Naegleness

Birthday Fun!

2012-01-17T19:01:00.000-08:00

Here's some cute videos of Delly's birthday festivities. (If you get this from email, go to my blog to see them.)

Family Pictures

2012-01-17T18:50:00.000-08:00

My neighbor took our family pictures last year in December. I'm so glad we got them before Delly got too old for baby pictures. I've got beautiful kids, if I do say so myself. :) Of course, we had a great photographer, too.

My happy girl. I especially love how the ones of Angie turned out. My sweet girl!

I love this one of her crying. Not so much the fact that she's crying, but you've got to admit, it's a darling picture. Don't you just want to pick her up and hold her?

One year ago today...

2012-01-17T18:32:00.001-08:00

Well, we made it. We survived the first year with kids plural. How did we go from this sweet little bundle to this little kid? I really couldn't tell you. It went by in a blur.

Her 1 year well check up was today. 5 pokes. Yes, we're mean. Here's some fun stats about our Miss Delly:

- She is ALL girl. Loves dolls, princesses, singing and dancing. One morning last week she had me feeding her baby with a toy spoon. At 7 am. It was a little too early for my taste, but it made me laugh all the same.

- She's 30 inches long and 17 lbs 13 oz. Exactly the same height as Angie at this age, but a little over a pound lighter.

- She's still nursing! Refuses formula, will take a little cow's milk, and eats table food better than Angie. Our first meat eater!

- She has a cute little beauty queen wave for hello, she shakes her head 'no', and she can do the actions to "Popcorn Popping." Well, the open/shut hand part anyway. She also loves "Ring around the Rosie." Last week I was subbing in nursery and she kept getting frustrated when the other kids wouldn't take her hand to play it during lesson time.

- She is thisclose to walking on her own, and it's about driving me crazy! She's a better crawler than Angie was, so she hasn't been as driven to learn how to do it without me. She prefers walking, though, and she has the impression that my job in life is to let her drag me all over the house so she can keep up with her sister. We're working with her to get her to walk between us, and she's getting better.

- She LOVES her big sister! They get so excited to see each other, but we're definitely working on the sharing/don't bug your sister rule. I don't think we'll master it until they're out of the house. They're getting better, or maybe Delly's just getting older and better at playing.

They aren't kidding when they say that first year will be hard, but I think it was hard for us because life didn't stop. There were definitely times where I looked heavenward and said, "Lord, I just can't do this anymore." Somehow, we ended up here. I know that we have a loving Father in Heaven who sustains us through His Spirit and the sacrifice of His Son. Somehow, there is a peace that comes and there is guidance that comes, and little miracles and precious moments happen often enough that without a doubt, this is the greatest job in the world.

Santa

2011-12-12T19:13:00.000-08:00

Well, it's an improvement over last year, anyway.

Delly girl...

2011-11-14T12:33:00.000-08:00

She's growing up on me - she'll be 10 months next week! Eating normal food, crawling, sitting up by herself, and playing with her big sister. These are the moments I used to dream about back when we were still trying to have kids. My two little munchkins, still small enough that I can snuggle them both at the same time.

Delly just figured out that her feet have a purpose. Don't let her near your fingers or you're on the hook. Usually, it's Mommy who's on the hook, even if Daddy is there. But this day, she let Daddy do the honors so Mama's back could get a break.

One day Angie and our neighbor friend wanted to hold her hands and "help" her walk. Delly was beyond excited. She thought she was a big girl! I wish I'd had a camera handy.

Lucky for me (and my back) she's gotten the hang of walking with just one of my hands, but she's still a little wobbly. We're growing up around here!

Halloween!

2011-11-01T12:34:00.001-07:00

The holidays are so much more fun when children are involved, whether they are yours or someone else's. We enjoyed a few holiday parties, the church trunk-or-treat, and even a little trick-or-treating. My favorite moments are Delly getting mad when I took away the sucker she had swiped and Angie's wonder and awe when she finished making the rounds. She held up her basked and said, "I got candy!"

Playtime

2011-11-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

This is how I found Angie when I went to check on her during quiet time.

I took several pictures of Angie in the yard the other day. Now that it has finally cooled off we are enjoying the outdoors.

We went to the farm for a playdate. Here we are on a tractor ride.

We are multi-talented around here. We can play sports while wearing princess dresses.

It has been such a joy to watch Angie grow into a little girl. All of a sudden she's talking about princesses and movies and stories and playing with friends. Her little sister is trying desperately to keep up (attempting to walk already!) and Mama is just trying to soak it all in.

September/October Happenings

2011-10-18T12:20:00.000-07:00

We've been pretty busy around here: playing with friends in our cute raincoats,

Helping Daddy build a Big Girl Bed,

Learning how to pull up,

And learning how to drive.

The usual.

Growing out of stuff

2011-09-13T12:40:00.001-07:00

This week Angie (finally) decided to climb out of her pack 'n play and Delly started trying to climb out of her bouncy chair. I've been using the pack 'n play for Angie's quiet time while Delly took her afternoon nap. Today I tried to have Angie get in it anyway for quiet time - that lasted about 3 minutes. Now I have to decide if I want to fight it and chase her back into my room every 5 minutes, or give in and accept a side kick. I tried turning on the tv, hoping she'd sit and quietly watch a show, but she insisted on being held and joining me while I did some computer stuff. I did lay on the couch with her next to me for about half an hour, so that was kind of a quiet time. Oh well. We'll figure out a new routine, and in the meantime I might actually get more done because I tend to just check emails/read/sleep during their nap/quiet times.

Delly is now in the wrestling match stage - trying to bend and twist and grab and stand and generally get into everything. She's like Angie was at this age - not too interested in being on the floor for too long because she can't stand or see anything when she's down there. Plus, Angie still likes to come and sit on her. She started babbling recently, and is starting to eat bread and things llike that.

One huge blessing that has come into our lives is new neighbors - an LDS family with two little girls age 3 and 1. They are our duplex neighbors, so we can now just open the back door and let the little ones run back and forth. It is wonderful, and it makes the long days when Conrad is at work or church seem a little less long.

Speaking of Conrad and church, that has brought some changes into our lives as well. At the end of June he was called as second counselor in the branch presidency of our local Spanish branch (congregation). HUGE change. We now attend their meetings, so I am learning a lot about what it will be like if we are called to a mission in a foreign country some day. I learned Spanish in school, so it's there, but I've never been immersed like this, so it has been an adjustment. Conrad is getting the hang of it - he was overwhelmed at first, but the language is coming back, so he's getting better and better. Their Primary and youth programs are combined with our home congregation, so Angie is attending the same class, but our sacrament meeting is after that block, so we have that meeting at 4:10. I think if I didn't have 2 wiggly kids to care for I might get more out of it, but since I'm focused on them I can't concentrate on the Spanish, so it all goes in one ear and out the other. It has been such a blessing though, and we've learned so much. We love our new friends - they are so kind and try so hard to include us.

So, that's the latest with us...I'll follow up with some family stuff!

A little potty humor...

2011-08-14T08:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Conrad was using the facilities when Angie came in and decided she wanted to "go potty with Daddy." She ran and got her little potty chair, brought it into our bathroom and proceeded to sit down and pretend to go potty. It was so cute. I really wanted to take a picture of the moment, but for some reason Conrad wouldn't let me. :)

6 months

2011-07-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

Our sweet girl is now 6 months old, 15 pounds, and 27 inches long. She's still not rolling much, but she's getting close to being able to sit up on her own. She both loves and tolerates her big sister, and she LOVES exploring things. If you hand her something, anything, you'll often find her with a look of concentration on her face, her little tongue sticking out, while she uses her fingers to pat and poke and manipulate things, trying to figure out what they do and how they feel. She brings us all a lot of joy.

She was fascinated by the camera when I took this picture. She's very much in the 'mama's girl' phase right now, both trying and wonderful at the same time. Whenever I return she stops crying and takes my face in her hands, almost like she's saying, "Mommy, I was so sad you were gone!"

This kind of gives you an idea of how long she is, and why she's not rolling as much. Partly because she's happy with whatever she's got with her hands, and partly because I can't leave her on the floor very long without Sister coming in to 'play.' Angie has learned that if you make Delly cry you say you're sorry, but she's still working on the not doing it anymore part.

This is why...

2011-07-11T12:07:00.000-07:00

...I can't leave the room very long.

New chairs...and haircut #2

2011-06-21T07:11:00.000-07:00

I found these cute chairs at the grocery store and couldn't resist the $3.99 price tag. Angie loved them and immediately had me put Delly in one with her. Since then, she's shared them with her babies, too.

Yay! I finally caught a baby smile on camera!

I took the girls to a local farm museum, the same one we visited for an Easter egg hunt. They had a ton of fun activities for little kids.

Here's Angie feeding the chickens.

And here she is pretending to paint the fence. She loved this one.

And here she is sporting her new haircut. After I cut her bangs I noticed the rest of her hair was looking a little straggly, so I trimmed it on Sunday morning. She kept saying, "Again" so it ended up a little shorter than I intended, but I think it's cute.

Firsts...and latest

2011-06-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

Delly just happened to try her first cereal the day that Angie got her first haircut. How fun that my girls are growing up!

She of course spit it right back out, but has since adjusted and is eating well. I also tried her on a sippy cup the other day, and she took it just fine. Freedom! She won't take a bottle, mostly because she doesn't know what to do with it, but this sippy cup I'm using is the same one I trained Angie with. There's no suction involved, the liquid just pours out, so if you go slowly and carefully, she'll drink out of it.

Conrad didn't want the leftover cereal to go to waste. :)

First haircut. So yes, I cut them a little short, but Angie is now styling some very cute bangs. I got tired of her hair being in her face all the time.

This picture's a little blurry, but you can see how cute she looks with her little ponytail now.

Taken yesterday - they're growing so fast! My job still involves a lot of monitoring to make sure Angie's not squishing her sister, but Delly seems to adore her, so there's usually not a whole lot of crying.

