My Pretty Princess

It's a Christmas miracle!

I can't believe Christmas is already over. It was a good one though. I had a lot of fun shopping, decorating, and baking. I think I baked more this year than ever. I made poppyseed bread, Swedish ginger cookies, brownies with mint frosting, and sugar cookies. The sugar cookie recipe made so many that they were all over the kitchen counter and table. Ada kept grabbing them off the table, and she ended up eating six of them! Looks like she takes after her mom. Tyler was around a little more than in years past, so it was fun to have him help with the tree and some shopping. We had a little scare at the mall, but all ended well. We purchased some earrings for Rachelle to go along with a sweater we bought her. When we left the mall, they weren't in my purse, so I thought they fell out. I called the Lost and Found, but there was no luck. I was bummed because I HATE losing things. I'm still bitter over losing a book and headband of Ada's at the Huntsman Center last year. But a couple days later, Tyler took Ada to the mall, and when he pulled out her stroller, the earrings were in the bottom! I was so happy. I love Christmas miracles!

There were lots of great highlights from this holiday season. We went to several family parties, I went to breakfast with my friends, BYU got super lucky and won their bowl game, and all the usual festivities turned out great. It was so fun to see Ada open presents and play with them. She got a few Elmo books and an Elmo toy, which she was so excited about. She is obsessed, and she's never even seen Sesame Street! She got lots of fun toys, some dress-ups, and a surprise from my parents that I like more than she does. They got her a Gund bear like the one they gave me when I turned one (it's just a little bigger than mine). I guess you can't find them anywhere anymore, so they got it on eBay. I still have mine, although it has definitely seen better days. It was my favorite toy ever, and I used to carry it with my EVERYWHERE and sleep with it. His name is Bue (that's how I said 'bear' when I got him) and he's always had special meaning to me. I hope Ada grows to like hers a little more. She has lots of stuffed animals, so it may just be another one to her. But I was very pleased!

Christmas Eve and Day were great. We saw all of our family members (except for Abby, but we got to talk to her on the phone). We ate lots of good food and had fun being with everyone. I got some money and some clothes, and Tyler got lots of money to buy a Wii. I also got him Jazz tickets for the Trailblazers game on New Year's Eve. We're excited to go, especially since we ended up going to the game last night too! The Jazz beat the Mavericks and it was lots of fun, so we're looking forward to going again. Hopefully everyone else had as great a day as we did!

Thoughts on Austin

We had a good time in Austin. You can read all about it on Tyler's blog. Ada was SO good for our parents while we were gone. We couldn't have asked for her to be better. She was happy, well-behaved, and she slept really well. That made me feel better, because I was pretty tearful when we had to leave her. What a sweetie.

Here are a few observations (although I feel like I still didn't get to see much of the city):

-The freeway system there is screwy. If we ever move there, I think I'll get lost every time I drive.

-All of the traffic lights are turned on their sides.
-All of the fire hydrants are silver (or at least once were).
-It was freezing, but it still didn't feel like Christmas since there was no snow. It wasn't as cold as it is here, but the crazy wind made it feel colder.

Tyler was really impressed with National Instruments, so we'll see what happens. I hear that people are friendly there, housing is cheap, there's a great music scene, it's one of the prettiest places in Texas, and people who've lived or been there just love it. So if we do end up there, maybe things won't be so bad.

Well, it's about time!

In January 2006 I decided to start reading the Old Testament since I'd never read it in its entirety and we were studying it in Sunday School. Well, almost two years later, I finally finished it! It didn't spark my interest enough to want to read great lengths at a time, so I read one or two chapters a day. (I did read the Book of Mormon simultaneously. I needed to feel like I was getting something out of the scriptures!) I sometimes feel like I have ADHD and have a hard time concentrating on things, especially scripture reading. It's something I need to improve on. I know I could (and should) have gotten more out of it than I did, but I'm proud to say that at least I've read it.

Disgust

When my brother was in college, he and his friends always got together to play basketball. They gave themselves names of NBA players that they hated the most. My brother was Tim Duncan and his best friend was Rick Fox. I can't remember who the others were. If I were to get in on that action, I would DEFINITELY be Manu Ginobili. I just can't stand the guy. I actually loathe most of the players on the Spurs (see this link). My four least favorite NBA players are Spurs, in fact:

1. Manu Ginobili-- One of the biggest floppers in the league. Why isn't he a starter?
2. Bruce Bowen-- I can't stand his facial expressions, and he's been known to be dirty
3. Tim Duncan-- Big-time whiner. He shows no emotion except to open his eyes really wide and hold out his hands, like he's saying, "Who, me?"
4. Robert Horry-- "Cheap-shot Bob". Also a big flopper.

There are a few Warriors players that I can't stand, but there's no comparison to how I feel about the Spurs. I've decided that I can't watch the Jazz play the Spurs anymore. There's too much hatred that boils inside me.

Random Thoughts

- All of our Christmas decorations are up. It's making me so excited! I'm getting close to finishing our shopping, and I made Christmas cards yesterday. I want to get in the kitchen and bake like crazy.
- Tyler finishes the semester next week. He's taking his first final right now. I can't wait! We're celebrating with a free trip to Austin. Ada will be left behind. I'm not sure how I feel about that.
- BYU plays UCLA AGAIN? Bummer. They don't even have a head coach. Hopefully the Cougs will demolish them, as well as in September when they have to play for a THIRD time in one year.
- BYU's basketball team is also ranked and looking good. I'm going to see them play #10 Michigan State at ESA on Saturday. It will be a tough game, but hopefully a good one.
- I bought an entire maternity outfit yesterday for $16. Ross is the best! Jeans were $9 and a shirt was $7. The jeans are WAY better than the pricier ones I got two years ago at Motherhood.
- We got the first big snow over the weekend. Ada enjoyed playing outside with Tyler, and laughed like crazy when he would put his face in the snow to eat it.

"Two of 'um"

Ada's vocabulary is taking off like crazy! She's starting to put words together and say three-syllable words. She's not always consistent, but what child is? Words she's said for a while include 'all done', 'thank you', and 'more please', but recently she's said things like 'pretty flower' and our favorite, 'two of 'um'. She picked that one up from me. I say that to her when she's holding two of something, and I didn't think much of it until she started saying it back! She actually seems to know what it means. For example, the other day I asked her where her ear was and she pointed to it. She then pointed to her other ear and said, "Two of 'um". It's so cute! Her three-syllable words are 'basketball', 'applesauce', and 'animal'. She can tell the difference between football and basketball on TV (you can tell what we watch around here). It's so fun to watch her learn. She's a sweetie!

