Cookies

My favorite way to eat cookies:

1. Make your favorite kind of cookie dough (I like chocolate chip and peanut butter)
2. Freeze the dough in cookie-sized balls (you can freeze them on a cookie sheet or waxed paper and then put them in a bag when they are frozen)
3. Individually pop them out of the freezer at your soonest desire (Preferably when your husband is at work and your kids are sleeping)
4. Place the cookie dough in a mug or small bowl and microwave for 35 seconds (yep, one at a time--this way, if you have self restraint [meaning you don't live in this house], a batch of cookies could last quite a while!)
5. Enjoy your delicious cookie with a spoon! (It is warm and so perfectly melt-in-your-mouth doughy but still chewy and cooked around the edges--the ideal compromise between eating cookie dough and eating baked cookies)

Locks and Lashes

Millie woke up with some pretty exciting morning hair today. I showed it to her in the mirror, and apparently she was pretty embarrassed. She did this twice as I was trying to take pictures... It reminds me of those pictures of famous people when they have to go to court.

Got one, though, heh!:

I actually quite love Amelia's hair. It has such fun curls, especially when it's wet. Curls are pretty neat when you don't have any yourself. It's getting long enough that it looks a little mullety sometimes though.

She has quite long eyelashes, too. Lucky girl.

I'm pretty sure she will easily get what she wants from her daddy when paired with her big, round eyes and a smile!

Garage Sailing and 2 Months

The other day, Brandon and I decided to go to some garage sales. A whole neighborhood was having garage sales on the same day, so it was fun to just get out the stroller and walk around to the different houses. $24 later, we returned home with all this stuff:

About an hour later, Brandon had turned the coffee table into a bench (it's narrower). Now all it needs is a little paint. And a good location. And maybe new handles. If you have any inspiration of colors or painting techniques we ought to use for this bench, feel free to share! Wouldn't it be awesome if we painted it the way you think it should be? I am still looking for ideas.

Amelia is two months old already! She is such a joy. She survived her first immunizations. She got a little feverish, and it was sad to see her not feeling so great. But she is doing really well. She now weighs 11.5 pounds and is 22 1/4 inches long. Most of her newborn clothes are a bit too snug now. She likes to click her tongue at us and smile and is starting to make more cooing noises. Her neck is getting strong, and she has just started to enjoy standing (while we hold her). I am aware that I have a funny voice and am pretty repetitive in this video, but lets face it, we have to be kind of weird to get our kids to react sometimes.

Blessed

We are very blessed! Here are just a few things we have been blessed with this weekend:

Brandon's parents got to come visit and meet Amelia. We had a fun time with them. We got to do a lot of fun things with them while they were here. We went to the Texas State fair, went out to eat at some fun places, went to McKinney's Octoberfest, hung out and talked, and many more things. Patsy and I also started Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred together! It was pretty fun to have someone to work out with! :) It was so fun to see them interact with Millie. She has such wonderful grandparents.

Loving people in our lives who make us beautiful things:

Brandon's mom made all of the bedding for Millie's room. She finished the quilt and brought it with her. It is beautiful! She did a wonderful job!

I decided about a week before Amelia was born that I wanted her blessing dress to be made out of a vintage pillowcase. While my mom was here, we found a great one to use. She took it home with her and made it into a beautiful dress. I love how it turned out! She also embroidered Amelia's name and blessing date on the inside lining, so it is extra special.

Brandon's sister Heather made a really fun name decoration for Amelia's wall. Unfortunately, you will have to wait just a little longer to see it, because it's only halfway hung so far. Just know that it's adorable. And be excited for when you DO get to see it. :)

We blessed Amelia on Sunday. Brandon did a great job, and we felt so much love for her. We missed being able to see all of our family at the blessing, but were grateful that Brandon's parents could be there. Even though we are in a Spanish branch, Brandon said the blessing in English for our benefit. I was glad for that. Amelia was uncharacteristically fussy before and after the blessing, but she was calm and quiet during it. Brandon's dad (who was trying to keep the binky in her mouth) said that she got a calm look on her face and looked straight up with her bright eyes. It is special to contemplate how pure and innocent and close to Heavenly Father our little babies are. I wonder if they still remember where they came from. It was a beautiful, simple day.

