So, I was at Target the other day scouring the clearance maternity racks. I had a $3 coupon for Liz Lange Maternity in hand (You can print one from their website if you’re in the business for maternity apparel. I think it doesn’t expire until the end of February.) and was bound and determined to find something that a) Fit b) Looked good and c) was cheap. I found a top in a size larger than I usually wear (I’m really hoping outgrowing my maternity clothes means I’m nearing the end) and tried it on over my clothes right at the rack. (Don’t judge, the dressing room scene isn’t the most friendly scene for a mother and a toddler, but let’s not go there. Not today anyway.) I looked at myself in one of the mirrors they had in the area and was HORRIFIED. I looked like a whale. I took the shirt off and hung it back on the hanger and checked my reflection to make sure my hair didn’t look any more disheveled than when I’d arrived at the store. To my dismay, I discovered that I also looked huge in the outfit I’d put on that morning. I really hadn’t thought I’d looked that bad when I’d checked myself in the mirror before loading Cooper into the car. I was about to start feeling super depressed when I noticed that there was a huge difference in the reflection of a pair of pants in the mirror compared to what they looked like hanging on the rack. I grabbed the shirt I’d previously tried on and headed out of the Maternity and Plus Size area and into the Junior’s Section. I located a mirror, retried the shirt and breathed a sigh of relief. Sure, I looked like a pregnant gal with a really big belly, but I didn’t look ginormous. I’m not sure what kind of cruel joke Target is trying to play, but I’m not sure how they expect to move any of their Plus Size or Maternity clothes with a fat mirror in the department.
I don’t profess to know anything about parenting. I basically go with the flow, do what feels right, and rely on Google for everything else. As we prepare for Ellen’s arrival, we’re doing our best to prep Cooper. We’ve read books about new babies and my parents brought him a little redheaded baby doll (Wishful thinking? I hope not.). Still, I think the whole thing is going to be kind of a shock, I mean he holds the baby up to his ear like a phone and tries to talk into it. I’m nervous about how those first weeks (or months) of transition will go with everyone trying to get used to each other and want to do what I can to minimize the amount of change going on at that time. We chose one thing we wanted Cooper to have mastered before the baby came and after only two days we think he’s got the hang of it. No it wasn’t potty training (Ha, I didn’t even feel like trying that.) or weaning him of his pacifier (Although we have gotten him down to just using it when he sleeps.), but it was getting him into a “big boy” bed.
We tried to keep it as “crib-like” as possible to avoid any potential trauma (expert parenting skills kicking in here). To accomplish this we’re having him continue to use his blankets instead of sheets and a comforter (Yes, we are the kind of people that let our small children sleep with killer blankets!) and we walled him in on three sides with the help of a bed rail one of Noel’s co-workers kindly gave us. Cooper loves being able to climb in and out of his bed with the aid of his little stool, but has been really good about staying there when it’s time to sleep. We’ve only had one incidence of him wandering into our room and climbing into bed at 4am, but simply shutting his door was enough of a deterrent to keep him from trying it again. Fingers crossed we continue to all sleep peacefully.
As Cooper likes to say, he likes to “go, go!” He’s hard to keep up with no matter what, but with me putting so much energy into growing a baby I think he gets away with more stuff than he normally would. Here are some of his recent shenanigans.
They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, well here is Cooper snuggled under a blanket reading the Ensign. He also really likes to draw in the magazines which I didn’t mind at first, but then his artistic talents began to spill over into books which made me rethink my lack of discipline when I found scribbles in my library book.
Forgive the back lighting. Here Cooper has discovered a giant bowl of caramel corn and is diving right in.
Cooper has always had a fascination with our ipod. We do our best to keep ours up high and have even put a code on it to prevent him from deleting apps and sending emails (both of which have happened). Still, he always manages to get hold of it and get it all sticky. With my family here this past weekend he had triple the ipods to play with and apparently watched his uncles intently because he knew exactly what to do with theirs.
I usually take away his food when he stops eating and starts making a mess, but this particular morning I just wanted to finish my own breakfast in peace and didn’t stop him from ladling the remainder of his oatmeal all over the table. I felt fine with the decision until some of the blackberry stains wouldn’t come up when I scrubbed them later.
This is Cooper scaling the side of the piano to try and get his conversation hearts I’d hidden from him. He kept yelling, “Up, up!”
Unfortunately I got tired of the begging and finally gave him the box and watched as he ate all the ones he spilled on the floor. I am such a good mother.
Fortunately, Cooper is also learning some very helpful skills. He likes helping me unload the dishwasher (If I’ve got a half hour to kill I can just stand at the silverware drawer while he brings me all the utensils two at a time.) and will put his toys back in their box when he’s done playing. Sometimes he’ll bring me my water bottle just so I can have a drink and if we’re eating finger food he’ll try to feed me some of it. The sweetest thing of all though is when he decides to give me a random hug. He’ll snuggle up next me and lay his head on the top of my belly and flash a big grin. I swear one time he even said, “I love you,” and it made me cry. I haven’t heard him say it again though, so maybe I just really needed it that day.