Latest funny story: We got home from a friend's house about a 1/2 hour after Angie's bedtime, and she didn't want to leave, so she was throwing a major tantrum by the time we got home. We tried everything before finally just carrying her in the house kicking and screaming. She was writhing on the floor screaming "Go bye-bye!" and we kept trying to say, "We'll go bye-bye later" and things like that to no avail. Finally I just stood over her and said, "No." Then the funniest thing happened. She got this grin on her face and and then screamed again, "Angie go bye-bye!" I said, "No." Then it became a game, and she slowly calmed down, then came and sat on the couch so we could read scriptures. Everything went fine from there. Conrad and I just looked at each other and shook our heads.

Just so you know, I do tell Angie no to things. I've just never heard of the word "no" being the key to calming a screaming toddler.

Delly - almost 5 months. Angie - 2 1/4

Delia explains it all...

2011-05-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

We just happened to catch Delly in one of her more talkative moments.

4 months

2011-05-19T12:36:00.000-07:00

Delia just hit the 4 month mark, and she's still long and lean! 25 1/2 inches and 13 lbs 2.5 oz. Her eyes are starting to get some color in them, so we think she'll have my hazel eyes. She's currently at the stage of trying to eat everything she can get her hands on, so we'll probably start her on cereal in the next day or two. She's been pretty similar to Angie so far as far as personality goes, happy and easy-going, so we'll see how things go as she gets older. As you can see, Angie likes to love on her, and Delly seems to tolerate it pretty well, even smiling and giggling when Angie gets in her face. She'll try to eat Angie's hand, and Angie will giggle and then give it to me so I can wipe off the baby drool.

Angie is doing well, too. She loves to play outside, read, watch musicals (!) and play with her sister. We made a modest attempt at potty training, and she showed interest in everything except actually using the potty for its intended function. Oh well. She's no longer napping, so every day is a daily struggle to get her to stay down happily for quiet time, but we're slowly figuring things out. Delly seems to be structuring her day sleep a little better, so I've been able to get a break during the past few days, but we'll see how things go with that. Oh, and Angie can almost count to 20! She gets to 13, then 14 & 15 kind of mesh, and then you hear a few other 'teens' until you get to 20. Moments like that are what melt you so you can be patient when you try to explain to your frustrated 2 year old that once you put a sticker on a piece of paper it probably won't stick to the table when you take it off the paper.

Angie's First Track Meet

2011-05-05T11:59:00.000-07:00

Delly in Action

2011-04-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

Bluebonnets!

2011-04-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

We went to a city-sponsored Easter egg hunt on Saturday, and were pleasantly surprised to find a large field of bluebonnets behind it. Bluebonnets are the state flower of Texas, and grow abundantly in the spring if you know where to look. It's traditional to take your family out and take pictures in them, so here are the first official Naegle Bluebonnet Pictures!

Oh, and in case you were wondering, we got to the egg hunt right as it was starting. They should just call it the Easter egg race because it was basically a mass of people that rushed across a field, picking up eggs as they went. Angie got one, as you can see in the picture above, but she's still young enough that she didn't care and was perfectly happy with the little toy that came inside. We got a couple of family shots, but there were people in the background, so I didn't post them.

Blessings

2011-04-04T18:53:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was Delia's blessing weekend, and we had the added blessing of my parents coming into town. This was my dad's first chance to meet her, and as you can see, it was love at first sight for both of them.

Grandma didn't waste any time lovin' on her granddaughters, either.

Delia wore the same dress that Angie wore when she was blessed almost 2 years ago. Such a blessing to be able to use the dress again so soon.

Okay, is this not the cutest baby you've ever seen?

Conrad's parents and brother were in attendance, too. The blessing itself was beautiful. Afterward, we had both sets of grandparents over for dinner.

Our first family picture. Angie is making fish faces at my dad, who was trying to get her to smile by making fish faces of his own.

Thanks for coming, Mom and Dad! We loved showing you around town. Funny story: the day after they left, we were eating lunch, and Angie asked for some ice cream. I told her she could have some after dinner, and she said, "Angie Grandma!" in that special toddler give-me-what-I-want voice. Apparently she thought she'd have better luck if Grandma was here. She's right.

My kids have many faces

2011-03-22T16:07:00.000-07:00

Well, Delia is now 2 months old, weighs a whopping 10 lbs 4.5 oz and is 23 inches long. That's a pound and an inch per month! They weren't kidding when they said they grow fast. Things are going well and Angie and Delly are starting to enjoy each other more and more. Delly will smile when Angie comes and parks herself in front of her bouncy chair, and Angie will come and give her kisses and loves (hugs) quite frequently. She'll also bring her a pacifier if she's fussy, and she'll say "Hi Delly!" which is just about the cutest thing you've ever heard, other than "Delly, what's up?"

Here's Angie modeling a hat and scarf my grandma made and sent to her. She was having fun playing with it that day, and apparently my interrupting her to take a picture wasn't part of the fun. :)

Angie loves to hold Delly, and this day happened to work out great for a quick picture. I love how many expressions you can capture in a matter of minutes.

Here's another photo session we had the other day when they were lying on the rug next to each other while I was folding laundry. One of those calm, peaceful moments that happen every now and then that make you say, "This is why I wanted to be a mommy."

And here's a picture of Delly's feet. She has the longest toes I've ever seen! Well, on a baby anyway.

One last picture of my cute girl!

I have to say I'm starting to have mixed feelings about blogging, so I'm not sure how much I'll keep doing it. Privacy issues...I'd be curious to know what others think. I know I can just make it a private blog, but I want people to be able to see it, too, and I love being able to find others' blogs. We'll see.

Happy girl

2011-03-11T13:34:00.000-08:00

Delia has added smiling to her list of talents. I love it when they start smiling at you - their little spirits come shining through. She loves to have people talk to her and gets upset if she's left alone very long, when she's awake anyway. I haven't been able to catch her big, open-mouth grins yet, but here's some little smiles to share.

Okay, so this one's not a smile, just precious.

She and Angie are sharing a room now, and so far it's working well. They don't wake each other up, except for the other night when Angie woke up crying and carried on for 20 minutes. We still aren't sure why - she usually settles down and goes back to sleep once we check on her, but she just kept going and going...even throwing up on me at one point from being so worked up. Could have been a bug, a bad dream, who knows. That was a fun parenting moment, let me tell you. :) Luckily those are few and far between.

My baby turns 2!

2011-02-24T20:09:00.000-08:00

Angie turned 2 last weekend. It was so nice to focus the day on her - though she's still too young to know what a birthday is. I'm not sure what she thought of all the festivities, but we enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate our sweet Angie. I can't imagine not having her in my life, no matter how frustrated I get in her two-year-old moments. She's a beautiful, happy, intelligent, silly little girl and I'm so lucky to be her mommy.

Here's my first attempt at a layer cake, and I think next year I'll just make a regular cake and save myself the stress. I found red frosting on sale after the 4th of July last year (no, it had not expired, nor was it close to expiring) so I thought I'd try a ladybug cake. I ended up scraping off the brown frosting on the eyes and just leaving the cookie exposed for the pupil of the eyes. It tasted pretty good, though, if I do say so myself.

This picture is slightly out of order, but it was cute so I thought I'd throw it in. Notice Angie's looking one direction and Delly's looking the other.

Good morning Angie! I went in to get her that morning and almost burst out laughing. I mean, you just don't see this kind of volume in nature very often. They do say the hair is bigger in Texas.

Here she is with tamed hair, and of course you can never leave home without your favorite toy and movie.

Ready to do some birthday shopping! They literally sit right next to each other in the car, so I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun car rides ahead of us.

This picture also got out of order for some reason. One of Angie's gifts was a set of letter and number magnets for the fridge. I feel like an official parent now.

Here's what she picked out for her birthday gift - it's a play-tent type thing. It might actually be for a younger child, but she parked herself in front of it and played with it until we finally decided to get it for her (it took us awhile to consent because we didn't know where to put it in our tiny home). We actually had to rearrange the furniture for it, but I'm really glad we did because the new arrangement opens things up really well.

Ready for cake and ice cream! She didn't know what to think about the candles, so Grandma blew out one and I blew out the other.

Sporting her new dress from Grandma Howard. I tried pony tails on her for the second time in her life - doesn't she look old?

We had her two year check up and she's now 34 3/4 inches tall and 24 1/2 lbs, but she was wearing a diaper and a shirt, so she might be closer to 24 pounds. Still 75% for height and 25% for weight.

Happy Birthday Angie!

One month down...

2011-02-19T20:15:00.000-08:00

...eternity to go! We've survived the first month, we're getting used to getting up 2 or 3 times a night, and I only feel like I'm going insane once or twice a day! Here are some of the highlights from the first month of Delia's life:

These first 4 pictures actually took place the week before Delly was born. Our next-door neighbor's house burned down in the middle of the night! Everyone got out okay and is doing well, and there was no damage to our house. It was a little crazy, to say the least.

This light fixture has always hung from our neighbor's tree. It survived, and I thought it was a rather beautiful image juxtaposed with the burnt ruins behind it.

This is the view of the fire from my carport. It was 3 in the morning. Why this didn't induce labor is beyond me.

Then, when Delly was 3 weeks old, Dallas had the Storm of all Storms. You may have heard about it. Jerry Jones and the Super Bowl Committee were a little nervous. It was an answer to my prayers, though. Conrad's office closed for 4 days and we enjoyed some much needed family time, taking it easy and resting during the day.

You can still see the burned out cars buried in the snow.

Delly's first bath. Her first few weeks she was a pretty fussy child, especially in the evening (though she has slept fairly well at night for her age the whole time). For some reason, though, she loved her bath. Maybe it was the first familiar thing she had experienced in some time. For the record, she's doing a lot better now with a lot of things. For example, we usually have at least 1 if not 2 stretches of 3 or 4 hours between feeding at night. Once or twice she's gone 5.

Me with my first baby, enjoying a little Mommy 'n' Me time. Balancing the needs of two children is definitely an adjustment. I'm amazed at how much I love them, though. What a miracle children are.

Posing. Delly's starting to smile and show more expression in her face. I love it - it makes her seem so much more human.

Valentine's Day, 9:30 pm. We're looking forward to next year.

I just love watching babies sleep, they're so beautiful!

Conrad - so tired he can't even pretend he's not tired. I don't know what I would have done without him this past month. He's my rock!

First day of church. Apparently she didn't want to wear this dress. She conked out shortly after she got in her car seat and didn't wake up again until after sacrament meeting, when I woke her up to feed her in the mother's room before heading home.