My aunt shared this great idea with us, and I am glad we did it: each of us took some time to write down what we remembered from the blessing, both the events surrounding it and the actual words that we remembered. It is really neat to have four different people's perspectives on what happened, and it will be a fun record to look back on in years to come. I hope I remember to do that for other events.

A beautiful, healthy, growing daughter.

• I measured Amelia's hair last night, and discovered that it is already two inches long! Pretty impressive for a seven week old, eh?
• She is starting to smile more and more, and yesterday I discovered that she loves the song "I've Been Workin' on the Railroad." She smiles and opens and closes her mouth exaggeratedly as if she is trying to sing along with me.
• Lately she has been sleeping a little better; sometimes 5 hours in a row!
• When people see her for the first time, they usually say, "Look at all that hair!" Then they say, "She is so alert!"
• She is a very content baby when she has everything she needs.
• She loves to sit. Even while I put her to sleep she wants to be sitting. I think she doesn't want to miss anything.
• She loves the sound of water and does very good in the bath.
• She is still super cuddly and loves to be held.
• She loves it when we pay her close attention and talk to her. She sometimes tries to talk back or sticks out her tongue in hopes that we will stick ours out back. She usually smiles when I touch by her mouth. I guess it must be funny or something.

Parents

The other day, Brandon and I were having a (slightly heated) conversation about the little "inconveniences" each of us has been experiencing as new parents. Sometimes it is easy for me to think that I am the only one experiencing a major change in my life, but both of us have had to adjust to lots of "inconveniences" lately. And many many other people do it too. After sitting back and thinking about it, I realized that I have really taken for granted just how much our parents do and have done for us. I have always known that they do a lot, but now I have a better idea of just how much.

The truth is, parenting is, in many ways, inconvenient. It's hard. It takes up all of your time. It takes a lot of physical and mental energy... especially when you are low on sleep. You have to give up things you really want. It costs a lot of money. It changes a lot of your goals and the way you see yourself and do things. It changes everything. In a way, I think that the word parenting should actually mean sacrificing--especially for the many parents like ours who try their best to be great parents. But the love that you have for your children and seeing their comfort and being able to provide for them makes the major changes and sacrifices seem like not such a big deal. Instead, they become mere "inconveniences." The things that we give up as parents are worth it!

For example, a week ago I woke up feeling just like I had just been beat up--by a tiny one-month-old! Amelia hadn't slept well at night for a couple of days, and by the time morning came, I thought like I wouldn't be able to make it through the day. But all of the soreness and tiredness sort of melted away when, for the first time, THIS happened! It was so special!

Yep, she was smiling at me! It made being awake with her all night totally worth it to me.

It is kind of neat that being parents teaches us to put others first and to sacrifice things. It's neat how the family unit really is there to help us, not only as children, but also as parents to become closer to and more like Heavenly Father. Sometimes I think that I need to have it all together as much as my parents do right now. But I am realizing that they have had time to learn and grow as parents, and I am just a beginner. Perhaps in another 30 years I will be closer. :)

The Itsy Bitsy Spider and My Man

The other night, I looked out the window and saw ...

Many of you know I am terrified of spiders. Sometimes when I see them, I have bad dreams the next night. I always let out a little scream at least, even if they are tiny. I am going to have to get better at that so I don't train Amelia to be afraid of them too. We'll see how that goes. Anyway, I was afraid (and still am a little) to go outside when I saw this. But Brandon went right by it to film it... Crazy. It was so big! its web stretched 15 feet across from our back porch to a tree. Brandon did a pretty awesome job making the movie, eh? It even looks like the spider is dancing. Just so you know, he saved the day and killed the spider with a good dose of carb cleaner.

Speaking of spiders, Brandon just informed me that he has made it clear up until yesterday not knowing the words to "The Itsy Bitsy Spider"! I don't know how he managed that. I guess he and Amelia are learning it together.

