Follow the Leders

I love you, a bushel and a peck

2012-02-16T19:57:00.001-07:00

aaaaand a hug around the neck!

That's from the musical guys and dolls by the way.

Valentine's Day was perfect this year. I worked 11-7:30, but that didn't stop the celebrations!

We baked heart-shaped sugar cookies the night before, I frosted them in the morning while Carl started on breakfast, which was heart-shaped pancakes (whole wheat! just like you, mrs. katy roberson :), heart-shaped eggs, and bacon (not heart-shaped...). It was a delicious breakfast and a very hearty (bahahaha I'm so funny) meal. I received chocolates and Carl got a Mountain Dew. Ezra was treated to tasty goodies. Then, when I came home, Carl prepared a homemade edible arrangement and chocolate covered strawberries. Yum.

We enjoyed the extra loving calories :)

8 weeks 'til D-Day.

2012-02-12T20:27:00.000-07:00

Scary to think that I only have 8 weeks (I'm 32 weeks tomorrow) until my official due date! We don't have anything ready this time. I mean anything. Names, outfits, bassinet, who will watch Ezra if I go into labor before 4/4/2012 (when my mama comes!), newborn diapers... yeah, nothing. I actually don't feel worried, but at the same time, we really need to pull things together haha. It's also amazing how little time we spend planning for something this life changing when we have a little guy already- last pregnancy, I went to school, gradutated, and then studied for the NCLEX... but any "down time" Carl and I had, we would talk about plans for Ezra's arrival. Oh well. It'll all work out- it always does :)

I'll be preparing a blog post soon with a contest regarding Babe #2's d-day and gender... exciting stuff!

look closely. he has a waterfall under his nose.

This poor guy has been battling a cold, possible ear infection (again), and possible teething (also again). I stayed home with him today instead of going to church because he was so miserable this morning. Poor babe. Doesn't he look so pitiful?

So out of it...

My first week of work was highly uneventful for the most part since it was all classroom lectures. However, I did get to go into the ER one day to shadow a tech. In that time, I saw a person come in after overdosing by swallowing a transdermal narcotic patch, a few chest pain complaints, lots of UTIs and bowel issues, and a few colds. Fairly eventful and I'm excited to actually do more nurse-related things this week!

Carl is doing well- he has been working hard on his hardcore juicing cleanse/diet. His hardwork is showing too! He has lost 7 lbs since he started about 15 days ago! Here are the posts if you're interested in reading about his progress: http://harmonizedlaughter.blogspot.com/search?q=juicing

Hope everyone is doing well and avoiding the illness monster!

She works hard for her money.

2012-02-06T19:28:00.001-07:00

I started work today and it wasn't too bad, somewhat boring. Mostly because we sat on our butts watching slideshows and videos, but still, not bad. I find that I get a lot of mixed reactions from people when they hear I'm working. It's either a "yay! so glad you can work where you want to!" or a "oh, I'm sorry. I would hate to be away from my kids that long. Is there anything you need?" I think the latter response is the more common one, but I know that it comes from good intentions. I agree, it is hard to choose to be away from Ezra, but I chose to go into a field that is more than a "back-up" degree. A nursing career does not have a very long shelf life when not working/volunteering/going to school. It requires experience not only to be useful, but to often keep a license active (I think many of my nurse friends and family who are also moms will really "get" what I mean). Nonetheless, I love that I'm a nurse and look forward to the experience I'll be gaining in the ER!

Carl and Ezra went to the allergy appointment and it was very uneventful and really not needed to be honest. Ezra didn't have to get poked (yay!) and the doctors basically just said to watch his allergy. Whyyyyy did the pediatrician have us go to an allergist for something this mild?! Ok. Anyway, the good news is that he will probably overcome his allergies (minus the amoxycillin allergy) in the next year or so. For now, we will be on the watch and continue to carry epi pens.

Glad to be home with the family this evening, back to the grind tomorrow!

Oh, and if it seems like I'm not as active on Facebook anymore, it's because I'm not. I deleted the app off my phone so I wouldn't be so tempted to check it so often. 2-3 min each check really adds up the hours of waste each week! I also deleted the pinterest app. I did sign up for instagram... but so far I'm only following my sister and her fiance haha. It's time to stop letting social networks take up too much time in my life!

I Spy... a babe.

2012-02-01T19:43:00.000-07:00

Or maybe a pair of creepy parents (stalkers)?

We updated our baby monitoring system to a video surveillance camera (literally surveillance- we bought a security camera. much better quality than a fancy video baby monitor and waaaay cheaper (check out amazon)). We watched Ezra fall asleep tonight.

Seriously 10 weeks to go?

2012-01-31T20:23:00.001-07:00

As many of you readers are also loyal facebook friends, you will probably have noticed I posted a very pregnant-looking picture of myself this week. Take a moment and notice the difference between 30 weeks with Ezra and 30 weeks with this babe:

I am carrying out much more this time and my back and pelvis feel every bit of it. However, thanks to my maternity belt purchase, it hasn't been too bad as long as I get adequate rest each night (which Carl has allowed me to get by letting me sleep in almost everyday :)

We had fun taking pictures on Sunday after dinner. I love my little [growing] family!

he's like an asian carl, right?!

love love love that we are making the same face

just needed to showcase the brown eyes he inherited from me :)

YARG!!! We tend to say this at dinner time with forks, but he's happy to say it with blocks too

Being "soft" to the baby

he surprised me by giving the baby a kiss too!

Yay!

And the who's the goober now?

happy day!

ps- i'll be reporting on Carl's juicing halfway mark tomorrow on our other blog. woot.

A jumble of thoughts

2012-01-28T21:46:00.000-07:00

I used to think "preggo brain" was a fake symptom. Maybe more of an excuse. I'm sorry if that is offensive, but it just seemed fake.

Until this pregnancy. I swear, I have said to Carl or myself "what was I doing again?" or "why am I looking in here?" more than I can even come close to counting. Or those random spurts of forgetfulness where I have somewhere to go and I have reminders on my phone and paper calendar and I still manage to not remember until I look at the clock, ask myself "am I supposed to do something right now?" and then frantically scramble out the door. It must be karma for having it too easy the first time.

I have been blogging up a storm on my crafty blog lately! It's been fun. I hope to add a few more crafty projects on top of the tasty experiments. And hopefully some interesting nursing experiences in the ER!

Speaking of ER, I start orientation in a little over a week! It's all classroom lectures the first week, but I am still so excited! Also very nervous for once I'm in the ER... what if someone codes?! And I'm still bummed about orientation being during the day- I'll miss my boys too much! But the rest will be nice :)

Ezra has been booming since my last update about him- he says a lot more words now and will try to repeat more often! He is so funny! He loves to tickle me or pretend to give me a toy car only to take it away quickly and cackle mischieviously as he runs off, convincing me that my only option is to chase after him. He also loves to give out kisses to us every night (usually. sometimes a bad mood will deny us kisses) and I like to demand kisses and hugs during the day because they are so sweet- this is usually 50/50. He'll firmly tell me NO if I ask too frequently.

Anyway, it is bedtime for the parents now, so enjoy my thoughts and the pictures below:

he automatically does the "cheeser" face for pictures now. I can hardly ever record a video without him holding this face for the first 10 seconds haha

I can't tell who he looks like more! Anyway, we thought this outfit was hilarious. We deemed him the country hunting bumpkin. His crocs are even camo!

a little blurry, but still handsome :)

crazy hair day!

If you ever need to buy toddler/kids shoes, payless shoes are the way to go. So cheap and great quality!

The other one.

2012-01-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

I finally updated my other blog with some reviews on treats as well as Carl's new diet action plan. Check it out!

http://harmonizedlaughter.blogspot.com/

Have a great day. I can hardly believe tomorrow is Saturday already!

It's Good To Be a Mom

2012-01-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

In the last two days, there have been two articles floating around facebook and I could not resist helping them float.

The first article was funny. I'll admit that the author's use of "Carpe Diem" is a little off- I mean, really? Don't Seize the Day? But I really loved the general message and that she was willing to be blatantly honest (something I've always been and dinged for haha :) and admit that motherhood is a challenge and it is completely normal to be frustrated some days. Sometimes we need 10 minutes to recompose ourselves, other times it's a date night. It was a breath of fresh air, and one I thoroughly enjoyed. I think it tickled me more because I used to always have all these people who would tell me to not cook, clean, wash dishes, etc and just hold Ezra all. day. long. Riiiiiiiight. On many occasions, I choose playing over chores, but isn't a clean house and cooking a decent dinner for the whole family refreshing?