More sisterly loves. Angie loves her sister so much. Whenever Delly cries, she either tries to give her a hug or bring me a pacifier. However, whenever I sit down to feed her (Delly), she'll (Angie) usually say, "No food." I guess nursing is not to her liking? We're still working on the meaning of the word 'soft.' We've also added 'all done' to the list of words to learn, as in "All done smushing your sister on purpose, Angie." It's a work in progress. Sigh.

She's so beautiful that I can't believe she's mine sometimes. Angie has that effect on me too.

See what I mean about how beautiful they are? And the smushing?

Well, that's our story for now. Having more than one kid is a lot to tackle, but we wouldn't have it any other way. In fact, I'm already starting to wonder when the next one will come along (hopefully not this year). :)

Sisters

2011-01-28T14:20:00.000-08:00

So far Angie has been very loving to Delia, a little too loving sometimes. We're working on the meaning of the word 'soft.' I think she tries, but she tries to hug her a little too hard or lay on top of her in her bouncy chair. So far the only tantrums she has thrown are with me. :) However, yesterday I happened to look in her mouth when she was crying about something and noticed a couple of molars popping through the back of her mouth. Poor thing! Cutting molars AND having to share Mommy's attention! Life can be so cruel.

See that stroller in the background? We had to cut the photo session a little short because one sibling kept getting accidentally bonked in the head by the other sibling with the stroller. Another word we're working on is "careful."

Here's a cute video I got of the 2 of them. (If you're getting this via email you have to go to my actual blog to see it. Click the link at the bottom of the page.)

The Details

2011-01-21T12:56:00.001-08:00

Ok - both kids are sleeping, the house is quiet. Time to update the blog (after a nap). :) Here's what you've all been waiting for!

The Name

Delia is actually a family name on Brynn's father's side. However, it was pronounced dill-ia, not dell-ia. I didn't know that when we chose it, but chose not to ask how it was pronounced because we liked the dell-ia pronunciation. Anyway, we decided to look for names that started with "D" to keep with the ABC thing we had going. Delia just stuck and continued to stick as time went on. My grandma Howard told my dad after we had her that there were actually 2 ancestors with the name Delia, one being male actually, and he helped build the home that the other Delia lived in. Also, our baby was born the day after my father's birthday, and his name is Dale, so there's that connection as well, albeit unintentional. Anyway, it's always funny to me how each child's name seems to have a meaning behind it, more than you know sometimes. Jean is Conrad's grandmother's middle name, and they shared the same birthday. So, lots of family connections for this little one! Funny note: when I mentioned the name Delia to Conrad he asked what we would call her. I suggested Delly, and he immediately laughed and said, "I can say, Delly make me a sandwich!" You know, like a 'deli.' I've since told him he can't actually say that because it sounds kind of stereotyping, but it made him laugh so that sold him on it, too. We do call her Delly, by the way.

The Labor/Delivery

We ended up going to the hospital on Monday at 7 to induce. The doctor had stripped my membranes the previous week, and I could feel that things were getting close, but nothing had actually started, so we showed up as scheduled Monday morning. When I got there, I was already dilated to 4 or 5 and 90% effaced! The doctor just broke my water and started pitocin an hour later (around 9 or so) when nothing else happened. The contractions got sharper and lower very quickly, so after about an hour I asked for my epidural. Shortly after I got it the nurse checked and I was dilated to an 8. 40 minutes later the epidural had numbed everything except my contractions, so a nurse came in and gave me a shot of the stuff they give you when you'll have a c-section. That took the pain from a 9 to a 5, but it took the edge off. The baby came pretty quickly after that. 5 minutes of pushing, and I have no idea if the edge was still off or not, but I felt every push. The nurse told me that epidurals typically don't work as well once the baby starts to bear down. That was the case with Angie's birth, but I got it a lot earlier with her. So, don't wait until it hurts to get your epidural! At least it went fast.

Things are going well here at home so far. Angie has her "moments" and we're back in the mixed-up nights and days mode, but Delly's a good baby and Angie does seem to enjoy talking to her. This morning the first thing she wanted after she woke up was to run in and see the baby. I'm recovering fairly quickly, which is nice, too, and my mom has been a wonderful help. It helps when it's the second time around because it comes back to you and you know a little more about what you're doing. Not a lot, but a little. :)

Introducing...

2011-01-18T19:27:00.000-08:00

Delia Jean Naegle

(pronounced dell-ia)

born Monday at 12:18 pm

8 lbs 5 oz

20 3/4 inches

We are in love!

This one's for Grandpa Howard

2011-01-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Grandpa Howard!

Just so you know...

2011-01-09T16:29:00.000-08:00

...I still haven't had my baby yet. We got to our 39 week appointment and I hadn't dilated any more than the first check 3 weeks before, and wasn't showing any signs of pending change. My doctor said let's just go ahead and wait it out, so here we sit. My official due date is January 10, and my next appointment is 2 days after that. He usually won't let me go more than a week overdue, so if she isn't here by Wednesday we'll set a date. I'm still feeling really good (as long as I don't do too much) and I'm still sleeping well, so I just count it as a blessing to have more time. Plus, I enjoyed my inducing experience the first time. It was nice to be able to plan it, and it went well. So, we wait!

39 weeks????

2010-12-21T19:30:00.000-08:00

So we went in for a routine doctor's appointment today. Part of the agenda was an ultrasound to make sure Baby was growing and that I had enough fluid, since I measured a little small the week before. I wasn't too worried about the measuring, because Angie measured small right around the same time, and look how great she turned out! However, I was a little worried about the fact that I was already dilated to a 2 per last week's visit and had had some false labor pains that same week. The doctor had said she thought the baby was about 5 1/2 lbs at that point. I am not one of those mothers who wants their babies to come early. I want them to come on time if not later, just to make sure they are "done." The thought of my sweet girl arriving when she was that tiny just about scared me to death, and I've been grateful that I got almost everything done before last week so I could start taking it easy and quit having false labor.

Well guess what, she's not measuring small - she's measuring about 2 weeks ahead of schedule! What??? Can I just tell you how relieved I am? No wonder I'm starting to dilate - she's practically measuring full-term - 39 weeks, and I'm only 37! The sonographer checked the measurements twice.

I've been nesting now for several months - partly because we are still in our little 2 bedroom and there was a ton of rearranging/throwing stuff out I needed to do to make room for another little angel. Partly because I remembered how wiped out I felt at the end last time and wanted plenty of time to get everything done at a good pace. And partly because my mom thought she was coming in December instead of January. The doctor said we would probably re-evaluate things at the actual 39 weeks, if I haven't delivered yet. Of course, this was not my actual doctor I was seeing, but one of the others in the practice, but I would assume the counsel would be the same. Now, I'm not predicting any sort of delivery date - I have no idea and I have no plans to try to "hurry things up" before the doctor suggests I do so. Things could change a great deal between then and now. I'm just glad that I'm ready. (And Mom, if I make it that long I'll try to schedule the induction after the 6th for your sake.) :)

Oh, and I had the sonographer check the gender again. That was the clearest "girl" picture I've ever seen - it literally looked like a real picture. So yep, we're still having a girl!

Terrible Parents

2010-12-14T19:20:00.000-08:00

I mean really, who would submit their child to such torture?

We took Angie to the annual Christmas parade and Cookies with Santa event. As you can see, she enjoyed ALMOST all of it. The little stuffed dog was her reward for screaming in Santa's ear for 2 seconds while her mean Mommy and Daddy made her sit on his lap for a picture. Come to think of it, I don't think she was even in his lap. I wonder what the Santa Clauses think of these parents forcing their toddlers to sit through this tradition every year. We debated it but decided to try it and see what she'd do. We got a kick out of the picture.

She got her fill of sugar from that massive cookie, a candy cane, and a lollipop. Surprisingly, she still ate lunch afterward. She seemed to enjoy the parade and knew exactly what to do with the candy they handed her. It was fun for me to watch the local high school band march by. It brought back memories. We enjoyed having Conrad with us, especially. He's been working a lot of Saturdays lately, but he came with us to this before heading to the office. I was so glad he was able to make it.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-29T14:30:00.001-08:00

We just stayed in Texas this year, like always. For breakfast we had cinnamon rolls (out of a can). They actually turned out pretty good and were quite filling. Angie thought they were cake and was excited to eat them.

Happy girl!

Using Daddy as a chair while he watches football after dinner. A much needed break for all of us.

This and that...

2010-11-29T14:15:00.000-08:00

We went with our playgroup to the local fire station the other day. Angie refused to wear the little plastic fireman hat they gave her and preferred to just stare at everyone and everything.

"Angie, go line up with the other kids so Mommy can take your picture!"

This is as close as she got. Can't get too close to the action, I guess.

Helping Daddy build Baby Sister's crib. Conrad is doing the Hokey Pokey, if I remember right. It was a little interesting trying to build a crib in a very enclosed space with an active, curious toddler. Only one bonked head for Angie. We decided to get another crib rather than just upgrading Angie's bed because, a) she's not trying to climb out so why fix what's not broken, and b) a bigger bed will not fit in this room with the dressers, changing table and rocking chair, but another crib like Angie's fits PERFECTLY.

This is me about 2 weeks ago - I think at 32 weeks. I've popped out a little more since my last picture, don't you think? I just borrowed rather than bought maternity clothes last time, and since I've only got six weeks to go I'm debating whether or not to buy a couple more pairs of maternity pants to get through December or just wear Conrad's workout pants to supplement my limited supply. We'll see. And yes, my bedroom mirror is dirty. It still has Angie's handprints from when she was a baby and loved to look at herself in the mirror. I can't bring myself to wash them off.

Grandma Howard (my grandma) sent a baby blanket and burp cloths for the baby and a shirt for Angie. Here's Angie modeling the shirt. She took the burp cloth to use as a doll blanket. I had to show her how to do that so she wouldn't use it to blow her nose, like she kept trying to do. I eventually had to hide them.

Only 6 or so weeks to go!