Illness & a scare

Most readers probably know by now that we're expecting another baby. Yes, we probably are crazy! Well, we had a bit of a scare Friday night. I started bleeding and it seemed like a significant amount, so I called the on-call doctor. She didn't say much except that it might be a miscarriage and there's nothing we can do. That night I woke up around 2:00 a.m. and puked. That didn't seem to correlate with miscarriage, so I had a little hope. I then proceeded to puke ten more times until morning and I didn't feel well at all. When I got Ada out of bed, however, she had puked in bed and didn't seem to feel well either. She puked more throughout the day and we found out Cheryce's whole family had been up puking too. So there went my hope! I did stop bleeding though, so that was something. I had to wait until Monday to call the doctor again and they had me come in for a blood test. Then Tyler got sick that night! No fun. Tuesday they said that the blood test looked good and they scheduled me for an ultrasound for this morning. We went and saw the baby and heard the heartbeat and everything finally seems good. Except that instead of being 9 weeks 2 days like I thought, they said I was 7 weeks 5 days. Interesting. I guess I'll have to wait until my first appointment on the 12th to talk to my doctor. At least I know what's going on now and all is well! We've been so blessed.

It finally snowed around here and it's so pretty. I hate driving in it (I always drive like a grandma because I'm scared of sliding) but it makes the Christmas season seem more real. I turned on Christmas music today and put up some decorations. I still have to wait for Tyler to carry up our mammoth tree (which is sitting in the trunk-- we have to store it at my parents' house because we have no room), but the apartment looks nice. Now I just need to get started on shopping!

It IS rivalry week...

Just wanted to post a reminder of one of my favorite sports moments ever. Can't wait for the game tomorrow!

Welcome Baby Sally!

My little sister Emily and her husband Neal had their first baby yesterday! Sally Mae Peterson (named after my Grandma Dickson) was 7 lb 14 oz and she's a cutie. She looks like her daddy to me. I can't wait to meet her next month!

Here's a video of Ada dancing to Coldplay and saying hi to her new cousin:

Ada's new favorite toys

Silly Girl

It's been a while since I had an "Ada post", so I thought I better give a quick update. As you can see, she's still a silly girl with lots of personality. She's not afraid to make herself known wherever we go. If she's in a good mood, she'll either say 'hi' to strangers or let them know what she has in her hand. Sometimes she'll just walk up to them and stare. If she's in a bad mood she just screams. Either way, she's loud. She loves to wander, especially at church. She also loves to dress up. Even though she seems naughtier than most kids her age, she sure is a lot of fun. There's never a dull moment with Ada around!

You're It!

Tyler and I have been "tagged" by his sister Alysia. I normally don't do stuff like this, but I've seen it going around everywhere and thought I'd get it over with so I'll be exempt forever. I've seen lots of different ones, but I'm supposed to write seven things about myself that most people don't know. Here goes nothin'...

1. I am a HUGE sports fan. I love sports, and watch them more than anything else on t.v. I especially love watching BYU football, BYU basketball, and Jazz games, but I can watch anything. In fact, last night I was so enthralled in a Central Michigan/Western Michigan football game that I forgot to take the laundry downstairs to the dryer until it was almost too late. It was an awesome game! I'd rather watch college sports than professional. March Madness is one of my favorite times of year!

2. This is going to sound weird, but I like sad things. I love things that strike an emotional chord. All of my favorite books and movies are ones that make me cry. I LOVE Sense and Sensibility, Shakespearean tragedies, Les Miserables, etc. I would love to go to an opera some day (like one of those really sappy ones where a girl makes a guy go with her and he hates every minute of it).

3. I go walking every morning, but not because I want to lose weight. I only started going a few months ago because my doctor told me I have to exercise every day if I want to sleep better. I've had lots of sleep problems ever since Ada was born, and walking really has helped! I need something like a doctor's order to get motivated to get off my butt. So my friend Rachel and I (along with Ada and Ashton) walk through the Harvard/Yale neighborhoods every day and drool over all the old, classic houses that we wish we could afford.

4. In college, my friends said that if I was a Disney princess I would be Belle because I'm most likely to fall in love with a beast. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing, but I think they meant that I try to give everyone a chance. (I got lucky with Tyler because he's definitely a cutie!) I have a soft spot in my heart for people/things that aren't popular. I'm almost driven away from things that are too popular or people who think they're so cool.

5. If I had lots of money, I would want to spend it on clothes. I didn't used to care too much about what I wore, but then I started watching What Not to Wear on TLC. It's my favorite show! I cringe at some of the stuff I used to wear, and realized that I need to wear more age-appropriate clothing. (Listen to me! Clinton and Stacy would be proud.) I already look like I'm 16, so I don't need to dress that way to help people believe that it's true. I feel like sometimes I'm starting to become vain, but I think it's important to pay attention to myself, especially since I'm a mom now. It's weird that I started caring about stuff like that after I had a baby, but I really don't want to be one of those moms who lets herself go and looks like a slob every day. We're poor, so thank goodness for places like outlet stores (especially Banana Republic), Ross, T.J. Maxx, and Nordstrom Rack. I would also love to buy more clothes for Ada and Tyler, but that's about the last thing Tyler wants to spend money on. Now that he's starting to get job interviews and the real world is in sight, though, I think it's important that he sharpens up his image a bit. Come on, is there anyone out there who can help me convince him?

6. I've been told by a lot of people that I'm way different than they thought before they got to know me. It's not like I try and act like a different person when I'm around people, but I think it's because I'm shy and sometimes afraid of what others think about me.

7. I've never been outside of the U.S. except for brief daytime jaunts to Niagara Falls, Canada and Tijuana, Mexico. I'd love to travel the world, though. Since I'm married to Tyler, I don't think that will be a problem! Traveling is one of his favorite things to do.

There you have it. Hopefully everyone learned at least one new thing about me. I'm not going to try and force anyone to do this, but if any of my readers would like to participate, feel free!

The Final Word on Vouchers

Since tomorrow is election day, I thought I'd put in my two cents about Referendum 1. I've been involved in more discussions on this topic than probably any other of its kind. When I first heard about Referendum 1, I was intrigued and thought that it sounded okay. When I started talking to people about it and learning more, I quickly became opposed to it. Tyler blogged about it a while ago, and he got lots of responses from our friends. Check out this, this, and this. It's been fun to talk and argue with people. After my opinion was firmly planted, Tyler posted again and actually linked to the referendum itself. After reading it myself, my opinion almost changed.

Almost.

After a lot of thought, I will still vote against vouchers. I was almost convinced otherwise because after reading the actual text, there doesn't seem to be much wrong with the idea. I realized that all of the ads, both for and against the referendum, were feeding people a bunch of crap. The Oreo commercial in particular stands out to me. Even though it was trying to convince people to vote for vouchers, it made me want to vote against them since it stated that money will be taken away from public schools to fund the vouchers. Actually, the scholarship money will come from the general fund, and the leftover money will go to public schools. So it will be giving more money to public schools than they had before, but I think that since the money is from public funds it should all go to public schools. If there are really that many problems with public schools (which I don't think there are), why not invest more money in them instead of trying to take students out of them.

One thing that has bothered me from the start is that lots of people are saying that "vouchers would give me a choice". I'm sorry, but parents already have a choice. The money may make it easier for some parents to send their kids to private schools, but they still have a choice. All parents should be invovled in their kids' educations, no matter what school the kids go to. The vouchers are meant to help families with lower incomes, but families who can afford it already also qualify. I think that the poorest families who could benefit most will still be unable to afford the difference in tuition, let alone fees, extra-curricular activities, uniforms, etc. Plus, they'll have to find a way to get to school, and they won't have the benefit of school lunch and breakfast programs that public schools have.