The second article was just plain sweet. I thought it was just an extra sweet version of the first article and so kind to new moms. She says it plain and clear- being a mom (or parent really) is hard work, especially for the first child. Being a new mom is a whole new reality that you can never imagine and it is so normal to be tired, confused, and even frustrated with the unknown and new. It helps me to appreciate even more all the stages of life I will encounter in the near future.

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, former member of the quorum of 12 shared a general conference address that I think hits home with everyone. The title, Come What May, and Love It. The title says it all and is something Carl and I have adopted into our family. Sometimes things just happen and you can be mad about them or you can just choose to let it go, maybe even roll your eyes, laugh, and move on. It's good to remember that saying. We don't have cherish every single moment that ever was, but just take them for what they are, learn from them, and love the growth that comes from the outcome.

Being a parent has been a blessing and another trial that has brought Carl and I even closer :)

Have a fantastic day, everyone :) I started my day off preparing for my Sunday School lesson and drinking hot chocolate. I think water should have followed breakfast because I've been feeling mighty dry. Carl and I plan to have a nice relaxing day with Ezra and babe #2 (who seems very dissatisfied with the cramped quarters of the uterus hotel).

EEEE ARRRRRRR

2012-01-20T15:55:00.000-07:00

The title is pronounced "E" "R" which is announcing that I just got a job in the ER! Woohoo I am excited. It'll be a challenge, but so exciting and rewarding. Have I ever mentioned how grateful we are for my nursing degree? It has been a blessing in our family, especially in the last year!

Another announcement, Ezra's tree nut allergy panel results came back. This kid has a peanut, cashew, and almond allergy. Blah! I never thought he would be an allergy kid. So I scheduled an appointment with the referred allergist for more testing. Sigh. I hate that he will be poked and prodded and not know why.

While driving around today, Carl stepped into a Jimmy Johns. He came back smelling like a sandwich, so I told him he smelled so good I could take bite of him. I must be pregnant because I'm pretty sure there is nothing tremendously sexy about smelling like a toasted turkey sandwich.

It's been lightly dusting the last 8 hours. Welcome, winter.

Life is good :)

Just for old time sakes :) This was taken almost a year ago. I could nibble up those little fat rolls on his arms!

Pregs and Stats

2012-01-13T14:01:00.001-07:00

I know many of you have been craving a good plump picture of my belly. Don't mind the messy couch. It always looks like that.

EZRA! is 18 months old + a few days! He is one smarty and he knows it. Like I was saying last post, I would update you all on Mr. Mischievious:

Numbers:

Weight: 23 lbs, 14 oz (40%)
Height: 30 in (2%) - yes, that is the number two only. He's short and mighty- like his parents :)
Head Circ.: 49.5 cm (95%) - to hold his all-knowing, powerful, and brilliant brain of course!

No surprises on our side- we're happy to see consistent growth since his last appointment.

Ezra is such fun to have around. I'll never get over how smart he is. Not only are we, as parents, full of amazement, but strangers and acquaintances alike come up to us to point out his intelligence. It does make my head feel like it's in the 95th percentile or more often. He communicates with us so well despite having consistent small vocabulary of 6 words or so. A few notable developments:

He says "night-night" at bed time, still sleeping 11-12 hours a night (woot)
Loves to throw and kick all the toy balls we have here (he's been doing this for awhile, but I thought I should report it to his fans
LOVES the movie Tangled- Rapunzel is his girl friend
Eats with a spoon and fork at meals. Still working on the cup thing- he's been drinking from a cup forever it seems, just not very well on his own.
Has become the pickiest little eater that ever was. We frequently joke that Ezra has a hollow leg just for cheese.
Only takes one nap a day, usually for 2-3 hours (woot again)
Folds his hands/arms during prayer (usually only for the first 30 seconds only haha)
Still a music lover- this kid has got rhythm! I think he dances everyday at least.

He still has no idea who will be a permanent resident in April, but that's ok, I think he'll adjust well to having a little brother or sister :) I've been teaching him to be "gentle" and "soft" to my belly and saying "baby" when pointing to it, but he's also pet Carl's belly softly when Carl has mention "baby..." Kinda cute :)

On a bum note, we think he has food allergies to egg and peanut butter. He's broken out in mini hives in the past, so today, I painfully watched (and scolded a nurse for digging for a vein. whoops. mama bear escaped) Ezra get his blood drawn for a egg and tree nut allergy panel. He's also allergic to amoxycillin (which resulted in a systemic bright red rash in December). Boo! I guess even if you don't have a family history of food allergies, it still happens, especially if you do have a family history of asthma and eczema (weird) (carl and I both have family history of the latter- does anyone recall my condemned finger(s)?! haha).

After the pediatrician appointment, we went and toured the hospital I have now decided to deliver at. It's amazing. I love it. If you're ever delivering a baby in Milwaukee, go to the Columbia Center at Mequon. I promise you will not be disappointed. And I haven't even delivered there yet. I wish they would give me a dang job there! haha

Ok, that is all. The End.

Haircuts and Snow

2012-01-12T16:07:00.001-07:00

In honor of Ezra's half-birthday mark yesterday, we cut his hair earlier this week. Just kidding, we cut it because he has a bad case of fuzz head after sleeping or riding in his car seat. No lies, it was a pretty bittersweet moment for me. I'm not usually an extremely sentimental person when it comes to things like say, hair, but I was just a little sad when we clipped off his curls. His only curls. Which is is what gives him the bad case of fuzz head (not to mention the rat-tail/mullet look when we combed it all down).

Anyway, I didn't really want to keep any of the hair (Kim, it really did make me think about the black book and our locks of hair we enclosed on that particular page. Yuck! haha), so I turned to our digital age and will just have a nice digital documentation of the event: Ezra's First Haircut.

The Fuzz.

Ah, the cut.

Little curls... so tender... and off to the garbage they went.

Ezra did extremely well for such a wiggle worm. We just flipped on his favorite movie, Tangled (which he watches just about everyday. Both Carl and I have it just about memorized) and proceeded to cut cut cut. We only did end up cutting the neck and lower back of the head. His hair isn't bad up top, but no curlies either :(

I will update more on Ezra stats tomorrow, which is when he has his 18 month appointment!

In other news, the snow has arrived. I think. Apparently there is a major snow storm ahead, but so far, it has been consistently snowing ever so lightly starting late this morning. I'm a little tired of the warnings of the "great and terrible winter of Wisconsin" talk we've had since moving here, but I think this mild winter has caught even seasoned wisconsonians off guard. I'm a little excited now that the ground is white though! It'll get old when it lasts more than a week (I'm a California gal. Snow should be a vacation visit, not a lifestyle that lasts several months), but for now, it's exciting. Even Ezra is mesmerized by it.

View from our living room looking into the courtyard. Yes, those are Christmas lights and yes, we're keeping them in our window. We took the tree down at least! I love twinkly lights :)

He really is just so mesmerized by the snow!

All this snow talk makes me really think about our food storage and how well we are doing as well where we are really lacking (going to get gallons of water today!!!)... become more self-reliant today!
I am now 27+ weeks and feeling mighty round everyday. I just switched OBs and I have got to say, I will never just pick the closest OB again. My new doctor is absolutely fantastic! She listens and reads my chart and is laid back. Love it. I wish I could have had her last pregnancy! So my wisdom I am imparting is "always choose a doctor based on recommendation." Voila.

Have a wonderful day!

Thinking about chopping all my hair off again. Thoughts?

One Last Post For the Year

2011-12-31T21:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, it sure has been an incredible year! I have no idea what 2012 has in store for us, most likely good stuff. Ha! I am really looking forward to each year Carl and I spend together- we will have been married for 4 years this April! So much older and wiser these days. Just kidding, we are like newlyweds everyday. Except we have Ezra. and another on the way!

