life as we know it....

...has changed forever for the better.

We're very in love with little Anna. Here are a few things about her.

• Anna loves soft things. Whenever she's fussy, we just wrap her up in them or put her in a fleece outfit and she goes limp with pleasure. She especially loves them rubbed against her cheek and will often give us a smile for that.
  
  
  
• Anna likes to eat. She gets really excited when she knows food is coming and puts her arms above her head, like she's on a roller coaster. While eating she smacks her lips and makes little "mm...mmm" sounds. She often eats too fast at first and ends up breathing some of it in and coughs and coughs. And then literally dives in for more.
  
  
• Eating agrees with Anna. She's around a plump 9 pounds these days and all the cuter for being a little chubby.
  
  
• Anna loves bath time. Though she looks terrified the entire time, she's quiet and looking around and not complaining. So I take that as a sign that she likes it.
  
  
  
• Anna is an amazing pooper. Every few days or so she just poops volumes, all at one time, which have thankfully always landed on the changing table cover and not on our carpet or bed.
  
  
  
• When Anna is awake and alert she's a lot of fun to play with. We read stories, sing songs, play the piano, have tummy time, and take walks. Anna loves to be snuggled next to Mom in the Moby-style wrap during anytime of the day.

I'll try to post some pictures soon so you can enjoy her cuteness. We've been busy enjoying family time and taking advantage of my mom's talents and capabilities while she's been here so blogging has been put on the back burner.

Anna is a good sharer and would love to give up her room for visitors. So plan a trip. See you soon!

smitten

I'm having a blissful moment. It's quiet here with Sam and Mom at church. Anna just finished eating and is asleep on my chest. She is so soft and warm and cuddling her makes me so relaxed and eases any pain I had been feeling in my abdomen. It has been a crazy week and I love that it has brought me to this point: quiet, comfortable, contemplative, with a beautiful new daughter just in time for Mother's Day.


Several people have asked, so I thought I'd write about what happened between last Friday and today.

As you read two posts ago, I started having contractions on Friday evening. They continued through the night, and though they were more painful than any of the Braxton-Hicks contractions I'd had before, they seemed pretty irregular to me (I was so naive). So, I spent the night on the couch breathing and forcing my self to relax during contractions, and sleeping for the 15-25 minutes between each one. I thought about waking up Sam to rub my back, but I thought, "I'll feel so bad and silly if I keep him up all night for no reason," and just stuck it out for several hours. Eventually Sam woke up and got me some breakfast. I showered (thank goodness) and got ready for the day. We had planned on going to the Space Center, but I told Sam I didn't think I was up to it and instead made a grocery and movie list so we'd be prepared for the coming week of me just resting.

So, Sam went shopping and I talked on the phone with my mom and a friend. By noon I was really tired and came in to lay on the bed. Sam got home sometime after one and asked how I was doing. I was having some contractions close together by this point, but there would still be periods of up to 20 minutes without one. I told Sam I wanted him to rub my back and got up out of bed. Suddenly, a really hard contraction came that sent me kneeling to the floor. It was worse than all the others and ended with me calling to Sam that my water had broken.

Our bag wasn't packed for the hospital and Sam had only been home for five or ten minutes. I could tell he was nervous, but he got together everything we needed, called some people to come take care of things around the apartment, and attended to me when I'd call him. In the mean time, I crawled into the bathtub and started the warm water. It felt great. I am sold on the idea of a water birth. While there, I called my mom and told her the news. She bought a plane ticket and left for the airport an hour later.

Eventually things were ready and Sam got me into the car. I had a few contractions on the way to the hospital (a 12-minute drive) and was happy to be up and walking again once we pulled up. By this time, the contractions were really strong, but I could handle them as long as I could hold onto Sam as they happened.

We got into the delivery room and I changed into a hospital gown. The nurses started asking all sorts of questions that I was in no mood to answer and started hooking me up the the electronic fetal monitor. I don't remember things very clearly from this point on, but I know there was some talk of an ultrasound and someone told me I was dilated to 9 cm and should resist any urge to push.