Tyler thinks that I'm anti-private schools. I know that some students need extra help and extra attention, and private schools are just a better fit for some people, but I feel like a lot of people automatically think that since a school is private, it is better. I think that a lot more kids going to private schools probably take education more seriously than a lot at public schools do, but I feel really strongly that public schools give kids a lot more than just education. They have more options for extra-curricular and social activities, which make kids more well-rounded. Plus, teachers at private schools don't have to have college degrees or have special credentials. I know that doesn't mean that you'll automatically be a good teacher if you have those things or a bad teacher if you don't, but I think it's good to have formal training in teaching and specific subjects.

Proponents argue that if students leave for private schools, class sizes in public schools will decrease. That is probably true in some cases, but it may not always be the case. Unless schools change the way things are now, class size could actually increase. If enough kids leave, schools may not keep as many teachers, so the remaining number of students would be divided among the remaining number of teachers.

Overall, I think that Referendum 1 has the potential to do good things, but there are better ways to improve public schools. The points that proponents make sound good on paper, but I don't think that everything will be like clockwork. I know that something needs to be done to improve public schools in Utah since we spend the least amount of money per student, but sending kids away isn't going to fix the problem.

All Hallow's Eve

Yesterday was a good 2nd Halloween for Ada. After her nap, Tyler and I took her trick-or-treating at Foothill Village with some friends. She quickly caught on. She would walk up to people with her hand held out, and once she got candy she would put it in her bucket. We also took her trick-or-treating to some surrounding apartments. It was fun to watch her. Then we went to my parents' house for dinner and my mom took her around to some neighbors' houses for even more candy! Overall, she got quite the haul! Tyler and I will be enjoying it for a long time (Ada only gets a little bit). Here are some pictures from our parties on Saturday and the festivities yesterday:

Two Oldies and a Cat

Ada (leopard), Ashton (doctor), and Kaylie (tooth)

Fascinated by the root beer brew at the Squires' party

Not happy that this store ran out of goods!

Hayden (Yoda), Ada, Ashton, Charlotte (chicken), and Jade (duck)

Ada, Ashton, and Charlotte

Ada trick-or-treating next door

Ada and Ella

Exit Music

Today has just been one of those days, so I decided to pop in Ok Computer. There's nothing that a little 'power trio' can't cure.

The Evolution of a Bald Man

The Best of Both Worlds

The top story on Friday night's newscast was that Hannah Montana would be opening up another show in Salt Lake City. So what did I do on Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. sharp? Go online and get four tickets before they all sold out! Okay, actually, Tyler's sister called Friday night and asked if we would get online and try to score some tickets for them. Her 8- and 6-year-old daughters are obsessed (and I later found out her 3-year-old is too). She recuited some brothers-in-law as well as us to jump on to get them tickets, since they'd be gone at soccer games. Since Tyler has a laptop with wireless internet, we both got on to double our chances. Tyler was actually trying to buy tickets for himself (that Miley is so hot!). Okay, he wanted to make a profit by selling them on eBay. But he had no such luck. All sold out. The brothers-in-law had no luck either. I guess I'm the only one with the magic touch, because I got them four tickets at the price they were looking for. I guess I'm the favorite aunt for a while.

Apparantly Hannah Montana is all the rage among pre-teen girls (and girls like my 21-year-old sister). I've seen the show a few times on Disney Channel and I do admit to liking it more than their other shows. But I'm not into the music. I've always been pretty picky about what I like to listen to, and even when I was little I didn't get into all the popular stuff. For example, in jr. high when everyone was crazy about Q99, I stuck with X96. After high school, all my friends loved Dave Matthews Band. My friend Holly even bought me a $50 ticket to their concert in Denver. A bunch of us drove there in her parents' Suburban, but the concert still didn't sway me (and I quickly got sick of listening to them on the drive). My tastes are very particular, and I'm usually not one to go crazy about something just because it's popular. In fact, I'm quite the opposite. I wonder what Ada will be like when she gets older. If she gets into all the stuff that every other girl is crazy about, I'll support her. But I wonder if something like music taste is inherited? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Twilight

For anyone who hasn't read or finished these books but plans to, stop reading now! I just felt like voicing my opinion on Stephenie Meyer's series since I've heard so many people talking about it lately.

First of all, the only reason I read the books is because my mother-in-law insisted I read Twilight. All the girls in the family had read it but me. I'm normally not a bandwagon jumper (I've never seen 'The Office', even though everyone and their dog raves about it), but I borrowed a copy and read it. I didn't really like it. Something just didn't sit right with me. It has taken me a long time to figure out why, but I think there are a couple reasons. First, I didn't quite understand why Bella and Edward so quickly fell madly in love with each other. Did Bella just like Edward because he was so good-looking? Did Edward just like Bella because he liked her 'scent'? I couldn't stand the fact that they were constantly fighting and keeping things from each other. Also, most of the book seemed really slow-moving, until the very end when it was suddenly action-packed. The whole book just sat weird with me.

I almost didn't read the other books, but I'm glad I did. I really liked New Moon and Eclipse. I liked Jacob a lot and I liked who Bella was with him. They told each other everything and really got to know each other. I was sad that she was leading him on so much. Even though she did have feelings for him (and he knew that; that's why he was constantly pursuing her), she shouldn't have let things get out of hand like they did because she knew that she could never be without Edward. She told Jacob that, but she always left him with a glimmer of hope nonetheless. I got to like Edward a lot after he stopped being so overprotective. He really was more mature than Jacob and I was glad that he started giving her more freedom. The ending was good, but I was really sad for Jacob. Overall, I did like the series. Most people seem to like the first book the best, but it was definitely my least favorite. Also, I've talked to a lot of people who hated Jacob, but I really liked him and sympathized with him. It's not great writing or anything, but it is entertaining and makes for good discussion.

Cereal Obsession

Lately Ada has been obsessed with cereal. Not her baby cereal, but our cereal. We used to keep it in a cupboard below the counter (the only one we can't lock because it's a single), but it had to be relocated because she kept making messes with it. She still freaks out every time we pull it out though. One of her favorites is Magic Stars (fake Lucky Charms). She used to pull out handfuls, pick out the marshmallows, and throw the rest on the floor. She also loves Honey Bunches of Oats and Fruity Pebbles. I'm afraid she's already taken a strong liking to sugar. She knows what the good stuff is!

Ada is getting smarter all the time. She can identify lots of body parts (eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hair, hands, belly button, legs, feet, toes) and knows several animal sounds (dog, cat, duck, bird, cow, pig, bear). She is such a cutie. Check out the coat I couldn't resist buying her. Isn't she adorable?

In Rainbows

Has anybody gotten the new Radiohead album yet? You can only get it from their website, either by download or diskbox. The best part is that if you download it, you can pay as much or as little as you want! Can Radiohead get any better? We downloaded it last night and paid 2.50 pounds. I would have gladly given more if we weren't so poor! And it is very good. I've only listened once, but I really, really like it! I didn't know what to expect after 'Hail to the Thief', but this die-hard fan is not disappointed!