November and December have been SO HECTIC. Oh man, crafting Christmas presents must begin much much earlier than Fall. For the men in Carl's family (and Drew, my soon-to-be-brother-in-law :), we made ties and for the women (and Shnooks) I made purses. My parents' Christmas present was foiled by my poor planning on one-hour photos NOT printing 11x14 photographs. So they will get their present in April when my mom comes to Milwaukee. Woot. For the kidlets, Rylee got a personalized fuzzy blanket, Ellie got fuzzy slippers, and Ben got some magnetic fish and fishing pole.

I wish I got a picture of everything, but I failed when I was rushing like a mad woman to get gifts completed and mailed off. Here are a few pictures of the giftings:

5 of the 6 purses

Ben's fishies

Personalized labels for the purses and ties. Hard to read?

This is easier :)

While in CA, I REALLY wanted to take some family pictures, especially of the Lockwood clan. My parents, sister, and I have not had a good family picture since I was in junior high (ok, there were a few decent ones at my wedding, but I was in a fancy wedding dress). So, for my parents, the plan was to snap some great family photos, print them at a one hour photo location, and then modge podge them to two 11x14 canvases to make it appear like they are pricey gallery-wrapped canvases. Well, the pictures got taken aaaaaand... we were leaving too soon afterwards. So the canvases were brought back to WI and now I've edited the photos for them to be printed soon. Yippee! Here are the two to be printed for my parents:

Yay! Our growing family!

Finally, a family photo!

I'll admit, the 3:00 pm sun was not our friend. Not only are we extra glowy and shadowy, but my sister and I hardly look half asian anymore. Even my dad looks of asian descent haha. I also got to have a little family picture of Carl, Ezra, and I taken (and baby bump too).

Favorite boys :) Plus Ezra is doing his famous cheeser face :)

Christmas was so enjoyable this year. It was low key, exactly what Carl and I needed. I thoroughly enjoyed crafting presents for everyone too- I really got to think about each person when thinking of gifts (ok, the guys were gypped with the identical ties I suppose). I had fun, but like I said before, I'm starting WAAAAAAY earlier next year if I decide to craft again for gifts.

Happy New Year, everyone! May 2012 be even better if possible :)

Glorious Update

2011-12-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

I wish I could say this was truly a glorious update, but this is a lie. From my last post, I have been madly crafting away just about everyday. It was really fun making just about all our Christmas gifts this year, but if I am crazy enough to do this again in 2012, I will start in July. No joke.

We are leaving tomorrow morning to go to CA for Christmas this year! I am so stoked. I love CA and will always have a special spot in my heart for the bay :) Hopefully after this trip, I will be a responsible blogger once again. Merry Christmas everyone!

Holo.

2011-11-07T13:07:00.000-07:00

I purposely spelled "hola" as "holo." I have been saying "holo" to Carl since we first watched MegaMind. So holo, guys :)

Wisconsin has been great! I am so excited that we are comfortable here. We have slowly, but surely, been making friends who are wonderful, wonderul people and most happen to have young kidlets who don't mind the company of Ezra. Our apartment is comfortable and becoming more "homey" everyday (especially since we hung up our pictures finally and have a candied caramel prailines scent swirling around the kitchen and living room everyday). We also got a bookshelf, which has been nice to sort through clutter. I won't comment much on the random tub of pencils, pens, paper, and random hiding in our closet still... but aside from that, we are settled! Our home sweet home for at least the next 15 months :)

(I know it would be fitting to post pictures of our apartment, but that would require me to actually take some... so maybe this weekend?)

This pregnancy has been fairly easy so far. I can't believe I'm already 18 weeks! Here is my latest ultrasound at 17 weeks, 4 days:

do you see the litle open mouth? awwww

We had the opportunity to find out the gender and... we didn't. Ah! It was such a challenge to turn away from the screen. I asked the tech if she knew what the gender was and I think to save me from the temptation, she said she tried not to look and pay attention :) Eek! But after the appointment, I was over the anxiety and feel stoked again about a delivery room surprise baby.

Speaking of babies, my niece was born this past Saturday! We are thrilled to be an aunt and uncle again to miss Rylee Michelle! Mom and baby are well (and mom looked fantastic after birth!)

courtesy of facebook :)

April seems so far and close. It's so hard to imagine having two babies! Fortunately Ezra will be a little older by then and my due date is landing on the Monday of Carl's spring break. How convenient, yes?

Have a great day, everyone!

Hello Fall!

2011-11-02T22:19:00.000-06:00

Oh the weather has been lovely with the leaves changing and falling off the trees. The air is cooler now and it feels fairly chilly in the evenings. Today it even rained most of the day! I have a vanilla/cinnamon/amazing holiday scent wax scent filling up our home and it is truly delightful. Not to mention that walmart sells those Scentsy knock-offs for only $2 a tray. Sweet!

Halloween was so fun this year. We went to our ward Fall party/chili cook off, which included trick or treating through the hallways. I made Carl and my costume the day of the party (more like two hours beforehand...) and Ezra's came from toys r us.

On Monday, the day of Halloween, Ezra and I took pictures in the morning, went trick or treating with some lovely friends at the Medical College, and then concluded the evening with tasty spooky ( mostly just tasty :) treats at the Harkers. I'm so glad Carl got out of class early and was able to join us for the evening festivities.

We didn't carve pumpkins this year just because we didn't have anywhere to put them. Nor did we have much family time to set aside for just pumpkins, but oddly enough, it wasn't a big deal. It will be I'm sure when Ezra is older and wants a pumpkin to carve :) We did however buy a baby pumpkin at Trader Joe's for Ezra to play with, which he just adores.

Enjoy these pics!

phone pic

phone pic- lions and tigers and bears. oh my! love Ez's face in this. Carl and I are roaring. It's a must for a mama bear and lion king.

These are from Halloween morning:

he turned away from the camera to have more alone time with the pumpkin

see, he just loves that pumpkin!

My mama came to visit us two weeks ago and it was so nice. Ezra loved having his "pua pua" here and playing all day long. It was nice and relaxing to visit and see my mom for several days in a row. Carl and I even went out on a date! It was a glorious 5 days and we all miss my mother dearly. Visitors are always welcome here!

we went to Apple Holler down past Milwaukee and enjoyed some fall activites. My aunt carol also came, but I didn't get any pictures of all of us. It was a fun fall activity though!

he screamed, not cried, when he first encountered the goats, but then he couldn't get enough of them afterwards and even wanted to feed them, though he didn't quite build up the courage to get his hand close enough.

stuffing his face full of good stuff

Happy fall to all of you bloggerees! Also, I just started a crafting blog for fun. It's in effort to document my crafty side and also to encourage me to keep my creative juices flowing. Feel free to visit: harmonizedlaughter.blogspot.com!

No more secrets

2011-10-05T16:32:00.000-06:00

Well, I told my family and and facebook the news, so who is there left to tell?

11 weeks, 3 days

I'm pregnant!

So, here is a Q&A session I had with myself for the purpose of this entry:

Was it planned (since this is the most common question)?
Ok, not really anybody's business, but yes. Did I think I would get pregnant as quickly as we did? Nope. A little TMI, but I haven't had a period since I was pregnant with Ezra (yay breastfeeding!) and I figured I would get pregnant as soon as my regular cycle returned after I weaned Ezra, so ya know a few months... but no, I weaned Ezra and got pregnant the next day. So planned in a backwards way :)

How far along are you and what is your due date?
Today, I am 13 weeks, 2 days along. I am due on April 9th, 2012 (my nephew's birthday!). I was two or three weeks further along than I estimated when I went in for my first ultrasound (the above picture)

Any morning sickness?
I still haven't thrown up! But I have been waaaaaaay more nauseous than when I was pregnant with Ezra. Appetite has not been amazing, but I have gained 2 pounds, which I am deeming a success.

Are you hoping for a boy or girl?
I guess the safe answer is I'm happy with either, but suppose I'll be honest and say that it would be fun to have a girl since we already have a cute little guy. I keep feeling like we might have a boy again, but it's probably because we already had one haha. I think Ezra would have so much fun with a little brother! A girl would be SO FREAKING FUN... for me :) Dresses, hair accessories, cute fashionista outfits, painted toenails, frilly pink stuff... ahhhh so fun...

Oh and we're going for a delivery room surprise this time around. Woo hoo!