Garbage Duty

2010-11-16T11:24:00.000-08:00

Angie is becoming very aware that things have a place, and she notices when something doesn't belong or doesn't look right. Lately her big hang-up is outdoor garbage cans, the big ones with lids. If she sees one that is open, she insists that we go close it. In fact, today we walked the whole block closing all the garbage can lids. Her idea, not mine. She also notices all the garbage on the ground and I think she wants me to pick it up, but I usually tell her, "That's where it goes," and she'll leave it alone. I feel a little guilty saying this, since I know that that's not where it goes, but I usually don't have a bag with me and picking up used cups, bottles, and cigarette packs kind of grosses me out. Especially if I have to hold them until we get to the next open garbage can. You'd think we lived in Oregon, not Texas! I have to say I am proud of her for being environmentally conscious, though.

Costume - Halloween 2010

2010-10-27T11:43:00.001-07:00

This year Angie is going to be a bumblebee for Halloween. She seems to like putting it on, even the hood, and we really liked the $3 price tag and the fact that it won't be bulky and hot for the 85 degree weather we're supposed to have on Halloween. She got to wear it for a Halloween party at her Music Makers class (a toddler co-op music class started by a friend in our ward/church congregation).

I promise, she really does like her costume!

Don't you just love those little wings? So cute!

Side view

See, she likes it! Or maybe she just likes her daddy. :) (Yes, that's the price tag in the picture - she was trying it on.)

Angie at the Farm

2010-10-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

I took Angie to a local farm for playgroup last week. She had a lot more fun this time than last time, especially with all the animals.

Here she is with the goats. She enjoyed trying to feed them, but mostly she walked up and down along the fence so they could lick her hands. Then she would clap and move on to the next one.

Angie is a very observant, reserved child out in public, at least when she's in a relatively unfamiliar place. Hence, most pictures of her have a very serious, contemplative look. I guess in this one she's pondering the meaning of the pumpkin patch, or just wondering what is up in the tree. Maybe she saw an airplane.

She got excited when she saw the donkey and tried to stick her hand in the fence so it could lick her. Luckily one of the other kids shouted out, "No!" and she stopped.

Here is one of the few pictures where she is actually looking at the camera and holding still long enough for me to take it.

Angie thought the pumpkins were basketballs, so she kept picking them up and saying, "Ball!" and then dropping them, thinking they would bounce. It's a good thing she's not very far from the ground, or we would have ended up buying a whole lot of pumpkins that day. We got to take one home as part of the cost of admission.

Pregnant Pics, finally!

2010-10-04T18:24:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm not going to win any modeling awards with these pictures, or photography awards for that matter, but you can get the gist of how the belly is growing.

I've gained more weight with this one, but I started the pregnancy several pounds lighter than I did my first time around, so I figure it all balances out.

These pictures were taken September 30 and October 1, so they are very recent. As of today, I'm 26 weeks. October 10 will be the 6 month mark.

Please forgive the poor quality of these two. I got the idea to take pregnancy shots of myself in the mirror from a friend's blog (love you Carly!). However, she must have a lot more practice than I do. We were in a hurry, so I just took these two really quickly and called it good since you can see my belly pretty well. My face isn't as necessary. :)

So, here you go. Oh, and a quick shout out to my brother and sister on missions who get these updates via email. I love you two and I love reading your family emails! I can't believe Kristjana's mission (Canada Toronto something east or west) has gone by so fast - she'll be home in 2 months! Dalen's (Mexico Oaxaca) has flown by, too, and I'm glad to see he hasn't lost his personality in the mission, still cracking those jokes! He'll be home next August. He wasn't affected by the floods. I should probably post his response to my mother's anxious emails - it was hilarious! Something about people losing their pinkies and arms and needing donations from Mr. Potat0 Heads. So funny. I love you guys!

The rest of us

2010-09-29T19:14:00.000-07:00

Lest you think that only Angie lives here, Conrad and I are doing pretty well, too. Conrad is very happy that fall is here, and with it comes football! To celebrate, I bought a cross-stitch to work on, which I will have to do quickly if I want to complete it before the baby gets here. Poor guy is pretty busy with work and church service, so he doesn't get to watch as many games as he'd like. Conrad is also very excited that the Texas Rangers (pro-baseball) made it to the playoffs for the first time since 1999. He spent weeks trying to teach me what the 'magic number' was (the number of games before they clinched their playoff berth). His work and his calling are going well, too. He's still very busy, but he tries his best to be everything for everyone. I'm such a lucky wife to have such a hard working husband!

I am now 25 weeks along and am nesting like crazy. Since we're having another girl, there isn't a whole lot to do for the baby, other than getting the boxes of baby clothes out of the closet to wash, but I won't do that for a while yet. Instead, I'm trying to finish all the random projects around the house that I've been meaning to do. Today I scrubbed the shower extra hard, got rid of the extra rags in the rag bucket, filled out the hospital pre-registration form, switched my extra purses to a new box so I could use the old box for something else, and did the filing. Yes, I know that none of these projects are essential (except maybe the hospital registration), but they make me feel good as I get my house organized. I know I'll be spending a lot of time at home when the baby gets here, and I won't have time to do any of these things, so I'm doing them now while I'm still feeling relatively good. Baby's doing fine, just swimming around like the sweet little fish that she is.

Other than that things are pretty much normal around here. It finally cooled off, so Angie and I have been spending more time outside. We have a neighbor with lots of flowers and cats, so we're over there daily. Today Angie saw one of the cats scratch a fence post, and thought it was the funniest thing. She tried to scratch it, too, but I stopped her before she got splinters. She now knows how to put a DVD in the DVD player, so all I have to do is push the button to open it for her and she does the rest. Ah, sweet independence!

Growing Up

2010-09-10T12:51:00.000-07:00

It seems like every day I look at Angie and watch my baby disappear before my eyes. From the occasional threat of the "Terrible Twos" to the vocabulary that seems to increase in numbers and clarity, my baby girl is becoming, simply, a girl.

Case in point: Usually when I offer to let Angie talk to someone on the phone, she'll lean her head against the phone, maybe say hi, and then shake her head and go back to her play. The other day we were out in the yard when Daddy called to say he was on his way home. I asked if she wanted to talk to Daddy, and she proceeded to take the phone, wander around the yard, and say, "Hi...Hi...Bye...Hello...Bye." I think she might have thrown in a few other words, but this went on for about 5 minutes! I got it on video, and might have also gotten the random swear word thrown in by the neighbor across the street who was also on the phone.

Notice the extravagant array of beads. Angie has become interested in jewelry lately. Whenever I put on a necklace, she asks for one, too. Same thing with bracelets and my watch. I've seen her eyeing my wedding ring, too, but so far no go. I love that she is properly accessorized to go play in the water while Daddy waters the house (it's a Texas thing).

Busy "supervising."

My little 50's woman, all set to sweep the porch in her pearls. Yep, I train 'em early around here.

I think she had stepped on her toe funny in this picture, hence the crying. She loves to carry my purse and put on my shoes, and gets frustrated occasionally when their size proves difficult to manage.

Some other adorable things of late:

- The other day she was playing with my wallet while I was in the kitchen. I heard her say, "temple." I looked down and she was holding my recommend (the little card that shows I'm worthy to enter). I knew she knew what a temple was since there's a picture of the Madrid Spain temple above her bed that she asked to know the word for. I didn't think she knew what the Salt Lake temple looked like, and I was pretty impressed since it's a pretty small picture. Later we remembered that there's a book about temples we read to her on Sundays. Either way, I was pretty impressed with the connection.

- She'll watch tv now, but she always asks for church movies. We have some DVDs that the church put out several years ago in the Ensign. She especially loves the one about Jesus ("Finding Faith in Christ"), and the "baby" one ("Joy to the World"). She also watches "Mr. Krueger's Christmas" and "The Restoration." I think she's trying to say "Joseph" when she asks for that one. The novelty of putting the DVD into the player is part of the fun for her, but she loves watching them, too, and will stand transfixed and say, "Jesus!" in the most excited way when he comes on the screen. I can even put one in and go take a shower, and I can usually hear her saying, "Jesus!" while I'm washing my hair. I love it. I was a little worried she'd start asking for them constantly, but kept reminding myself that as mothering dilemmas go this is a pretty good one, and she's gotten better at remembering to play with her toys, too. It's pretty humbling for me, though, when you realize your toddler is teaching you about priorities.

- When we go for walks, she refuses to get in the stroller and insists on walking beside or behind me, depending on what she has found to interest her. She'll go pretty far without complaint, though she gets annoyed if I won't let her in the street. She stops to touch the bushes, the grass, the flowers, the fence, and reminds me to slow down and literally smell the roses.

- She is so affectionate! She'll come give us hugs during family prayer, and loves to give her stuffed dog hugs, too. We were at a friend's house the other day and she found a doll to play with. She hugged and caressed that doll as if she were a mother. It brought tears to my eyes when I told Conrad about it later.

She does have her "moments" like any normal kid, but I can't tell you how humbled and grateful I am to be her mother. Or to be a mother in general. When I hear people saying they don't believe in God I think they must not have ever raised a kid. Even as babies there is such an "old-soul" quality to them. Watching them discover mortality is an incredible experience, and learning more about the fact that we lived before we came here is an even more incredible experience. I know we've always lived, even before birth, and I'm so excited to meet the next sweet baby who will join us from our home with God.

1st Annual Howard Family Reunion (D & K version)

2010-08-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

This year my parents started a new tradition of annual family reunions. Since 5 of the 7 kids have flown the coop, this was bound to happen sooner or later, so we all headed to California for a few days, minus Conrad at the beginning, and Kristjana and Dalen who are in the mission field (we miss you!). Here are a few highlights:

We spent the first few days camping in Julian, a small, pretty, tourist town up in the mountains east of San Diego. Here is a view of the LDS chapel and part of the valley leading up to the town.

Our first item of business was a tour of a gold mine at Smith Ranch. There was a lot of mining in this area back in the 1800s, and we actually got to walk in (some of us rode in a mining car) and take a look around. It was a lot cooler in there, but a little snug. So fascinating!

Here's Dad and Shana after a hard minute's work.

Family Photo time. Angie refused to wear a hard hat.

Our tour guide showing us how to pump water out of an old fashioned pump. Dad accidentally drank the water, not knowing it wasn't from an actual well. No signs of water poisoning so far.

Then we got to practice panning for gold. I think Jake and Nick were having a contest to see who could find the most. In this picture they were just absorbing the information.

Oops! Hannah got a little too excited on the rope bridge, something miners used to cross streams.

