Jonah did!

Guess who took his first steps today?

Sunday

Robin sent me some great pictures from the family festivities in Arizona yesterday. This is my favorite.

A bunch of my siblings: Adam, (his wife) Michelle, Mark, Sarah, Ted, Karen, and Robin. And as an added bonus, Sarah's son, Jackson, made a cameo.

Oh, and there's a blizzard going on at my house right now.

My Weekend

Just a little journaling post. I know I need to get new pictures of Jonah and my belly on here soon.
Friday: Brandon had the day off because his assistant got married on Saturday. Spent the day at home mostly; playing with Jo, scrapbooking a little, etc. Talked to my 21-year-old brother, Teddy, for the first time in two years! He just returned from a mission for our church in Madagascar. I received an email from him every week while he was gone but he only got to call home twice a year (it keeps them focused). Got out of the house alone to grocery shop, print photos, and run to the bank.
Saturday: Went up to the cabin in the afternoon. Jonah got to "play" with his "cousin" Bryson who Linda had for the weekend. Bryson is three months older and much bigger than Jonah. They were interested in each other, but less than I expected. Jonah loved Bryson's dump truck full of big lego-type blocks. Brandon and I went to his assistant's wedding reception in the evening. She looked lovely and the hall was decorated beautifully. We loved watching the little girls dance on the dance floor, with each other, with boys, and all alone. I love that age (everything under about 12) before inhibitions set in in girls and they are just so fancyfree and footloose.
Sunday: I'm officially five months along in my pregnancy (22 1/2 weeks). Got to take a nice long morning nap while Brandon took care of Jonah before heading home from the cabin. Jonah now says, "hi", "uh oh", and "ohhh." He talks with his hands a lot too. He has taken extremely short afternoon naps for about the past five days but finally took a good long one again. Brandon set up our gorgeous new bedframe. Made a yummy dinner. Talked to Mark and Ted on the phone after their talks in church. Mark is 19 and leaves on a church mission to Mexico on Wednesday. Jonah still (now, I should say) wakes up once in the night for a changing and feeding but I have cut his bottle back from 8 oz. to 4 now. I tried water instead of formula on Saturday night and he threw a hissy fit so I'll wait on that for a bit longer. Any suggestions on keeping him dry, full, and asleep for 11 hours?

A Tribute

Gordon Hinckley, the president and prophet of my church, passed away this evening at his home surrounded by family. He was 97.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080128/ap_on_re_us/obit_hinckley
Hinckley was president/prophet longer than any other person in our church's 170+ year history. I have heard him speak many times, twice in person. He was an incredible man, one I respected immensely. I will miss listening to him speak at our church's semi-annual worldwide conference this spring. I will miss his sense of humor, wisdom, leadership, practicality, optimism, and love.
Hinckley wrote a fantastic book called Standing for Something: 10 Neglected Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts and Homes. These virtues include Love, Honesty, Morality, Civility, Learning, Forgiveness, Thrift and Industry, Gratitude, Optimism, and Faith. A truly inspired work that I recommend to anyone.
President Hinckley was interviewed on Larry King Live at Christmastime in 2004. It is a great interview. You can find it here.
Mike Wallace (of 60 Minutes) said that Gordon B. Hinckley is the, "optimistic leader of the Mormon Church who fully deserves the almost universal admiration that he gets."

Brain Damage

I have a confession. In the past four days I have watched 18 episodes of 30 Rock. Yes, I watched all of Season 1 in less than a week. I watched the season premier a couple weeks ago and then this week got hooked. Does it make it any better that the episodes are only 21 minutes long? Netflix just changed it so we can watch unlimited amounts of the shows available on Watch Instantly online. By the hammer of Thor, I'm a sloth!
I'd seen this show a couple times when it was actually on tv and thought it was kind of funny, but didn't really appreciate its comic genius until now.

No Good Pictures

Buuut, looks like we're having a girl! Went in for a sonogram yesterday and she is wiggly and modest and healthy-looking. The due date is still May 29th and I still haven't decided whether to do a cessarian or a VBAC.
I am 21 weeks along now, I can still fit into most of my fat-pants but I do have quite a belly on me. My morning sickness is gone but I still gag if I feel snot in my throat. I crave homemade bean and cheese burritos a lot (homemade tortillas and beans from a restaurant or mexican market) and I like spicy stuff. No name ideas really yet so we are open to your suggestions.
I want to decorate the baby's room in purple and fairies. I never really decorated for Jonah, so maybe I'll do both rooms at once (little by little since we're broke). I want to do Jonah's room with frogs. I'm going to get a white crib and furniture for the new baby and poor Jonah still needs a bookshelf and a real toybox and he'll need a new dresser. We're gonna need a double stroller now too. Lots to think about!
Well, we're very excited and I thought I'd better post our news.