Through what seemed like an eternity, but was, in reality just a few minutes, I got an IV in (on the fourth try...) and several other uncomfortable things. I asked what was going on and the nurses explained that the baby was breech and that she'd have to be delivered by c-section. They took Sam to suit him up for the OR and sign some papers while they took off the EFM and got me ready for the OR. Those were the worst moments when there was a flurry of activity going on around me, and I didn't have Sam or anyone else to get me through really strong, painful contractions. I felt so out of control and was probably in shock since my whole body was shaking and was freezing.

Finally, they got me to the OR and waited for a contraction to end to administer the anesthesia. I felt immediate relief flood my body and warmth came back. That feeling is the best argument in favor of an epidural that I've ever had. Soon, Sam was back with me, stroking my head and telling me how great I was doing. I felt calm and eager for the baby to come. The surgery took about half an hour and after a little tugging a pressure, I heard the doctors say, "There's one arm, and the other" and soon, a healthy cry filled the room. A nurse brought the baby to show her to us and of course, I started crying. I was so happy and relieved. I just kept thinking, "She's here!" They cleaned her and let Sam hold her a little before they went to weigh and measure her.

Sam left to be with Anna while I got cleaned up. They used some glue to hold the incision closed and complimented me on how fat-free my belly was. I thought it pretty funny that even with my belly cut open, I was still getting comments about my figure. We sure are an image-focused society, aren't we?

The next couple days were the hardest. It was hours before I was allowed to even see Anna, and when I did, she was in an isolette with oxygen pumping, a tube in her mouth to her stomach to release gas, an IV, heart monitors, a respiration monitor, a blood oxygen monitor, and blood pressure cuff. Her lungs were both underdeveloped (from being premature) and had liquid in them that hadn't been squeezed out in the normal fashion of being pushed through a birth canal. It was almost 24 hours after her birth that I was first allowed to hold her, but every time Sam or I did, all the levels that should have been going up went down and all the ones that should have been going down went up because of all the unfamiliar stimulation. So every couple of minutes, another alarm would go off on one thing or another and annoy both Anna and the nurses. I cried almost every time I saw her (fluctuating hormones and pain medication didn't help that). The nurses always made sure to tell me she was OK and that she just needed time and I shouldn't worry. I knew they were right, and I was honestly not worried at all, it was just so difficult to not be able to hold and comfort my baby, and to know that any effort to do so made things worse, not better.

By the third day, Anna was pretty stable, but wasn't making great improvements. One morning I went in to see her (I was doing great by this point, by the way, and was able to walk to the nursery from my room-- a great accomplishment for a c-section mommy, the nurses said) and the nurse on duty asked where I went to school. I was wearing a BYU t-shirt and told her I had gone to Brigham Young University in Utah. At that, she told me she was also a member of the LDS church and was friends with many people I knew. She was so comforting, and such a help. She even gave me her cell phone number in case I had any questions. She mentioned, in that first conversation that many NICU babies made a turn-around at about 72 hours, just hours away for our Anna.

Needless to say, she did just that. Within that same day, the nurses started feeding her my pumped breastmilk. Soon, the stomach tube came out, and soon after that, the oxygen was taken off. I went home from the hospital on Tuesday. A day or so later, they let me start breast feeding her directly, and I loved being so close to her. I went to the hospital for feedings at noon, 3, 6, and 9. In between, I would rest, and mom and I would get out about once a day. I got to drive one of those electric shopping carts at Walmart while we stocked up on diapers, wipes, diaper cream, nursing pads, baby wash, etc.

On Friday, the nurse told us that aside from the results of an EKG, and the "carseat challenge" (an hour in the car seat to make sure all her vitals were normal afterwards), Anna was ready to come home. We fed her at noon and came back for the 3 PM feeding. After feeding her and rocking her, the nurse explained that Anna was ready to go home right then! I called mom and had her come to the hospital to take pictures. We went through lots of paperwork and freed Anna of all her cords. We got lots of goodies to take home, as well. Finally, it was all done, and she was ours! We successfully got her into the car seat and introduced her to home.


