Hmmm...

Facebook suggested a IVF doctor for me. Does Facebook know something I don't? 

We're buying a house!

If all goes according to plan (which, of course, is always the case), we will be buying a house and moving into it later this month.

We are super duper excited!

Trick or treat!

Dear George-

I can't believe how big you are. Lately, we've gotten a couple comments about how tall you are...mostly it's in comparison to me. You're already more than half my height! Tonight when I picked you up from Cheryl's house, you ran to me. You ran! It was adorable.

You don't say much. I once asked Cheryl if you did much talking at her house, she said, "No, he doesn't do much talking, but he has no problem expressing himself." You know enough words to satisfy the pediatrician at your 18 month appointment: Mom, Dad, cat, dog, yes, no, more...

One of the funniest things you said was when we were in Utah in July for our sealing. The grown ups were playing Junk, and you were hanging out on my lap. I had just realized that I was going to lose the hand, and said, "Dang it!"

Next thing we know, you say with perfect inflection, "Dang it!"

We all laughed, and you loved the positive feedback and reaction. So at Aunt Emily's (and Uncle Doug's, and Dad's) encouragement, you said it again and again!

Speaking of our sealing in July, what a wonderful day that was! I was a little worried when I dropped you off in the children's room at the temple. I wasn't sure how you would respond to being left with strangers. When you were brought into the Sealing Room, you were dressed in white and looked like a little angel. You saw us, but didn't get upset or try to come to me and Dad. Grandma Dawn held you at the altar with us. You stole the show. I held your right hand with mine and Dad's, and you maneuvered to be snuggled under my arm, laying on the altar, with your left thumb in your mouth. And you lay perfectly like that for the entire time. There were many comments wishing it were possible to have taken a picture.

You love music and dancing. For a while your favorite song was the ABC song. Then it was "Eensy Weensy Spider". Now we start most mornings dancing to "Hot Dog!" from the Micky Mouse Clubhouse at least once. A couple weekends ago I got a docking station/alarm clock for an iPod that we've had for years. Now we listen to your kids music in your room when we get ready in the morning. And I play primary songs for you when I put you in bed at night. Given a chance, you love to play keyboards and pianos. Dad and I are already planning that we need to get a piano in the not too distant future.

You have a wonderful personality, an amazing smile, and you're adorable. You win over just about everyone you meet. You've got multiple girl friends at church, and there's Elora at Cheryl's. And then there are the people who aren't your age. You have a special bond with Cheryl's daughter Elsie. 

Even strangers love you. You and I flew to Utah last month, and you made friends everywhere we went. I especially loved seeing how you played with your cousins. And this past weekend at the hospital, you dazzled one of the nurses with your smile--she even admit that she was so taken with you that she couldn't concentrate on what she was supposed to be doing. But it's not just your cuteness and smile that is so enchanting. It's your personality and temperament. You are so good natured and pleasant. The number one symptom you have any time you're sick is you don't smile as much and you're fussier.

I love that you are a thumb sucker! You also have some special blankets. Often, when I get you from your crib in the morning, you hand me each blanket before you are ready to get out yourself. For a while you had 2 special blankets. I thought it would be a good idea to have a third--a back up of sorts. A couple of times when we were at various stores, I'd offer you a baby blanket that I thought might work, and you'd reject them. When I finally found a winner, I offered it to you and you snuggled up against it. Then you looked at the blanket and then at me, smiled, and pushed the blanket away. It was as if you thought I might be trying to trick you, but you were too smart for that. Sometimes if I'm getting you to bed a little later than I should have, you will take your blankets and try to climb into your crib yourself.

You are the highlight of my days. I feel so lucky to be your Mom.

Love,
Mom

Why I'm glad my house isn't spotless...

Because I would have missed out on this:

Look at those cute little finger marks in the dust! I love it!

And this: one day when George was crawling up the stairs, he kept pausing to pick up little pieces of who-knows-what from the stairs and putting them in his mouth. I began taking them out of his fingers en route to his mouth, and soon he was offering me the things he was picking up. And after a little of that, he was picking up imaginary bits and offering them to me. Marty says that everyday George offers Marty the imaginary bits that he finds around the house. How cute is that?

