up with were 3 and 4 letters, and then you can't play off anything, and nobody uses the X or the Q, so you just end up feeling dumb, like you don't know any words at all. Well guess what? We're adults now! So Scrabble is actually fun! Clark won by 11 points, but it was close right down to the end. We had a great time. Julia, on the other hand, seemed to be really bored. She fell asleep sitting up in Clark's lap. Maybe she'll appreciate that game in another 17 years or so.

After Julia went to bed, we each curled up in bed with a crossword puzzle. In fact, the same crossword puzzle. In an effort to save money on grocery shopping, we now get multiple editions of the Sunday paper for the coupons. And that means multiple crossword puzzles! So now we can race to the finish!! Yeah, we're nerds. We play Scrabble and then do crossword puzzles.

Oh, guess what I did last night? I went to my first rehearsal for the community choir I just joined! I am thrilled to be singing in a real choir again. I think I mentioned this before, but there is only so much a ward choir can do. And as a soprano, you don't really sing much aside from the melody. But in this new choir I don't know the songs at all, and I'm so excited to have a challenge again. And these songs are beautiful. Lovely, lovely. Not to mention that it's a good chance for me to get out of the house and do something sans baby.

3 weeks and 1 day until we close on our house!

Reminder. . .

Just a reminder: if you want any Usborne Books, my eshow closes on Wednesday night.

Weekly Quote 8/25/08

"This is the drum part. . ."

I think my favorite part about this weekly quote is I don't actually know where it came from, Clark just sings along to the Olympic Theme Song. And my second favorite part is that we've been singing the wrong words. Good times. Thanks for setting us straight, Suzanne. New quote up!

What do pickles, glasses, and fashoin have in common?

Absolutely nothing!

I have a few unrelated things to share:

1. It would appear that people born in 1979 think alike. I received a cucumber card from Stewart, and a pickle card from Suzanne. It was also appropriate that I got the cucumber card a day before the pickle card.
2. Julia + Glasses = Silly.
3. Julia decided to have a fashion show yesterday. We went through 4 outfits. It was all her idea. Well, maybe it was her digestive system's idea. I wasn't even done with a load of her laundry before I had almost a whole load ready to go. But here is the first outfit of the day. We're in 6 month clothes now. I think she just wanted to showcase all her new clothes for me.

Old Pictures

I was thinking today that it would be a good idea to show Julia pictures of her grandparents, so that when we head up north she has some small idea of who these people are. So we sat down at the computer, and I pulled up some pictures. Julia had no desire to look at these pictures unless I pointed at them, and even then I'm pretty sure she was looking at my finger, not the screen. BUT, then I started looking through all our old pictures, and I found this gem:

I remember this day very well. I was working at home. And then I hit some button, and the screen got bigger. I thought to myself, "Hmmm, maybe if I just hit it again it'll undo it." No, it just made it even bigger. And for some reason, I thought maybe if I kept hitting that button, it would fix the problem. Obviously it didn't. I thought it was so dang funny, I had to take a picture. Why is it that all things large make me think of Super Mario 3, World 4? Apparently that made a huge impression on me.

The next picture is from July 2008, when we stayed at a hotel in Provo. I thought it would be so funny to pile up all the pillows, and then Clark took a picture and told me that he was going to post it on his blog and show the whole world what a weirdo I am.

Well guess what? I found this photo from July 2007, when we stayed in Cedar City. Who's the weirdo now, hmm??

Also, this proves that we are perfect for each other.

For Auntie Kim. . .

As per Kim's request, here are a couple of videos of Julia. This first one is from yesterday, post shots. She started this new thing a couple of days ago where she sucks on her bottom lip. It's especially humorous when she is crying, which makes me feel so bad that I'm laughing at her while she's upset, but it's such a funny little thing.



This picture and video are from today. I pulled out a bunch of her 3-6 month clothes today, and found this little number. I think it's absolutely adorable, my little Hawaiian Princess.