The Big Dance

No, it's not March yet, but Tyler and I did go to the U of U Homecoming dance a couple of weeks ago (I'm a slacker for waiting so long to post). It was lots of fun. Tyler got me flowers (pretty pink gerbera daisies) and we dressed up. Jordan & Morgan came over after Ada went to bed and we went to the tower at Rice-Eccles Stadium. They had chocolate fondue fountains and a big screen that showed the music videos to all the songs they played. We had fun talking and dancing (even though they didn't play many slow songs). We hadn't done something like that for ages, so it was great to get out and go on a real date.

Abby

My youngest sister Abby goes to the MTC in less than two days. I'm excited for her because she's really looking forward to going, but I am very sad that she'll be gone for 18 months. She and Ada will hardly know each other when she gets home! She and I have always been very close and we have a lot in common. We always laugh a lot when we get together and like to play jokes on each other & the rest of our family members. Besides our brother, I'm the only one who seems to appreciate her humor. To quote my mom, she's "fixated in the anal phase". She is so funny and so much fun to be around. Abbay, I'll miss you a lot! I hope you work hard and have fun. I love you!

Clubbin'

I've just recently started to feel the loneliness of having Tyler gone all day. Most days he leaves before 7:00 a.m. and doesn't get home until after 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. So, I've decided to do a little clubbin' to help pass the time. Ha ha, anyone who knows me won't believe that sentence for a second. But I did host my book club this week, as well as attend my first card club meeting. I've been in a book club for several years and although a lot of members have come and gone, it's been a lot of fun. It keeps me busy reading and gives me something to look forward to every month. I made chocolate mousse from scratch and it turned out very well!

A while ago a girl in my ward hosted a card-making Enrichment activity and set up a card club at it. There are eight of us and each month we have to make eight identical cards that fit a theme. Then we get together and exchange. The nice part is that we get eight different cards but only have to come up with one idea! Even though the meeting didn't last very long, it was something else to look forward to. I'm excited to get to know people better and to be forced to get my creative juices flowing.

As promised...

And here's another picture of Ada. Look how pretty she is!

Blankie

After Ada was born, my friend Vanessa gave her an ADORABLE pink blanket that she crocheted herself. It didn't take long for it to become Ada's favorite blanket, and now she's obsessed with it! She can't sleep without it, and when she's awake she pulls it out of her crib and carries it around the apartment. If she happens to let it go and leave it lying around, she soon starts saying "blanket!" and walks around until she finds it. Yesterday she would not let it go when it was breakfast time, so I had to leave it on her lap under the tray while I fed her. When it was time for a bath, she refused to let go and I had to force it out of her hands. She was NOT happy. Then today I was doing laundry and she saw me put it into the washing machine. She kept reaching for it and saying "blanket!" and got mad that she couldn't have it. I'm going to have to start being more sneaky when I have to separate her from it. But I think it's adorable that she loves it so much, especially since I carried around a crocheted blankie when I was young. Right now our camera has a picture in it of Ada with the blanket over her head, but the battery just died. Until we get another, this old picture will have to do.

Music

I'm not in the mood to do much right now, so I thought I'd copy my friend Sabrina and post about music. I was just looking at our family space, which Tyler so graciously put my favorite song of all time on. If you want to hear it, go here. Turn it up really loud and be prepared to be moved to tears :). Anyway, just for fun I thought I'd also include a list of bands I've seen live. (There are some concerts I'm ashamed to admit I've been to, so I won't include everything.) Here goes nothin'...

Radiohead (twice)
Weezer (three times)
U2 (twice)
Coldplay
Morrissey
Blur (with a bunch of other bands)
The Cure
Keane
Depeche Mode
Matt Sharp
Ron Sexsmith
Counting Crows
The Wallflowers (twice)
Dashboard Confessional
The Beach Boys (free at the Olympics!)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Jethro Tull (I'm actually not ashamed of this one)
Interpol
Stephen Malkmus
Blink 182
The Aquabats
The Violent Femmes
The Beta Band

Is that it? I've been a concert-goer for many years, so I know I'm missing some. Some of these bands opened for other bands, and a lot of them were playing together at a big event, like BASH. I used to be into music a lot more than I am now, which is good and bad. It can be expensive, but it's a lot of fun! I need to listen to more music that I like, instead of to the stinkin' radio. As far as bands that I'd love to see, I'd have to say Belle and Sebastian, Oasis, Travis, and The Shins, just to name a few. So there ya have it! That was a nice trip down memory lane.

Football season is here!

I thought I better post before tomorrow's game in case BYU loses. I won't be in the mood if that's the case. I don't know much about the team and I have no idea how good they'll be, but I'm hoping for a decent season. We'll get a taste tomorrow afternoon. I'm excited to have something to cheer for again after the Jazz's great playoff run. This is a fun time of year.

The Utes had several bouts of bad luck last night in their 24-7 loss at Oregon State. In the first half they lost their two best offensive players to injury (one for the season), and after scoring first, gave up 24 unanswered points. I didn't watch much of the game, but what I saw was pretty crappy and neither team looked very good. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out.

On a different note, Ada has been walking around like a mad woman for a couple of weeks now. She looks so cute and you can tell that she is proud of herself. She seems to be a lot happier now that she can transport herself like a normal person. She's a lot of fun.

Tyler is back in school and has night classes Monday-Thursday. It makes the days seem longer. Poor Ada doesn't even get to see Tyler some days (poor Tyler too) and most mornings she wakes up saying "da-da" while walking around the apartment looking for him. It's very cute but it makes me sad. We've survived four years of school since we've been married, so I guess we can survive one more. May still seems far away though.

All Done!

Yesterday was the first day since Ada's birth that I didn't breastfeed her. I've been trying to wean her for over three weeks now, and it's been harder than I thought. She doesn't come begging to be fed (although I can tell she really enjoys it), and my body hasn't had a hard time adjusting. The hardest part has been trying to replace breast milk with something else. The very first day I offered her cow's milk she drank it after a few sittings. The next day she wouldn't touch it, and then we left for vacation, so we stopped trying. When we got back I bought strawberry Nesquik to flavor the milk, and she drank it. The next day she wouldn't touch it. In the meantime I had been dropping feedings until I was down to just one. I didn't want to just stop, though, because I wanted to make sure she was getting enough to eat. She's underweight (it will be a while before she can go in a front-facing carseat) and I didn't want her to starve. I started feeding her yogurt every day, and every once in a while she'd decide to take a few sips of milk. She still doesn't drink much, and I have to just set her cup out and let her drink it herself instead of trying to force it on her. I feed her Cheerios with milk in the mornings, and finally decided that she probably won't start wanting milk until the nursing is done. So I'm finished! It's a little sad, but I'm also excited. Even though I wasn't a big fan of breastfeeding at the beginning, I will miss it. My little girl is growing up!

Baby Steps!

