Six months ago I gave birth to a skinny little guy with black curly hair all over his head. Dr. Young took one look at him and said, "I think we have a red head on our hands. And he is going to be a big kid! Just you wait!"
He was right! And I wouldn't trade our non-bitty "Bits" for anything in the world! He is the sunshine of our home and can shut any window of sadness instantly! I feel so blessed to be his mother and cannot wait for another six months of adventures!
Right after JL and I got married - almost three years ago - I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. In the past three years I have given birth to two beautiful boys and suffered a few miscarriages. Right before we found out that we were pregnant with Henry, I made a vow to myself that I would lose 50 lbs so that I could be a healthier, more energetic wife and mother. Also, so that my joints wouldn't ache as much, making me a happier wife and mother. Obviously, that goal got delayed for a healthy pregnancy to bring about another wonderful child to add to our happy chaos.
Well, folks. This is my year. I know, I know...New Year's Resolutions are made to be broken. But not this one!!! I am going to take it one day at a time. I am giving myself 365 days to lose 50 lbs. That is a completely realistic 0.136986 lbs per day! I have my goal, I've collected a store of motivation courtesy of Pinterest (although I will always welcome more), and I am on my way! Who needs a new year to start something new?!
Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So...get on your way! - Dr. Seuss
As the holiday season fast approaches its end, I find myself amazed at the experiences of this past year. We have definitely felt the hand of our Heavenly Father bless us in our daily endeavors.
JL is still working at Novarad in American Fork. He was recently accepted at WGU and will finish his bachelor's degree there. We are so excited at the opportunity this will provide him to graduate not only with a degree, but also with multiple certifications in his field.
Walter is finally over his milk allergy! He now gobbles up every bit of cheese and ounce of yogurt that enters this house. If only we could work through that pesky meat issue. He is as precocious as ever. We are perpetually entertained by his expanding vocabulary and I thoroughly enjoy explaining the wonders of the world to him. Just yesterday we had a thorough discussion on the differences between dragons and airplanes, both being things that fly up in the sky using wings. He is a Walter through and through and reminds me constantly of my dear father and grandfather. He is the best big brother and Henry adores him.
Henry is struggling with food allergies of his own. He is still allergic to dairy, soy, and corn. However, his world has been changed by the recent introduction of solid foods to his diets. He is cutting his first tooth and knawing on everything in sight. As always, he is the sunshine of our life, and keeps the entire family entertained with his constant giggles of joy.
I am back at BYU finishing my degree through the Independent Study program offered and playing with my boys every chance I get. Currently, I am enjoying my new role as teacher to Walter in our own version of play school. Thank heavens for the internet! We are going vegetarian (in house) at the start of the new year, much to JL's chagrin, so I have been filling my free time with a search for kid friendly vegetarian meals.
Finally, Christmas would not be Christmas without our dear brother and Saviour, Jesus Christ. I have felt his love engulf me time and time again this year as I faced each day. I am so grateful to be a member of His church, and to hear the additional guidance of our prophet, President Thomas Monson. I am grateful for the Holy Ghost and the constant peace that is provided through Him as JL and I have made decisions about our future. I am grateful for each and every one of you and the love and support that you provide to our little family. I wish you all a happy holiday season and a wonderful new year.
Ummm...I will be neglecting this blog for the time being. I'm busy redecorating my home, refinishing furniture, playing with my children, laughing with my sister, and dreaming up fabulous gifts for all of my wonderful friends ( primarily you and baby boy, Chrissylove!)
I promise pictures of all of my adventures when I return.
I was on the phone the other morning with my mother (by the way, it is her birthday today and she is awesome so if you know her...tell her how AMAZING she is) and she reminded me that I have completely neglected my blog. As in, I have not announced yet that I gave birth to the little light of our home, Henry Braeden. We call him Baby Bits. (Labor Story and pictures for those who care will be posted shortly.)
