Hi Baby: Eating sand

Hi baby

I have one word to describe you lately: BUSY!!

You started crawling about 2 weeks ago and haven't stopped moving since. I don't think you really like crawling and I have a feeling you are going to start walking pretty quickly. You crawl a little distance and then sit back down to "rest" it's actually pretty adorable and I love watching you explore. Once you realized you could crawl you kind of went for the next step- pulling yourself up on things. If you're next to a box, chair, leg or stair you will pull yourself up to stand. You haven't been able to stand on your own, but you are trying!

It's so much fun to see you be mobile and explore your little world. It's important to me that you can move freely in the room(s) you are in, so we have baby proofed enough so I don't have to tell you no or drag you away from something. I just kind of let you do your thing and move wherever you want. You love a good closet! They are pretty entertaining for you. You are such a smart little baby. I can see your mind working and trying to figure things out. I love to watch you from a distance as you are in your own little world. The other day you played with the glider in your room for probably 10 minutes. You tested out the moving parts, the hard and cold metal and the soft cushions of the chairs. You kept bumping your head and getting frustrated, but I just let you figure it out. I can't keep you from bumping your head on everything and you have to learn somehow right?

We went to the lake this afternoon since daddy was going to be gone all day. We played in the sand and water and hung out on a blanket on the grass. It was such a nice day! I'm excited for this summer. You are at such a great age to go out and do new things. You loved the sand! Your little toes enjoyed the feeling of them and you shoved handfuls of sand into your mouth THREE different times. The first time I laughed pretty hard. I had zero chance of stopping your speedy chubby hands! Your face after you ate it was pretty priceless. You glared at me and just kept chewing. It was funny. I kept you from eating more, but there were two other attempts that you beat me to it.

I've had so much fun with you lately- you are my best buddy! Thanks for being so funny, happy and loving. I love you!

xo
Mom

Staying home and hiding the credit card

I know when I'm having a bad day when:

Everything gets eaten. In the fridge, in the pantry. Healthy and not. e v e r y t h i n g

and/or

I have a huge irresistible desire to go to a store and just buy stuff. Like spend all my money on anything I have ever wanted. and other crap I need and want and stuff will make me happy RIGHT???

This isn't new. I've always been a shopper. I've had a job since I was 16 and until I was 20 it wasn't so I could pay all my bills (ha! 16 year old Meg, you have NO IDEA what bills are). I had a job and made money so I could buy things. Usually clothes and shoes. and buy things I did! My junior year in high school I'm pretty sure I didn't repeat an outfit. Out of clean clothes? Don't do laundry! I'll just go buy more. Several things hung in my closet with tags still attached until I finally got rid of them. If I walked into a mall/clothing store I came out a few hours later a few (!!) bucks poorer and several bags filled with stuff.

I know you want me to tell you it didn't make me happy and as I was shopping I was contemplating my life choices and had a moment where everything changed and NOW I'M CURED!!

But that would be a big fat lie. I freaking love to shop. It still makes me happy and cheers me up.The only time I haven't loved shopping and buying clothes was when I was pregnant because hello 45 extra pounds.

I stopped shopping because I got married. Not because I had to grow up and use my money more wisely. Not even because I realized that stuff doesn't make me happy (although I have come to accept that reality a little more since). No. I stopped because when I came home with lots of bags my new husband would look at them and then at me and demand to know why I "needed" that stuff. Silly boy. A girl doesn't really "need" any of this. THAT'S NOT THE POINT! I would yell.

After several fights as a newlywed I realized I had to give up my third best friend and favorite past time if my #1 best friend was going to stay married to me (happily) and trust me with the monies.

So these days I call myself a recovering shopaholic. And as a shopaholic I don't go shopping. An alcoholic knows to stay away from the bar. and I know to stay away from the mall. I go grocery shopping. If I'm feeling extra strong I go to Target. But NEVER in a bad mood. NEVER after a bad day.

So today I am staying indoors. Today there will be no shopping because if there is, tomorrow there will be no money in tha bank!