Later we did the traditional trek into Julian for some of their famous pie.

L to R: Angie, Jake, Hannah, and Steve

After camping in Julian for a few days, in which Angie completed her first 1/2 mile hike in much better shape and enthusiasm than the rest of us, we headed to San Diego for some soft beds, indoor plumbing, and ocean waves. Mom, the Queen of a little company that begins with a Price and ends with a Line, scored some sweet deals at a 4 star hotel on the bay/marina.

Beautiful Shana enjoying the sun.

Conrad joined us just in time to catch some waves.

Angie finally let Grandma hold her! (She was a little clingy to Mommy that week.) She refused to touch the sand, finding inventive ways to walk on the towels where we set up camp. But she didn't mind snuggling with Grandma and letting her feed her a PB&J.

So, the 1st annual D & K Howard reunion was officially a success and we all headed home looking forward to the next one, when we will be joined by two returned missionaries, hopefully a son-in-law who will be able to get work off the entire week, and best of all, two new grandbabies! Mom/Grandma is already planning a crawling race.

It's a...

2010-08-17T21:09:00.000-07:00

GIRL!!!

I'm thrilled, Conrad is getting used to the idea of so much estrogen in the house, and I'm sure Angie will be excited once she's old enough to know what the heck is going on.

Outtakes

2010-08-11T19:29:00.000-07:00

We were trying to get a cute shot of Angie to commemorate her first day of nursery last week. (She did great by the way.) However, getting an almost 18-month old to stand still is easier said than done. Still, the outtakes were pretty cute, so I couldn't resist posting them.

This one was probably the best of the bunch, in terms of clarity. That thing on her cheek is a sticker. When Conrad picked her up, she had a sticker on each cheek, as well as on her leg and her arm.

Angie's 1st Trip to San Antonio

2010-08-11T18:56:00.000-07:00

Angie here. Mommy, Daddy and I went to San Antonio last weekend for Daddy's annual business meeting. While Daddy was in meetings, Mommy and I toured the city. Daddy joined in for some of the fun, too. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip.

Okay Mom, I'm ready to go!

Daddy and I are being silly with the statue of an Alamo hero that was in front of our hotel. I'm holding Doggie, my favorite friend.

Here I am in front of the Alamo. Daddy really wanted to make sure I got a picture in front of it. I am now an official Texan.

One place we visited was the playground at Hemisfair Park, which was about a 10 minute walk from our hotel (and the Alamo). As you can see, I love to swing!

Mommy and I went for a walk on the Riverwalk. I needed some diapers, which is why we had a CVS bag. It was a pretty walk and I saw lots of birds.

Daddy was very excited that the Dallas Cowboys training camp was in town, and it was free! We walked over and checked it out. We were able to sit pretty close and watch the Cowboys practice.

I mostly just played with the chairs in front of us.

We had a fun time! This trip was a little more relaxing than most trips we've had, and Mommy said I did great on the 5 hour drive to and from the city. I got to take naps every day, eat barbecue and Mexican food, and I saw the San Antonio temple. My favorite part was looking out the window of my hotel room and watching all the people down below. It was a floor-to-ceiling window so I could walk right up to it and look out. I hope the maids found the fingerprints I left them!

Sheesh

2010-07-27T13:36:00.000-07:00

I thought kids waited until they were teenagers before they thought you were weird.

Actually, she's been making this face a lot lately, but it cracks us up every time.

New Pics...and trouble!

2010-07-14T14:41:00.000-07:00

Here's a classic spaghetti-face picture.

And here's the trouble I was referring to. Here is Angie's latest achievement as of yesterday: climbing on furniture. It was kind of funny when she did it because I literally turned around and she was sitting on the ottoman. Kind of a Twilight Zone-type of moment. She's still working on her getting down skills, which makes me really nervous, especially since she loves to climb up when I'm doing something out of the room, like cooking dinner or getting ready to take a shower.

Oh, and I've got to brag a little for the grandparents' sake, so ignore this if you don't like reading mommy bragging. Angie now knows and says 37 words, as well as the actions to 6 songs and the tune/some letters to the ABC song, and she's only 17 months old. That might be normal, but it's very exciting to me. I tell you, reading the same books over and over and going to storytimes where they sing the same songs over and over really makes a difference. The English teacher in me is really enjoying this. :)

On a side note, isn't it amazing how even at this age kids start showing interests and developing talents? I know some kids who were climbing much earlier than Angie, and some who wait to start talking until later, and then talk in complete sentences. Some are already showing interest in athletic type things or certain kinds of toys. It's such a testimony to me that these kids come to us fully formed, in a sense, in that they have their own personalities, gifts, and challenges, and each one is SO different from the other. I love it. It's such a witness that God lives, and that we are literally His children, not randomly formed, but purposely given life.

Updates...

2010-07-07T18:43:00.000-07:00

...but no pictures. Sorry, guess I'm feeling a little lazy. However, I thought I'd share our latest news with the blog world (some of you already know this news). We're pregnant! I'm 13 weeks along, baby is growing well, and we're due January 10. The best part is, this one came on its own, with no medical intervention! We were so surprised and so happy, though it took a while for us to believe it. To be honest with you, we had several moments of, "Now how did this happen again?" So far I have escaped the nausea of last time and have yet to eat a saltine cracker. However, I somehow traded the nausea for fatigue and occasional mood swings; let's just say that Conrad now knows what I was like as a teenager. :) So far this week has been better, so hopefully the second trimester will be a little smoother. We are so grateful for this miracle.

Angie updates: She is talking like crazy! She can now say cat, doggie, and their individual sounds, though the doggie noise sounds more like vroom vroom or woo woo. So cute. She loves helping me unload the dishwasher and will hand me the silverware one at a time and say "tank oo" when I take it from her. She says "ouse" for "outside" and also tells me when she's about to go #2. She also likes to pretend to go potty and will even say it. She'll take me into the bathroom, try to lift the lid, and then turn around so I can lift her up and put her on the toilet. She sits for about 2 seconds tops and then gets down and looks to see what she did. All of this is fully clothed; I've tried the real thing but she won't sit down. Oh well, she's still a little young for that. She's definitely getting more wiggly, and we are VERY excited for when she'll start nursery (children's Sunday School), but that doesn't start til August. Not too far away! I'm loving getting to know her as a kid instead of a baby, and it is especially fun to watch her play with Conrad. Those of you who know him know that he is a laugher, and Angie loves this about him. She'll do this really cute fake laugh when he starts laughing, and they'll go back and forth for several minutes. She definitely loves her daddy!

I think that's all the updates I can think of for the moment!

Our First Trip to the Midwest...

2010-06-07T13:15:00.000-07:00

I've been telling Conrad for years that since we live out here in Texas, so close to so many places I never even dreamed of visiting, we should take advantage of it. This past Memorial Day weekend, we finally did. In many ways, it ended up being a memorial of our heritage, both our nation's and our faith's.

We started out with a drive through Arkansas. We intended to go to the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock (we believe in diversity). :) However, we got there and found every right turn blocked off due to Riverfest, a local festival that I swear was not mentioned on the library website. Needless to say we were unable to visit the library, but we did get an unintended tour of the city. Lots of old buildings. Someday we'll go back.

A beautiful Missouri sunset that is typical of the landscape for much of our trip (this picture should be after the next one).

After Arkansas we headed to Memphis, Tennessee for some famous Memphis barbecue. This place was suggested by a woman from Memphis I met on the train last month when we went to the museum. We decided it was delicious, but we prefer Texas barbecue. :) Memphis barbecue has a little more kick, but the meat is a little more dry.

After dinner we headed north to St. Louis, Missouri. We pulled in late and then the next morning we went to the Gateway Arch. Here is Conrad in front of the Mississippi River, which is an awesome sight. We think that the river must have been overflowing or something, because that thing in the water behind Conrad is a statue!

Angie and I in front of the Arch. We intended to go to the top, but when we got inside we discovered we would have to wait over an hour for the next tour, which would also last an hour. We were trying to make it to Nauvoo in time for Conrad to attend the 4 o'clock session, so we just walked around the museum and gift shop. Again, someday we'll go back.

We pulled into Nauvoo and Conrad just barely made it to his session. Angie and I walked around Nauvoo's current downtown and then settled onto the grounds to wait. Angie loved exploring. There was a BBQ cookoff going on literally right behind the temple, just outside the grounds, and it had a live country band. Let's just say it made our first visit to the Nauvoo temple a little interesting.

We spent the night in Burlington, Iowa, which is the nearest big town. We attended church there the next morning, which gave us a chance to visit with the locals. It was a small ward, so they asked us to move there. Another gentleman got onto us for driving a Toyota. He was teasing, but he did ask if it was built in the Illinois plant. We learned (from this and all the anti-abortion/God Bless America signs on the road) that Iowans and Illinoisans are very conservative, God-fearing, patriotic people. It was fascinating, and rather heart-warming, too. It was Tea Party 101, and I was very inspired by it.

After church we went to Carthage. This was really interesting for Conrad and I. It was a moving experience, and we learned a lot from it. Angie did really well throughout the tour, but loved running around the grounds. That's Carthage Jail on the right.

We went back to Nauvoo and walked around the restored section, which is actually not by the main part of town, which I was expecting. Instead, there are a few buildings and lots of empty lots. We went to the brickyard to get our free brick, the bakery to get the cookie, and then we went to the Smith Cemetary and we walked the Trail of Hope. I have a few ancestors that were in Nauvoo with the Saints, so this was particularly powerful. You can walk all the way to the edge of the Mississippi River and see where they crossed.

This next picture is kind of funny. Angie likes to lean back against things and put her head back. In this shot we were in the Seventies Hall looking up ancestors in the binders they have available. She looks a little bored. She probably was.

If you look closely, you can see my ancestor's name: Alexander Philip Chesley. Apparently he was a member of one of the Quorums of the Seventy, of which there were quite a few. He went with Brigham Young on the first trek to Utah.

After Nauvoo we headed to Independence, Missouri, which is about 4 hours west. We went to the visitor's center and saw the place where Joseph Smith prophesied of a temple. Below is the marker where he stood.

This picture is for my dad. In the visitor's center they had a little section for children to play, with a small cabin and a horse and wagon. Angie went straight for the horse, though she did take a peak in the cabin.