It's so wonderful to have her home with us, and know she's healthy. She eats like a champ and we love watching her wiggle. She is a very light crier and heavy sleeper so far, and we hope those will continue to be her habit. We love her so very much and will continue to keep you updated on how cute she's getting with each day. Thanks everyone for all your prayers and offers of help. We've felt so supported through this whole process. We know the Lord protected both me and Anna and we are so grateful to Him for his watchful care. Being given one of His children to care for is the greatest gift we've ever been given.

anna sophia cosby

Born May 3, 2008 at 3:45 PM

6 lbs 5 oz and 18 inches

the real deal

Well folks, this is it. Labor has officially started, at least according to all the materials I got in my Prepared Childbirth class. Here's my status: dilated 3 cm, and 50% effaced (measured by my OB this morning), and I'm having mild contractions, at least 4 within one hour. With those statistics, I am definitely in the prodromal labor stage. But for all of you out there who are as ignorant about childbirth as I was until about a month ago, this stage lasts anywhere from 1-4 weeks. So don't get too excited just yet...though if you want to get a little bit excited, that's OK with me. I certainly am.

It's fun to know that my body's actually starting to do this. It may be "starting to do this" for another several weeks, but hey, so far so good, body!

With today's measurement, my doctor told us to make sure we had a bag packed and had the car seat in the car. So, we came home from the appointment and started to get things ready a bit. Then Sam and I went swimming which felt absolutely heavenly for my lower back and abdomen. This evening, we went to eat at Texas Roadhouse where we had a gift card. We got buffalo wings, ribeye steak, and ribs to share. It was really yummy, and by eating slowly and taking small bites, I was able to enjoy almost half of everything.

Here's the latest pregnancy pic. I'll be 36 weeks on Monday. Though I haven't gained much weight, the baby is still measuring within the normal range and my doctor says she thinks we're both healthy and fine. Today she told me, "You sure have done this pregnancy right!" She's a nice woman :)

Wish me luck in the weeks to come!

the greatest and best shoes in the world

A tribute. To Chacos.

I'm sure you remember how excited I was when I first bought my Chacos. I knew they were great, but I never expected what they would do for me. See, I got my Chacos in that blissful ante-pregnancy state of ignorance, just wanting a comfortable sandal.

But now, many months later, my feet have way more needs. They still need to be cool and supported-- the two original reasons for buying the Chacos-- but at a greater magnitude than I ever imagined. I've been hot since March 1st, and I tend to put my Chacos on like slippers for cooking or cleaning because they help me last longer while standing.

But what I didn't anticipate, was how my feet are slowly expanding. Any pregnant woman's do, but I just didn't think about it. I'm tying my laces a little looser these days. A few pairs of my shoes are getting snug, and at the end of a walk, I can't wait to get my Asics off.

And here is where the Chaco's shine. As my feet expand, SO DOES THE SHOE! That's right, I just adjust the straps (which are laced through the base of the sandal) and voila! a perfectly fitting pair of supportive shoes. It doesn't matter how wide my feet decide to go, these puppies will go right on with them.

So thank you to the Chaco company for solving a problem I didn't even know I was going to have.

off to the far east

Sam left this morning to spend two weeks in China (a week in Shanghai and a week in Suzho) at a conference for work. We got him all packed up last night, hopefully with enough books and multi-media to keep him occupied while he travels for the next 24 hours. I'm not too worried about him, though. He gets to fly business class, so he should be relatively comfortable on that 13 hour flight from Detroit to Tokyo.

Needless to say, I'm a little jealous, and sad to have him gone for two weeks. One of his co-workers asked if I was going with him, and when Sam said I wasn't, the man was shocked. Sam explained that I was 32 weeks pregnant and said, "I think she'd like to go to China, but I don't think she wants to travel to China right now." And that's exactly how I feel.

So, I'm trying to fill these next two weeks with good activities. Some plans are: do plenty of subbing, work on sewing the bedding for the crib, get some visiting teaching done, watch some girlie movies, read a lot, cook very little, and of course, try to get over this horrible cold that has plagued me for the last ten days.

Any other suggestions for making this time FLY by?

a little r and r

I think I've made a breakthrough. I'm sitting in my bed at 9:23 in the morning with my PJs still on perusing the internet on the lap top, and I feel no guilt whatsoever. I canceled the substituting job I had scheduled and planted a roll of toilet paper and bottle of Powerade on the bookshelf next to the bed. I've succumbed to my sick-with-a-cold, aching-from-viral-infection-and-pregnancy body and intend to take a nap after having done nothing this morning aside from eating breakfast and reading a magazine (and all that internet perusal). And no guilt. I love it.

march madness

March has been a crazy month, but we have loved it! On the 8th, Sam and I went to the Houston Rodeo, our first. I forgot my camera, but you can imagine all the rides, big hats, boots, and meat for sale. We loved watching all the events and were glad that they explained all the rules as they went along. Bull riding was certainly the most exciting, but we also appreciated the hulking steer wrestling, and the skillful calf-roping. We will definitely go again next year.