You're welcome Bart.

xo

The great nap time adjustment

Oh nap time.
A mom's best friend
A mom's worst enemy.

Nothing has stressed me out more as a young mother than figuring out nap time.
Lucky for me I have an angel baby that loves to sleep. She's actually really good at it and I have zero room to complain. This post isn't complaining about nap time. But nap time has officially changed forever!

Let me paint you a picture of what nap time looked like a week ago
baby gets fussy and tired
mom takes baby up to her crib
as baby is being laid down she puts her thumb in her mouth
baby is now in crib, laying on her back, sucking thumb.
baby falls asleep and wakes up happy.

SO EASY! The past few months she sometimes rolls over to her tummy and falls asleep that way. No big deal.

and now EVERYTHING has changed.

Baby can now get herself from lying on back position to SITTING position.
So now mom lays baby down.
Baby sucks her thumb.
Mom leaves room.
Baby IMMEDIATELY rolls over and sits up. Baby is now stuck in this position because she can't get back down once she sits up.

screen shot from the baby monitor

 It's actually pretty funny and I've had plenty of moments where I laugh and she is goofy.


It's not funny though when she is so tired and all worked up but won't stay lying down to sleep. She is sobbing and I'm trying to calm her down and she rolls over and sits up- even more mad that now she isn't lying down. Once she passes a certain point of "my life is over I am so mad ihateeverything" there's nothing left to do but put the poor poor baby in the car and drive around until she calms down and falls asleep. That's what we had to do a few days ago.

It was making me laugh because of how upset she is making herself, but it also makes me a little frustrated because IF YOU JUST DONT SIT UP EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE! But she is learning so that means I learn too.

I've said this before, but one of my favorite things as a mom is to watch her learn new things. Right now she is learning a new thing and she is adjusting. It must be really frustrating and sometimes a little scary when your world changes almost weekly.

So for now we will adjust and adapt until she learns the new skill of laying back down after she sits up. We'll see how that goes!

April Goal: Finish the Book of Mormon

I finished my April Goal early this month so I will recap it early :)

I love the Book of Mormon. I've probably read it 15 times. I started when I was a little girl. I've always loved to read, and my parents taught me early that the BOM should consistently be on your reading list. Even though I've read it several times I really didn't start understanding it until probably the last 5 or 6 times I've read it, and even then I finish not always getting everything. But I will never get better or understand it if I give up right? So I just keep reading and each time I do I learn something new.

This time around I started listening to the Book of Mormon on my way to work. I have about 30 minutes in my car because I drop Macs off before heading up to Salt Lake. 30 minutes listening gets you through the BOM pretty fast. I LOVED listening to it! I was able to follow the plot line so much better! It was amazing the difference it made for me. I finally understand who was who's son and why they were fighting this particular war and what books were written by which prophet. It was awesome. I loved everything I learned this time around.

Something that really stood out to me was the relationship between parents and their children. Even thousands and thousands of years ago fathers were teaching their sons the gospel and what was right and wrong. They counseled and taught and reprimanded them. They gave them advice and blessings and words of wisdom. How cool is that? There were families back then just like there are families today. Fathers loved their sons just like fathers love their kids today. I know we don't have a lot of information about what their daily activities were or everything that happened- but I got the impression that it was very similar to today. Families loved each other, supported each other, and defended each other.

Another thing I liked about listening to it this time around was I was able to imagine the actual men and prophets as they were talking. In Alma chapter 60 Captain Moroni writes a letter to King Pahoran complaining that they haven't gotten any help from the King and demanding that the King send them aid. It's a very powerful chapter and Moroni says some very bold things. As I listened to it, it felt like I was the one getting lectured (yelled at) by Captain Moroni for the 10 minutes it took to read that chapter. I was getting a little sweaty! It was kind of funny how much of an impact it made listening to those powerful words. I was just happy those words weren't directed at me.

I know the Book of Mormon is true and that it testifies of Jesus Christ. I love reading 3 Nephi and hearing about Christ visiting the people in the Americas. I might not understand or follow everything that is written every time I read it, but I do feel the spirit testifying that it's true. These men actually lived. The events and wars you read about actually took place and Christ did come visit them. I'm thankful for this book in my life and the opportunity I had to read it again.