Angie did really well for the most part. She had her "get-me-out-of-this-car-seat/-wet-diaper-right-now" moments, but I think she enjoyed herself.

If any of you are contemplating visits to any of these places, I highly recommend it! We'd be happy to share any information we gathered with you. I would probably recommend breaking it up a little more, or taking a lot more than 5 days to do it, but having said that, it was fun to do it whirlwind-style and see more things. Most of all, I'm grateful for the ways my eyes were opened about the people of our country and the things our ancestors have done for us. I have so much to learn!

Sick babies...

2010-05-13T20:02:00.000-07:00

...are sad babies.

Angie has been battling a pretty nasty virus this week. It started out Monday night with a fever, though we didn't realize it was a fever because we just though she was really warm from wearing her footed jammies in May. The next morning she was still really warm and was pretty lethargic and fussy the rest of the day. I took her to the doctor Tuesday afternoon and the verdict was a virus. She's been fighting it ever since. She seems to be on the mend, and is starting to have more energy, but when she's tired, she gets really clingy and droopy and her fever starts to spike. She seems to have a sore throat, because whenever she coughs she cries. This picture was taken right before naptime today. Poor thing - it really is so sad to see a sick little baby!

We've been lucky - this is her first real illness beyond a minor cough or a mild fever that lasts a couple hours.

Okay, here's some pre-illness pictures to cheer us all up:

Here's Angie and I on Mother's Day, which is not really as exciting of a day as I thought it would be when we were trying to get pregnant, but still a fun time. Conrad made it very special. Thanks honey!

My new favorite picture of Angie...she's so cute it kills me sometimes.

Angie has the best morning hair of anyone I've ever seen. You never know what you're going to get. I think it's because she likes to play with it when she's tired, so she must get it nice and fluffy right before she falls asleep.

My little reader. Angie can recognize most of the books we read to her and is starting to repeat and point to various things. She can now say "Jesus" (Dee-duh) and even recognizes Him in pictures, "baby" (while pointing at one), and "ba-ba" for 'sheep' or 'lamb.' Yesterday she was saying "Tank-oo" whenever she handed me something. I must say that to her a lot, because I haven't been working with her on it. She also says "mama," "dada," "hi" and "bye bye."

I took Angie to a museum with the church playgroup last week. We took the train to get there. She seemed to enjoy the ride but spent most of the time playing with the toddler you see pictured. At this age, "playing" means taking the other kid's toy and then watching while they take it back.

I have a bucket of ABC cookie cutters that I let Angie play with when I'm in the kitchen.

She likes to put the bucket on her head.

I can't wait til she gets back to 100%. Poor thing!

Just for fun...

2010-04-13T20:52:00.001-07:00

Hi Mom!

Airplane fun!

Keeping Angie entertained while Conrad did some online training in the airport on the way to San Diego.

Dressing room mirrors are remarkably entertaining to a 1 year old. Why was I afraid to go shopping with her in tow?

Down on the Farm

2010-04-13T20:11:00.001-07:00

Angie and I went to a local farm with our church playgroup last week. What a fun outing!

Closeup of Angie on the hayride

Hanging on to the fence

Running to catch up with the other kids

I took this picture myself - not bad! We were on the hayride - which Angie loved. I think she was excited to be moving and standing up. Plus the view is much better from a hay bale than a car seat.

Ponytail blowing in the wind.

We got to feed the goats, and Angie promptly tried to eat the goat food, so I had to take it and feed the goats myself. She enjoyed watching that part.

There were a bunch of other animals, but they were in cages and pens, so it was hard to get pictures. Angie was in a wandering mood, like always, so she kept getting mad at me whenever I'd put her back in her stroller or try to bring her back to the group. Lunch was in an enclosed area, however, so she was able to wander to her heart's content. She's getting a lot more social, so it was fun watching her play with the kids.

Utah Trip 2010

2010-04-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, these pictures are in no particular order, but here are the highlights from our recent trip to Utah to celebrate Conrad's dad's 60th birthday with a Naegle reunion. We also got to attend my sister's Alpine open house, but got no pictures, unfortunately.

We got to attend 2 sessions of General Conference -the semi-annual gathering of Mormons - in Salt Lake, the Saturday morning with the Howard crew and the Sunday morning with the Naegles. Here are Conrad and I on Sunday morning. As you can see, we had pretty good seats. Our seats on Saturday were really good, too. I must say it makes a world of difference to actually attend Conference as opposed to watching it on tv in your jammies.

We took some family pictures while in Utah. I love how red Angie's hair looks. It is becoming quite noticeable.

Grandma and Grandpa Naegle with their 4 grandkids: Kate, Andersen, Angie, and Tanner.

The Naegle Clan

The Naegle Men prior to the Priesthood session Saturday night.

Conrad helping Angie enjoy her Easter treats. We just got her some baby snacks since we didn't think she needed pure sugar at this age. She also got bubbles, a book about Jesus, and a book about Clifford.

Conrad got a random stomach bug so he didn't feel up to going skiing with his brothers. Instead, we went to BYU to reminisce. It brought tears to my eyes as we drove past the Bell Tower and watched all the kids hurrying to class. Good times! We ran into one of Conrad's PhD track buddies who is now an accounting professor, and we had lunch in the Tanner Building cafe'. As you can see, Angie was completely thrilled with her first visit to the Y.

We celebrated cousin Kate's 3rd birthday with yummy homemade strawberry cupcakes. We prefer Angie to have a little milk and flour mixed in with her sugar. :)

We also visited an aquarium in Sandy. Angie preferred wandering and climbing the rocks to looking at the fish...

...but she managed to notice a few.

Whew! Quite the trip, and I'm so glad we got to see and hang out with both sides of the family! That doesn't happen too often. The Howard highlights were: Jake feeding Angie a lemon at dinner, Hannah's wedding reception, going to conference as a family and sneaking granola bars in the Conference Center, and helping Hannah open her wedding presents at her cute little apartment where you can do your laundry while you use the bathroom!

Angie's 1st Easter Egg Hunt

2010-03-30T13:09:00.000-07:00

One of the things I have most looked forward to about having children is the opportunity to take them to all the fun community events for kids. Now that Angie is finally old enough to participate we took her to a local Easter egg hunt.

Angie wandered all over the playground, walking past all the brightly colored eggs until...

She found these two beauties: 2 boxes of candy! She picked them up and walked around shaking them.

Conrad's, er, Angie's basket of eggs. Yes, we picked some up anyway, but Conrad at least had her touch them before putting them in the basket. Don't worry, there were plenty for everyone, and since this particular section was for 0-2 year olds, I'm sure we weren't the only parents doing it.

Angie loved the swing after the hunt.

We took a walk around the downtown area after the hunt and found some new thing to try next time we're out here.

Just cute...

2010-03-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

Playing in her stroller

Mmm, ice cream!

Cousin love: Angie and Brenna G at Hannah's reception. Angie kept reaching over to hug Brenna. So cute!

"Wow, where'd this cat come from, Mom?"

Sporting the latest in baby hairstyles

Hannah's Wedding

2010-03-29T17:04:00.000-07:00

My sister Hannah got married March 20 to Steve Adolphson in the San Diego Temple. We were able to be there for it and we had a great time visiting with family. It's always a beautiful experience to see two people sealed for time and all eternity, and when it's family, it's even better.

These wedding pictures of Hannah and Steve were actually taken the day before at the temple and at Balboa Park.

Steve, Hannah, Angie and me at the Brawley reception

Playing with Grandpa Howard's teeth after the wedding. My brother said that during the wedding while Angie was outside with the other kids she kept lying down on the planters and eating the dirt.

Daddy and Angie. If you look closely you can see the false ceiling my mom created out of white aisle runners and wire.

"Helping" clean up after the reception. I love this dress my mom found. Angie looked like she was ready for the baby prom.

"We are a happy family."

More cute wedding pictures...

We're so excited to have Steve join our family, and I know Conrad is excited to not be the only in-law. :)

Thank goodness for cell phones...

2010-03-08T19:35:00.001-08:00

I'm so grateful that cell phones come with cameras. So many precious moments would be lost forever without them.

Out on a walk...brr, it's cold!

This was Angie's first baseball game. Please excuse my indulgence in nostalgia.

Eating Mommy's sunglasses

Shopping for sippy cups

Angie's first driving lesson. I don't think my mom was smiling this big for mine.

Angie LOVES this stuffed dog Aunt Hannah gave her. Here they are snuggled up in the car.

I only use the baby carrier to keep Angie corraled while I shower, but it doubles as entertainment on occasion.

Waiting for her 12 month shots

I love this picture. The look on her face cracks me up. She was running around with these tongue depressers while we waited. I think she explored every inch of that examination room.

Cute cute cute!

Angie's 1 Year Stats

2010-02-25T18:44:00.000-08:00

I forgot to put this with the birthday post. We had Angie's 1 year check-up on Tuesday and things look great. The doctor said she seems very secure, which is a nice compliment, I think. Here's her latest measurements:

Height: 29 15/16 inches (I think we can safely round that to 30)

Weight: 18 lbs 15 oz (again, I think we can round up a bit)

Head Circumference: 48 cm

She is in the 75% for height and 10-25% for weight. Her head, however, is off the charts, which is funny because it's not very obvious, especially if she's facing you. The doctor wasn't too concerned, but wants us to come in next month to chart the growth and see if it is continuing to grow at such a fast rate. We think it's a family trait, so we're not too concerned either. Being first time parents it does worry us a tad, but not so much that we are looking up big-head illnesses on the Internet or anything like that.

As for personality, can I just say that I love this age so far? She blossoms more and more each day and is starting to get a sense of humor beyond just tickling and funny faces. Today during lunch she would take her bites of sandwich and try to put them in her hair, knowing I would tell her "no," and then giggle, thinking she was the funniest thing since clowns at the circus. Toddlerhood has begun! She loves being read to, and she loves stuffed animals and phones. We've had to give her our old cell phones to keep her somewhat distracted from our current ones, not that that works any better because if she sees you talking on the phone she wants you to pick her up so she can try to get the phone from you and push the buttons. Her jibber-jabber is sounding more and more English, which is fun, too. I can pick out a few words here and there, but we aren't sure if they count because they aren't always in context. And best of all, I can finally take her to storytimes and playgroups and feel like she's actually getting something out of it, too! She loves running around with the other kids and she gets so excited to play with them and run with them and see what they're up to.