So today Ada suddenly decided that she could walk. We went to my parents' house and she started walking between my mom and me. After that she would walk across the room. She took at least 12 steps several times. They were just tiny little steps, but she was definitely getting around. I almost started crying while watching her because it was just so darn cute. I can't believe how big she is getting! It took her a while to warm up before she'd do it for Tyler tonight, but I think she's actually getting the hang of it. We tried filming her but she decided to throw a fit every time we pulled out the camera. She's not a performer. She walks better on her own than when we're trying to force her to. She always has had a mind of her own!

Photos

We went boating this weekend with Tyler's family, and I biffed it hard while waterskiing. Check out my battle wound:


The picture doesn't do it justice. The bruises aren't too dark, but they're pretty swollen.

Also, here's a picture of the pretty flowers Tyler got me for our anniversary:


Lilies are my favorite.

The Craziness we call Summer

Things have been a little crazy lately, and the state of our apartment is evidence of that. I spent this past week reading the final Harry Potter book. It was difficult to find time with Ada around, so I really could only read while she was napping. I neglected pretty much everything else during that time, which explains the mess surrounding us. I did finish it, though, and it was excellent. I'm glad to finally know how everything ended. I was not disappointed.

The week before last we were on vacation, so that made things a little crazy. To add to everything, Ada has been out of sorts the last few weeks. As soon as we left for vacation, she decided that she didn't want to eat much and still hasn't seemed to get her appetite back. She got shots the day after her birthday, and just over a week after that she started getting a fever and a rash. Her temperature got up to 103.7. That only lasted a few days, and then she had one day where she was better than I can ever remember her being. She just seemed happy all day. That soon ended though. Since then she has been ridiculously fussy. We don't know what to do with her and don't know what is wrong. Hopefully this will soon pass.

Today was one of the craziest Sundays I can remember. I had to go to church early for a temple recommend interview with the Bishop (Tyler had already been there since 6:15 a.m.), then rush to the chapel to play prelude since I was asked Friday night to play the organ in Sacrament Meeting (I don't know how to play the organ, by the way). I then had to meet with a member of the Stake Presidency for another interview, and then rush to Primary, where I had to fill in as an emergency pianist. After Sharing Time ended I had a Primary Presidency meeting that went long, and then had to rush home to get Tyler & Ada so we could drive down to Murray for my friend Kim's baby blessing. We hung out at my parents' for the rest of the day, since it was our week for dinner there anyway, so I did get a nap in this afternoon. That made up for everything.

This week promises to add to the chaos. Wednesday night I have a wedding shower, Thursday night we have a birthday party, Friday night we have a wedding reception (I'm a bridesmaid), Saturday morning we have a wedding and then a luncheon, and that night we have a baptism. The following day we have another baby blessing. Sheesh! We'll have about a week to (hopefully) relax before Tyler starts school again. Then my family comes into town for Abby's mission farewell, so there will be a lot going on then. Let's hope we can survive August.

Four Years and Counting

Today is our 4th anniversary. I can't believe it's been that long, but then it also seems like I've been married forever. Since we just returned from vacation, we don't have any plans except a wedding reception tonight (how dare someone else get married on our anniversary!). Tyler and I have lots of great memories, with many more to come. Some favorites include rubbing elbows in the car, Countdown e-mails, driving up Emigration Canyon, traveling to Boston & Maine, and of course everything to do with Ada. Love ya, hon! We've actually made it four years! Not that I expected anything different.

One Whole Year!

Today is Ada's first birthday! I can't believe it has been a year since she was born. I can't help but think of the excitement of going to the hospital and seeing her for the first time. It was such a good day. Giving birth is nothing compared to raising a child (I don't know what it's like without an epidural though)! It's been a crazy year, but definitely a good one. As Tyler posted on his blog, her early days are a blur to us. I guess that's why people have more than one child! They forget how hard everything is at the beginning.

For Ada's first few months she wanted to be held all the time. Once she hit five or six months, though, and learned to fall asleep on her own, she wouldn't let us rock her to sleep and that made being away from home difficult. I miss those days of being able to hold her and cuddle her, but these days definitely have their benefits too. She's a lot more independent and it's fun to watch her learn and play. My favorite sound in the world is her giggling. There just isn't anything cuter than that! I have a lot of fun being home with her.

As you can see, she got her picture taken yesterday and she is just adorable! She's very photogenic and loves to smile. She has brought us so much joy and Tyler and I feel so blessed to call ourselves her parents.

All About Ada!

Yesterday was a big day in the young life of Ada-- she took her first steps! Tyler and I sat facing each other a few feet apart on the floor and tried to get Ada to walk back and forth between us, and she did! She only took a few steps, but she did it a couple of times. We still think it will be a while before she walks, though, because was pretty shaky and today she wouldn't even let us stand her up. It was very exciting though! Tyler and I just looked at each other in disbelief. Her first birthday is a week from tomorrow, so she's right on track. Things will get interesting when she finally decides to take the plunge!

Poisoned!

My 26th birthday was on Monday. It was a great day! Thanks to everyone who called, e-mailed, or sent cards. In the evening, my parents took us to The Mandarin, this yummy Chinese place in Bountiful. Tyler and I ate the leftovers on Tuesday night, and they were almost as good as the night before. However, I woke up Wednesday morning feeling awful. I soon began having bouts of the runs and throwing up. It was no fun. I thought it was food poisoning, but Tyler seemed fine and had a pretty normal day at work. During Ada's morning nap I took a nap myself, making sure to leave a bowl on the floor. When I woke up, I stood up and walked around for a minute, then felt a sudden urge to puke, so I ran back to the bowl on the floor. I began throwing up, and then I PASSED OUT WITH MY FACE IN MY OWN VOMIT. I woke up wondering what the heck I was doing, and discovered vomit all over my face, in my hair, and on the floor. I then began vomiting again. As my brother-in-law Hyrum said, "That's how drunk people die!". Yes, it was quite an ordeal. Luckily that was the last of my excretions, but I was extremely weak with a fever and chills for the rest of the day. Then Tyler got home from work a few minutes early and said that he wasn't feeling well either. My food poisoning suspicions were confirmed (although Tyler said it could be a stomach flu bug. I don't think we'll ever know for sure). Sadly, his excretions were much more long-lasting than mine, beginning that night and continuing into today. Tonight we're both feeling quite a bit better, just trying to regain our strength. I can't imagine what was wrong with our leftovers because we put them in the fridge as soon as we got home. It was my first experience with food poisoning and hopefully my last. It was NO FUN!

Weddings, Babies, and Missions!

Yeah, talk about a lot going on! Our families have been out of control lately! I guess I'll start with weddings, since I mentioned that first...

Tyler's little brother Jordan got married yesterday. They had a wedding dinner on Wednesday night at Eaglewood Golf Course and got married in the Salt Lake Temple the next morning. The reception was that night in Tyler's parents' backyard. Family weddings are always busy, but they're also fun. Everything went well, and Jordan and Morgan are moving into our ward when they get back from their honeymoon! It will be fun to have family members as neighbors. Their apartment is just downstairs in the building next to ours.