Are you nervous about having two babies?
Everyday. I'm so lucky to have Carl. He is so supportive and reassuring, helping me to slowly let go of my fears of caring for two under two (Ezra will be almost 21 months when this little one is born). I keep trying to only focus on the exciting parts of having a growing family, but instead, I find myself stressing about going to the grocery store and Ezra getting lost in our parking garage while I buckle in our tiny newborn into his/her carseat... slow. deep. breaths.

What's different now compared to your first pregnancy?
Besides the increase in nausea, I am showing a lot earlier. Probably because I didn't have a good exercise regime after having Ezra, so my abdominal walls are much thinner this time around. It's kind of fun sporting a bump already though :)

Carl and I are stoked. Ezra doesn't really know what's going on, but that's ok. I think he will be a great older brother! It will be a hard transition for all of us, especially with Carl being so busy, but I am nonetheless excited!

NOW

2011-09-23T14:24:00.000-06:00

i can't show you my whole face since i have a zit on my nose and look like a bum. notice my hair has grown though!

Between moving, unpacking, and taking care of Ezra, I have been feeling so frazzled lately. I hardly do my hair ever (and Midwest humidity has not been kind), I put on makeup for church, I get overwhelmed by the mess of unpacking, and I'm just so easily frustrated! So starting today (and I tried to start tomorrow, but decided change is needed now, not later), I will:

Put make-up on and do my hair so I don't look like I'm wearing a wig
Dress for success and not for lounging (which doesn't mean I have to be uncomfortable
Eat three meals- and no, a diet of cheese and coco puffs do not count (you wouldn't believe how few calories I consume)
Continue unpacking, but only a little at a time so I don't get whelmed
Read the scriptures (what a difference this makes on my daily outlook)
Make a list of crafts and do it! Crafting is such an outlet.
Decorate our home slowly
Be happy. I have a great life and a great family. Yet- it's easy to forget.

I may not accomplish everything on this list every single day, but I will try! We just bought a second car, so I don't have cabin fever nearly as bad now that I have the freedom to venture out of our apartment if I feel like it. We also did proper grocery shopping today! So our cupboards and fridge are full of good food. Being students, we qualified for FoodShare (food stamps) which I was initially a little embarrassed to admit, but now I don't really care because a) we are tax-paying citizens going to school and contributing to our society, b) it is such a blessing to have our groceries paid for, and c) why in the world do I need to be embarrassed to not rack up even more student loans? Carl, Ezra, and I are also on the government health insurance (if you are a student, chances are your state offers health care for the whole family if income is limited or zero- check it out!), receive WIC, and have applied to subsidized housing, where rent will be $0/month (hopefully we get in this spring!). I know some people look down on government assistance, and perhaps I once did a long while ago, but if it's properly used (and I know it isn't always), it is such a burden reliever. I filled my kitchen up with good, healthy food today. Our fridge has never been this full- it's great!

Getting off my soapbox and moving on- Ezra is cute as ever and loves, loves, loves to run around and get into things he's not supposed to (thank goodness for child safety locks that are even hard for me to open).

He is obsessed with the tv show Backyardigans ("we're yoooouuuur backyard friends, the Backyaaaardigans!").
He sleeps for about 10-11 hours per night, which is fantastic- he does cry sometimes, but falls back to sleep, so that's nice.
He is a short little guy still (and probably always) but everyone always seems to think he is big. I'm not sure why, he just looks sturdy I suppose.
He is so determined and loves to climb anything he can get a leg up on. That little leg stretches far!
What a smarty. I can't get over his brilliance and cuteness :)

just for memory's sake

newborn ezra. so dang cute, right?

wiss-conn-sunn

2011-09-14T16:23:00.000-06:00

We are here, we have been here for almost three weeks, and are halfway settled in. Carl started school last week, and we've been watching a lot of 24 when Ezra goes to bed at night.

Aside from school and watching 24, I feel so busy everyday. We go out almost every morning to take care of our mega to-do list we made prior to moving and today, we finally tackled all of the crucial things. We've been going to bed by 10 pm frequently too. I feel so old.

The move out here went fairly smoothly. I'm so glad we took a break halfway through the 2200 mile journey to see our friends, the Robersons, in their new home in the middle of nowhere (haha, wouldn't you agree guys?). It was a lovely break and they took care of us for a whole day and then some. So kind :) (PS- Shea and Katy, I keep trying to comment on your blog, but I keep getting denied because it says my account doesn't have access... what does that even mean??)

Our new ward out here is absolutely fantastic. So inviting, so sweet. Moving a ton can be difficult, especially when we don't have family nearby, but I think having our church everywhere we've been has made it so much easier over the past three years. It really helps to have something firm and consistent wherever you go, and the Church is just that. It's the same everywhere we are whether in Utah or Maryland :)

I wish I wasn't feeling so lazy right now because then I'd search for a cute picture of Ezra to post. But, that will need to be another day... for today, it will be words only.

have a lovely day!

2011-08-14T16:04:00.000-06:00

We went to a nearby flower field at the end of July and had a mini photoshoot. Ezra is so dang handsome :)

such a dreamer

I would love to give you stats for Ezra's growth, but I've been slacking and haven't measured or weighed him since he was 11 months...

However, he can:
- WALK! In the past 3 weeks, he's gone from crawling 90% of the time to walking everywhere. Prior to that, he did not have the confidence to walk, but now he is pro. I put him in some shoes today so that he could get used to having them on his feet now.
- wave hello. He's been doing that for a few months, but I never really announced it.
- clap. he enjoys a good round of applause every so often.
- he says mama and dada, but that's about it. I don't speak baby very well, but he's semi fluent in adult, so it works out.

I swear, this kid has some big brains. I'm blown away by his intelligence everyday. If he can't open something, he'll grab my hand and place it on the object/thing he knows can open. He has this toy that plays music and he'll press the button until it goes to his favorite song!

Ezra is a very patient baby. I love how observant he is and how quick he learns. He makes me smile everyday! He and his dad are best friends and they love to wrestle and chase each other around. Anyway, this past year has been a big year of learning and growth for more than Ezra- becoming a parent is such milestone in a person's life. Learning to parent is another story, but the experience has been good and one that I wouldn't trade for a thing.

This will likely be my last post until we are in WI. In about a week, we will be on our way to Shorewood, WI, our new home for the next 18-20 months. This will be the longest place we've lived at since getting married in 2008! I'm nervous, but mostly excited. Can't wait to start our journey!

For the sake of my poor sister

2011-08-13T23:26:00.003-06:00

Dear Shnooks, I am sorry that I have neglected my motherly duties of keeping you posted on Ezra's growth and cuteness. Here are different posts I promised to update on months ago:

Ezra's First Birthday

It was a success. Party goers came, Ezra was happy, he smashed the cake like it was his life calling, and then we took off to Seattle that night and enjoyed a little day trip there. Here are pictures to prove he turned one and we went to Seattle:

yum. my first mini smash cake!

I love that he touched the frosting with one finger and tasted it. cutest. thing. ever.

the cake really did not stand a chance.

Our happy family!

so concerned haha!

One of the games we played. Put Ezra in order from newborn to 11 months!

Fairly self-explanatory. There were 557 cheerios, by the way.

Isn't she just like sleeping beauty in child-form?!

Pretty ladies :)

Now, a party is not complete until a pinata is included...

Run, Carl, Run!

Even Carl- er, Ezra- joined the fun!

Remember young Sleeping Beauty? I LOVE the drama in her face here. This picture cracks me up. A circle of children, possibly debating candy theft or cutting in line for hitting the pinata :)

I love the fierce look in all the kids' faces when they're about to whack the pinata!

Even some adults join in the candy picking!

Grandma and the birthday boy! His head is so bulbous sometimes :)

And of course presents!

birthday success!
Seattle

outside our motel

on the ferry headed towards seattle

seattle :)

That's it Shnooks, I'll update another day.

... hopefully before we move to WI.

much love,
mei :)

First, the Recipe Post

2011-07-13T22:27:00.000-06:00

Many of you facebook followers and party attenders asked me for my reduced fat, reduced sugar, zucchini cake recipe and also for my hot dog bun recipe. I will share the not-so-secret here:

Reduced-Fat, Reduced-Sugar, Chocolate Zucchini Cake
yields enough for 30-32 cupcakes, one 9x13, or two 9" cakes
original recipe found here

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (gives it a nice homely taste, but you may omit)

4 eggs

3/4 cup canola oil (I use canola just because it's one of the healthies oils, but veggie is also fine)

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (sweetened is fine, but just more sugar)

3 cups grated zucchini

handful of chocolate chips if you think it's too "reduced" haha

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the eggs and oil, mix well. Fold in the nuts and zucchini until they are evenly distributed. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cake completely before frosting with your favorite frosting.