The summer in between high school and college I dated more than any other summer of my life. I commented to a friend how I thought it was funny that all these guys who had never taken much interest in me suddenly wanted to go out all the time, especially when the relationships couldn’t go anywhere since they were all leaving soon to serve two year missions for our church. My friend looked at me like I was stupid and said, “You know they’re just ‘filling the canteen’ don’t you? You know like when you travel across the desert and you won’t have any water so you fill your canteen as full as you can so you can survive the trip? It’s kind of like that only they’re filling up on girls.” Oh. Suddenly my lively dating life didn’t seem quite as glamorous.
Sadly, my approach to having another baby is somewhat similar in nature. I feel driven to hoard food and stock my freezer with already prepared meals as if I may never see another grocery store or have the ability to cook ever again. This tendency extends to stocking up on baby clothes and supplies which Noel patiently endures until my madness forces him to ask, “You know you don’t have to have a stockpile of clothes that will last her until she’s five, right?” Call it nesting if you like, but it somehow feels a bit . . . apocalyptic when I step back and analyze my behaviors. By far, I would say the healthiest “canteen filling” measure I’ve taken up is spending time alone with Noel. The past couple of months we’ve had a lot of family visit which has given us the perfect opportunity to get out of the house without the boy. Are you ready to hear all the romantic things we did?
- Spent a night in Vail and went outlet shopping
- Went on a double date to Cafe Rio and saw The Muppets with Hope and Joe
- Bought a kitchen island at Ikea and ate yummy burgers at Five Guys.
- Went to the grocery store (twice)
- Mall Date (We just roamed and talked then ate Panda Express at the food court)
- Went to the temple and swung by Krispy Kreme on the way home
- Toured the hospital and pre-registered (Yikes are we really getting that close?)
So maybe we aren’t the most romantic people, but it really is wonderful to go to normal places and not be constantly chasing around a toddler. A big thanks to our parents (and a few friends) who have made it possible for us to stock up on alone time before Ellen steals the show for awhile.
This picture of my great grandmother sits on my dresser. When my mother first gave it to me a few years ago, I put it there simply because the frame matched the one holding a family photo and it added a nice aesthetic balance to my bedroom. Lately though, the photo has taken on more meaning.
Ellen Blattman Olsen lived until she was 101. She was a widow for around 50 years and up until a week before her death she lived in her own apartment. Every time I went to visit her, which sadly wasn’t often enough, she remembered who I was even though I was one of many of her great grandchildren. I remember visiting her one time in particular when she was around 98 or 99 and we found her making cookies in anticipation of our visit. It was very difficult for my grandmother to persuade her to sit down and take it easy. The woman wasn’t very good at “taking it easy.” She must have told us “this Christmas will probably be my last” for 20 years, but she just kept on ticking.
- Photo by Cindy McConkie
Several years before her death, she wrote down her life history and gave one copy to each family. I was a teenager at the time and I remember pouring over the pages and being fascinated. To me, she’d always just been this nice old lady with white hair, but she’d lived a vibrant life growing up in Norway and then moving to the United States after converting to the LDS faith. She endured many trials, but also witnessed many miracles during her life. I remember thinking I would have felt lucky if I’d had only one of her many testimony building experiences.
She passed away February 16th, 2008. I’ve never been to such an enjoyable viewing. The room was filled with tons of pink flowers (pink was her favorite color), making the cold, snowy day feel like spring. Instead of being a somber experience, the evening was truly a celebration of life as the funeral home was filled with laughter and reminiscing relatives.
When we were coming up with names for our first kid, Cooper was the only one that ever seemed to work. We even tried to come up with other names since we feared contention from Noel’s relatives since we knew the name was coveted by more than a few. Still, nothing else fit. He was just supposed to be a Cooper. I’ve felt the same with this baby. Even before the 20 week ultrasound I’d told Noel a couple of times, “We’re going to have a girl and we’re going to name her Ellen.” For whatever reason, she’s supposed to be an Ellen. I honestly can’t think of a better, stronger name with a more inspiring namesake. I can’t wait to see what kind of spunk this new little Ellen brings into our lives.
Being pregnant sometimes makes me lazy, especially on Saturday mornings. Every Saturday morning Noel will ask me what I want for breakfast and I will invariably respond with either “Einstein Bagels with honey almond schmear” or “donuts, mmmmm.” Noel is a good cook and very good at not giving into my cravings to eat out constantly. He’s kept me satisfied for weeks with delectable pancakes, ebelskivers (thanks for the pan for Christmas Danielle!), and omelets. Still, that craving for a delectable Einstein bagel with honey almond schmear continued to nag. So, this week I tried my hand at a new bagel recipe (another thanks to Danielle). I have a go to bagel recipe that I’ve loved for years, but while the bagels are better than store bought, they still don’t compare to Einstein’ s. The new recipe is a little more time intensive, but VERY delicious at dare I say an “Einstein level.” Pair with this simple recipe for honey almond cream cheese and I’m in heaven.
