Big News!

So.

If you read Clark's blog, or are my friend on Facebook, or have talked to me in the last week or so, you know the big news. But if you don't. . .

WE ARE MOVING TO MICHIGAN!

Yes, it's going to be cold.
Yes, it's far away.
Yes, we are sad to leave our friends in St George.

But guess what? We are excited! Everyone I've talked to in the last week has been so sad for us to leave that I've been kind of bummed out about the whole thing. And then I remembered: we chose to make this move, and we chose to do it for a number of reasons. It's going to be a great adventure for our family. It's going to be a fantastic career move for Clark. And we both feel it's where we are supposed to be. And it's not 100° in Michigan! Not now, not EVER! So that is a big bonus.

Here's how I look at it:

• It's going to be cold. Like really, really cold. But there will be snow! And we'll get to actually use all our blankets! And drink hot cocoa! And wear sweaters, scarves, mittens, jackets, and coats! I have a feeling Julia is going to like playing in the snow.
• It's really far away from our families. But we aren't exactly close to them as it is. Sure, there will be no more weekend jaunts to Salt Lake, and that is sad, but we'll still get to visit once or twice a year. Thank goodness for Skype.
• No mountains. But there are some big old lakes that I hear are spectacular.
• No more hiking in national parks. But they do have an awful lot of forest areas. And Canada is only 2 hours away, so I'm thinking I'll definitely get to use my passport before I'm 30.

Basically, there are good and bad to every place you might live. The trick is to focus on the good, and not think too hard about the bad. I'm really quite excited to get out there and experience something new!

p.s.
This is why I now know where Saginaw is. We're moving to that area. The Saginaw/Bay City/Midland area. I guess some people call it the tri-cities? And they've got The Tridge, so we're all set.

Weekly Quote 9/27/10

"He's losing his mind. . . and I'm reaping all the benefits. . ."

Indeed, The Wedding Singer it was. Chosen because I feel like I am losing my mind lately! Lots to do! New quote up.

Mmmmm

I think Julia enjoyed her free batch of Domino's Cinnastix courtesy of the library, don't you?

Matchy Matchy

Matching outfits for matching girls.

Halloween Preview

Have I mentioned that Julia is obsessed with Halloween? Randomly she'll ask me:

"Do you know what I'm thinking about?"
"No, what?"
"Halloween!"

Seriously. She is so excited for this holiday. Always telling me that it's almost here! And we get to wear costumes! And go trick or treating! And eat candy! We are forever checking out Halloween books from the library, and I've heard numerous costume suggestions. But in the last couple of weeks, she wants to be a monkey. All she wants is to be a monkey. Good thing my friend Jenn had a gorilla suit for us to borrow or else we might have been in trouble. She brought it over a week ago, and it was like Christmas morning, I swear. "A monkey costume! For me! From my friend Taiz! (She's my best friend, Mom.) ( Taiz took Mr Potato Head and I hit her. With a basket. I cried.) Can I wear it?!" I seriously love my conversations with this girl.

So here is your Halloween preview:

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I particularly like the part at the end where she gets all sassy and wants to see the video. Yes, your majesty. Apparently she should be a princess for Halloween instead of a monkey.

Ella, 2 months

I haven't posted an Ella video for a while, so here you go. It's already like 3 weeks old, but oh well. Also, it's not terribly exciting, and I would not be at all offended if you watched about 10 seconds and then were done. But I do know there are some people out there (like Aunt Kim and Uncle Patrick) who love to see videos the kids. Of course, they've seen her in person since this video was taken, but that is irrelevant.

Here she is at not quite 2 months.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

While we're talking about the 2 month mark, let's pull up her stats:

Weight: 10 lbs, 14 oz; 49%
Height: 23.62 inches; 89%
Head Circumference: 15.2 inches; 41%

I thought she looked tall. I guess I'm right.

Somehow the nurse entered her weight at 9.5 lbs in the computer, and the doctor was telling me that we needed to keep an eye on her, and while she's not failing to thrive that is a surprising amount of tapering off on her growth curve. So I was feeling really bad for starving my baby, when I looked at the number and said, "Uh, that's not what the scale said." Phew! Her weight is just fine.

She also got her first shots, which were traumatic. There is nothing so sad as the cry of a baby who has just been jabbed with a needle. I don't even think it's just the sting of pain, I think it's the fact that they trust you to take care of them, and you are holding them, keeping them safe, when BAM! they are being assaulted, and you did nothing to stop it. It's like a little loss of innocence or something. Or maybe I'm reading way too much into it. But after the actual injection, she was a champ. Got a bit of a fever, was fussy for like 10 minutes, and then she slept it off. And that was it. A far cry from our experience with Julia, who was inconsolable for hours, and then fussy for a couple of days. This confirms my belief that Julia is uber sensitive, and Ella is uber mellow. Not that Julia was a difficult baby by any means, she is just a sensitive kid. And Ella is very different. Even if they look like the same person when you compare photos side by side.

The Blessing

So, I've been having a blogger block lately, because I've wanted to post about Ella's blessing, but I haven't had a clue what to say. I mean, really, what is there to say? She got blessed. It was good. The End.