Is that not the cutest little guy on the planet? He is twice as cute as Walter was at his age, mostly because he doesn't make grumpy old man faces at us all the time. He's seven weeks tomorrow and already 11 lbs and in 3-6 month clothes. And my favorite part? Even though you can't tell in the picture he has dark red hair that if you catch in the right light makes him look like a flaming red head. I am 200% in love. So is JL.
Walter thinks his baby brother is the coolest thing. He gives him kisses all day long and is constantly looking for him. He walks around the house saying, "Baby Beets." and "Oh Beets." Our friend Amanda made the very astute and correct observation that Walter sounds British when he says it. One day I'll get it on video. It is. HILARIOUS.
We're still getting back into the routine of things since his arrival. Finding our balance as a couple and a family. What always amazes me is how someone so small can have such a HUGE impact on your life, instantly. One second they weren't there and the next it's as if you've known them all eternity. Hopefully we will have hit our stride before JL starts school in a few weeks and things get really crazy around here.
This afternoon Walter and I loaded up and went to JL's work for a Flag Day bar-b-que. We were running a little late, mostly because Walter thought that a t-shirt and diaper were totally acceptable attire to wear in public and I spent a good five minutes waddling after him as he ran circles around the living room and kitchen.
I'm glad we got to go and I wish I had thought to bring the camera. They hoisted a new giant flag over the Business Park while a band played "The Star Spangled Banner". They also had little flags for all of the kids so Walter "conducted" the band with his little flag in hand. When the flag started to go up, Walter just said, "Whoah."
But JL's favorite part was that JDawg's catered the event. So even though we've made a pact to not eat out, he got to get some of his favorite fast food. Walter loved that he got his own bag of chips like a big boy and watermelon to munch on. JL and I also shared all of the non-chocolate chunks of our cookies with him. My cousin Sarah happens to be the HR Manager at JL's work, and she got a kick out of Walter who just kept showing her all of his cookie pieces and saying, "Cookie! Cookie!"
It was a great way to spend the afternoon. I hope everyone's Flag Day was equally a success!
Earlier this month, JL and I made a pact to be better about spending money. We each have our own trouble spots and I accepted the challenge happily! It's kind of like a competition with yourself, and since I like to be competitive but I hate to see people sad, this worked out well.
The first thing I did was to get back on Bountiful Baskets. For those of you who live in the many states that they do this, you should definitely join the band wagon. I forgot how much food you get for just $15! We've been munching on bananas, watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, pears, apples, and fresh salad made from romaine, spinach, tomatoes and bell peppers since Saturday. Mmmmm....fresh produce. This is really nice for us because with Walter's food allergies, he pretty much sticks to fruit and grains with the occasional veggie snuck in. I am a bit nervous because we have three artichokes and I have never cooked or eaten an artichoke in my life. I will definitely make sure to blog about that little adventure.
I've also made a firm commitment to eat more chicken. And, no, not Chik-fil-A. With both pregnancies I have had major aversions to chicken, but it is healthy and cheap and soaks in flavors really nicely. Hence....more chicken.
Just making small changes in our grocery approach will save us an estimated $200 a month! Crazy to think about.
I also did a big look into coupons versus shopping the weekly sales. I was lucky because our local news had just done a special on that exact topic so my research didn't take very long. This made my pregnant lazy self happy. I was equally ecstatic to note that the woman who shopped the weekly sales did better than the coupon cutter for most things. I hate cutting coupons. Then my sweet husband reminded me of something I'd completely forgotten about: The Dollar Store.
I know a lot of people brush off the dollar store as a place for hoarders to shop for things that will break before you get them home. This is true in a lot of areas. But the dollar store also has some real finds, especially in household cleaning and hygiene. JL loves the little individual use flossers over regular floss, and you can get a huge pack at the dollar store for...$1. Sponges are cheaper. Also, they have an amazing bathroom cleaner. You do have to be careful that you don't get sucked into the $1 attitude and end up buying things you can get cheaper other places.