Okay, I'm sure that's more than anyone wants to read about a 12 month old, but we are having so much fun being parents and finding a lot of joy in being Angie's tour guides to mortality. If anything, our experience with infertility has taught us to not take things for granted and to enjoy things as they are, because you never know what is just around the corner. (Of course, when Conrad is working late I'm not quite so Zen.) :) Oh well, can't be perfect yet, can I?

This month is such a special one...

2010-02-25T12:02:00.000-08:00

...it's birthday time for Angie!

We had a joint party for Angie and Norah, a baby girl whose family goes to our church. They were both born on the 19th, but Norah was born at 8 am and Angie was born at 4:43 pm.

Notice how dainty Norah is with her cupcake, while Angie gets down to business.

I thought this was cute. Angie was trying to hold her hand, if I remember right.

"Mom, this stuff is amazing! You've gotta try it sometime!"

During present opening time, the 3 year olds had more fun with the presents than Angie did because...

Angie found a new toy, her reflection in the back door! She kept running out there to see herself and every now and then you'd hear her squeal with laughter. Oh well, at least she's not materialistic, just vain.

Happy happy birthday Angie! We love you SOOO much!

The Great Storm of 2010

2010-02-12T08:51:00.000-08:00

The newspaper waxed poetic this morning in its description of the storm:

"The snow arrived early and fell unceasingly, in furious flurries and tiny pellets and big, fat flakes, inch upon inch until the Great Snowstorm of 2010 became the stuff of legend, one for the record books."

That is a direct quote from the front page of the Dallas Morning News today. I can't believe the editor didn't take an axe to that opening paragraph, but when it's the "Great Snowstorm of 2010," I guess you have to be a little flowery.

It started snowing early Thursday morning, and when we woke up it looked like Utah outside. For those of you who have never lived in Texas, this is not normal. Usually if it snows it just looks like someone spilled a little salt on the ground and it melts a few minutes after it stops. This time there was honest-to-goodness snow everywhere! It kept snowing all day long, and Conrad got to come home from work early. We woke up early Friday to see if Conrad would get to stay home, and sure enough work was cancelled. Oh well, there went our chance to sleep in!

Here's some photo highlights:

The view from Conrad's office...

Angie loved walking around in the snow and actually stayed outside for about 20 minutes or so. Once we got inside and she realized her pants and feet were soaked, she wasn't so thrilled.

Our house Friday morning...

Mailboxes covered in snow...

It got pretty deep on the ground.

By 9 pm Thursday our area had about 7 inches. The only downside to a snow day is you can't take advantage and go anywhere, since the whole point of not going to work is the chance that the roads will be bad, but it was still fun to hang out and enjoy the anomaly.

Mischief

2010-02-12T08:35:00.001-08:00

"Angie, what are you doing eating toilet paper?"

"I'm not supposed to eat toilet paper?"

"Ha ha Mama, that's so silly!"

New Angie Videos: Bathtime and Walking

2010-01-26T19:15:00.000-08:00

Here are some fun Angie movies. This bathtime one is just cute, and the second one is proof that she can walk! (For those who get this post by email, you'll have to go to my blog to see these!)

Guess Who's Walking?

2010-01-14T08:35:00.000-08:00

Angie started walking unassisted yesterday! She has to be in the mood for it and still prefers to grab my hand, but she can do it. My baby is practically a kid now! Oh, and she's trying to sing the ABC's, too. No joke. She'll say B C when looking at her books and will occasionally throw in a D or something for good measure. It melts my English teacher heart.

Christmastime

2010-01-14T07:38:00.000-08:00

We went home to California and Arizona for the holidays (well, Brynn's home anyway). Here are some of the highlights:

My sister Shana got this paper star-shaped lantern that goes over a lightbulb. As you can see, she's thrilled.

Thought I'd throw in a normal picture of her, too.

Uncle Nick and Santa Baby (he's single, ladies)

Angie's best friend, Uncle Jake. Angie had a bout of mommy-only syndrome, but Jake won her over almost immediately.

My sister Hannah, fiance' Steve, and Grandma and Grandpa Stephenson

Fun with cousin Addy Norton (my cousin Brandt's daughter)

"Helping" with Great-Grandpa Howard's pecan harvest (Brynn's grandpa)

"Look at what I have to put up with!"

Four generations: Great-Grandma Stephenson, Mama, Angie, and Grandma Howard

Worn out on Christmas morning

I think Grandpa was more excited than Angie for Christmas morning to come.

Li'l Cowgirl

As usual, two weeks went by like two days, so we're looking forward to March and Hannah's wedding in San Diego. We got to see some of Conrad's family in Phoenix, which we very much enjoyed as well. I wish someone would hurry up and invent teleportation!

10 Months

2009-12-21T20:57:00.000-08:00

This picture should sum up our lives right now. One mess after another, and we spend our days "walking" all over the house. New milestones including going down to one nap and quitting nursing. Both her ideas, not mine. I'm loving the freedom that comes with those two developmental leaps, however, and I'm loving the opportunity to watch her discover the world on her own terms.

Finally!

2009-12-14T17:04:00.000-08:00

The moment has come that every mommy longs for the moment she finds out she's having a girl: Angie now has enough hair to wear hair bows! She won't leave them in longer than 2 seconds, but it's a triumph nonetheless.

Cause and Effect

2009-12-14T16:49:00.000-08:00

This...

and this...

happened because of this...

We took Angie to see Santa this past weekend, and to keep her occupied in line we let her play with some ice in a cup. Right as we were up to take her picture with Santa, she started screaming. We checked her hands, thinking they might be cold, and discovered a tiny piece of ice clenched in her fist. So, we got the classic baby crying/Santa smiling shot, but we aren't sure if that's how they would have been without the ice. Oh well, it was a fun outing anyway.

Trouble

2009-12-01T13:34:00.001-08:00

9 Months - and First Family Shoot!

2009-11-23T20:07:00.001-08:00

Our sweet girl is now 9 months old, and cute as can be! She's crawling and pulling up and starting to nurse less due to increased solids. Her doctor's appointment was today, and she is now 29 inches long and 16 lbs, 10 oz. So, still tall and slender, and she apparently has a big head, too, but since big heads run in Conrad's family, the doctor isn't too concerned.

We had our first family pictures taken about a week ago by a good friend in my ward, and I am so happy with how they turned out! She was able to capture a lot of Angie's fun facial expressions. Here's just a sample. Thanks Brandy! You did a super job!

More pics ... and first teeth!

2009-11-05T19:08:00.000-08:00

Here's some beauties from Angie's latest "photo shoots." Sometimes I look at her and am still amazed that we actually have a child.

Look at those eyes!

Baby Teeth

Blueberry Face

Talkin' to Mama

Happy Girl

More happy girl

Every month is my new favorite age! We'll see how I feel once she learns how to say 'no.' :)

Baby Love

2009-10-31T15:09:00.000-07:00

Other than the fact that my head is partially cut off, this is my new favorite picture.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T14:59:00.000-07:00

Here's our little ladybug...

8 Months Old...

2009-10-20T17:13:00.000-07:00

...and getting more fun every day! Plus, she now goes to bed at 8! Woo hoo! Still scooting, but getting closer to crawling. Loves to talk, LOVES kids, and loves it when I sing to her. She even tries to sing along sometimes, which is really cute. Her favorite songs are "I Lived in Heaven" and "You are My Sunshine" (remember that one, Mom?). Her bottom teeth finally came in, and are almost finished growing. Here are some of her latest displays of cuteness.

At a recent trip to Whataburger

Angie loves to swing!

At the mall with my good friend and walking buddy, "Aunt" Rachel

Posing

I've been wanting to catch the following video for months now. Angie loves to jump, and usually wears out anyone who is holding her in about 1 minute. She actually started doing it before she ever sat in a jumper, but luckily my mom got us a johnny-jump-up a while back, so my arms get a break on occasion.

Hi Grandma! (and Grandpa!)

2009-10-06T07:13:00.000-07:00

Recent Happenings

2009-09-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

This happened a couple of hours ago. So far, Angie is capable of mobility, but not particularly interested in it. But every now and then she gets a notion and ...

First Cowboys game with Daddy! Conrad was so excited when I bought her this shirt that he left it on the kitchen table until the game. I had to get her a 2T because for some reason I could only find one onesie smaller than a 12 mo, and it was pink. I'm obviously not against pink, but I figured she should wear Cowboys colors. She only got to "watch" about 15-20 minutes, but that was all we needed.

Isn't this a darling outfit?

This picture is actually from Florida, but I forgot to post it. I love her expression in it. It's as if she's saying, "Yes, can I help you?"

Yay for cute, happy babies!

Sitting

2009-09-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

That's right folks. Angie can now sit by herself. She topples over and can't get there by herself, but if I'm sitting near her she can sit for several minutes.

This one's just cute.

This one is a little blurry, but you get the gist of it. She loves to make this scrunchy face and blow out through her nose.

Smiles and Baby Hawk

2009-09-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

You can't see it as well in the first picture, but Angie has been sporting a mohawk for the past several weeks as her top hair is coming in straight up. First a baby mullet and now this!

So what else is new?

2009-09-08T15:50:00.000-07:00

I though I'd let you know what else we're up to besides being charmed by the munchkin. Right now we're mostly busy with callings (church volunteer positions). Conrad is the elder's quorum president and I'm the education counselor in the Relief Society presidency (men's/priesthood and women's groups at church). So our Sundays are pretty busy these days, in addition to various meetings and activities throughout the week. It can get hectic, but we're enjoying the chance to work with people and make new friends. Conrad's work is going well; he had some late nights in August, but now he's back to normal. I'm trying to do some of the continuing education I need to keep my teaching license current. There are some online workshops I've been working on, and I now have 12 of the 150 hours I need. Angie's handling it all really well. I get stressed when we have to keep her out later than normal, but so far she seems to bounce back well, and she loves being around people. So, life is refusing to slow down, and I'm sure it will only get worse, but in some ways its nice to have other things to do besides stay home.

