*navidad

Here's a bunch of random pictures from our break. I would like to make them cuter on picnik.com but I think that may never happen, so here they are. I just noticed Ben isn't in any of them - he was probably off playing pool :) Ivor and Eliot were off making trouble somewhere and my dad was likely in the backyard cleaning up after the 5 dogs. I did try to take less pictures this year because really, we don't need to capture and remember every.single.moment. I tried instead to be in the moment :)

My mom's [originally Grandma's?] famous Sheepherder bread:

Painting with the cousins. Note Vera's "twirly whirly princess dress!"

Mike and Rosie surprised us with a 24 hour visit! It was such a fun treat to see them and have our families spend some time together :)

Babies LOVE Gegi:


it's nice to be the smallest of the cousins:


getting to know cousin Marie:

Friends!! I love Heather in the background here :)

Vera really embraced her job as appetizer server:

I miss my parents' quiet, carpeted house where Edie took some good naps:


These are my favorite cookies. Normally I wouldn't touch anything resembling these "food-like substance" cherries, but I grew up eating these and therefore love them. I couldn't eat less than 6 in a sitting:


I love this one - making gingerbread boys and girls:

I went for 3 whole walks over the 2 weeks:

Vera's favorite Christmas gift. Not the dollhouse - the pink scissors she's using to open the furniture:

*

Lying on the couch here with what seems to be yet another breast infection :( Ben took V to get a new battery because he'd wedged the car against the garage while we were gone to avoid another hoodlum taking our stuff. Unfortunately the battery died and we can't reach it to jump with the truck [the truck which slid on ice after skiing, smashing into a rock-hard snowbank], therefore impeding us from getting in the garage. Another stroke of 'bad luck' that night we came home was a furnace that wouldn't turn on. It was FORTYEIGHT degrees in here!! I'm already a wimp regarding the cold and it was COLD. Thankfully it fixed itself sometime in the middle of the night.

All this leads me to say that I am so thankful for the good things we have going. Namely our two healthy, wonderful children and Ben and Liz' safety in the snowbank crash [and a house to live in and a car to drive and food to eat that in turn helps me feed my baby...]. It could be so much worse, thinking about the trials others go through. The big homeless population here in Salt Lake who endure colder than I did, the children in the World Vision news we receive, the loss of a college friend of Ben's newborn son. Really we are so blessed and I am so thankful for what we've been given. I didn't start out this post to write this - I was going to post the video I just took of sweetie Edie cooing to me from her bouncy chair [she's starting to complain now...]. Anyway, look to the "good words" to the right of the blog - those are the words that should constantly be in my heart and on my lips!

cute and cute, I love this little bug and am so thankful for her:

*You might be inclined to think that life's difficulties and tragedies are evidence of the lack of God's goodness, or even His nonexistence - I was touched and encouraged by Dan's thoughts after his son's death.

*dress-up

I had no idea my mom had all these dress-up clothes - old nightgowns from my grandma, halloween costumes, recital tutus, high heels, wigs... It was so much fun - even Liz and I tried on some things, though I won't share those pictures :)

my old plastic strawberry shortcake costume!

Vera wasn't shy about being bossy: "EVERYONE go behind the curtain!!"

beautiful ballerinas:

Liz and I loved this one and were so glad it fit Marie! She looks like a little Laura Ingalls:

my cousin's teal bridesmaid dress circa 1980 something:

A performance of The Rotten Cowboy. Vera played Spring - the "new name" she gave herself last month.

When everyone bowed here and said their name and who they played, Vera didn't get it. "My name is Spring and I played with Olivia."

*ella dice

*

Ben was paraphrasing Vera's bedtime story the other night - when Ariel misses the concert and says "my father's gonna kill me!" - changing it to "my dad is going to be so mad!" She corrected him. After he paraphrased yet another sentence, she sat up in bed and put out her hands in exasperation: "THIS IS NOT WORKING!"

*

Me: Vera, did you toot?

Vera: ummm nevermind.

Me: What do you mean 'nevermind'?

Vera: I just said nevermind.

*

Earlier today Ben and I were trying to talk and she wanted me to read her a story and shoved it in front of my face.

Me: Vera, is that ok to do that, is that good manners?

Vera: MOM I need to tell you something!!!

Me: No, Vera, you answer my question. Is it ok to interrupt like that?

Vera [cutting me off]: NO MOM I have to tell you something!!!

Me: No, Ver---

Vera: MOM I have a lot of yawns!! [yawns]

Me: VERA answer the question!

Vera: [yawn] I have a lot of yawns!! [yawn]

*el mall

We went to Meadowood on Saturday. I hadn't been there in so long and even felt a little nostalgia for my *childhood* mall :) Funny memories - like reaching soo hard to try to get coins out of the fountain, Clown's Closet with the Hello Kitty gum and erasers [P :)], sneaking past our parents to buy another piece of Sbarro pizza [why did we have to be so sneaky, T?], loving and lusting after clothes from Guess and Limited Too, buying boxers at GAP for pajama shorts [I finally just threw out some I'd bought in middle school!] ...

Anyway here's Vera in front of the Santa line - which we didn't join. She wanted to open the fake presents sooo bad.