You're probably wondering what the biggest help has been. JL can be an extremely forgetful person and the biggest saver we've had is packing his lunch together every night. We get breakfast, snacks, and a lunch all thrown into a grocery bag in the fridge that he can just grab and go. No more last minute drives to drop off food or sending him off to pick up a dollar burger. The other huge perk to this is that JL has lost 8 lbs! I'm so proud of him for keeping this up so far!
I'll continue to update you guys on new discoveries I make in my quest to save money. We're so excited to see how much we can save so that we can get out of debt even faster and put more money into savings every month.
One last thing: I've started using cash for things instead of our debit card. I really love this! I take all of my loose change after every purchase (yes, even quarters) and put it into Walter's piggy bank. He loves to hear the clink of the coins and I love knowing that I'm saving money for his future without feeling like I'm making some huge sacrifice!
I'm not the best record keeper when it comes to Walter and I have no shame in admitting that. But as he gets older and older, faster and faster, I felt like I should at least jot down some his wonderfully hilarious vocabulary.
Hey Yeah Bye No No Go Go Dadda Mamma Baby Tissue Scriptures Pooh, Kanga, Eeee(Eeyore), Tigger, Oooowl and Christopa Shower Bath Nigh Nigh Eat Stuck Cracker Strawberries Lookin Good (No Idea where this came from) Cup Milk Socks n Shoes - usually while putting them on he will then count them for you Tennis Shoes - which is everything except HIS sandals ball cold hot stinky silly dancin blue, purple, yellow, geeeeen car And my personal favorite, Whooooooaaaaah
There are more, but really, who wants to read a list of the adorable things my 18 month old says? You should just come see for yourself. Then you could enjoy his happy dance, the way he vrooms his cars around the house, his great block tearing down ability, and snuggle time. Plus, he's really starting to get the hang of small sentences and those just take the cake. "I say yes" "Uh OH! Stinky Mamma! I go go poopoo!"
Remember in my last post how I said I was puked out and never wanted to see vomit again? That didn't work out so well for me. But....that's another story. Just know that I lost that battle earlier this week.
Remember when I was preggers with Walter and I was in Labor and Delivery three times before I actually went into labor? And one of those stays got me admitted for three days? I'm sure it's all very clear in everyone's mind. :) The details aren't important, but the thing to take from this is that when we found out we were pregnant again and we made it through the first trimester without losing the baby, the first thing I said to myself was this: "I will NOT go into L & D unless this baby is hours away from leaving my womb. The end."
I put up a good fight. We made it almost 35 weeks without a single major hiccup. This morning, I lost that battle.
Now I love to laugh at life's little hiccups and I love a good pelvic exam...always jump starts my day. Really, it's better than any amount of caffeine injected into your system. I love seeing my doctor. He always puts a smile on my face and I know that he has the baby's best interests in mind. And when we have differing opinions I just mentally watch the attached video in my mind and let him have his way (because obviously, between the two of us, he's the one with the heart of a champion.)
This isn't a post to vent or complain about the annoyances of pregnancy. While I don't necessarily enjoy the last 10 weeks, I really love the end result. Best job ever. This isn't even a post to talk about what landed me in and out of the hospital in 75 minutes this morning. It's not important. The baby is healthy, I am healthy, and we haven't ended our contractual lease agreement yet.
I just want the world to be aware of how grateful I am for the small everyday blessings in life.