4 Months

Good heavens, it's already been 4 months since Julia was born. I keep looking at her and thinking, "Well, yeah, I'm glad that you're growing up, because it's fun to see you learn and grow, but where did my newborn go?" So today was the 4 month check-up, and I'm sure you have all been checking my blog every hour in anticipation of her most recent stats, so I won't keep you in suspense any longer:

Weight: 15 lbs 5 oz, 84%
Length: 24.61 inches, 63%
Head Circumference: 16.2 inches, 58%

Atta girl, Julia. Keep chubbing up.

She didn't much like the doctor's poking and prodding, but it was tolerable I suppose. Then came her absolute favorite part: shots. Oh boy, that was fun. The moment you could smell the alcohol wipe, she flipped out. Luckily the nurse was quick with the needles. And while Julia was definitely not happy with those shots, she is doing much better than last time. I wonder why that is. . . oh, maybe because I gave her Tylenol right when we got home instead of waiting 5 hours. Good one, Shan. Oh, and Julia is so big that she can have 0.8 mL, instead of 0.4 mL! Woot!

Happy Anniversary!

So I was thinking this morning that it's been about 2 years since I started this blog, and that I should do an anniversary post of some sort, which led me to look up the very first post to see when I'd need to put that together, and it turns out that day is today. So here we go.

Two years ago on this very day I created a blog in an attempt to get Clark to pay attention to meeeeeeee. Don't get me wrong, he paid attention to me before, but he did spend quite a bit of time looking at blogs and forums. So I decided he should be looking at my blog.

We've come a long way since that day. 484 posts (this will be 485). You can tell what it important to me by the labels: 103 "random" posts (because I'm a random gal), 94 weekly quotes, 61 adventures, and 50 for "pregnancy." And you'll notice that there are only 2 posts labeled "work," 2 posts labeled "gym," and 3 posts labeled "boring." At least I've got my priorities straight. I've shared book reviews, recipes, and pictures of Wombsly/Julia. Remember the saga of our couches? And my drinking problem? Oh, and remember how we used to go to the laundromat? I could go on and on.

The point is: it's been a good 2 years for this blog. I've enjoyed it. Thanks for reading.

Weekly Quote 8/18/08

"Did you hear about Hugo and Kim?"

Telephone Hour from Bye Bye Birdie. Be careful - this song has the ability to stay in your head for weeks. New quote up!

Books!

So, I've discovered these awesome books. Most likely, you all know about them already and I'm just behind the times. But they really are good books. We got a couple for Julia, and they are so fun. My favorite is There's a Mouse About the House - you guide the mouse through slots on each page as he goes around the house! SO FUN! Anyway, I like em. And so I'm hosting a book show, both in real life and online. Here is your official invite:

You are invited to an Usborne Books eShow to explore the world of Usborne Books. A child's interest in reading and learning is stimulated by the lavish illustrations and informative content. There are over 1300 bright, colorful and fun titles covering activities, puzzles and a wide range of subjects for children of all ages.

Usborne Books - the books kids love to read!

Hosted by: Shannon Blockburger
Place: www.ubah.com/HOS121244
When: Today thru 8/27/2008 11:59:00 PM

Everyone is welcome, so invite a friend.

It's a rewarding experience when a child opens a book and discovers the magic of reading.

A Good Game Gone Wrong

2 videos this week! Those folks who don't check my blog are really missing out.

I was cleaning up Julia's bath when I heard some laughing going on around the corner. I found Clark and Julia playing this little game. I grabbed the camera as soon as I could because her laugh was so funny. It's amazing how quick she can go from giggles to tears.

Sit, Ubu, Sit

Julia can sit for really long periods of time now. And she can even sit up straight and tall, if she wants to. The trick is convincing her that she doesn't want to stand. But I finally managed to catch it on video. Enjoy!

High School Tag

Ah, the High School Tag. A chance to remember how much of a loser I am was. And yet, there were still good times.

1. Did you date someone from your school?
No. In fact, let's change this question to "Did you date?" No.

2. What kind of car did you drive?
Powder blue 1983 Buick Regal. With duct tape on the front. To keep the bumper on.

3. It’s Friday night...where are you?
Hanging out with friends. Maybe at someone's house, maybe seeing a movie, but most likely cruising boys' houses.

4. Were you a party animal?
Um, no.

5. Were you considered a flirt?
Um, mega-no.

6. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir?
Choir. Lots and lots of choir. I love choir. In fact, I'm thinking I need to join a community choir or something, because I miss it so, and the ward choir isn't enough.