On the 11th, I flew to Utah for my brother's wedding. I spent a couple days hanging out with my mom and making the sign-in book for their reception (which I forgot to take pictures of-- maybe I can beg that of you Steve). I really enjoyed doing it and think my skills have improved. Sam flew in late Thursday night and we spent Friday with my family. We went to the Salt Lake Temple in the morning and had a wonderful, peaceful couple of hours there and then came home to a delicious lunch of chicken salad and good company. We spent the rest of the day preparing for the dinner with the Halls that night and getting some food ready for the first day of Steve and Rachel's honeymoon so they wouldn't have to worry about it.

At dinner we got to mix and mingle with Rachel's family. Steve introduced his best friend Nate to Rachel's younger sister, Deb, who lived in Steve's apartment complex, and it was at their wedding that Steve and Rachel met. Needless to say, it was great to see Nate again and reminisce on all our adventures while we were RA's and afterwards. We all chatted and ate for almost three hours, so I'd call it a success.

The next morning was the wedding. Sam and I leisurely got ready and headed back to the Salt Lake Temple. I was so glad that I'd be able to see the ceremony for at least one of my siblings, and it was a beautiful ceremony with wise words of counsel before hand. Steve and Rachel couldn't stop smiling and gazing adoringly at each other. I loved it :) Afterwards, I changed into my specially made pregnant-woman version of the bridesmaids dress (thank you to Mom who remade almost the entire dress in one night so it would fit just right), as pictured here:

We took lots of pictures at the temple until we were all too cold to be outside anymore and then we moved into the Joseph Smith Memorial Building where we took even MORE pictures. By this time, my young nephews' patience was wearing very thin, so Sam put our digital camera into the hands of one of them. By the time we got it back, it had over 150 more pictures on it with such classics as this:

Finally, it was time for the luncheon to start. I sat with several of my dad's siblings and they told some great stories about their childhood together. Eventually, we went back to grandpa's house to rest a while before heading to the reception, which was like any other wedding reception, so I'll spare the details. Here are a few pictures from the day instead.

The happy couple

The adoring (and very lucky) groom

The beautiful bride

Elizabeth (2 mos.) in the dress mom made her with extra fabric from the bridesmaids dresses

Martin, the camera-man

The Stay side

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

Mommy practice

Daddy practice

One buff bride

On Tuesday I flew home again, and was so happy to be with Sam and have my own bed where I know just how to arrange all the pillows so my big pregnant body can rest. Sam had both Thursday and Friday off work, and after we ran all our errands on Thursday, we decided we should go somewhere on Friday. So we called up Sam's grandpa in Austin and told him we'd be there the next night. After Katrina got home from work on Friday, we hopped in the car and headed to the capitol along the wildflower lined highways of Texas.

We had a great dinner with Sam's grandpa Frank, who I'd never met. He is one suave and witty guy. Again, I forgot to take a picture with all of us, so I guess we'll just have to go back. After dinner, we took a very round about way to get to a campground where we could sleep for the night. (Don't worry-- I was sleeping on an air mattress. I would not survive a night on the ground at this stage.) I woke up at the very earliest stage of dawn to birds chirping and that feeling you always seem to get when camping, which is, of course, compounded by pregnancy, of really having to go to the bathroom. However, once I took care of that and could relax again, I got another hour or more of sleep before we all woke up to breakfast on our bagels.

Saturday was warm and sunny and we started the day with a walk along Town Lake in Barton Springs park, enjoying the boaters, turtles, and cool water on our feet. We ate our fill of burgers and fries at Hut's and then went to the Capitol Building. It was beautiful and I enjoyed learning a little more Texas history. We tried visiting the Governor's Mansion (closed for renovation) and the Texas History Museum (more money than we wanted to pay) and the UT business school (no parking) but eventually just headed home. I felt really tired and slept most of the way, and by the time we got home, I had a bad headache, and when I was getting in the shower, I noticed a rash all over my belly. I took a cool shower and described my symptoms to my mom over the phone. She diagnosed it as heat exhaustion, and after eating a sandwich and a delicious smoothie that Sam suggested we make, I felt much better and the rash went away later that evening as we watched "Dan in Real Life."