Tuesday afternoon I took Walter to his 18 month check-up. He was great. Minus being freaked out by the student nurse and her heart monitor, we didn't have any problems. He didn't even have to get any shots. At the end of the appointment, I mentioned in passing a rash that Walter has recently developed. It comes and goes and JL and I figured it was something that he was allergic to causing a minor reaction. It turned out that the rash was a sign that he was no longer in the contagious stage of Fifths Disease, a viral infection that does absolutely nothing to children or adults, but could cause miscarriage or severe anemia (in the fetus) if a woman comes in contact with it during pregnancy. A simple round of tests is all it takes to check, so we ended up hopping in the car and driving four blocks south to the lab at Orem Community to have the tests done. A prick, a fair amount of blood, and Walter and I could be on our way. If you're familiar with OCH, then you know that to get to the lab, you first have to check-in with one of the wonderful women who work in the registration area. There are four of them in their separate offices and I've had the pleasure of enjoying the company of each of them in the last three years. I walked into the office and my helper of the day asked, "What can I do for you today?" Just as I was about to explain that I was here for a quick test in the lab, a small voice whispered in my ear, "You should probably pre-register today for Labor and Delivery." Pre-registering was not what I wanted to do. Walter was tired and grouchy. I didn't particular want to wrestle with all of my insurance paperwork at that exact moment. I didn't want to go through all of my personal information, my husband's information, emergency contacts, etc. I wanted to get in and get out. But I pushed aside my stubborn nature and asked if I could pre-register. I took the twenty minutes out of my mostly mundane day and went on my merry way. This morning when I waddled into Labor and Delivery, tired and grouchy, having lost the battle with my body, my sweet husband, and my OB, I didn't have to fill any paperwork out. I didn't even have to show them my picture id, they had it scanned and in the system. My OB had called ahead and I didn't even have to explain why I was there. All I had to do was answer "Yes" to the nurse's question of, "Are you Alison?" and waddle my way through the secure entrance and into a room.
I didn't know on Tuesday afternoon what my Friday morning was going to be like, but someone did. And He took the time to help me out as much as He could. I'm grateful for that little gift that helped get me through a very long morning at the end of a very long week.
And if you actually read this never ending post, here's a little gift for you. My OB, Dr. Wayne Young, competing as Captain of the Men's Olympic Gymnastic team in 1976.
This past week has been hectic at best. Doctor's appointments, NOT having a baby, food poisoning, a wedding, a reception, impromptu family pictures, and the hum drum of regular life. We saw a lot of vomit in our house. In fact, until the baby comes, I think I'm puked out and I am the only one who didn't actually puke. Soooo...*deepbreath* here goes:
I had a check-up this past week with an ultrasound to check on Baby Boy's growth and development and to discuss the ridiculous amount of contractions I've been having. Following Fowler tradition, this little guy is a good deal bigger than his older brother, measuring in at a whopping 5lbs to Walter's 3lbs. To quote my OB, "Definitely bigger than the average bear." All fine and dandy but I'm measuring small which means that 1- my due date did NOT get pushed up and 2 - explains why I've been in so much pain lately from his feet and hands colliding with my innards. Unfortunately, the baby is in position and ready to go as soon as my body gives him the green light. Between his size, positioning, and my contractions, my OB is a little worried we've got a preterm delivery on our hands. Housebound. Nice.
In an attempt to have one final date out before the baby comes, JL and I took a very tired Walter to Brick Oven Wednesday night. Enter the food poisoning. Within minutes of leaving the restaurant JL was sick and we barely made it home in time. Home being a mile and a half away. The next 24 hours were not pretty and Walter's happy pink bathroom bore the brunt of it. It took three cleans before we got the bathroom smelling normal again. Thank goodness.
But JL pulled himself together and was able to go to his cousin Jame's wedding on Saturday morning while Walter and I hung out at home. Pretending to garden, but really just getting super muddy and ending the afternoon with Walter running barefoot around our back porch in nothing but his diaper while I tried to catch him and herd him into a shower. There would be pictures, but JL had the camera so he could take pictures of people behaving appropriately.
Mostly....
By the time Walter and I looked like normal human beings, JL returned home and we loaded up and drove down to Springville for the reception. Walter and I saw everyone we had missed with our homebound-ness and we took some impromptu family pictures before Lincoln heads off to the MTC next week! I like all of the ones where my almost 9 month pregnant bloated self is not in the front of the picture. Like this beauty:
And then we came home and slept. And it was beautiful. And woke up to Walter vomit all over his bed. And contractions. And life. But for a good five hours...we recovered, and that's what counts.