Love

When George was just a few days old, I remember having a moment of distress because I couldn't remember if I'd said "I love you" to George that day. He was 3 days old, and I was already counting myself a failure--what sort of trend was I starting? How would George know I love him if I wasn't sure to tell him every day?

Today that moment from a year ago came to mind as I realized that there are times when saying "I love you, George" is almost a reflexive response to just looking at him--seeing him smile at me, or flap his arms at me, or whatever. I can hardly pick him up without kissing his head. I love that boy so much! More than I ever could have imagined.

Cabbage Patch Kids

I brought home from our Christmas week at the beach, 2 Cabbage Patch Kids from my childhood--one a "preemie" from the mid-'80s; one a "newborn" from several years later. I put them on the window seat area in George's room with the other stuffed animals, but a few weeks ago George pulled down one of them and began playing with it. We talk about the baby's eyes, ears, mouth, nose, fingers, etc.

One of the babies is missing its clothes, so yesterday I got on eBay to try to find some clothes for it. Preferably boy clothes. I also decided to work on cleaning them because they have nearly 30 years of dirt on them. Magic eraser on their heads, and sink baths with OxyClean and laundry detergent, and they were looking much better, if a little wet.

Marty commented that I was really doing a lot with the dolls. I said, "Yeah, I cleaned them. George likes them."

He gave me a sideways look and said, "And you like them too."

"Yes, mostly because George does."

An hour or so later Marty saw them by the washing machine where I'd left them to dry. He looked at them and said, "Wow, you did a good job cleaning them. They look great!" He asked how I did it, and said, "I thought you were just playing with them all that time."

Dapper

1 year

George's birthday was last week. I can't believe how fast the past year has gone by.

Snippets:
A month or so ago George was playing on the floor on the other side of the coffee table from me. All of a sudden he started laughing and laughing. I found him lying on his back "reading" one of his favorite books (upside down). As if that wasn't cute enough, he was using his feet to help hold the book.

George has learned to tease. Often when I drink from my big water bottle with a straw, he takes the straw and puts it in his own mouth. He's even learned to drink from the straw. One night he had just being in charge of the straw--he took it from my mouth, then put it back, then took it again, then acted like he was going to give it back, but didn't, etc. He thought it was hilarious! Especially when he'd move the straw just out of my reach, or put the straw in my mouth only to immediately take it back again.

I'm insanely proud of every milestone, no matter how small. Although my heart raced to hear he'd climbed the stairs all by himself, I was eager to see it for myself. I adore his little clap (that makes no noise at all). You should see him knock down blocks or toss an empty bottle aside. I cheered him on when he finally decided to crawl on his hands and knees instead of the army crawl that he's so good at. Even though it required increased baby-proofing, I was proud of his mastery of the kitchen cupboards and drawers, the pocket door for the half bath, and the toilet paper roll. It melts my heart to see his face light up (and sometimes his arms flap with excitement) when he sees me walk in the door after a day at work.

There are things that as he's grown older he doesn't do any more. I miss those things--like falling asleep in my arms. When he was just a couple months old, he would turn his head and snuggle into the crook of my arm. If I covered him with a blanket when he did that, he'd be asleep in seconds. It seems like forever since he's done that. But recently he's started randomly coming up to me as he's cruising around the living room and snuggling his head into my lap, and then continuing on his way. Last night Marty was sleeping on the couch when George did his snuggle drive-by--first he snuggled Marty's shoulder, then Marty's waste. So sweet!

He's totally a charmer and a flirt. He has this little "side pose" that he uses on the ladies in Relief Society. I was a little surprised when I took him to the babysitter's one day and within a minute the little girl who is a few months older than George walked up to him and kissed him. And more often than not I feel like Sacrament meeting turns into a show, starring George--as he's working the crowd of adults, teens, kids, and babies sitting around us. This past Sunday there were two little girls about George's age who were definitely competing for his attention--he was happy to split his time and attention between the two. And then there's the complete strangers...the guy in the elevator this morning as we were leaving the Doctor's office, people at the grocery store, and even people walking past us on the sidewalk...with a smile he's won them over.

No doubt about it, he's won me over--more than I ever thought possible. Each day I see a little something that has changed from the day before. He looks a little bit more like a little boy and less like a little baby. Happy birthday, little guy. I love you!