Products

Built-in shelving in my bathroom that I love.


An average day at my bathroom counter, please excuse the dirty mirror.

I don't suppose you noticed, but I have five moisturizers pictured here. Five! They are all used regularly. This doesn't count the Mary Kay moisturizer of Brandon's that I use on occassion or the Proactive Repairing Lotion, which technically has no moisture in it.
I am a product junkie. A nicer term might be, an expert. I think if I were in a courtroom I could be called as an expert witness on skincare and cosmetics, but that could just be because I've been watching a lot of Perry Mason episodes this week.

Let me give you my qualifications. I got my first job in cosmetics (and skincare) at age 19 at ZCMI (later Meyer and Frank and now Macy's). I worked there part-time at the "Etcetera Counter"(all small lines: English Ideas, Exuviance, Ultima II, etc.) for a year while going to college . A few months after quitting that job I got a job at another department store, Liberty House (also now a Macy's) working part-time at the Lancome counter. I worked there for about 6 months and then went very part-time as a freelancer for Lancome giving makeovers at special events about two days a month for the next 3 years. I did that two or three more times for Lancome in the following four years. I also worked for a year as the Prescriptives counter manager at Foley's (now also a Macy's) and freelanced a couple times for them after that. In the middle of all this I ran my own business as a Mary Kay consultant for three years.

I have decided to share a random sampling of my wealth of knowledge with you my dear readers. Here are three cosmetic products I have purchased in the past three months that I have decided to review here on my blog (on a 1-5 star system).


#1 - Calming Moisture Lotion (for Sensitive Skin) by Elizabeth Arden. ****1/2 stars

This is a wonderful product. It gives a very lightweight, soothing shot of moisture. I recommend it to people with oily to normal skin (sensitive or not). It contains no SPF. It doesn't give me quite enough moisture for Utah winters, but I will certainly use it the rest of the year. I especially like it for travel since I can use it day or night, though at home I like to have seperate moisturizers for night and day (SPF in the day, extra benefits like anti-aging or more moisture, etc. at night). Retail price: $34 (1.7 oz. It does not appear on the official E.A. website so this leads me to believe it has been discontinued. I got it for $10 at TJ Maxx, still sealed in plastic around the box.)


#2- Perpetual Moisture 24 Cream by Elizabeth Arden (also available in a lotion) ****1/2 stars.

Tried a sample I had given my mother-in-law while I was staying at her house over Christmas and fell in love with it. Needed a good winter day/night moisturizer so I ordered a sealed one on ebay for only $22 including shipping. I have decided that the fragrance is a bit strong, but that could be because everything smells strong while I'm pregnant. Overall it is a great basic moisturizer that really does last 24 hours (I found out one day when I didn't wash my face in the morning). Retail price: $40.50 (1.7 oz).

I've never owned any Elizabeth Arden skincare before but I definitely will try more in the future.


#3 - Uplifting Mascara by Avon *star.

In my unending search for a great, cheap mascara I tried another new one. This product has small "fibers" just smaller than a bottom eyelash. I don't know if they are to thicken or to help "lift" or what but they scare me. If you look at the product closeup it looks hairy. I got one in my eye and found several under my eye at the end of the day. That said, my eyelashes did look great for several hours. I will be exchanging this for another formula. Retail price: $8.50 (but I got it for $4).

I believe that to an extent you really do get what you pay for (or at least what they're asking for). Skincare lasts a long, long time and you only get one face, so take care of it. I still believe that I can find a great mascara for less than $15 and when I do, I will let you all know.

Shampoo Head

When I was little I loved giving myself shampoo mokawks. It is also fun to do it to others.


Why is he so stinkin' cute?!!



It's hard to keep him sitting down safely in the tub.



"Gimme that camera."

Weird

Aren't Christmas trees supposed to be dying from the moment they are cut down?
I took these pictures like a week ago. When we returned from our Christmas vacation we expected our tree to be on the brink of death. Instead we found that it had sprouted fresh new growth all over. See the light green parts? I suppose the guy watching our cats may have watered it while we were gone, but still! Very odd, I say.