Walter has been down for the count with another ear infection the past few days and our schedule has been thrown off. So this morning I took advantage of his tired, but mostly good mood and loaded him in the car for a trip to Target. We were on a mission. We needed crib sheets, a mattress pad, and a new mattress for the crib since we moved Walter's with him into his toddler bed. As soon as I laid the mattress across the cart, my sleepy little boy angled his head onto the mattress and said, "Nigh Night Mama."
Last week our good friends Guy and Ali introduced us to their 12 hour old little girl, Evelyn. On leaving the hospital, the first thing my husband said to me was: "I forgot how TINY babies are!" In my infinite wisdom, I replied, "Yes, sweetheart. Babies are small."
With 8 weeks left until our newest family member joins the club, we've hit major prep time for Walter. While he rubs my belly and pokes at my distorted bellybutton, we tell him all about the new little brother that he is going to have and how they are going to be best friends. We talk to him A LOT about the necessity of being soft around babies. We emphasize that he's a big boy now, with a big boy bed, and big boy shoes. Everything gets "big boy" put in front of it. We congratulate him for his big boy behavior. Telling us when he's dirtied his diaper, knocking on his door and asking to be let out instead of crying, holding our hands while we walk in parking lots, etc.
All of this emphasis on what a grown up kid Walter is becoming has distorted my view and I am glad that JL commented on how small Evelyn was. Because all of this prep and time with a toddler has not gotten me ready to be a mom to an infant again. And I really need to focus on that. So here is to hoping that 8 weeks is enough to finish what needs to get done around here.
Walter has been soaking up new information lately. Colors, shapes, words, activities, books...everything fascinates him. In an effort to keep him entertained and engaged, we've started discussing music. Different instruments that he might hear, conducting, rhythms, genres. Dancing gets incorporated a lot into things.
I know, I'm making this sound like we're having enlightened theory conversations. We aren't. He's not even two yet. They're more things like, "That's a piano! Like the one at church and Grammy's house." "Can you drum with Mommy? Listen, do you hear the drum in the song? Can you help Mom drum with the drummer?"
I have to tell you, though, I am loving every second of this. As a wife and mother, I find that without even realizing it, I will let my own hobbies and interests fall to the wayside as I focus on the needs of my boys. When I married JL, I brought into our marriage a music collection carefully pulled together from the age of 11. Tens of thousands of songs, all of which I listened to and connected to at some point in my life. Top 40, Classical, R&B, Jazz, Opera, Experimental, Indie, Rock. Somewhere in the last two years, those songs have slowly disappeared. Files transferred to hard drives for storage, not use. CD cases placed on the top of shelves.
The past few nights, while JL has worked until midnight or later, I have sat up slowly retracing my steps through artists that I love and songs that mean something to me, trying to find ones that I think Walter might like right now. For the usual toddler reasons. As cheesy as I feel typing this, it's like coming home.
I'm gonna show Walter this video tomorrow. I think he's gonna dance all over the place. And in case you don't know who that wonderful guitarist is sitting next to Jerry Lee Lewis, it's Jeff Healey. Blind from the age of 1, and a musician that is dearly missed by many people, myself included. Look him up. And if you don't know who Jerry Lee is...you should be ashamed.
I turned twenty-four today. I'd like to lie and say it was the best birthday I've ever had, but I can't. It wasn't my best birthday. That award still belongs to my twenty second birthday. We had just found out that we were expecting Walter (I was literally 4 weeks along), my sweet husband sprinkled rose petals all over our itty bitty, old, cheap apartment, and I got to spend the entire day with the one person in the world who means the most to me. Heaven.
This year my husband spent most of the day at work. In fact, he's still at work now, prepping for a software audit. I saw him for three hours total. Walter woke up with a fever, which got better then worse and right as I was about to go to sleep for the night, woke up screaming and continued to scream me straight out of my birthday and into a new day. Probably because I'm pregnant, about twenty-five minutes in, I broke down and cried with him. It seemed like the right thing to do.