Brandon started school this past week. He is working on his masters degree in System Dynamics (you'll have to ask him for an explanation of what exactly it is). It's an online program, and so far, he likes it. :) He has really accomplished a lot of things since we have been married, and it's neat to look back and see what he's done. He's really driven to learn and improve himself. He's a pretty neat guy to be married to! Amelia thinks he's pretty great too, as you can see in this cuddling-with-dad picture:

Amelia is now three weeks old! I can't believe she's that old already. She is starting to be more alert and a little more fun to play with. We think that she sometimes sounds like a dinosaur. Maybe one day we will record her dinosaur sounds. The problem is, they are pretty unpredictable. She's pretty fun. I crocheted her a little bow yesterday. Of course, I didn't have time to do it until AFTER church, but at least I did it, right?

Little Amelia

Millie just had her two week checkup. Things are looking good! She is now 8 lbs (she is going to have some nice rolls, I have a feeling) and she is in the 50th percentile for height, weight, and head circumference. She also was a little mischievous and peed AND pooped all over the table! It was good to go to the doctor and be assured that we are doing a good job. Sometimes I wonder.

I am really enjoying getting to know our little girl. Even though getting used to her and her needs is hard, I love the little moments that make it all worth it. I hope that I can always remember things like the softness of her skin and hair, the little noises she makes when she is sleeping (high pitched squeaks, squeals, and little whimpers between breaths), and how fast her fingernails grow. I love it when I am watching her and she watches me back, like I'm just as interesting as she is. I love how her little hands float around when she's satisfied, or when they play with mine. I love the little glimpses of smile I sometimes see, especially when I see her little dimple. It's funny when I'm burping her and she moves her head to the side on my hand like it's a pillow. I'm pretty sure she is the best cuddler ever--she nuzzles her head on my shoulder in the most wonderful way! I love the feeling of being able to give her what she needs and help her to be happy. It's amazing to watch her learn. She is already getting good at holding up her head, she can flip over onto her side, and when you put your hands against her feet, she will scoot forward (usually when she thinks she'll find food).

Some things that have surprised me so far:

• For some reason, I thought becoming a mom would suddenly give me special powers, and I would feel like a different person in some way. That must come with time...
• Dirty diapers are not so gross when it's your own kid. They are like little trophies that tell you she's eating enough.
• Even though they aren't gross, there sure are a lot of them!
• My mom makes the best peanut butter cookies. Even when she forgets the eggs. Besides, that makes the cookie dough even better.
• Brandon has a cute high pitched talking-to-Amelia voice. I didn't expect him to have one. :) And I actually like it. (some high pitched talking-to-kids voices drive me crazy)
• Having a baby hurts! Afterward... For a long time. :)
• I didn't know my baby would want to be held all the time! Not sure how to get anything done... suggestions?
• It's amazing how in the middle of the night you can be so tired and frustrated, but when you think about who this little person is, it's all okay.
• Sometimes a couple hours to yourself or with your spouse can be heaven!
• I finally found something that helps me realize and do the important things more (not so much time for blog surfing, etc...)
• Epidurals are great. Not only because they take away a lot of the pain, but for me, it made it feel like it wasn't really my body they were doing all of those crazy and sometimes scary things to.
• A visit or chat with friends is so refreshing!
• I miss family more than I thought I would. It's sad not being able to really show her off to them yet. Video chatting is a great blessing, but it can only do so much.
• I spent almost an entire day staring at my baby. Who knew newborns could be so entrancing?

One of these days I will post more about how the birth actually went. It just is taking me a while, since extra time is hard to come by, and some of the details are pretty foggy. I still don't think I can comprehend that the little wiggly bump that was in my belly is now my daughter. They sort of seem like two separate things.

Middle Name...

We decided to go with no middle name for Amelia. It is already a longish name that can have lots of fun nicknames all by itself... and no middle names really stood out to us. So, there you have it. One of my favorite things to call her is Millie.

On another topic, SPAUB won the grand prize by getting more close answers than anybody else. Nice work, guys! We didn't know on the eye color, and we still don't really know, apparently it can take many months to know what their eye color will be. So the eye color question was thrown out.

I thought that this picture just needed to be posted, she was napping on my stomach and making faces so I got the camera and started taking pictures. I liked this one best.

Millie is healthy and happy. She gained her birth weight back after only a few days, and all the other stuff still looks normal.

Sheena's mom went home today. She was here for almost 2 weeks. It sure was nice to have her here to help out with all of the new parent things, and so we could have someone to help us watch Amelia and to help out with things around the house (we still have tons of delicious left-overs from the great dinners she made). Thanks, Kathy!