Salt Lake Half Marathon Race Recap

Yesterday I ran the Salt Lake City Half Marathon! I've been training for it since February and I couldn't wait for the date to finally be here. The last two weeks have been filled with bad weather and tapering so it had been 2 weeks since my last long run. I was feeling restless and nervous.

Our 5 a.m. Trax ride to the start

my nervous selfie (did I mention it was freezing??)

About 20 minutes to go time

My brother in law Robert also was running it so we were starting line buddies. The closer it got to 7 a.m. the more nervous I felt. I started getting a stomach ache and NO! I had to pee....too late to take care of that. I couldn't believe I was finally there. A few minutes before it started I got kind of emotional and started tearing up. I was so happy and grateful that my body was going to let me do this! All that hard work was the reason I was here and I was happy. The last half marathon I ran was in September 2013. Before I got pregnant and had a baby. I felt like this was my first half marathon because I was in a totally different body and I was curious how it was going to go.

The first few miles I didn't have headphones in or anything. I was just listening to all the chatter around me. With thousands and thousands of runners- the start of the race is always packed. I started off too fast but was enjoying myself and getting nice and warmed up. Miles 1-4 I just kept thinking "am I really going to be able to do this?" I wasn't in any pain and I actually felt really good, but 13.1 miles seemed really far away.

Miles 6-10 were pretty hard. There was a steady incline and a few steep hills. I slowed my pace and just kept pushing through. My body felt great and I wasn't in any kind of pain. I passed a lot of people who had to walk and I felt strong. Around mile 7 I was really hungry. My stomach was empty and growling so that was distracting. Luckily I had Carbo Pro in my water so I was getting all the calories I needed. So while I felt hungry, my body was acting like it was getting enough nutrients and I felt strong. It was probably around mile 8 that I finally said to myself "this is happening! I'm going to be able to do it!". There was a sign that said "That voice in your head telling you you can't do this is a LIAR" and that made me tear up too. I don't know what it is about running- but it makes me a cry baby.

At mile 10 I put some new music on and was feeling PUMPED! I had kept my pace steady enough that I felt like I could pick it up a little bit and finish those last 3 miles strong. This is where I was able to break out of the pack and go for it. I passed a lot of people at this point- many of them were walking- and that pumped me up even more. Around mile 11 I started crying a little bit because I was so happy. I felt great and I was almost there! A few tears streaming down my cheek and a smile on my face.

The very last mile was hard. My body REALLY wanted me to just stop. It even started slowing down and I had to physically stop myself from stopping (make sense?). It was crazy. But I figured it's going to take me longer to cross that finish line if I walk and I just wanted to be done. Bart was on the side of the road holding Mckenzie about a quarter mile away from the finish line. I was so happy to see them! I ran over and kissed my baby and ran on. Bart started running next to me with the stroller and was saying all these motivating things. I will be the first to admit that when I'm uncomfortable I have no filter. So I told him to "Just shut up and meet me at the finish line" *insert angel emoji here*

not flattering. dont care. I was so happy to see my fan club cheering me on!

I felt bad snapping at him but I was giving everything I had mentally and physically to cross that line. I don't care how in shape you are- if you push yourself those last few miles then they are going to be really hard miles to run!

I crossed the finish line and got my medal. Bart was there and I started crying and broke down in his arms. I sobbed for a hot minute and was so happy to finish! I really felt good. My last half marathon I almost passed out at the finish line because I was so depleted and hot. I didn't feel any of that this time around. I cried and laughed and smiled and was so proud of myself and happy to be done. It is an awesome feeling crossing that finish line knowing you just accomplished a goal you have spent several weeks and countless hours working toward! I felt strong and pretty dang awesome.

Facebook stalking high school

My dreams have always been interesting. I've always dreamed about random people in my life on a regular basis. I usually don't tell people that "i had a dream about them last night" because of the weird connotations that go along with it.