For the cupcakes, I spruced them up by filling them with vanilla pudding in the middle. You will want to fill each cupcake tin about 2/3 to 3/4 full.

Make a small package of instant vanilla pudding (be even healthier and use fat free milk and sugar free instant pudding! I just used regular instant pudding and 1% milk) and pour into a bag that can have a decorating tip (ziplock with corner cut of can work ok, but a tip makes this easier)
Once cupcakes have cooled enough (to not instantly liquify the pudding), cut an X into the center with a thin sharp knife.
Stick the pudding tip into the center and squeeze until the cupcake bulges slighlty
Cover up the top with your choice of frosting. A strong cream cheese frosting is my favorite (two 8 oz cream cheeses, 1/4 c. butter, 2 1/2 c. powdered sugar, 2 t. vanilla, whipped together until well blended and somewhat light)

so very moist, ever so sweet, and extremely pleasing to the taste buds. try it. yum.
do you see what's gross about this picture? I didn't notice until after I ate this treat...

Hot Dog Buns (also hamburger buns)
yields 12 hamburger buns or 16 hot dog buns
no changes made to the original recipe found here

1 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup butter

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 egg

In a small saucepan, heat milk, water and butter until very warm, 120 degrees F (50 degrees C).
In a large bowl, mix together 1 3/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Mix milk mixture into flour mixture, and then mix in egg. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape into smooth balls, and place on a greased baking sheet. Flatten slightly. Cover, and let rise for 30 to 35 minutes.
For Hot Dog Buns (16 buns for standard size hot dogs): Shape each piece into a 6x4 inch rectangle. Starting with the longer side, roll up tightly, and pinch edges and ends to seal. Let rise about 20 to 25 minutes. Bake as above.
Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

no tasty and tantalizing picture here...

well, enjoy the recipes, I will do a first birthday party post soon, as it was a success and so much fun! Here is a preview of the great day:

Greetings, I've missed You Too.

2011-06-19T19:02:00.001-06:00

Hello, I am back for a short time. I've been a major workaholic and have neglected my blogging duties. As for news, here are some updates:

1. We went to CA to spend some time with my fam 1 1/2 weeks ago. It was great. Sunshiney, warm, and lots of tasty home-cooked meals from my mama.

2. While in CA, we heard back from MSOE and Carl got in! You may have read his post here. I'm so proud of Carl! We're moving to Wisconsin at the end of August. Eek!

The Wauk.

3. Ezra is 11 months old! He is 21 lbs and 27.5 inches. Still a short cake, but he's actually grown an inch in about 3-4 weeks!!! Isn't that crazy?! He was just a bit over 27.5 inches last week and I'm sure he's probably taller now. Yikes!

4. On the subject of Ezra, he will be ONE YEAR on July 11th. We will be celebrating his birth on the 10th:

I'll be mailing out a few of these for keepsakes for family who cannot attend as well as some real invites. All are welcome to come, just let me know via phone/facebook :)

And in celebration of father's day, here is my dad in his waaaaaaaaay younger years and then one of my favorite wedding pictures :)

teen daddy - pre-married life and family. isn't he handsome?

Check out those shorts ha!

My cute parents and sister

My dad and sister on a plane- her ears were bothering her I think

Nice camera of the 80's

Love You, Daddy!

Wisconsin what?!

2011-06-12T17:47:00.000-06:00

Preface: This will be a blog written by Carl and no doubt touched up by Tracey so that it looks good!

I have been accepted tot he Clinical Perfusion program at the Milwaukee school of Engineering in Milwaukee, Wisconsin! The first day is September 2nd, so we basically have 12 or so weeks to get ready and move to Milwaukee! If you have any pointers about where to live in that area, we are open for suggestions. The school had told me about a month ago that I was on their waiting list in case one of the accepted students dropped out, but that my chances of getting in were very slim due to the fact that the students they accepted were all form their undergrad program. But lo and behold on Friday I got a phone call informing me that one of those students had dropped and I am now one of the 5 admitted for this fall out of the 35 or so applicants. Needless to say I feel blessed and privileged to be starting school this fall.

It is a Masters program and is 18 months long but they tell me that most students take until 20-21 months to finish their thesis. One of the great things about this program is that I will be able to do all my clinical work in Milwaukee verses moving around several times during the final months of the program as they do in most programs.

Now we just need to find out where to live out there.... I've heard that there is a good size LDS student population around Wauwatosa, and it would be nice to live near other people that will be in our ward. Let us know if you know of a good place to live within 15 minutes of downtown Milwaukee.

Oh dear.

2011-05-08T23:48:00.001-06:00

Time has slipped away again and boy, do I have updates for you faithful followers of the Leder clan.

Ezra is turning 10 months old this week. How can this be happening?! He is closer to toddlerhood than ever. This is a little late, but here are his 9 month stats:

Weight: 20 lbs, 48th percentile
Length: ~26 in, less than 5th percentile (he's a little shortcake apparently. What a surprise since his parents are so tall!)
Head Circ: I don't remember exact measurements, but he's in the 75th percentile. A big brain for the smart child!

I'm pretty sure I was accurate in my calculations. I didn't take him to a pediatrician for a well-baby check.

peekaboo!

Next item of news: I am employed as a RN finally! After hunting for months, I found a nursing home willing to take me in and provide me experience! I'm working part-time, about 24-30 hours/week and so far mostly evenings scheduled. The pay is great and the patients are sweet, forgetful, old people. It is far from my ideal dream job, but I am so grateful to have a job in my profession and to be gaining experience. Plus the pay is great! Wahoo!

And next,

vs.

These are the two schools Carl has applied to. He had an interview with Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) a week and a half ago and he is currently in Nebraska to interview with University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) tomorrow morning! Carl is incredibly talented and I have confidence in his abilities to get into a perfusion school this year. I'd be happy to call either Wisconsin or Nebraska home for two years- my dear Aunt Carol lives close to Milwaukee and I'd love to see her more often and Omaha is close to Kansas City, which will always have a dear spot in my heart. If by chance Carl doesn't get in, then I will forever doubt his talents. Just kidding, I'd probably talk smack about those schools and then accept that sometimes things just happen for a reason and encourage Carl to apply again next year. Another year in Oregon!

Back to me- I withdrew from school. Yikes! Life is too short to fret about GPAs, clinicals, homework, and tests. I was balancing way to many things this summer trying to work 24 hours, do 10-12 hours of clinicals, take 2-3 tests, finish large assignments/papers, and participate in online discussions and projects all per week and then try to interact with my family. It added up to about 45+ hours/week outside of the home and then an additional 10 hours at least doing tests/homework. When would I see Carl or Ezra? It really made me sad to think that Ezra was turning one this summer and I was going to be gone for the last few months of his infancy. So, though extremely difficult at first to let go of my pride, I withdrew from school, sold my nursing books, and I'm happy as a clam now (are they really actually happy? I'll say I'm happy as.. [insert something happy])! I feel so relieved, it's incredible. I can sit down and blog right now! I can fall asleep and not stress about an assignment that's coming up! I can go outside and enjoy the sunshine (if it's not raining ha!)! Life is great :) Education is also wonderful though, and I will finish my last four classess when Carl graduates perfusion school, gets a job, and we settle down somewhere for at least a year.

courtesy of thecarconnection.com - looks like this one mostly

Here's another curveball: our beloved truck is no longer here. This is one of the transitions we've made to being back on a full-time student budget. We traded it in for a silver 2008 Honda Civic and to be honest, I love the Civic more than the truck! We just went through our first tank of gas and we averaged a whopping 33.8 MPG!

Those are the major updates. Life is going much more smoothly now and we're happy :) I am so stoked about our future!

Here are some pictures of our recent outing to the Tulip Festival, including some snapshots of our little ham:

Colors upon colors. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful scene.

mid blink. how awkward.

vroom vroom! or maybe walk-walk?

I know, ew, right? But then again, kind of cool...