There, I said it, it's over, now we can all move on.

Though, it was so great to have family in town for the happy occasion, and we enjoyed every minute we got to spend with them. We also enjoyed the Red Velvet Cake we devoured on Sunday.

And I took a couple of pictures! Hooray for recording major life events! Here is Ella with Grandpa and Grandma Blockburger:
Here she is with Aunt Whitney (Ella was less than thrilled with life at this point):

Ella with Aunt Kim and Uncle Patrick:

And Ella with Grammie and Opa:


Finally, we thought we'd get a family shot. Only to discover that it is impossible to get a good picture with 2 little girls. This is the best we got:


Julia, looking like an orphan, and kind of giving everyone a crusty look. So we took Julia out of the equation:

And then I noticed that we've got a picture of Julia as a baby on the screensaver of our computer in the background. So it's like an unintentional photoshop effort. . except it's a picture from 2 years ago. Meh, I still like it.

Blessing post: over. Other stuff to come.

The Great Bottle (Mis)Adventure

Ever since Ella was born, Julia has been begging to feed her. Every time I pull out the boppy and sit in the chair, Julia says, "How about me? How about me?" To which I must respond, "You don't have any milk." Tears ensue. So I thought that we'd give the kid a break and attempt a bottle. Which means I have to pump, which is about the second to last thing I want to do any given day (the last thing being vacuum, our carpets are kind of embarrassing). Pumping = more dishes + more work. Also, it requires 2 hands, seeing as I have a manual pump. 2 hands that are constantly needed to do other, more important things. Also, I'd rather sleep in.

Um, I hope that wasn't TMI for anyone. Sorry.

ANYWAY. I finally pulled myself together enough to pump, and we got all settled in to feed Ella that bottle, and Ella would have none of it. Lots of chewing on the nipple. Lots of spitting it out with her tongue. Not one bit of sucking action. So much for that. At least I thought to pull out my camera and snap a picture.

If I hadn't told you that it was a failure, you wouldn't be able to tell from the photo.

Maybe someday she'll take a bottle and I can leave her for longer than 2 hours. Of course, that would require having someone to leave her with. So I guess it's a moot point. Sigh.

Weekly Quote 9/22/10

"But my lips hurt real bad!"

Oh, hi, September 22! You sneaked right up on me. Last week was from the immortal Napoleon Dynamite. Good work, Melissa. New quote up!

Weekly Quote 9/13/10

"So long sweet summer
I stumbled upon you and gratefully basked in your rays."

Dashboard Confessional, Age Six Racer (So Long Sweet Summer). Good stuff. New quote up!

Evidence of Age

Remember how I turned 29 and now I feel old? Well, it's like someone heard and decided it was time to bring on the signs of aging

• I mentioned that I'd like to see fireflies because I'd never seen them before, and then Sabrina reminded me that I actually had seen fireflies. But wait, you want to know the worst part? Even after she said that, I have no recollection of this event! None of this, "Oh, now that you say it, I do remember that." I've been racking my brain the last few days trying to think of when we would have seen them, and I'm coming up blank. This was only. . . 10 years ago.
  
• 10 YEARS AGO?! Events in my adult life took place 10 years ago?! Ack!
• I made Kielbasa and Cabbage last night. And I liked the cabbage. In fact, I might even say that I loved the cabbage. More than the bacon. Who likes cabbage more than bacon? Look at me, all grown up and enjoying my vegetables. (Also, I think that might have been the first time I cooked bacon all by myself. Maybe. Or maybe that is another lost memory.)
  
• My favorite thing to listen to on the radio is NPR. That's not anything new. But it's evidence, nonetheless.

Ok, now that I list them, it doesn't seem so bad. Mostly I'm just bothered that my memory is failing me. Time to do more crossword puzzles. Maybe I should add "complete a Sunday New York Times Crossword" to my bucket list. HA! Yeah right! Like I could get that good in just 1 year!

Weekly Quote 9/6/10

"'Cause I'd get a thousand hugs
From ten thousand lightning bugs
As they tried to teach me how to dance."

Owl City. Fireflies. It's addicting. Also, now I have a strong desire to see fireflies. Maybe I'll add that to my bucket list. But I don't know if we can get that done before next August, so I might have to put that on my lifetime bucket list. New quote up!

New Website

Have you heard of the knot? It's a website devoted to helping the bride-to-be plan her wedding. They also have the nest (to help newlyweds adjust to their new lives and make a house a home) and the bump (for all pregnancy-related things). I think they should add a new one for moms, and I think they should call it the frump. Because that is what I am now: frumpy.

Then again, maybe I don't need a website telling me how to stay home in my pajamas all day, and when I do go out to be sure my shirt has either spit-up or boogers on the shoulder, and also that my old clothes just don't fit right anymore. And that my purse must now be the size of Djibouti to carry everything I might possibly need for each of my kids.

Then again, maybe I need a website telling me these things are ok because everyone goes through this. Everyone does go through this, right?

. . . right?