The dome

Governor material

Six flags

Easter Sunday was relaxing. Sam did great playing the piano for about 40 min straight during the cantata our choir performed for the service at church. It was a very uplifting meeting and I felt the love of my Savior as I sang about and pondered His atonement and resurrection. After church we went to a friend's house for Easter dinner with several other families from church and had a great time. I'll be going over later this week to look through her baby clothes from when her daughter was born in June three years ago. We're so grateful for kind families like the Longs!

For Family Home Evening yesterday, Sam and I dyed eggs (we also decided PAAS dye kit is way better than Dudley's) and to finish, here's the latest pregnancy profile, though I think I'm already bigger. It's exciting to be 30 weeks pregnant and on the last stretch! Baby Anna is a mover and I'm working hard to love all my kicks in the ribs. Sam is so helpful with lots of massages and picking things up off the floor. We'll keep you updated, though hopefully, in smaller chunks next time.

28 weeks

Sam's clever globe egg

10 points for baby

For the past two days, I've been babysitting a friend's children while she was at a family reunion and her husband was at work. They have three children: boy, 5, girl, 3, and boy, 2. They are very well-behaved and we had a great time. We made and painted salt dough, painted pictures, colored, played board games, played video games, went to a park, went miniature golfing (at a free course at the park), and made cookies. But when everything else failed to please-- either they were bored of an activity, or I was tired of running and screaming, a main staple to many of their made-up games-- we played hide-and-seek.

This is how we played: I would sit on the couch and rest, counting to 20 or 30 really slowly while they would all run and hide. Then, I'd pretend to look for them in ridiculous places like the microwave, an easter basket, or inside a book while they giggled until I "found" them. If I wasn't fast enough, the 2-year-old would come out and yell, "You found us!" with his arms up in the air. Then, one of them would count, while I would hide and the other kids would follow me to my hiding spot.

Inevitably, after a round or two, the oldest would start assigning points once everyone was found. He'd get a few points if he found you quickly, and others would get points if he thought their hiding place was clever enough (this is where the majority of my points came from). Once, yesterday, he said, "I get two points, Sister Cosby gets one point, and Sister Cosby's baby gets one point." "Awesome," I said, "my baby loves points."

We'd talked a lot about my baby that day. They'd painted her pictures and asked if she would wear pink, and wanted to know if they could see her when she was big enough to start growing outside my tummy. The next day, when we were driving the oldest to pre-school, he asked, "Sister Cosby, how do you know what your baby likes?" I didn't really understand him since he sitting at the back of the mini-van, so he repeated his question.

"You mean, how do I know if she's tired or hungry or something?" I replied.

"Well, yeah, that too," he said, and then, quieter, "but also that she likes points?"

"Well," I said, trying to keep from laughing, "everybody likes points, so don't you think she would too?"

He didn't say anything else for a while, and seemed to have forgotten about it. But then, in the afternoon, after he and his sister had argued about how to play "Jenkers" a made-up robot game, we started hide-and-seek again. And this time, nobody got more points than "Sister Cosby's baby."

taste of texas

Yesterday, Sam and I went to the Swinging Door, a barbecue restaurant that has been highly recommended to us on several occasions. It takes a while to get there since its out the much more rural town of Richmond, south of Katy, but it was well worth it.

The decor was kitchy and included a fair amount of dead animal heads and bones, and country music came from a big juke box in the hallway. We got seated and our waitress gave us our menus and starters: dill pickle slices and onions, with a jalapeño on the side.

On the handwritten and photocopied menu, we found we could get almost any combination imaginable of the meats and veggies they served there. I saw a list of meats-- brisket, chicken, pork ribs, sausage, and pecan sauce-marinated turkey-- and a note on the menu said they also served ranch style beans, coleslaw, potato salad, and green beans. Sam and I discussed which meats we wanted to try and we concluded we'd just have to ask the waitress what the vegetable choices were.