My husband has big muscles and can squish you.

My family :) I am a friend, wife, and mother.

Oh yes, we bought chicks! Sadly, most of them were purchased to eat after they get old enough... but weren't they cute?!

eeeeeeeeee! so cute! don't worry, they're awkward teenage chickens now.

Glad you made it to the end :)

Oh how time sneaks by.

2011-03-20T22:31:00.000-06:00

Truly. Time is a sneaky thing. While the days seem to take forever, how often do weeks just fly by?!

Tomorrow we are packing up our trailer (yes, OUR trailer because we bought it for a fabulous deal, courtesy of Carl's former boss, Mikey- thought I'd drop his name in case he ever stalks our blog and knows that we are indeed very grateful that we didn't have to shell out money towards a rental). The day after that at approximately 9:40 AM, Ezra and I will board our plane to Portland, OR while Carl gets the rotten end of the deal by driving there over the next 14 hours or so. Please keep him in your thoughts (prayers, good vibes if prayer isn't your thing, etc) because I seriously have separation anxiety with him. My imagination is a gazillion times more creative and dangerous.

This will be our eighth move. That is correct, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. How in the world did this happen to us in our almost three year marriage? Well, let me tell you:

So we met here:

After going to CA to get married, heading to OR for our second reception, we packed up and left for Silver Springs, MD (outside of our nation's capitol) - Move 1:

Being goobs in front of the capitol building

Then we came back here - Move 2:

Then we spent a bitter summer mostly apart, but eventually reunited in Grand Prairie, TX (right outside of Dallas) - Move 3:

Go Rangers!

Then back here again - Move 4:

We graduated and came to Overland Park, KS (city outside of Kansas City, MO/KS) - Move 5:

I couldn't find a picture that really culminated our Kansas experience, so here was our apartment complex

Hello, we return to Grand Prairie, TX for two months - Move 6:

Texas State Fair in front of "Big Tex" - creepy, right?

Time to leave, here we are in Provo, UT now (for one more day) - Move 7:

Arches National Park, Moab, UT

And y'all know how the story continues on to our eighth move.

If you know me, I really do enjoy the change of scenery after living somewhere for about 5-8 months, but at the same time, it would be nice to be in one place long enough to make friends. At least we're moving closer to family because they can't ditch us when we move again haha.

I probably haven't mentioned this, but the reason we are moving is because we spent all our money in Vegas a few weeks ago on the slot machines and poker games. I'm so kidding! I hope you didn't believe that. We really want to be closer to family while we make the transition to getting Carl into grad school and Carl's parents offered up their home for this transition period. It'll be nice not having a rental agreement to try to sell before the contract is over (which we've done at the three apartments we've lived in while at BYU-I).

Carl is planning to get his master's in clinical perfusion (sometimes referred to as cardiovascular perfusion as well). This is basically the guy who runs the heart-lung machine during open-heart surgery. They do other important things too, but I don't feel like listing those things :) The school he is hoping to get into is UNMC of Omaha, NE (Omaha-ha-ha. Who knew we would CHOOSE to live there?!).

Ok, enough about this move. Tomorrow I will also be putting myself through oral torture by having my dentist finish the rest of my fillings (a total of 9 and a partial crown over two appointments)- Aunt Carol and Paulon, if you read this, you'd be so proud of me- I've been flossing everyday!

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Why, thank you! I agree!

2011-03-08T19:20:00.001-07:00

Yes, teamleder.blogspot.com has a new face (banner) created by the one and only ME! So we are very excited to announce that we will be moving to Oregon in about two weeks!

courtesy of my drawing- can I tell you that it is hard to draw with a laptop mouse?

It is a sudden announcement, but we've planned this for several months now- we just tried to keep this in the hush so that Carl's work didn't know (so sneaky). BUT, Carl gave his two weeks notice last week and now we are freeeeeee to tell everyone and their mom! We will be moving in with Carl's parents, which I am so excited about! Do you remember this post about how exciting that there are wild blackberry plants growing like weeds in Oregon?! That's just one thing that I'm stoked for. I'm so happy to be closer to family especially!!

We recently took family pictures (see banner). Ezra was hardly cooperative, but oh well, it's not like I paid anyone to set our camera on top of several plastic tubs (in effort to create a makeshift tripod). Here are the few that turned out:

he's so handsome :)

And just because this was too funny:

Um. Awkward?

I have blog posts in mind, but my to-do list consists of packing, selling stuff, and of course, school. I hope to post again before moving!

we live!

2011-02-10T00:42:00.000-07:00

I promise, we are alive and well, just prioritizing life over blogging. What a shame, isn't it? There are some days I just want to quit school and play with Ezra all the day long, making fun crafty things and baking while he naps. Oh what fun that would be! No interpreting what case study patients may have developed overnight or what certain lab values indicate when someone has intracranial pressure! Papers? No way, forget all about those long papers analyzing patient care. I would just have my days wide open to play, play, play, and then Carl would come home to amazing gourmet meals and a sparkling clean home. A home that is decorated and looks like an Ikea or Pottery Barn catalog. And always smells of sugar and spice and all things nice. And birds would sing songs by the windows and deer would eat apples out of my hands and we would be gazillionaires!!!!

Ok that quickly became some wild Disney-esque dream (or nightmare).

Fact is, this is life and I am living it. And believe it or not, I am also enjoying it! I'm going to have a Bachelor's in Nursing in four semesters! It's longer than what I planned back in the day when I was pretty sure I'd conquer the world, but hey, I'm 22, so really, is there a rush? School is tough with a baby, but it is definitely possible. Today, while I was reading through a case study, I noticed it was too quiet, so I looked over my shoulder and Ezra had pulled out half of the tissues in the tissue box! He cracks me up with how curious he is about everything. He is just so smart and loves to study his surroundings. He's got his army crawl down pretty well too! I love that kid :)

Anyway, if you didn't take a moment to see when I posted this, it's almost 1 AM. I am such a rebel. A party girl. WooooOOOOoooo. Right, I hope you all have a fantastic Thursday!

Here is one of my favorite pictures of Ezra. I think he was almost 3 months. It makes me laugh every time I see his face! He looks like an old man hahaha. A cute little potato.

Halfsies

2011-01-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

Don't mind the scratch under his eye. He enjoys torturing himself when he's tired/upset/bored

Well, here is the handsome chubster- isn't he adorable? I know I shouldn't feel so prideful, but I feel my head swelling larger and larger every time a stranger comes up to me to tell me I have one of the cutest babies they have ever seen. This is a frequent event so you can only imagine the size of my head, right? He is half a year old. 6 months. oh em gee. Could he really have once been a tiny little fetus floating around my belly?!

Here are his stats:

weight: 18 lbs, 12.5 oz. (just a few ounces from 19 lbs!!!)

~ 75th %

height: 25 3/4" (kind of short, but what do you expect from a short mom and dad? a giant?)

~ 25th %

head circ.: 45 cm

~ 75th to 90th %

When he wears disposables (which is when we travel), he is in Size 4's. He's got a ghetto booty. Speaking of diapers, we are still cloth diapering and going strong!

Here are some more cute pictures of this babe:

I really adore this kid. He makes me smile everyday even when he complains because he's so dang cute! He is such roly poly and when I say roly poly I am referring both to his Michelin Man rolls and how well he can roll around now. He gets into everything and can scoot backwards really well. I watch him try and try to crawl, but he has not suceeded in that yet. I am sure he will crawl in at least a month or two though!

We started solids in the last week and it sure has been fun. We are trying out a method called Baby-Led Weaning (BLW). Basically you start babies off with finger foods like roasted sweet potato or steamed broccoli instead of using purees. The idea is you teach your baby to chew and swallow instead of just learning to swallow first. It also encourages babies to have choice in how much they want to eat and how soon they want to wean from an exclusive breastmilk (or formula) diet.

I am definitely not against purees and have nothing against people who start with purees. Just had to put that out there.

BLW has been a success thus far (according to his diapers) and a lot of fun watching his funny expressions when trying out a new food.

Have a great day everyone. I know I will! Carl and I are going to the temple tonight and Ezra is going to the sitters. As much as I love this kid, a little break is going to be amazing.

It's (was) the most wonderful time of the year!