Just stuff

Merry Christmas! And Happy New Year!

George had a good time opening up presents. :)


George's first airplane flights! He loved looking out the window--especially when we were taxiing at the airport. Moments earlier than this shot, George had both hands on the window on either side of his face, and his face up against the window. But I missed the really good shot. This was the best I could get.




Look who loves pulling himself up on everything! He's so excited about being up on his feet. It won't be long before we have a walking boy on our hands. We're re-child-proofing, or moving to the next stage of child-proofing. This means that we are re-homing most everything that used to live on the coffee table and end tables in the living room.

After a couple weeks of being away, we took Baby G to his babysitter's house last week. When I picked him up in the afternoon, she commented on how he's changed so much in just a couple weeks. His hair has grown and he's looking like much more of a big boy. I can believe he'll be 1 in just over a month!

Tonight we were reading some of Baby G's favorite books (Dear Zoo, Baby Faces, and I Love Colors). I love how he enjoys reading these books. I like how he helps turn the pages and tries to reveal each animal or smiles at the babies on each page. Last night he started doing something new when he looked at the baby faces on the pages...he started leaning in as if to kiss the babies. But only particular babies on some of the pages. Tonight as he was leaning in for a kiss, he burped suddenly--a big loud one. It cracked me and Marty up.

What a Week!

Last Saturday I flew to San Francisco to attend a conference for work. San Francisco was great, but the trip was about 1 day too long. I really missed my boys, and they missed me.

It didn't help that they ran out of milk the day before I got back. George wasn't happy with the sudden transition to formula. Thursday afternoon when Marty and George picked me up from the airport, Marty told me George hadn't been himself that last day. Marty couldn't get him to laugh and smile, even with his best tricks.

I think my return helped. Before we put George to bed we were able to get some smiles and giggles.

A little before midnight, I checked in on George. He was sleeping soundly, but when I felt him he was really warm. I thought I was a little crazy when I woke him up by picking him up. I felt his head, arms, legs, and tummy...too hot. We took his temperature: 103.5.

We gave him Tylenol and decided to go to the ER. After ibuprofen, several rectal temps, a couple x-rays, and a couple hours George's temperature had dropped to 100.5 and we had a diagnosis of pneumonia. Just after 2am we were on our way back home (via the pharmacy for antibiotics). It was about 4 am before I'd unwound enough to go to sleep.

On Friday both George and I took several naps between keeping our schedule of antibiotics, and rotating doses of Tylenol and ibuprofen.

Marty commented how glad he was we decided to take him in.

It was about noon on Saturday when I first noticed a couple spots on George's face and neck. I checked his tummy and, sure enough, there were little pink spots there too. I called the pediatrician's office, but had missed their Saturday office hours. Back to the ER.

This time the ER was packed. We waited and waited. Finally we were called back. The doc told me she'd even snuck George in ahead of some others because she hates making the little guys wait so long. The diagnosis was just as I'd suspected--amoxicillin allergy. We were on our way back to the pharmacy for the new antibiotic and then home.

Poor baby George. I hope he feels better soon.

6 months!

George is growing up so quickly! I can't believe he's already 6 months old. George is a happy and very smiley baby. Every week at church we have people tell us how sweet and cute he is. The same thing happens at Wal-Mart or just about anywhere else he goes. I have had several people volunteer to take him home with them.

Plus, he has a soft head and smells good.

When we went on vacation in mid-July he knew how to roll from back to front, but not from front to back. Almost as soon as we got home he figured it out. He was so delighted with himself that he'd roll over and follow it up with a big, cheerful shout.

In mid-July he also reached another big milestone--he slept through the night! He's done pretty well since then--sleeping through the night more nights than not. In the morning when he wakes up he makes happy baby noises in his crib or just sucks his thumb until I come get him.

 

 I love this outfit of his. The sweater and bonnet were Marty's when he was a baby. Marty's mom gave them to me years ago. George does this look well.

George wasn't too thrilled when I first gave him rice cereal. He made this face with just about every bite. But he ate every bite he was offered.