Now to babies... no, we're not having a baby, but my little sister Emily is! We found out last Wednesday, when she was NINETEEN weeks along. Yes, she found out she was having a girl two days after she told us she was pregnant. She lives in Kansas, so we haven't seen her for a while. But my parents flew out last week, and as soon as they saw her there was no mistaking her news. She's sort of notorious in our family for not being able to keep a secret, so she wanted to prove to her husband that she was capable of keeping her mouth shut. I still say that some things are okay to blab about, but I'm still very excited. She's due November 9th and it will be fun for Ada to have another girl cousin!

Finally, my youngest sister Abby got her mission call on Wednesday. She has been called to serve in the Ohio Cleveland Mission and she reports to the MTC on September 26th. I can't believe my baby sister is going on a mission. She's going to Jerusalem on Tuesday and will be gone six weeks, so I don't have much time with her before she leaves for a year-and-a-half. I don't like thinking about it because it makes me sad, but I'm still very excited for her.

She's definitely a girl!

Only ten months old, and already Ada has a shoe fetish.

Ridiculous

See post from May 21.

:(

I HATE the Spurs!

It's a Mother's Day Miracle!

Yesterday was my first Mother's Day as a mother. It was such a good day that although it was the first of many, I think it will be hard to beat.

Tyler made sure that it was a good day for me. He kept Ada the whole time at church and he let me nap in the afternoon. He also gave me a cute pair of earrings and a candle. He really was a sweetie.

We had a good dinner at my parents' house and everyone was there except for Emily & Neal (they live in Kansas). Both of my grandmas were there, so that was fun. Good times are always had by all when the Dicksons are together.

To top things off, the Jazz did the "unthinkable" and beat Golden State at Oracle Arena. They now lead the series 3-1. They got blown out in Game 3 on Friday night, but I think that they were able to win last night because of that. They slowed things down and played the game at their own pace and were able to get the ball inside more. It was very exciting and I couldn't be more happy, especially due to the fact that the Jazz pulled one off in the "loudest arena in the NBA". The Warriors seriously gave up at the end and decided to take a couple of cheap shots at Jazz players. What a bunch of babies. I hope Baron Davis gets fined and suspended for elbowing Derek Fisher in the face (he did it on purpose and didn't even get whistled for a foul). Actually, I hope he plays so that Warriors fans won't have an excuse for their team losing to the Jazz again. My favorite quote that I've seen so far is from Charley Rosen of foxsports.com: "The bottom line, though, is that bullies can only intimidate and beat cowards, i.e., the Dallas Mavericks. And there's nothing cowardly about any team coached by Jerry Sloan." Go Jazz!

What a Week

The last several days have been crazy but good. The most exciting part about this week is that the Jazz have been playing really well in the playoffs (Game 2 of the second round is tonight. I hope I don't jinx them...). The last two games have been two of the most exciting I've seen. On Saturday was Game 7 at Houston and my parents had a big party. We were all going crazy and the Jazz did not disappoint. It was very nerve-wracking but so much fun. Monday night was Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors and it was another nail biter, but the Jazz pulled off the victory in the end. It's going to be another great series. Everybody seems excited about it. Ada and I are wearing blue today, because apparently the Jazz have asked everyone to do so. I haven't been this excited since the Jazz were in the finals. No, I'm not a fair weather fan. I've always been a big Jazz fan, even when they weren't so good. I'm just glad they're giving us something to cheer about!

One bad part of the week is that I got mastitis. It's about the fourth time I've had it since Ada has been born, but luckily I'm on antibiotics and things are good.

Sunday was another good day because we got together with a bunch of friends at Liberty Park. There were four of us couples and we all lived on the top level of our building a while back and used to hang out a lot. We all had babies last year-- in April, May, June, and July. One couple moved to New York but were in town visiting and organized the get-together. It was great to see them and we had a lot of fun. Here is a picture of all of our kids (one couple has two):

The last bit of excitement is bittersweet: Ada is finally getting her first tooth. We're glad, but she's been extra fussy lately. She's late getting teeth, but I'm not complaining because I'm still nursing. I'm not looking forward to that first bite...

April Recap

April is finally over. We survived our virtually spend-free month. The first thing I did when May came around was go grocery shopping. We actually didn't have much trouble with food (we still have a pizza and some pot pies in the freezer), but it was nice to get out and buy some fresh produce. We planned our meals pretty well and had plenty of food to last throughout the month. For various reasons, I made a ton of treats, but there was no lack of ingredients in that department. I much prefer baking to cooking. Like Tyler, the hardest thing for me was conserving gas. I tried really hard not to drive anywhere, so that meant lots of days at home. I did start to feel a little cooped up, but luckily the weather was nice for much of the month, so Ada and I could play outside or go on walks. I've lately had somewhat of a clothing fetish, so it was good for me to stay away from stores. We did break down and buy gas at the end of the month, but that was so we could go to my sister's graduation party in Provo (she graduated from BYU law and they're moving to Chicago in a couple of weeks) and also Maddox for my grandma's 80th birthday bash. Overall, I'd say we were successful in our endeavors. I think we could (and maybe should... but after summertime) do it again.

What a Guy!

This semester has been extremely busy for Tyler. He's had to juggle school, work, and church, plus a cranky wife and baby. In addition to his always busy school schedule, he's had his senior project to work on all semester. He finished his portion and presented it at the end of March, but he's still been putting time in to help the other students he worked on it with to finish theirs. He just got released as Elders Quorum President (before that he was Executive Secretary), but that kept him very busy as well. With all that, he's had to try and squeeze 20 hours of work in every week. I seriously don't know how he does it! He is amazing. He's tried to work on homework at home just so he can see more of Ada and me, even though I'm sure he would be much more productive doing it at school. I have to say that he is doing a fantastic job. Electrical Engineering is one of the toughest and most time-consuming undergraduate programs. Most students have to retake at least one class, but he hasn't had to retake any. In fact, he has maintained a 3.5 gpa, a difficult feat for any student, let alone one with a wife & child at home who has to work. Although this semester isn't over yet and he still has another year of school before he'll have his masters, I'm extremely proud of him. I probably don't make things any easier on him by wishing he was around more, but he has done a great job of balancing everything. Even though he'll be working full-time this summer, I hope he can get some time to relax. He deserves it. He's amazing and I'm so lucky to have him!

You Come Push It

This is currently my favorite commercial. Something about the last two sentences just makes me laugh out loud every time I see it.

Spend-Free April Update

Another week down, and just over a week to go. It's been a good, albeit difficult, week. It's been hard to stay home in order to conserve gas. I walked to the grocery store this week to use my WIC vouchers. I couldn't purchase any special ingredients for a fancy dessert for my book club meeting that I hosted, so I served cookie bars. Last night we went to the Olive Garden, and alas, our first money was spent. It was not spend at the restaurant, however, since we had $40 in gift cards, but on the way to the restaurant. We had to fork over $0.75 (hey, we live on the east bench) to fill one of our tires with air. It was very low and we probably should have gotten new tires months ago, but we just keep putting it off. Anyway, it was good to go out to eat and feel guilt-free (besides the amount of food we consumed). We'll see how this week fares. Be sure to check Tyler's blog next week for an update.