2011-01-18T12:36:00.000-07:00

Hello faithful blog followers,

Remember when I posted about Thanksgiving right before Christmas? Well, now I'm posting about Christmas a few weeks after the New Year! At least it's before Chinese New Year, right?

Christmas in Oregon was lovely. We spent it with almost all of Carl's siblings (and parents, of course) and got to relax and play most of the time (Carl had to work a few times. Boo). We visited with some friends and cousins too! Knowing me, I am terrible at remembering to take pictures of these key events because looking back at my pictures now, they are mostly of (a) babies and (b) objects. A few lucky people got in the pictures too. I am not one of them.

I made stockings this year! Santa was very kind and filled it with tasty treats.

Have you ever seen a tree with SO many presents under it?!

I have not.

Pam painted all these little shops back in the day and used the names of her children for shop names. Cute, eh?

Here is the town situated above the piano.

Getting ready for Christmas breakfast with the Case side.

Aw, a garden gnome :)

Ezra enjoying a christmas present

Uncle Marty, The Pancake Master

mmmmmmm pancakes

Benjamin in his walker, AKA toe smasher :)

Ezra with Grandpa!

Uncle Matt playing amazingly on his 12 string guitar

Breakfast is over, extended family is leaving, time for presents!

Unwrapping his present...

...and enjoying the paper :)

Ezra's favorite gift was laying in wrapping paper heaven!

Here is Benjamin modeling the wrapping paper for us :)

Miss Dawn making amazing food in the kitchen

Great-Grandma Case and Aunt Lori with Ezra

Baby Shower for Katie!

Katie got a second Christmas at her baby shower

Aunt Catie and Uncle Brandon saying goodbye as we packed to head back to UT

Like I said, Christmas was lovely. New Year's Eve was much more low key this year and I forgot to take pictures (of course). I look forward to being back in Oregon and can't wait for another holiday in CA. Or maybe there won't be a holiday and I'll just visit anyway :)

Look forward to Ezra's 6 month post!

Give Thanks for Being in CA!

2010-12-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

Currently, I am in Oregon and have spent Christmas with the Leder side this year. So it makes sense that I am blogging about Thanksgiving then, right? Okay, not really except that I am behind on my updates. SO, Thanksgiving in CA first, then another post about Christmas will follow (hopefully) soon after.

Driving to CA was long and miserable for Ezra (and Carl... and me... but mostly Ezra). However, we made it there and spent a glorious week in the better-than-Utah-weather state.

We stayed in my parents other house first and celebrated Carl's big two-eight!

Shnooks and Ezra :) Ezra has a bit of a crazy eye going on.

yummmm.

the only picture I got of my mom. She is somehow always escaping my pictures!!! so here she is cooking some greenbeans with her best weapon- the chopsticks

Doesn't everyone seem so intrigued by my dad?! har har har just kidding :)

Grandpa taking a snooze after Thanksgiving dinner

I could NOT keep my eyes open any larger for this picture. Shnooks, how many did we take?!

Aunts and Uncles and Grandma. This was Grandma's last lovely family gathering before she passed away about a week later. My Aunt Ruby emailed us to thank us for giving her such a good meal before she left :)

Tio Andres!

cousins :)

The most delicious treat Aunt Ruby makes for every family gathering. Little gummy cake things (I have no idea what to translate them to in English...) and cocunut flakes for topping. YUM!

Thanksgiving was lovely. I had a great time seeing family and friends :) Here are a few more random pictures from the visit:

So, I stalked this feeder for a good hour or so because my mom claimed hummingbirds visited her garden frequently throughout the day...

She was right! I saw two or three hummingbirds and hour at least and they kept hiding in her plants. Can I just comment that they are tricky to catch on camera AND be in focus?!

Grandpa has a Kindle! Wha-what?!

Christmas update to follow this week!

Rockstars and Gypsies and Monkeys, Oh My!

2010-12-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

Ezra's baby pumpkin makes me smile :) It's turning white now that it's getting cold... a Christmas pumpkin!

Carl was super creative and did the scary tree pumpkin. I was lazy and carved BOO.

I'm getting close to being caught up with pictures and posts!

A different planet called Arches National Park.

2010-12-16T12:36:00.001-07:00

This visit was from early October, so Ezra was about 3 months old.

I really felt like I was on a completely different planet when we went to visit Arches National Park on our way to UT from TX. We broke the drive down into three days- Dallas, TX to Santa Fe, NM, Santa Fe, NM to Moab, UT (Arches is right by here), and then Moab to Provo.

This visit was quite the sight to see. Absolutely breathtaking and hard to believe a place this beautiful exists.

Random rock formations are everywhere!

Heading up the trail!

I thought this dead tree/bush/shrub was very artistic looking.

So this is why they call it Arches National Park...

What grandeur!

I took this picture myself. Thank you, Mr. Rock, for your tripod-like abilities

Look at them arches!

Handsome and very warm.

Just doing a little bouldering

Que pasa?!

What a bulbous rock, yes?

More updates to come! For now, I take my leave to complete the task of organizing my very own laundry canyons currently in our bedroom.

The Post.

2010-12-15T23:24:00.002-07:00

this is the face of a five month old :)

Hello. My name is Tracey. Remember me? I used to post weekly.

It's true, I've taken a very long break from the blog - almost 2 months! Writing takes time and time was very limited each day since moving to Utah. I've decided to do several different posts to try to recapture all the wonderful moments in the past 2 months or more.

We have been moving into our apartment for awhile now. Every time we begin to settle down with the boxes, a new load is welcomed into our livingroom and it's time to start all over.

So, about Ezra, our FIVE month old:

- He has been about a steady 17 lbs for over 1 1/2 months now. I credit his doorway jumper for maintaining his weight :) He can jump for an hour or more at time! I even had to tighten his cloth diapers today around the waist, which is most definitely a first.

- Lately, he's been sucking on his bottom lip as if he might lose it if he stops.

- Today he found his tongue and has been acting like a snake all day long. It's pretty cute.

- He still loves to stand- he's been happy about standing since about 4 weeks old! Now all we have to do is hold his knees or a finger

- He is also a rolling champ now. He started right around 4 1/2 months and has been getting wigglier every day, especially during a diaper change. Diaper off? Time to roll and escape the next diaper. See this video if you're not up to date with facebook

- He can almost sit up on his own, but is great with a little support. Bathing him the kitchen sink is much easier now because he has a lot to lean on.

- He has not started any solids yet, but I am pretty excited to start in January when he turns six months (oh em gee, right? that was omg if you didn't get it). More on that when that time rolls around.

It's amazing how quick Ezra's developmental milestones are being acheived. Time has snuck up on us! I finished my first nursing bachelor's class two weeks ago and it was a breeze. I start clinicals next week and while I requested the ICU and NICU, they assigned me to the ICU and ER. Can I just say I'm a little nervous about the ER?? I don't trust myself in nursing skills quite yet...

I have so much to update. Ezra was a monkey for Halloween. We went to CA for Thanksgiving. We went to Chicago last week. And then there's all the in-between. Yikes! Other then all the recent happenings though, Carl and I have been doing wonderfully and I look forward to getting back in the groove of blogging. I am also excited to go visit family in OR for Christmas this year! Happy holidays, everyone!

Yes, I am still the most handsome babe.

We're here!

2010-10-18T09:54:00.000-06:00

We arrived in UT on Wednesday and moved into a sweet apartment on Saturday. Currently, our home is full of dead bugs (including little nasty red/brown spiders. dead of course. though Carl found a semi-live one yesterday), all of our summer travel belongings, and a few furniture items we bought from someone off of craigslist. Unfortunately, we don't have a bed yet, so it's the air mattress-memory foam combo until then. It's not too bad... except we need to wake up in the middle of the night to put more air in it.

This blog will be lame for a few weeks I think because I need to write a few papers and unpack boxes. And then we'll take a trip up to Rexburg and bring back MORE boxes to unpack.

Hope you have a fabulous day!

Movin' on out!

2010-10-10T23:24:00.000-06:00

The time has come again.

We will be leaving Texas in a couple of hours (yikes, is it already past midnight?!) and going to Utah. Of course we won't make it to UT until Wednesday.

Also, Ezra turned 3 months old today. He is now 24 1/2 inches long and still a hair under 15 lbs (I think he's 14 lbs and 14 oz or something very close). Chunky and adorable as ever :)

I will be taking a small hiatus from blogging until we move in to our new residence (which does not exist yet..)