 He's gotten really good at holding his own bottle--especially the little 4 oz. ones. He's also gotten good at recognizing his bottles--and letting us know that he wants them. On vacation, Aunt Shana was holding him while I was eating lunch one day. He started getting more and more antsy for her until finally I noticed that it wasn't me that had his focus, he'd seen his bottle in the stroller and wanted it!

We had our suspicions early on that he might be a thumb-sucker, but it took him awhile to really get the hang of it. Mom saw this picture and said he's looking more and more like me. She pointed out that not only is he sucking his thumb, he's holding the blanket in a way that reminds her of me and my yarns.

 Did I mention that he's happy? Would you look at those dimples! And maybe it's just coincidence, but he seems pretty good at waving hi too. When I took this picture, I was saying to him, "George, say 'hi, Mom!'"

George- some of my favorites from June

I can't believe my little baby is already almost 5 months old, and not nearly as little! Time is flying by so fast!

Here are some of my very favorite recent pictures.

 Yep, he's a keeper.

Look at those eyes! And those cheeks! And smile! Man, I love that kiddo!

He is such a happy, smiley boy!

 This one of him sleeping is sweet in and of itself. But here's the story behind it: In the morning, George and I get up,  I feed him, we hang out for a bit, but when I need to get ready for work, I put him on our bed next to Marty and build a wall of pillows between him and the edge of the bed. This particular morning, when I left him, I covered him with a light gauzy blanket (the giraffe print in the upper right of the picture) and then put the blue blanket on the pillow next to him and said, "Here's this if you want it." When I was back 10 minutes later, this is what I found. He likes his soft fuzzy blankets.

This one just makes me smile--look at how much fun he's having! He discovered that when he kicks the support on his activity mat, all of the toys move. So exciting!

A Snippet

The other morning Marty, George and Razor were all in the living room as I was headed out the door to work.  I walked behind the couch, kissed Marty on the head, and said, "I love you."

Then I turned to George, who was lying on the couch, "I love you."

Then I turned to Razor, who was lying on the floor, "I love you."

"Daddy's in charge, Razor and George listen to Daddy."

Marty cheered that he got to be in charge and then pointed to George and said, "George, do a break dance!"

I don't think George listened.

Crash

Last Friday Marty brought George to my office for me to show him off a little.  Afterwards as we were getting George back into his car seat we decided to go to lunch as a family.  I hopped in the back with George, and we were off.

A few minutes later we were waiting at a light, just chatting and enjoying being together, when suddenly we were rear-ended. It was so startling that I didn't realize right away what had happened. George cried, and I fumbled to calm him and get 911 called.

We didn't make it to lunch.


The good news is that we were all OK. We took a family ride in an ambulance, and spent several hours in the ER. But we are all OK.

Since then we (but mostly Marty- thank you Marty!) have been dealing with the hassles that come with car accidents- coordinating everything with the insurance company, and hoping that all the pieces that are up in the air right now fall into their proper place.

Say "Cheese"!

Passed

For about 6 years I've been thinking of or loosely planning on taking the patent bar (see here and here), and more recently I've gotten more serious and actually applied (see here, items 7 and 8). And then I took it in January; three weeks before having a baby I took a 7 hour exam.  I failed (I didn't blog about it).  I failed by three questions, just 3.

After crying about it, I found new resolve. I would take and pass the Patent Bar before some of the material being tested changed significantly on April 2.  See, here's the thing- the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA) was signed into law in 2011, and it introduces major changes in the patent law. The provisions of AIA have been being implemented in stages since it became law in 2011.  The most significant changes went into effect on March 16, and as of April 2, those changes are incorporated into the material covered on the Patent Bar. In fact, on my first attempt at the Patent Bar, I didn't fully appreciate how many test questions would relate to aspects of AIA that were already being added to the test material.  If I had, I think I would have passed the first time around.

I took the Patent Bar again on Friday. This time around, I passed.

Razor

It's been a bit of an adjustment for Razor since we brought George home. I think she's finally gotten used to George being around (though she's not to eager to be real close to him). She's my companion, following me between the nursery and our bedroom when George is up in the night.  And when George is really upset and inconsolable, if she's not already in the room, Razor will come running in.

Last night George had been sleeping on the Boppy.  I picked him up when he woke up, and a few minutes later the Boppy had a new occupant.

1 month

This month has gone by so fast!

1 week