The highlight of the day was during a video chat with my parents. My father walked in and joined the conversation by saying, "You look really pretty." Maybe I'm a big old Daddy's girl, because I just wanted to pretend that I was turning four and not twenty-four and whine like a little baby about everything that had NOT gone the way I wanted it to today and how I didn't even get a birthday cake or a solitary candle to blow out. Instead, I very calmly discussed my child's fever and my father, in his infinite wisdom said, "Welcome to adulthood." And...well...isn't that just the truth?
At least next year I'll know what to ask for: a completely healthy family.
* At my fourth birthday party, there was a cake with Flounder on it and the icing was so thick and deliciously rich I vomited everywhere and couldn't enjoy icing until years later. That is what a birthday should be like.
Yesterday Walter got his hand stuck in the shower curtain. It was just one of those days for him. As I watched my accident prone little one run around the house and yard, I kept thinking, am I ready to do this again?
Ready or not, there will be another beautiful little boy entering our house around the nation's birthday. That has to be a good omen, right?
It must be, because today I got Walter to eat an actual lunch, composed of tuna salad and apple pieces and mini crackers.
The nursery remodel continues on and I am so elated to see the final product. In about two months. Because that is how long it will take for us to save up money for a nice comfy rocker and a few other things. Hooray!
For those of you who don't know, JL got a new and amazingly better job that he started at the beginning of this month. Like, we actually get health insurance that doesn't just cover preventative medicine, i.e. yearly check-ups. Everything in our home has been much happier since the beginning of the month, mostly because when Husband is happy, Wife is happy, and when Wife is happy, Mom is happy (duh), and when Mom is happy, Walter is happy.
Anywho, one of the perks of the new job is that we get freakishly cheap gym memberships to Gold's Gym, including daycare. This has required a little bit of adjustment for Walter. First, because we try not to leave him with other people unless we're going on a date. Second, because when we have left him with people, it's usually someone that he knows really well. Since the cute daycare workers rotate, there is a 90% guarantee that each time we drop him off, someone new will be in charge of his age group. Hence, adjustment. After three weeks, I am happy to say that I did not get called out of my Turbo Kick class, Walter was not crying when I left him, and he was not crying when I picked him up. This means that for one hour a day, six days a week, I get Me time.
JL got in bed last night and I had a total breakdown. Instantaneous, hysterical sobbing for thirty minutes until I noticed that I had literally soaked through his shirt. Why do men put up with us crazy ladies?
My poor husband, completely unsuspecting, happily walked into our bedroom last night to go to sleep, and I went psycho, teenage drama on him, crying and hyperventilating about the most retarded things. And what did he do? He pulled me close and rubbed my belly and wiped away tears. Without complaining that I was keeping him awake after a full day's work and school. I finally understood all those crazy commitment ceremony people.
I need to redo "marry" this man. After I'm not hugely pregnant with his child.
Adorable note: He also wrote a paper for one of his classes on how he could help me not be so stressed out. I am still swooning that this was the most serious local problem in his life, even over the outrageous and growing potholes on I-15.
This morning Walter and I briskly walked the seven blocks from our little house to the Provo Library for Toddler Time. Toddler Time is like Story Time, but geared for children between the age of two and three, which Walter is not. But Mother Goose, the story time for children between 13 months and 24 months, only happens Friday mornings. And we needed to get out of the house ASAP.
Mr. Dallin and Mrs. Laurel were just what the doctor ordered! We sang songs, Walter danced, we pretended Mr. Dallin got eaten by a boa constricter...all in all, a morning well spent.
Now, if only I had more suitable weather to continue my nursery remodel. But it is just a bit too frigid to try and paint beds, the chest of drawers, and the bookshelf.
Today my hot pink super skinny marker ran out. I was in the middle of coloring one of our grocery receipts. Obviously, this was a necessary task and now the "a" in "maceys" is the only bi-racial letter. Talk about unfair.
Last night, while JL and I were learning from the Green brothers, a chair leg and the full weight of my husband's 6' body was placed on the top of my foot. Ouch, right? After we heard a sickening crunch from my foot, we both went into shock. Which was interesting, because my shock involved hysterical sobbing and hyperventilating, while my husband's shock involved looking like he was going to vomit and laughter. Who knew? I also spent the rest of the evening hopping around on one foot while randomly crying ( insert apology to our downstairs neighbors ). This evoked more laughter from JL. Apparently I looked like an adorably retarded bunny.