A few nights ago I had a dream that included a kid I grew up with. We were in the same classes in elementary school and then went to the same jr. high and high school. I haven't thought about him for several years, but whenever I wake up remembering my dreams I can't help but wonder where these people are now.

Enter: FACEBOOK!
I just love the internet. It makes stalking down a random person so easy. Too bad I couldn't find this specific kid on Facebook. I found his friends- but not him. Oh well. The mystery will just have to continue on.

So anyway- let's get to my main point: life after high school.

One of my favorite things about looking up old schoolmates on Facebook is to see where they are now. Since I didn't have a good experience my last few years of high school I enjoy realizing that my life turned out just as good (if not better) than a lot of those people who were mean to me. All of those hard feelings and experiences and emotions are so far away in the past- but it's almost impossible not to think about everything again when you are Facebook stalking everyone. (and let's all take a second to admit that EVERYONE has done a little Facebook stalking so I'm not going to apologize for it!)

A few things I observed about my high school classmates via Facebook:

1. All those nerdy, kinda weird looking nice boys grew up to be really really good looking. And by good looking I mean HOT

2. All those good looking popular boys? Most of them look the same, or not as good. They peaked at 17.

3. Once high school is over it's OK to be a unique individual and have your own dreams

4. That home wrecker girl who was dead set on making my life miserable is still single. Karma is a (you know what)

5. It's fun/funny to see who ended up marrying each other even though they never really knew each other in high school

Our 10 year reunion is in 3 years. Hopefully something gets planned because I would love to just talk to all of these 'kids' that I spent so many years growing up with. High school seems like forever ago, but thanks to memories it just takes a weird dream or a few minutes of Facebook stalking to remember those years!

Hi Baby: checking in

Hi baby,

It's been a minute since I have written one of these. Mostly because I am having way too much fun playing with you I don't find the time to write anything down.

You'll be 8 months old in just a few days and I love you more and more every day. You are so much fun and picking you up after work is the best part of my day. We spend the afternoons playing and working. You are getting harder to work around because you are just so curious. But for the most part you are still cooperating!

You LOVE food. Even when you aren't even hungry you love food. If someone is eating around you and they aren't sharing- watch out! I haven't come across anything you haven't liked and you've had a pretty wide variety of food at this point. Your current favorite is blueberries. I gave you blackberries yesterday and you loved those too. Watching you eat is seriously one of my favorite things. It's so funny.

You aren't crawling just yet but you want to be! You are so aware and curious that you're starting to get frustrated that you can't get to things yourself. Dad and I both give you 3 more weeks before you are mobile....that will be interesting!

Every day you change and grow up and I am the opposite of sad about it. I love seeing you grow and develop new skills. It's one of the best parts of being your mom. You're such a beautiful, happy and healthy baby- your dad and I can't get enough of you!

Daddy is already asking if I'm ready for another baby and all I have to say is NO! I'm not ready! I am too busy loving you and having the best time being your mom. I know your siblings will join our family eventually, but right now the gates of heaven aren't banging down my door. I have a hard time believing I'll be able to love another child as much as I love you. I figure it's just like loving your first baby- you can't imagine it until they are actually in front of you. I know a mother's love just grows but for now it's all you!

It's Spring Break for daddy's school and I took the week off too! So the next 6 days will just be family time and I can't wait!

I love you angel baby. Thanks for being my best buddy

xoxo
Mom

March goal: Sundays unplugged

On a scale of complete failure and nice try, my March goal would fall pretty close to the former.

Spending a day unplugged is freaking hard. Especially when that day is spent inside. Let's just say it didn't really happen. and my "really" I mean at all. I WAS more aware of my screen time though and spent less time plugged in.

Good effort Meg, good effort.

Moving on to the month of April: Finish the Book of Mormon. I got a jump start on this goal in March and started listening to the scriptures every morning on my way to work. That's 25 minutes a day and I am soaring through. It's fun to "read" it in a new way. I know for sure I'm going to finish before the end of April so I will have a full report then.

As for March? I'm just going to smile and have you imagine the angel face emoji. Because I tried. Really!