Our waitress soon came with our drinks and bread (wonder bread, butter, and a cup of bbq sauce to dip it in) and asked us what we'd like to order. I told her it was our first time there, and she suggested we split the 3-meat, 3-veggie platter. That sounded good to us and we asked what the vegetables were. She said, "ranch style beans, coleslaw, potato salad, and green beans." Who knew coleslaw was a vegetable?

Anyway, we opted for the brisket, chicken, and ribs and beans, slaw, and green beans. In the mean time, we made little sandwiches of bread, pickles, onions, peppers and bbq sauce. That may sound gross, but don't knock it till you've tried it.

Soon enough our food came, and it was DELICIOUS! It was smoky and tender and the sauce was great. The ribs were huge and meaty, and we continued our sandwich creations adding in the brisket. And the green beans were amazing. They must have been cooked in bacon grease and had some nice garlic and pepper to season them.

All in all, it was great food (and a great price-- our platter was only $15!) and lots of it. Even after dinner and sharing some leftovers with Katrina, there's still an entire thigh piece of chicken for Sam's lunch tomorrow. It was fun and busy and so quintessentially Texan that if you come visit, we'll definitely take you there. Besides, Sam really wants to try the sausage. So if you want great barbecue and a good time, come visit us and the Swinging Door!

Just be sure to bring a change of clothes because you'll smell like a smoke house when you leave...

"you're pregnant?! well, here's the one thing i'll tell you..."

Though other people noticing I'm pregnant and asking about my pregnancy is usually fun, there's always that comment that I just smile and nod at. Here are a few:

Awesome advice:

• Don't sleep during the night at all the week before the baby's born, only during the day
• Put your child in your bed; it's the only way she'll sleep
• Don't ever let your child sleep in your bed; you'll never get her out
• Pretend to have weird cravings even if you don't actually have them because it's the only time in your life you can get away with it
• "The only thing that prevents stretch marks is [vitamin E, cocoa butter, tons of water, massages]"

Comments about the size of my belly:

• "You're so tiny, I didn't even realize you were pregnant!"
• "I knew someone who had twins who was smaller than you."
• "You're finally really pregnant!" (from someone at church, once I started showing)

Assumptions about how I must be feeling:

• "Judging by your size, you must just be getting to that really easy part of pregnancy."
• "...of course, you're so healthy and little, that must be no problem for you." (from someone telling me they felt fat during pregnancy)
• To Sam: "Been making a lot of late-night-craving runs lately?"

Things I'm assumed to know, but really have no clue about:

• Braxton-Hicks contractions
• What happens during the whole labor process
• How and when to breast-feed
• The "first" time I felt the baby move (more like it took a couple weeks to figure out Feeling A is gas, Feeling B is baby moving)

Comments from students where I'm substitute teaching:

• "You've got a little pudge!" --7th grader
  
• "My mom just had a baby. She was huge and mad, all the time." --9th grader
• "You're six months pregnant?! When I had my baby, I was that big at four months. She's almost two now!" --10th grader
• "Are you growing a baby in your tummy?" --1st grader

"we're so in love, it's ridiculous"

This is what Sam told me after I suggested we go to Panera for dinner a few weeks ago and he said he'd been thinking the exact same thing.

Sam and I both really like to eat, but we like it even more when we're eating together. So you shouldn't be surprised that our Valentine's Day this year revolved around food. Sam showed up after work with these:



Aren't they beautiful? (I was having fun with our new camera this morning)

But he also had a baguette, gruyere, havarti, and a long thin box. I eagerly opened my present to find a cheese knife!!! I've been wanting one since we used my sister-in-law, Marcelle's, very nice one. And since cheese is Sam's favorite food (especially the melted variety) we use our not-so-great cheese slicer every day. Needless to say, we immediately broke out the raclette and enjoyed a yummy appetizer of super melty cheese on chewy, crusty bread.

Next it was my turn, and I presented Sam with a box wrapped in a red blanket topped with a few of these:


Not surprising since my favorite food is chocolate.

Inside Sam's box was a fondue pot. We'd been talking about fondue a few weeks earlier, found some recipes, and searched online for good sources of cheese in Katy. Now we can enjoy all the melty cheese and chocolate we want! The first party is already in the works.

So it's true. We are so ridiculously in love with each other that we unknowingly coordinated Valentine's Day gifts and food. Life is good.

month of loves?