One of my favorite things about the internet is the plethora of free tutorials you can find. I’m glad that there are crafty people out there who like to share their creations, but am sometimes disappointed by their ability to relay information. (See, one more reason why you should take your English classes seriously 
) Sometimes when I’m in the middle of a tutorial and have read the instructions a million times and my eyes are tired from squinting at photos I want to contact some of these tutorial writers with this simple message, “Hello, I see you have a talent for creating, but seem to be lacking in your written communication skills. Perhaps I can offer you my services for a small fee. I promise allowing me to rewrite your tutorials will not only make you seem smarter, but will make your blog much more popular and likely increase your sponsorships and ad revenue.” Instead, I usually just lay down whatever mangled project I’ve been working on and shut the door on my chaotic craft room. Given the alternatives of insulting strangers or throwing my sewing machine at the wall, it just seems like the best thing to do.
In good creating news, I have finished a few simple projects. I’ve tried to save the simpler projects for the end of my pregnancy since sewing can be physically agonizing the larger I get.
Side note: I swapped out the chair at my sewing desk for an exercise ball. It actually makes my ribs and back hurt less as I sew. I’m kind of psyched to try using one during labor, but can’t bring myself to call it a “birthing ball.” Maybe I’ve just taken one too many exercise classes.
Anyway, back to the subject at hand. Here are the most recent successful (and easy) projects I’ve undertaken.
Burp cloths with a feminine touch
and Baprons (tutorial here).
We never really set food diet goals at our house, but this year we set some information diet goals. As much as I love technology, it’s sometimes shameful to realize how addicted and dare I say obsessed I can be with it. For 2012 Noel and I set some goals to free up some of our time and help us be more productive.
- Limit the number of times a day we check Google Reader.
- 90 minute email challenge (Check out this interesting article on Breaking the Email Compulsion.)
- Only watch television/movies after household chores are completed and scriptures are read.
So far it’s only been a couple of days, but I already feel like I’m getting more done and we’ve been going to bed earlier. The best benefit though has been that I feel more fulfilled at the end of each day. I think this Mormon Message does a good job of explaining why.
Now after that inspiring message, I have a confession. I’m thinking about joining Pinterest. I know, I know, embarrassing huh? Generally I have an aversion to doing things that are popular. (This is why my grandma is on Facebook and I am not.) In fact, often if something is popular that is reason enough for me not to do it, unless of course I can find some sort of value in the activity or a really good way of rationalizing its value. When everyone started raving about Pinterest I immediately decided it was something I would never try, but as the months have gone on I’m becoming ever more curious and am very, very close to rationalizing my way into trying it. But then there’s the information diet. Would joining Pinterest be the equivalent of resolving to eat healthier, but rewarding myself by downing a box of crackers and a can of spray cheese at the end of each day? I know many of you are on Pinterest. Is it an effective way of organizing information that can thus make me more productive or is it just something that will waste time and make me more covetous? Thoughts?
I’m told that Golden has just as many sunny days as San Diego. Although I’m sure our sunny days aren’t as warm on average, we’ve had some really warm days this week. (For our friends and family in actual warm climates we’re talking high 50′s here.) I’ve loved opening my windows to circulate fresh air into the house and being able to let Cooper play outside. Yesterday, we went for a family walk during Noel’s lunch break. There were several people out on walks or working in their yards who shouted out friendly hellos. I love how warm weather encourages neighborliness. When we got back to the house, Cooper dug around in the dirt while I lounged barefoot on the porch swing reading a book. Glorious. Maybe it’s because of all the health benefits of Vitamin D or the fact that we’re avoiding a face-off with Seasonal Depression, but there’s something about sitting outside in the sun that just makes me happy.
Sunday I stayed home from church due to a horrible cough that had kept me up way too many hours of the night. Noel and Cooper went to church by themselves and when they came back Noel told me at least two people had excitedly asked him if I’d had the baby. I don’t expect everyone I know to remember my “due” date, but guessing I’m 10 weeks further along seems outside an acceptable margin of error to me. True, I’m used to people thinking I’m way farther along than I am (Thank you cashier at Whole Foods, telling me you hear women get a lot bigger with their second pregnancies really made me feel better.), but I’m remembering how fun other people’s reactions can be during the final weeks of pregnancy. So before you ask me if the doctor is concerned about how big the baby is going to be, question my doctor’s verdict that there isn’t a twin, or are rendered speechless when I tell you the baby isn’t due until the beginning of March, allow me to explain something. I’m almost 5’2″ (two inches shorter than the average American woman) and I have a small frame; I don’t really have anywhere to hide a baby. My baby isn’t any bigger than other women’s, it’s all just an optical illusion. Based on past experience, I’m guessing this baby is staying put for at least another 6-8 weeks, so please at least try not to act too surprised when you see me doing my normal rounds with what looks like a watermelon sticking straight out of my abdomen. In return, I vow to do my best not have my baby in your home or fine establishment. Deal?
30 1/2 weeks and going strong.
Sorry to post about pregnancy again, but when you look like this it’s sometimes hard to think of anything else. Maybe I’ll get Noel to post about something else soon 