Pictures

Here are some pictures that I like. We decided to name her Amelia, but we are still undecided on the middle name.

Baby Ruggles

Well, the moment we have all been waiting for has come. We had our baby! As of yet she doesn't have a name, but we are getting it figured out. I haven't looked to see who the winner was yet, but here are the answers to the questions:

• When will she be born? August 9, 2010 @ 11:58 AM. or 8/9/10
• How much will she weigh? 7 lbs 4 oz
• How long will she be? 20 inches
• What color will her hair be? (Mine was blonde and thin, Sheena's was black and thick) Dark almost black
• Will she have lots of hair or not much at all? Lots of hair, she has almost as much hair as me
• How long will Sheena be in labor? We were officially addmitted to the hospital 8/8/2010 @ 6:30 PM, but she was started having contractions at 4 AM. All went well, the epidural helped a bunch, and once she started pushing it took around 5 minutes.
• Will I be brave enough to cut the cord? (I can't even get shots without laying down, but I think I am going to try) Thankfully I handled the blood and cutting the cord quite well, I must have been quite blessed.
• Was the doctor wrong when guessing the gender? Nope, she's a beautiful little girl.
• What color will her eyes be? Super dark, I am guessing they will be blue, but it is hard to tell so far.

We will post some pics soon, just thought y'all might want to hear the news.

Guessing Game

Sheena and I are now in the home stretch, our baby is due August 8th, or in other words one week from today. So the time has come for the guessing game. The prize for this guessing game is a $10 gift card (you get to choose the place). The way to win the prize is to have more correct answers to the following questions than anybody else that tries. Ready - Set - Go!

Questions:

• When will she be born?
• How much will she weigh?
• How long will she be?
• What color will her hair be? (Mine was blonde and thin, Sheena's was black and thick)
• Will she have lots of hair or not much at all?
• How long will Sheena be in labor?
• Will I be brave enough to cut the cord? (I can't even get shots without laying down, but I think I am going to try)
• Was the doctor wrong when guessing the gender?
• What color will her eyes be?

Good Luck!

Teeny Socks!

I can't get over the adorableness of these little tiny baby socks! Sometimes I just have to go in the baby room to look at them and touch them. They make me smile... I am so excited to put them on the little feet they belong to!

Yumm

Here are the steps to delicious snacking:

Peel one banana

Lay it on a plate

Spread peanut butter on one half of it

Spread Nutella on the other half

Microwave for 25 seconds

Enjoy!

Camp In

For our date the other night, we decided to build a tent and camp out in our living room. I was amazed at Brandon's ingenious ideas to make it work out. I think it turned out pretty spiffy; wouldn't you agree?

It was fun while it lasted. It turns out that it's actually kind of hard to fit in such a tent when you are 36 weeks pregnant. And we just got this new air mattress to replace our old, holey one, and it smelled like super-toxic plastic and was making us sick (I guess you have to let them air out at first). So, after the fun of setting up the tent, we only spent like 15 minutes in it. Then we decided to just sleep in our bed.

I really like having date nights, though. They are great. Hopefully we will still find a way to make it happen after the baby comes.

Things that are Round...

Wheels

Got some new wheels....

We finally found something to replace the Bug

A fun new birthday bike--It even has an automatic transmission!

Baby room wheel... (Originally like $60... I paid $5, added a little paint, and voila!)

Round Trip

We were able to go to Utah a little over a week ago. It was lots of fun! It was a busy week. I had two baby showers (thanks, everyone who was there!) We got some fun, cute baby stuff and lots of gift cards and $ so we could come home and get stuff without shipping so much home. We really appreciate it!! I also had a birthday. It was such a beautiful time to visit Cache Valley. I love it there.

and the real reason we were there.....

Wedding Rings

Brandon walked another woman down the isle...

...because he was the best man!

Brandon's brother Josh got married. We are excited to welcome Jamie and her daughter Lolah into the family. They are great! The wedding turned out really beautiful, and it was great to be there.

Bellies

35 Weeks Pregnant!

And just to update you on Brandon's belly (not so round), he is feeling better each day. It is amazing how our bodies can heal. We're really grateful for all the help and prayers that have been given!