I tried on some lipstick and she wanted to 'get beautiful' too:

Edie was so awake and cute perched up on Daddy's chest:

sleepy baby on the way home:

sleepy smile:

*

Vera, Edie and I have been here in Nevada for a week now. We flew out early since Ben was in New York doing research - he met us here Tuesday. The flight almost went perfectly. However I somehow forgot an extra outfit for Edie, who hadn't pooped in 2 days. I tried to clean her up as best I could, putting a paper napkin on her back so she wouldn't feel the wetness... she started that crazy newborn baby cry while Vera kept handing me pictures she'd colored - HERE, MOM!! It was a little chaotic :) I finally just stripped her down to a diaper and wrapped a blanket around her and she quieted down - whew.

Anyway, it's been pretty quiet here waiting for Christmas and the cousins to come. We've hung out with some friends, made cookies, wrapped presents, made cards, watched movies... I can't wait for the cousins to come - Vera has been really difficult: whiney, cranky, clingy, dare-I-say-it b-r-a-t-t-y.

Edie just watches. And takes naps - yay! And wakes up every 2 hours at night after being rocked for hours to sleep... [except last night - she only got up once at 1!! praying for a repeat]

*feliz navidad

So I'm not sending out a Christmas card this year. It makes me sad, because I always really love to do it! I love picking a picture, choosing just the right song or verse, writing it all out, etc. I usually do a lot of it myself, painting in the colors, etc. It's way cheaper that way, but I also love the process. It's really enjoyable for me - always some mate and a quiet house and my little watercolor assembly line. I love to see them all stacked neatly, ready to go. Sometimes I even take pictures of the finished products all lined up [hehe, certain friend of mine].

This year though, I just can't do it! I made baby announcements and that took [is taking] any creativity and any free time I may have. Cards seem obsolete now with email, blogs, facebook, texting, etc., but I still love to send them and love to receive them. I will definitely do a grand Cater Christmas card next year!

The above picture is the one we'd probably have used. Or maybe this one:

But definitely not this one. Oh, Ben:

*2 meses

Edie will be 2 months tomorrow! I'm going to write things down so that next time I'll remember how hard it still is :) I seem to have forgotten anything about Vera's sleep habits, etc. at this age. I think I remember it a lot better than it might have been... same thing happens when I ask my siblings things, like how they had the 2 share a room or something. They always seem to remember it not being a problem. ANyway. This is all kind of boring. I really do want to just write it down so I remember next time.

First the difficult parts:

So the last week she has developed some colicky behavior around Vera's bedtime, usually lasting until about 10 when she falls asleep from exhaustion - usually in my arms, me asleep from exhaustion too [ben was out of town :(]. It's really frustrating because I feel like I must be doing something wrong, or at least missing the right opportunity for bedtime. Miraculously she's asleep right now - in the swing, which she's only ever done once. I'm typing fast to beat her waking up :) She's also not napping in her bed hardly at all. She looks sleepy, I swaddle her up, falls asleep, laid in crib, awake in ten minutes. A couple times I've been able to get her back to sleep re-inserting the binky or even sitting under the bassinette rocking it. It's hard with another child to be very consistent about it all! Also, she's pretty fussy during the day especially after eating, always seeming to have a tummy-ache :( Our pediatrician suggested we try probiotics, I'll report back if it works...

Not really difficult, but different than Vera.. she seems to be sleeping or trying to sleep all day long. I remember Vera being a lot more aware and alert at this point - maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's just that Edie is always sleepy!

Positives:

She's nursing! It's still not 100% pain-free, but it's nowhere near as bad as it was. I pumped exclusively for about 2 weeks and then again on one side for a little longer to heal everything up. She does seem a little affected by all the bottle-feeding and isn't very efficient at nursing - some frustrations to work out :)

She has the cutest little smile that contorts her whole face, makes her kick her legs and really just makes my day. I only get to see it a few times a day and it's like a little gift every time.

She sleeps a great stretch the beginning of the night (once finally asleep), usually waking around 1-3 and 5-6, then we sleep 'till 8. The first feeding I can just re-swaddle her and lay her in the bassinette without any rocking back to sleep - it's amazing! and strange how she won't do it that way any other time of day/night.

She weighed 11 lbs. 4 oz. today which means she's growing! Our office never gives the percentiles and I forget to ask.

In the middle of writing this she woke up in the swing, fell back asleep in my arms and I've put her down in her bed... so far still asleep, thank you LORD for small miracles.

*

Ben and I always used to ask each other what our favorite thing about Vera was. Currently my favorite thing about Edie is her little legs. So cute and soft and little: little knees, little thighs, itty bitty rolls. If she's excited about something [say I smile at her] she kicks them frantically. I can't handle it, it's too cute.

*al parque

Yesterday and today we 3 walked to the park - not sure if I'd done that yet? I haven't been outside much with Edie, but it finally wasn't too cold. The fresh air felt SO good. Also it made me happy to see Vera skipping around - she needed to get outside too.

*8 weeks

*amorcito

Meet Becca - will this be her Bunny??? I hope so :)

♥

[Becca is the name she came with... I guess we'll stick with it since there can't be 2 "Bunnies"]