Well, clearly I'm not cut out for the daily blog post. I wrote in my journal nearly every day during junior high, and I remember people seemed to be impressed by that. At the time, I didn't see why, but I certainly came to understand. Too bad junior high wasn't more interesting; I've got a very detailed record of it.

Anyway, I gave up on completing the "month of loves" posts formally, but my 3/4 of a month of loves inspired me to post more often and include more memories and thoughts in my blog. I'll try to keep up that habit.

In the mean time, here's a little update since this month of loves started. I'm just over 24 weeks pregnant. I'm feeling great most of the time with just a few achy back moments and the occasional mid-sleep leg cramp. I feel the baby move often and Sam is able to feel her now, too. We've bought a car seat, stroller, and pack n' play, so we'll be allowed to take the baby home from the hospital and we have somewhere for her to sleep. I know it's a little early to have those things, but I like not thinking about them anymore.

I've started substitute teaching. For all the hassle of dealing with students who are trying to take advantage of you, I think the flexibility is very worth it. I also appreciate that our school system lets you arrange your whole schedule online and up to 10 days in advance. No early morning phone calls for me!

Marriage has just gotten better and better and Sam and I love doing things together. We've gone on lots of walks, bike rides, and shopping trips together. Two weekends ago we went to see Lucy at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It really was amazing to see how complete the skeleton was, and I liked learning how she related to other homonids that have been found. The exhibit also included a large section on the country of Ethiopia, where Lucy was found, and I was especially fascinated to see depth of religious history there. We finished our date with a trip to a newly opened Panera. I forgot how much I love their baguettes.

This last weekend we got to go on the youth temple trip and had an adult Valentine's Day dinner and dance. We had lots of fun talking with other couples from our ward and then dancing to all the slow songs. I'll admit it's a tiny bit awkward to step forward to dance together and having my belly reach Sam first, but that wasn't enough to keep us off the dance floor. We're celebrating our 1.5 year anniversary today, and we're glad there'll be another one in the family by the time year 2 comes around.

I don't know how to wrap this post up, so I'll just end with a picture of how we're teaching our baby, in utero, to be green.

month of loves: books

I've been making my baby registries online this week and have been thinking about what books I feel are essential to have around. Here's a starter list I came up with. I'd love to get more suggestions for great books for very young children.

Very Hungry Caterpillar (my mom has some uber-cute onesies and sleepers set aside for me with embroidered pictures from this book on them. I can't wait!)

Where the Wild Things Are

Harold and the Purple Crayon

Plenty of Dr. Seuss

Animalia (I'd never hear of it, but Sam really liked them)

Winnie the Pooh

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Are you my mother?

month of loves: ice cream

We went to TCBY last night with a buy-one-get-one-free coupon for a regular cone. I wasn't very impressed with their flavor selection. There wasn't anything very interesting. The weirdest thing there was something called rainbow cream which looked like a mess of bright colored frozen yogurt swirled together and tasted like vanilla. Weird.

I ended up getting rocky road. It's not a flavor I get very often and I liked the almonds and chocolate chips in it. Also, a regular cone is really big, so I certainly got my ice cream fix for the day. I didn't feel so bad eating such a huge helping knowing that it has a lot less fat and calories than ice cream. Too bad it just doesn't taste as good.

In the end, I'd probably have been just as satisfied with a few spoonfuls of Haagen-Dasz.

month of loves: life with sam

The other day, I was thinking about how great Sam is (I think that pretty often, but it was especially on my mind that day). He works so hard for our family. He's patient and talented. He works hard on his callings. He makes me laugh and helps out around the house. And people always tell me how kind or funny or easy-going or talented he is. Best of all, he loves me a lot and is always considerate and gentle. So, on this day, I was trying to think of something to get to thank him or surprise him, but nothing seemed appropriate.

When he came home that day, I told him how I'd thought about him all day long and tried to think of something to get him, but couldn't, so decided just to tell him how much I appreciated him instead.

Fast forward a couple days, and Sam walked into the apartment after work with a big box in his hand. It was a new garbage can! That may not sound so great, but I didn't like our old one very much and had been wanting a new one for some time. He said he too wanted to let me know how much he appreciated me, saw the trash can in the store, remembered I wanted one, and got it for me. He's so wonderful.

And so is our new garbage can-- which, as I've already mentioned, Sam is very diligent about emptying.