Oh...and we woke up the Gosling. So that was fun.
But my foot isn't broken. Or fractured. Just horribly bruised.
This morning I kicked JL out of bed at 6:30 so he could rush to class. As I sleepily directed him to clean pants and received hasty goodbye kisses, I thought about all of the laundry I needed to get done. And what I wanted to eat for breakfast. And how I really had to go to the bathroom. And take my medication.
I rolled my full belly out of bed, got a swift kick from the fetus for crowding their space, and took care of my business. I rolled back into bed. A bus went by. Walter grumbled. Another bus went by. I heard a piercing, "DADA! BABA!" I rolled back out of bed. I stumbled into the kitchen and filled up a bottle with soy milk. I stumbled down the hallway and opened the nursery door. I was received with a questioning look from my son, a "Dada?", and then, "BABA!!!!"
I got back into bed. Walter went back to sleep. I paused. I rolled out of bed and walked back into the kitchen. It was clean. The counters were bare. The table was empty. For a moment, I thought I had been robbed. Then I remembered that I cleaned it. All was well.
I went back to sleep.
I greeted the day thirty minutes later to a husband sliding back into bed with a quick kiss on my neck and a whispered, "Good morning, beautiful."
Happy birthday to my little family! Two years ago, JL and I were sealed for time and all eternity in the Manti Temple, and I wouldn't take back a single moment.
(Don't you just love the face my husband is making in this picture?)
It's not very often that I have a moment to myself these days. There is always something to be done, and with JL back in school and back to juggling two jobs, I'm happy to take the lead on all of the house stuff. It only seems fair.
But...since Walter got his second flu shot late this afternoon and started feeling the effects soon after he had consumed his "Needles hurt and Mom's sorry" Happy Meal (the fries and the lemonade anyway), I have a minute to myself before JL comes bounding through the door. And I have something to say.
I love my husband.
I was talking to my mother this morning about friends and family and the usual smattering of random people popped up into the conversation. Not to be vain, or prideful, but every time someone came up, I thought to myself, 'Man. Have I got it good.'
I'm not always the best at showing my husband how extremely grateful I am that he does what he needs to so that I can stay home with our son and live the life that I want to. Just two weeks ago, we spent a good 20 minutes pushing on either side of the bathroom door while I sobbed hysterically and said unkind things. I'd like to say that all of that crazy is because I've got hormones raging through my body. Unfortunately, about two percent of it is there all the time. And he puts up with it.
He not only puts up with it, he caters to it. He goes out of his way to make me smile, to hold me when the crazy is telling him, "Don't touch me!", to be an amazing father to our son, to kiss my belly full of baby, to tell me I don't look fat, to reassure me that I'm a good mother, to encourage my interests and hobbies, to help me push myself past my comfort zone, and to pick up the pieces when all that pushing ends in utter failure.
So this year, and every year after, I resolve to be the most patient, supportive, and loving wife that I can be. Because this scruffy guy is completely worth it.
There have been some big changes in the Olmstead household.
1) Walter turned 1! This makes me feel old. Really old. I have a toddler. He is adorable. Unfortunately, he refuses to walk, but we sure love him. He's a wicked awesome dancer.
2) We moved! We UPgraded and hauled all of our stuff upstairs from the basement to the main house. There is a fireplace, a backyard, a frontyard, a garage, a huge back porch, and best of all, two bathrooms. Walter is in love with his retro pink tub. JL and I love not having to navigate a narrow staircase everytime we walk through the door.
3) I'm pregnant! We're expecting our second child on July 6 of this year. I still have panicky moments of, "Oh my gosh! What am I doing? I can't handle two kids!". JL is beyond elated.
All in all, we're looking forward to an adventurous new year and I can't wait to see what Heavenly Father has in store for us!