7. Were you a nerd?
If you are comparing me to Clark, no. But I was a nerd in the sense that I did well in school and was considered one of the "smart kids."

8. Were you on any varsity teams?
I guess songleading? It's not really a varsity team, but it was only seniors. Songleaders = cheerleaders who dance and don't stunt.

9. Did you get suspended/expelled?
Definitely not. I think my world would have imploded.

10. Can you still sing the fight song?
Yes. In fact, I can still sing multiple school songs.

11. Who were your favorite teachers?
Hmmm. Hedrick, Story, Applegate, and DL Smith.

12. Where did you sit during lunch?
Outside in the warmer months, in a hallway away from the crowd in the colder months.

13. What was your school's full name?
East High School.

14. School mascot?
Leopards.

15. Did you go to Homecoming and who with?
Going to homecoming would require a boy asking me to go, so no, didn't happen.

16. If you could go back and do it again, would you?
No.

17. What do you remember most about graduation?
Thinking, "I've never even heard of half of these people." And getting a lei from Stephanie Moon.

18. Where did you go senior skip day?
Did we even have a senior skip day? I don't remember one.

19. Were you in any clubs?
Oh, the clubs. At my school non-academic clubs were banned in order to prevent the Gay/Straight Alliance from forming. The funny thing? The Gay/Straight Alliance still met because they had outside funding. I was part of the Key Club (because they had outside funding as well), the French Club for a year, and I started the Humanities Club.

20. Have you gained some weight since then?
Oh, probably. But I don't think I'm too far off from my HS weight.

21. Who was your prom date?
Steve Garff. Because Jr. Prom was girls' choice.

22. Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion?
Yes. Is it really next year? Yikes.

I never actually tag people because I don't like to bother people, but guess what, we're making an exception. I tag Sabrina (because I'm really curious if we had a senior skip day), Alex (because she went to high school in New York City [exciting!] with Jamal from Ghostwriter[double exciting!]), and Clark (because I don't feel bad bothering him).

Footwear

We aim to please here at Shanny's life (Um, Shanny's life? What a lame name for a blog. I'm going to have to work on that one). So, as requested by Melissa, here is a picture of my lovely shoe:


I was at my friend Megan's house yesterday, and her daughter Lydia saw the shoe:

"Oh, nice shoe. It's almost like a sandal."
"Yeah, an ugly sandal."
"Yeah."

No point in lying when we all know it is unattractive.

Speaking of Megan, she's got a big week ahead of her as she starts chemo. She's a tough girl, so I know she'll get through this, but that doesn't mean it won't be hard. Keep her in your prayers. We love you, Meg!

As far as the house goes, it all happened pretty quick. We've been saying for months now that we are going to buy in the fall, we'll be ready to move in the fall, and suddenly it's August, so we started looking more in earnest. Within a week, we found a house, made an offer, and BAM! We're closing in 5 weeks. It's a cute house, we love it (obviously). 3 bedrooms, 2 bath, a real yard in front and back, rosebushes, a peach tree, a garage, it's everything we were looking for. Here's a true sign that we're ready to move: I'm actually excited to pack up all our stuff, move it over there, and unpack it. I haven't been excited about that since. . . well, probably since we moved last. But I don't think I was terribly excited about it then. Anyway, I'm sure more details will be forthcoming. A lot of the details will probably be in email form, simply because I'm not too keen on posting our address on the internet. Stay tuned.

Weekly Quote 8/11/08

"This month is such a special one. . ."

A Primary classic. New quote up!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, another birthday come and gone. But don't worry, I'm still milking it for all it's worth from Clark. ("Oh, honey, can you do [whatever it is I don't want to do]? It's my birthday!") We had some people over for cupcakes, ice cream, and olympics. Didn't Clark do a good job frosting the "rings?"
As I'm looking at this picture, I'm thinking I need a haircut or something. I feel like I've got the New Mom Frump going on.

Anyway, it was a delightful little party. And I got some great gifts - gift cards galore, a new movie, kitchen utensils, fudge, pie (I love pie!). Oh, and a house. Yeah, we made an offer, and it was accepted on Thursday. We don't close until the middle of September, but barring any unforeseen circumstances, we're going to be homeowners. What in the. . . !!!