Ada's Age

If you haven't noticed, I put this graphic on the bottom of my blog showing how old Ada is. Here it is again in case you missed it, but it will always be down there. It will go until she's a year old, but I will be sure to add a new one so that everyone will know her age down to the day.

Zachary Taylor

Nobody but probably my brother and dad will appreciate this, but Tyler and I saw this clip on The Colbert Report and we thought it was funny. For some reason my dad and brother have always found it extremely humorous that Zachary Taylor gorged himself with iced milk and cherries to the point of his death.

Video: Zachary Taylor

FINALLY!!

I know I already blogged today, but something momentous has happened since. Ada can crawl! For probably close to two months she's been close and we thought it would happen any day. She would "army crawl" or scoot on her belly to get something she wanted, and then she would do it all over the apartment. We finally started thinking maybe that was her way of crawling, but today she did it! I went outside, set her on the grass, and held out my cell phone and she crawled right to it! After letting her do it outside for a while I brought her in and she can crawl on the carpet too (she's always been closer to crawling on grass than anywhere else). She's pretty slow and mechanical about it, but I'm sure she'll learn to perfect it soon. Hopefully she'll be happier now that she can get around a little bit easier. Just our luck, though... we left our cameras up in Layton last night. I guess her film debut will have to be put on hold for a few days.

More Ear Woes

So it's only been one day since I posted that we've been doing well at the no spending money thing, and what do ya know-- I had to spend $35 today. Ada woke up several times in the night again, so I had to take her to the doctor this morning. She has been fussy lately and we had trouble getting her to take a nap yesterday. Poor Ada has another ear infection! So she has to take more antibiotics (the strong kind that give her diarrhea and a diaper rash). At least we caught it early. But I'm pretty sure that this falls under the category of either 'necessities' or 'emergencies', so we're still well on our way to reaching our goal. I just feel bad for my poor little princess.

Spend-Free April Update

I'm sure that everybody who reads my blog also reads Tyler's, so I'm sure if you're reading this you know that we are trying to go a whole month without spending any money (except to pay our bills). After a whole week, things are looking good. No little slip-ups. No complete meltdowns. We're still in contention to meet our goal. Our main fear right now is that our cars will run out of gas before the month is finished. Tyler is going to borrow his dad's bike just in case. We're going to do everything we can to do this. Most people we've told have found it completely inconceivable. But we're usually not big spenders anyway, so it hasn't been too tough so far. And I've still been able to get out of the house and do fun things. I went to the zoo one day, courtesy of my sister-in-law Korrin, I went SHOPPING in Park City but didn't pull out the wallet once (my mom did make a few purchases to save for my birthday), I went to the temple, and we've hung out with family. As long as the weather stays nice, I can go out and play with Ada to get out of the house. I'm sure that unless something drastic happens that's beyond our control, we'll certainly be able to attain our goal.

The Mother of all Fruit Snacks

My sister Abby discovered a delightful surprise the other day at my parents' house. My mom purchased a large box of fruit snacks from Sam's Club and Abby reached in for a packet. What she pulled out was something quite unexpected. It was a tube-like package that was chock full. As the picture indicates, it was three packets that hadn't been cut, but there were definitely more than three packets' worth of fruit snacks inside. We weighed it and it was more than half of a pound. It was so hilarious! Tyler and I took it home. We were hesitant to open it, but finally gave in and counted 98 fruit snacks inside. Jackpot! That's probably more than you get in a whole box from the grocery store. I couldn't resist documenting this remarkable find.

Way to go, Mom!

It's been a pretty lackluster year as far as March Madness goes. There haven't been many upsets, and most were by teams whose seeds were only one lower than those of the teams they beat. BYU fell short again in the first round, and I can't recall any buzzer-beating shots to win a game. So the Final Four consists of Florida, UCLA, Georgetown, and Ohio State. Two #1 seeds, two #2 seeds. I filled out three different brackets for three different contests and I only have a chance in one of them. Last year I won it all in both my family's and Tyler's, but this year I'm near the bottom in both. I just picked too many upsets. The one I have a chance in is in the group Tyler set up on ESPN's website. I was tied for first until UNC lost to Georgetown (I'm actually glad UNC isn't in the Final Four), but I could still win it if UCLA comes out victorious. Go Bruins. They're the ones who won it for me last year. Even though the tournament isn't over, my mom has the title wrapped up in my family's competition. She almost didn't even fill out a bracket, but I made her do it the night before the action started. I bet she's glad she did! When I told her she was going to win, she was very surprised and excited. It just goes to show that this is all a crap shoot and you don't have to know anything about the teams to do well. She picked very few upsets, and it just so happens that this is not the year for Cinderella. At least UNLV made it to the Sweet 16.

Shafted, again

I thought that I better hurry and write about the Cougs before they play in the NCAA tournament tomorrow, since I won't feel like writing if they lose. So BYU won the MWC regular season in basketball and they're going to the tourney. Their RPI should have gotten them a #5 seed, but they got shafted and have a #8 seed. (UNLV also got the major shaft with a #7 seed-- their RPI was in the top 10.) So tomorrow night they play Xavier, and if they happen to win that game then they have to play #1 seeded Ohio State. Pure crap. So good luck, Cougars. The MWC gets shafted once again. Now if BYU could only pull off a miracle to prove everyone wrong... Hey, crazier things have happened in the tournament. I'm just excited that this time of year has finally come.

Do you see anything wrong with this picture?

About a week ago, Tyler and I got pizza for dinner from Little Caesar's. We like to call ahead instead of pick up a 'hot and ready' because the pizza tastes better when it's been freshly made. Plus, I like cheese and Tyler likes sausage, so we get half-and-half and are both satisfied. When I called to place the order, I knew there would be touble. The lady was seriously struggling and was having a hard time understanding me. She seemed like she didn't care to be on the phone. After repeatedly saying that we wanted half cheese, half sausage, she said, "You want sausage?" No, half cheese, half sausage. She finally repeated it back to me correctly, but I was a little worried. When I went to pick it up, the guy told me it was half cheese, half sausage before handing it to me. Phew, she actually got it right. Or so I thought. When we brought it home and opened the box, this lovely display was before our eyes. The idiots put double cheese on half of the pizza, and double sausage but NO cheese on the other half! Honestly, who doesn't put cheese on a pizza? So my half was double good, but poor Tyler got the shaft. I couldn't imagine getting an order like that wrong, especially since we order it quite often, but I guess it makes for a good story.