Just Some Stuff

Today I am exactly halfway thru my pregnancy; 20 weeks; 4 1/2 months. It has gone by so quickly. Last night Brandon felt the baby move for the first time. I am pretty much past the morning sickness now. Unfortunately we as a family are not over our colds yet. Jonah has been sleeping better with a humidifier but it is pathetically sad to hear him cough and to have to wipe his nose every 15 minutes and blow my own nearly that often. He is very busy taking all the dvd cases off the shelf right now and carefully examining the boxes. He especially likes the two disc sets.
He can stand on his own for several seconds now and his favorite thing to do is to hold hands and walk me (or anyone) around the house. He is also very kissy lately. He also loves walking on his push toy from Nana Lisa and reading his books. He's getting more and more interested in his drum and maracas now too.
Jonah has been grinding his teeth lately. It really worries Brandon, but I think he's just getting used to the novelty of having top teeth. I've got to try and get a picture of them, they are so darn cute! He tried french toast for the first time this morning (no toppings) and seemed to really like it.
I must recommend to all of you to rent Beyond the Pale, Jim Gaffigan's stand-up comedy. It is such good clean fun and we laugh so hard!
Apparently it is wedding season here (?). In the past month I have been to two bridal showers and a reception. I still need to get gifts for the two weddings I missed and I have another bridal shower to attend this Saturday followed by the reception the following week. Wow.

Random Stuff

Brandon and Jonah clapping and cheering for Viv and Tori on Guitar Hero.


Jonah with Grandpa Mike.


Alan and Linda always find us unique stocking stuffers.


"Christmas" morning #2.


Bathtime with Jocelyn.


Heading back to the cabin from the pond.


Snow accumulation at the cabin on the deck's table, chairs, and bird feeder.


Jonah lovin' on Cody.


Jonah watching us ice skate.


Jonah taking a quick turn at ice skating with Dad and loving it!


Jonah lounging on Aunt Andy's lap.

I don't think I've ever mentioned on here that we have deer that roam our neighborhood in the evenings. I usually see them in a pack of three, mostly young bucks. A couple nights ago as we were pulling into our driveway we saw a herd of about seven in our next-door neighbor's yard. Crazy.
Flying with an 11 month old is a nightmare. Even though he'd had a good morning nap, was fed and changed and entertained, there is no consoling a tired baby who doesn't know how to sleep without a bed and surrounded by distracting visuals and noises. Any tips?
Loved every minute of our trip to Illinois. Jonah basked in the attention and affection of Nana, Grandpa, and his two aunts. Brandon and I enjoyed having minimal responsibilities. Lisa and I stayed up super-late one night to watch all four hours of the North & South (British Elizabeth Gaskell novel adaptation) dvd she gave me for Christmas. Jonah's favorite Christmas gift was the vtech storybook I gave him. It's a plastic book that sings/reads nursery rhymes to him. He is also loving a toy which assists him in walking around the house, he holds onto the handle and pushes it all around. It's pretty darling, so are his two new top teeth.
Hmmm, what else?
Ah, yes, New Years. We arrived back in Utah on Sunday the 29th. On the 30th we went up to the J. family cabin with the Andy, Brandon M., Katie, Jamon, Alisha, and Joselyn. Alan and Linda were already up there. The next morning we did the J. family Christmas. We got lots of great gifts. My best one was probably the black dressy boots from Linda. Can't wait to wear them to church tomorrow.
Felt kind of crappy both days at the cabin but was determined to get out and enjoy some winter sports while I had someone willing to watch Jonah. I got to snowmobile for a couple hours and ice skate for a little bit too. I probably shouldn't have done either while I was pregnant, but I was very careful and will be more careful in the future. Had a ton of fun nonetheless.
New Years Eve I wasn't feeling well and was exhausted. I was asleep by 11. We set off fireworks before that with Linda's best friend and family. It was the coldest night of the year and our themometer said 1 degree at 10:30pm.
Jonah had his first fever last Saturday night. It was 105 and pretty scary. After some Motrin, some cold water, and a snuggle, he slept the rest of the night like a rock. He had a fever the next day but we kept it under control with baby Tylenol and baby Motrin. He never even acted fussy.
I've spent the last three days homebound so that I can always be close to a box of tissues. I ventured out last night to grocery shop. Brandon has had the same headcold as me. Today I'm actually feeling much better. Unfortunately today Jonah's nose has started running and he has a little cough when he sleeps. He's still his usual cheerful self though yesterday he was cranky. Is there anything I can give him before bedtime? The pharmasist said there isn't really anything on the market for children under age two but I remember a friend mentioning a product called Little Noses or something like that. Anyway, we have been blessed to have such a healthy little guy all these months.
Well, I think I'm beginning to ramble on and this post is going to be really long. Au Revoir!