And because you were all wondering how it turned out, here is the once-poopy-onsie:

Poopy no more. The magic of OxyClean.

8/8/08!

Today is the day: My Birthday. Woo! I'm old! 8 is my favorite number, seeing as 8/8 is my birthday, so you can imagine my delight this year, 8/8/08. And the Olympics start tonight! We'll be watching.

So I've decided that I want something from you, my readers, for my birthday. All 8 of you. Moosh in indy did this for her birthday, and I thought it was a fantastic idea, so I'm thieving it. I want comments. Tell me about the best thing that happened to you in the last week. Or month. Or something coming up. Tell me something good. Delurk, if needs be! I just want to see good, happy comments.

So click that comment link and have at it.

Creeping Video

On Sunday, Julia decided to roll over all by herself. Neither Clark nor I witnessed this, as she did it when we put her in her crib, trying to get her to go to sleep. Rather than sleeping, she got mad and rolled over onto her tummy. She did it again Monday, again when she was mad. But finally, on Tuesday I saw it with my own eyes. And, in fact, she rolled from her tummy to her back, as well. She doesn't get all the way over very often, but we now know that she can. I was going to say, "She can if she wants to," but I don't think she can do it on command. I think it sort of happens by accident, when she's upset and she flails enough to get the right momentum. But on command, she's pretty close.

So yesterday, she decided to start creeping. Very very slowly, but still, creeping. She puts her head down and powers through. And I even caught a bit on video:



Also, she was wearing a really cute outfit yesterday, so I took a picture:

Lest you think it's all sunshine and roses over here, I am including a picture of the terrible accident from today. Last Thursday she made a mess and I broke my toe during the cleanup process. I was not about to be injured again, so I took my sweet time cleaning it up. Well, cleaning up what I could. I think this onsie is probably stained forever:

On the upside, she was about to grow out of it anyway. We'll see if it comes out. I needed a bucket of OxyClean to soak it in. I love cleaning up poop. Love. It.

Pain, or the lack thereof.

All my life I've considered myself a wuss. I just don't deal well with pain, and I let people know about it. And I also have no qualms about popping a couple of ibuprofen if something aches - anything to make it feel better. I have what I'd call a low pain tolerance.

And so I'm kind of confused. Remember how I broke my toe? Now that sounds terribly painful. But, in all honesty, it hasn't been that bad. It looked worse than it felt when it happened. And I have a limp only because of the shoe, not because of any real pain. Sure, it's a little bruised, and I baby it, but mostly I baby it because I'm worried that I'll screw it up if I don't. Everyone keeps telling me about the time they broke a toe and it hurt SO DANG BAD, and they are so sorry that I'm going through this incredibly painful experience. And then I have to say that it really hasn't been all that bad, I'm fine. I took 2 ibuprofen the night it happened, mostly because I didn't want to wake up in the middle of the night and have to hobble downstairs to get some medication (yes, the smart thing to do would be to bring the medication upstairs, but I didn't think it through until just now).

And remember how I gave birth? And while the contractions were NOT fun, and rather painful, after I had the baby I felt pretty darn good. Sure, there was some pain, I was achy, but it wasn't that bad. I took some motrin at the hospital, and that was it. The doctor sent me home with a prescription for some fat old motrin pills, but I never filled it. And when he gave it to me, he asked if I was sure that would be strong enough for the pain, and told me not to hesitate if I needed something stronger. Totally didn't need it.

What the heck is going on here?!

Am I getting better about dealing with pain? Or am I just lucky enough to not have that much pain in the first place? I'm not sure. But I'll take it.

Weekly Quote 8/4/08

"Mrs. D, Mrs. I. . . Mrs. F-F-I, Mrs. C, Mrs. U, Mrs. L-T-Y."

"Why are all these women MARRIED?"

Good job, Mom, this was indeed from Matilda. New quote up!

Oh, also, the poll results are in - I guess we'll be getting another nice liner. Well, actually, I think I'll try Cheryl's suggestion and was the old one first, see if it works. But yeah, thanks for all your help.