"Litle; Womenn

A couple of years ago, Tyler and I got a gift card to Borders. I can't remember the main item we used it on (I think it was a Harry Potter movie or something), but we had about $10 left and Tyler said I could pick something out. I noticed in the book section a bunch of classics published as "Borders Classics", and they were all $10. They were all hardcover, so I thought this was a pretty good deal. I decided to get Little Women since I'd never read it. Well, I finally got around to it a couple of weeks ago, and today I finally finished it. It was, of course, excellent. I really loved it, and I don't know why I had never read it before. I love the movie too, but the book is even better. However, I did have a major problem with the version of the book I read. There were so many spelling and punctuation mistakes that I don't know how they got away with putting it in print. I know that it had to be that particular version, because there is no way that a real classic would have that many mistakes. I should get the real version from the library sometime to see the difference. I'm pretty good at being able to point out mistakes in grammar, spelling, etc., but I think even an idiot could tell something was amiss. Just about every mistake imaginable was present: misspelled words (words with extra letters, words with missing letters, words with letters transposed), missing quotation marks (some quotes would start with one but not end with one), semicolons in the middle of sentences... I could go on. It's like someone retyped the whole thing but forgot to turn on the spelling and grammar check. There was even one instance where the main character's name, Jo, was spelled "Joe". It was quite comical. So, I definitely recommend the book, but would suggest you splurge and not purchase the cheap wanna-be version.

Worst Day Ever

Today has probably been the worst day in the short existence of poor little Ada. There have been plenty of bad days, but they've mostly been bad for Tyler and me. Poor little Ada has had a rough go all day long. She woke up crying probably around midnight and woke up many more times throughout the night. Tyler and I took turns getting up with her, and after about 5:00 she wouldn't go back to sleep. Tyler got ready for work after a while and she was sitting on the floor playing when she fell back and hit her head. She started crying, and when Tyler picked her up she puked all over his shirt. He finally left and I was able to get her to fall asleep while I nursed her, but she didn't sleep for long. We've been wondering if she's teething, but after a while I knew that teething couldn't be this bad. I finally called the doctor's office and they told me to bring her in at 12:30. She seemed a little less fussy and even took a nap for about an hour, but she still wasn't the same. She had an ear infection two weeks ago and has finished her antibiotics, but the doctor checked again and said her ear is infected. The sad part is that he had to get some earwax out of her ear in order to see in there, and he accidentally hit something in her ear canal that obviously was very painful. She immediately started screaming and crying like I've never seen her. It was so sad. To top it all off, she had to get the second part of her flu vaccine, so she got a shot in her leg. She was not happy girl. I just cried with her because I've never seen her so sad. We got a stronger antibiotic, so hopefully it will work this time. She slept for about two hours after that, but when she woke up she threw up again. All this happened before 3:00 p.m., so hopefully the rest of the day will be a little brighter! Let's hope that when she does get teeth it will seem like a piece of cake.

She Speaks!

Yesterday Ada said her first "word". After her morning feeding she started saying "da-da". Of course she didn't know what she was saying, but she said it nonetheless. Too bad Tyler was in the shower and missed it. She has been saying it off and on since then, but it's funny because every time she says it she sounds like she's gasping for air. It's like she's being shy about it and doesn't want to be too loud, but the words are unmistakable. I wasn't quite as excited as I thought I would be, but I guess that will come when she starts talking for real.

Poor Dear!

So after ranting in my previous post about how tough babies are, I'm feeling pretty bad. Yesterday I had to take Ada to the doctor because she had a fever, and she has an ear infection. Poor thing! Of course she was fussy and not sleeping well. But we got some antibiotics and she already seems much better. Hopefully her good behavior keeps up so that we can enjoy our Valentine's Day.

Full-time Job?

So ever since I've had a baby, I've heard people say that being a mom is a "full-time job". Although I understand what they're trying to get at, I don't think that term quite cuts it. Believe me, I've done my share of full-time work, and I just don't see the comparison. With full-time employment at least you can put your eight hours in and then call it quits for the rest of the day (unless, I suppose, you're a work-a-holic and can't quite seem to rid yourself of anything work-related). Having a baby is oh-so much more than that. With a baby, you work the day shift, night shift, and graveyards all in the same day. Every day. You don't get vacation days, sick days, or holidays. There's no leaving early or calling it quits. The only thing you get is an occasional break, and then it's right back into the thick of things.

I guess I've had a rough go lately, although things have improved. I'm not complaining, though, I'm just telling it how it is. Babies are tough. Just when you think you've got them figured out, something changes, and there's usually no explicable reason. Ada is a fussy girl and I still have a hard time figuring out what's wrong with her, but she sure is fun. I'd take her over a full-time job any day.

Sweet Victory x 2

It's a good year to be a BYU fan. First there was the dramatic last-second win at Rice-Eccles Stadium for the football team, and last night the Cougar basketball team beat the Utes at the Huntsman Center for the first time in 13 years. The Cougs are now tied for first place in the MWC standings with two ranked teams, Air Force and UNLV. BYU led by 7 at halftime and the game was never even close in the second half. They did it without a great game from their star center Trent Plaisted, who was in foul trouble for most of the contest. I almost went to the game, but decided to stay home since it started at 8:00 and Ada now goes to bed around 8:30. It would have been fun, but then I would have missed seeing the AWESOME victory the Jazz had over the Spurs. Okur once again came up clutch in the final minute and the Jazz were able to hang on. They are now one of only four teams in the NBA with at least 30 wins. It was a pleasing night all around!

Utter Disappointment, but All is Well

Tyler had the afternoon off yesterday, so we decided to go to lunch before taking Ada to her 6 month doctor's appointment. We went to Teriyaki Stix since we had a coupon from the Happenings Book and it was close to the doctor's office. They had new orange chicken rice bowls, and since rice bowls are practically the only things on the menu, we both ordered one. When I went to pick up the order, all I could do was stare. On the tray before me were two bowls of white rice with a few pieces of chicken on top. No vegetables, no sauce (just a few packets of soy sauce sitting on the tray). The chicken wasn't even that good. And they were $5 each! Luckily we only had to pay for one because of the coupon. Next time I want a rice bowl I think I'll pay a visit to the freezer aisle and spend $3 on something that is actually good.

So lunch was less than satisfying, but at least Ada's appointment went well. The doctor said she looked perfect. She now weighs 16 lb. 4 oz. and is 27 inches long. So she's still tall but isn't quite so big for her age anymore. Oh, and she still has a small head. Unfortunately for her, she did have to get more shots. That's the hardest part of all, but at least she always takes a good nap afterwards. Tyler was finally there to witness it. He said it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. I guess the very first time they get shots is the most traumatic since they're so small and unsuspecting. I thought she was done with shots for a while, but she has to go back in a month for another flu shot. Rats. At least she's a healthy girl.

Why, It's Positively Sinful!

Ada has always been a fussy baby, but we discovered early in her existence that chocolate made her even more so. Consequently, for quite some time I haven't even touched chocolate, which has been difficult since chocolate is one of my favorite things to eat. I decided that when she turned six months old I would try it and see how she reacted. She is six months old today, and last night I partook of a dark chocolate torte. My sister Angie was kind enough to make it on my behalf. I made sure that Tyler (and the rest of my family) was present to witness my first bite. It did not disappoint. It was one big taste of dark, rich deliciousness. I savored every bite, and then went back for seconds. I was a little nervous to see if Ada would react, but I haven't noticed any extreme behavior. Yay! I think I'm finally good to go. I celebrated today by digging into the Christmas candy I was forced to avoid until now, thoroughly enjoying a 60% cacao Dark Chocolate with Caramel Ghirardelli Square. Mmmm....