Mobile

2009-09-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

Angie started scooting on Thursday! She's so cute when she does it - she lays her head down, lifts her bum in the air, and uses her feet in a frog-kick type of motion to propel herself forward. Needless to say she isn't exactly running marathons yet, or even making it across the living room rug, but it does enable her to reach objects that are just out of her reach. Today she branched out by exploring her carseat from the outside. So fun to see her wake up to the world beyond her mother - until I had to move my shoes completely out of her line of vision because she kept finding them and trying to eat them.

Sleeping Cutie

2009-08-24T14:54:00.000-07:00

Angie fell asleep during sitting time the other day. Conrad was sitting in front of her trying to entertain her, and she slowly folded over and fell asleep. It was hilarious.

6 Months

2009-08-21T11:54:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Angie's 6 month birthday by having our local missionaries over for dinner, a little ironic since my brother Dalen began his mission that day. Yesterday was her 6 month checkup, and here are her stats:

Weight: 14 lbs, 13.5 oz - 25th percentile

Height: 27 inches - 90th percentile

Looks like she's holding strong in the beanpole category.

Uh oh!

2009-08-18T11:53:00.000-07:00

When Conrad first saw this video, he said, "You aren't supposed to be making out with boys yet!"

Rockin' the High Chair

2009-08-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

To those who are still waiting for their babies...

it is SOOO worth the wait!

"What is this stuff?

2009-08-10T12:15:00.000-07:00

We started Angie on solids on Sunday. Yes, we could have started a couple of months ago, but we wanted to wait until she could support herself a little better. So we're now in the market for a highchair. As you can see, she doesn't hate it, she just thinks it's weird.

We did it!

2009-08-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

I've put Angie down two days in a row for naps, and so far so good! First day she cried for 10 minutes then fell asleep - I blow dried my hair so I wouldn't hear her. Today she cried for 20 minutes, but that was because I put her down 10 minutes earlier than the day before, and right when she was winding down I walked by and noticed she was on her tummy, so I flipped her over and that started everything over again. She flipped back onto her tummy, but this time I just left her and she fell asleep. I made sure nothing was blocking her airways and I checked on her often to make sure she was okay in that position. The jury's still out on whether or not I will change my walking times. I'm just going to have to try things out and see, which - ha ha - is motherhood in a nutshell. Thanks for all the tips! I heard more from the schedule camp than the flexible camp, but it was still good to get feedback. I'm just glad I got over the first time hump.

Specifics

2009-08-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the advice everyone! Here's a more specific question. As I mentioned before, I usually go for a walk in the morning, about 1-2 miles. I have to go in the morning because its the only time its cool enough. As it happens, it coincides with the time in the morning she is generally ready for a nap, around 9 or 9:30. This works perfectly because she just falls asleep in the stroller and gets a good 40 minute nap or so, depending on how much she needs. I like this arrangement a lot, and would prefer it to be our typical morning routine. However, there are some mornings when we aren't able to go walking because its raining or something like that. So then we're stuck at home, and when she gets tired, around 9 or 9:30, she doesn't really know what to do with herself. I try rocking her - she arches her back and screams after about 5 minutes. She's not hungry yet, and I'd rather not offer that if she doesn't need it,though it does work to get her settled down. The only thing that helps is walking around with her, but even then she won't fall asleep. Usually what I end up doing is just keeping her up until her next feeding, but then she's kind of grumpy for the rest of the day. So, it would obviously be nice if I could just lay her down on those mornings when she's tired and she'd go to sleep. I know I would need to train her to do this, but the problem is I would have to stay home for at least a week in order to be consistent. And even then, if we're usually walking in the morning, would she remember how to get to sleep on her own if we're not? Is there a solution, or do I just have to put up with grumpiness on the days I can't walk? I don't mind that, I'm just wondering if there's a way to make it a little more pleasant for all of us. Thanks for your input!

Angie "Walking"

2009-08-07T15:47:00.000-07:00

Florida!

2009-08-07T12:48:00.001-07:00

We just got back from a week in Florida. Conrad had a business meeting in Weston, near Ft. Lauderdale, and his brother lives in Orlando, so we made a trip out of it.

First time at the Atlantic Ocean for both of us. Angie's first trip to the beach. The water is much warmer there than the Pacific. Too bad it rained so we weren't able to swim.

Look, we can eat our feet!

The Orlando Temple.

Uncle Spencer

Spencer works for the Orlando Magic. Here is Shaquille O'Neal's shoe.

The trip had the usual ups and downs, including Angie catching a cold, Spencer losing his keys, and me having to nurse Angie while seated next to some random guy on the plane. I don't think he saw anything, hopefully. :)

Help!

2009-08-07T09:08:00.000-07:00

Okay moms, I need some advice. At what age did you make your kids cry it out to take naps? Angie for the most part will only settle down to sleep if she is nursed or in her car seat. She gave up her pacifier a couple months ago and with it her ability to settle herself down for naps. I usually have her take her first nap when I take my morning walk, and then she goes down for her afternoon one after her 1:30 feeding, but even that schedule depends on what time she wakes up in the morning. I have a hard time letting her cry it out - new mommy and all. I've tried establishing routines, but its hard to stick with them, and even then I don't want her to get so used to one schedule that if life throws a curve ball - which it seems to do at least once a week - it won't freak her out. Should I just not worry about it? She still sleeps fine at night. She falls asleep during her last feeding and generally sleeps 10 hours. What are your experiences?

Candids

2009-07-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

Awww...

In line at Wal-Mart. It was past bedtime and feeding time. Can you tell?

Classic Angie - all smiles!

Angie Kisses

2009-07-21T08:20:00.000-07:00

Who needs a puppy when you've got an Angie?

More cuteness...

2009-07-09T09:38:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-09T09:35:00.000-07:00

Arizona/California, Here We Come!

2009-06-29T14:37:00.000-07:00

We took a trip out to Arizona and California to visit family last week.

Angie required a little more entertaining than her last trip.

My brother and sister are leaving on missions soon - Kristjana to Canada Toronto West on July 1st and Dalen to Mexico Oaxaca in August. They went to the temple for the first time in Mesa, and tons of family came! It was the first time my mother and her entire immediate family were able to be in the temple together.

Angie went swimming for the first time while in Arizona - she lasted about 3 minutes. Maybe if I had gotten in...

She did great on the flight out to Phoenix, as you can see, but not so great on the flight back. We think she was just hungry,

4 Months

2009-06-26T11:38:00.000-07:00

Angie is now 4 months old, and growing like a weed! Here are her latest stats:

Weight: 12 lbs 12 oz - 25%

Height: 25 1/2 inches - 90%

Still no sign of teeth, though she does have random fussy periods that we blame on teething. She loves to talk, and she can get pretty loud!

Look What I Can Do!

2009-06-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

First off, I just love her coloring in this picture - big blue eyes, pink lips. So cute!

I always thought I'd have to wait until she was older to read to her, but she actually seems to enjoy it. At least she looks at the pictures and doesn't fuss. Fun for me!

Ta da! She is now holding up her head consistently when lying on her tummy. She has also rolled a couple of times when on her tummy by pushing with one arm and flopping onto her side. She still gets tired of tummy time easily, though. When she first started doing it her bum would rise up in the air, causing her head to sink back down. Poor thing has no "junk in the trunk." But now she's got a little better muscle control.

3 Months Old

2009-05-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

Here's some pictures of our munchkin! She turned 3 months on the 19th, and we still can't believe how much she has grown. I'm currently in the process of weeding through her 0-3 month clothes to see what still fits and what needs to be boxed up. Within the next couple of weeks it should all be outgrown. Sniff.

She loves to eat her fingers, almost gagging on them sometimes because they are so long.

She is super happy in the morning, kicking and talking and smiling as soon as we walk in.

Still slender, but definitely getting some chub!

Daddy loves to play with her.

Of course, Mama's a little partial, too!

She Can Laugh!

2009-05-12T19:45:00.000-07:00

Okay, as I post this, she is fighting mightily to stay awake, even though it's bedtime. But earlier today she learned how to laugh! She literally figured it out right in front of us - it was the cutest thing I've ever seen, and I'm glad Conrad was home to not only see it but record it.

She was in a really "talkative" mood, so I was trying to get her to say the alphabet, one letter at a time. For some reason, she thought the letter 'C' was hilarious, and she started laughing!

Angie in Action

2009-04-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

We finally got some video of Angie for your viewing pleasure. As you can see, she's much more active now!

She has gotten a lot more mobile this week. On Monday, she actually scooted from one end of the blanket to the other! In this video, she just moves in a circle, but she's definitely moving.

Here she's "talking" with her daddy.

She's also starting to play with toys.

We just can't believe how fast she's growing up!

Fun with Angie

2009-04-18T13:49:00.001-07:00

There's just something about seeing your dad with your daughter that is such a precious thing.

This is what happens when Daddy helps Mommy get Baby dressed, or undressed, in this case.

This is how Angie feels about tummy time.

This is Angie after a blowout - no remorse, no shame.

We are having way too much fun with this little girl!

Angela's Blessing

2009-04-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

Angela was blessed last Sunday. What a special spiritual experience! Here's some fun shots from the day.

My mom had me take pictures of her on different blankets that were made by family members. I don't think I got all of them, and most of them were on her camera. This is a shot of her on a blanket sent by Conrad's aunt Barb.

This blanket was made by her uncle Jake. It says "miracle baby" on it.

This blanket is not homemade, but it's a good shot of her in her beautiful dress. She looked like an 'angel' in it!

From left: Conrad's dad, Conrad, Angela, Brynn, and Conrad's mom

From left: Conrad, Angela, Brynn, Brynn's mom, Brynn's dad.

We were happy to have both sets of grandparents here for such a special occasion.

We were almost late to church that morning because Angela decided to make a mess of her changing table. We were waiting for her to go to the bathroom before giving her a bath, but she wasn't doing anything, and right when we took off her diaper, she exploded. Conrad had to take apart the changing table in order to get it all cleaned up. Luckily, we made it just in time for the opening song. And, no blowouts on the dress!

Dallas Arboretum

2009-04-18T13:00:00.001-07:00

While my parents were in town for Angela's blessing we stopped over at the Arboretum, which has lots of beautiful gardens and flowers. Here are some of the fun shots we got.

One thing that was cool about this place was how peaceful it was, even though it was really crowded. It was Easter weekend, and the weather was gorgeous, so there were tons of families there getting professional pictures taken.