Farewell, Texas, you have given me an extra month of summer and a new truck. Thanks.

Hi, My Name Is Tracey and I'm a Donor.

2010-10-07T20:33:00.000-06:00

It's October and that means it's Breast Cancer Awareness month! I hope this post doesn't make you too uncomfortable since it's about, well, breasts. I am all for supporting good causes but can't I support a good cause without sounding dirty? I have received multiple Facebook messages/invites that all say this,

"Remember last year your status was about what color bra you were wearing at the moment? The purpose was to increase awareness for Octobers Breast Cancer Awareness month. It was a tremendous success and we had men wondering for days what was with the colors and it made it to the news. This years game has to do with your handbag/purse, where we put our handbag the moment we get home for example, "I like it on the couch", "I like it on the kitchen counter", "I like it on the dresser" well you get the idea. Just put your answer in your status with nothing more than that. Cut and paste this message and forward it to all your female FB friends to their inbox. The bra game made it to the news. It doesn't have to be suggestive. Let's see how powerful we women really are!!!"

Bra colors was kind of silly, but not too bad, but where you like to keep your purse? Sure, of course it doesn't have to be suggestive, but seriously, it doesn't matter how you say it, because no matter where your purse is placed, it ALL sounds dirty. I like it on my... ottoman. dresser. fridge. TV stand. hamster cage. Yes, I think you would agree that it sounds like the dirty dirty. And wouldn't it make more sense if it was "I keep it on my...?" because do we really like the fact that we keep our purses on whatever is closest when we get home? Personally, I always put my purse next to the wall on the floor when I come home. I would like it if I had a special closet dedicated to all my purses and purse accessories, but I don't, so I keep it out of the way. Ok, coming off my soap box and talking about the next breast-related subject.

approx. 281.5 oz

I am now a donor of breastmilk. What? Yes, I am a human milk donor! To many, this sounds a little odd and. "Ew, other babies will be drinking your milk?!" To those people, I say, "Is it any stranger that we drink cow's milk?"

Ok, I'll give you a break. I thought it was strange at first. Not really gross, but just different. I had never heard of donating breast milk before but when my freezer began overflowing with frozen milk and we didn't want to have to tote around a few coolers of breast milk when we move to Utah, I looked into ways to get rid of my freezer stash without having to waste (after all, I'm the one who was sitting on my bum pumping out that milk. that would be a lot of time wasted). So I found out I could be helping little premature babies in the NICU or women who adopted babies but can't provide (breast is best! don't worry, I am definitely not a formula hater- whatever keeps mama and baby healthy, right?!). It felt great to donate something I made- I suppose it's the same feeling when someone donates their blood. I've never been allowed to donate blood since I've always been too small, so now I get to help out another way :)

Well, I have yet to upload pictures off my camera from our fair adventure... I'll save that for another day...

As for tonight, I spotted a funny/poor direct translation in the local latino food market ad:

I guess hindquarters and butts are just about the same... right?

I suspect many of you have been waiting for a post like this.

2010-10-01T10:22:00.000-06:00

I've taken so many pictures of the little chubster... I just haven't uploaded them until now!

Get ready for an exciting post full of pictures and random thoughts!

I thought Ezra would stay small since he was only 6 lbs, 10 oz when he was born- I mean, everyone was saying, "he SO tiny!" but this little monster is now over 14 lbs at 2 1/2 months, bigger than a lot of babies I knew at that age. And he has rolls everywhere! I love his chub and I think he would look funny without it :) Grandma Leder (mother-in-law) call his arm rolls bracelets. I think that's such a cute name haha!

So Ezra is all full of smiles most days- he wakes up talking, smiling, and laughing just about every morning. He has a super strong torso and holds his head up great! See:

"Dad, why are you holding my butt?"
This is a trick he's been doing since he was about 7 weeks old! I think this was taken at 9 weeks..

When I look at him, he kind of reminds me of Chien-Po from Mulan. Don't you see the resemblance?

He and I spend a lot of time together when Carl is out working. He is very helpful too:

Excellent company :)

I've gotten in the habit of watching the MTV show, 16 and Pregnant, while I feed Ezra. After he's done, he watches the rest of the episode with me. He seems to enjoy watching TV, or perhaps watching bright colors on the screen and listening to music. The show has a good message at the end at least...

Here is how I spy on Ezra while he takes a nap:

And here are some cute pictures for your awaiting eyes:

Holding his head up during tummy time- still has not accomplished rolling over yet.

Recently found his hands and finds them quite delicious

In his new Cubs onesie from Aunt Carol

The happiest baby on the block!

The cherry on top: a video. He seemed to be a little camera shy when I started recording, but here it is anyway!

I hope this was an enjoyable post. I tried to include plenty of pictures of this growing boy. I forget he was once a bean inside of me over a year ago!

We went to the state fair this week, but I'll have to save that for another post :)

New! New! New!

2010-09-24T21:49:00.000-06:00

I feel like I won the lottery!

Actually, Classic Chevrolet of Grapevine, TX probably felt like they were the winners since we bought a brand new 2010 Chevy Silverado 1500 LT (Texas Edition. does the name get ANY longer?!) truck from them! We are in love. The color is taupe gray. Even the name is fancy.

The truck is much fancier than what we wanted, but they ended giving us a screamin' good deal, so we're pleased.

I'm still sad about the Passat taking its leave in our family, but the new member is so wonderful, so I guess I don't feel too bad. Should I feel guilty that we left all 3 back seat headrests in our storage unit in Idaho? The dealership didn't seem to think it mattered (though we didn't say a word when they were evaluating the trade-in). They probably have a headrest graveyard in the warehouse or something...

I took this picture. Just kidding, I stole it from google (don't report my potential copyright infringement!)

Well, I hope everyone is doing fantastic. Remember, if you're feeling generous, head this way!
http://teamleder.blogspot.com/2010/09/charity-5k-run-for-sustain-haiti.html

Through the years

2010-09-23T11:34:00.007-06:00

Can I just say that I'll be missing this guy?

I'm talking about the car. My 2003 VW Passat that I've been driving since I was 16. My parents gave it to Carl and I when we got married and what a trusty car it has been. It's driven us from coast to coast (literally. we drove from Oregon to DC in it), North to South (Idaho is kind of North... down to Texas), and really, it's driven us all over the United States (I don't even know how many times we've driven through the dreaded Nebraska). At 95,000 miles, it's losing more and more value and we're needing more and more space, so we are planning on trading this wonderful vehicle in. I'm sad. There have been so many memories attached to this car and now it's time for it to go. I guess that's life.

See, he was even at the temple when we got married

On a different note, do I hear crickets chirping? The last post about Sustain Haiti seemed to be a bit awkward for everyone since we were asking for donations. Seriously, don't feel obligated or guilty if you don't want to make a donation. FEEL HORRIBLE!

Just kidding. Hahaha I am the master of terrible jokes.

We're just trying to reach out to our friends and family who may have a few dollars laying around they decided not to use for a gas station pop and hot dog combo. We're very grateful for the donations that have been made though, so thank you very much for thinking of us!

If you happen to have that extra step in your walk and a cheerful song playing in your mind today though, click that shiny donation button below and contribute to a good cause!

ok, the button's link isn't working so go back to this post and click that pretty donation button:
http://teamleder.blogspot.com/2010/09/charity-5k-run-for-sustain-haiti.html

Charity 5k Run for Sustain Haiti

2010-09-18T11:22:00.002-06:00

Hello All!

You usually have the extreme pleasure of reading the more well written words and thoughts of my Fabulous Wife Tracey. For this entry I am making my debut on our Blog!

I am sure you all recall the devastating earthquake that shattered the lives of so many people in Haiti earlier this year. Pinnacle Security, the company I work for, has partnered with a NGO (nongovernmental organization) called Sustain Haiti. The goal of Sustain Haiti can simply be summarized with the intro to a recent entry on their blog, "One of the most common English clichés suggests that teaching a man to fish is preferable to giving that man a fish because teaching allows the individual to support himself for a lifetime." Basically, they are teaching the people of Haiti skills to rebuild their country, like gardening, in hopes of them becoming independent.

For more information on what they are doing please see their blog at: http://sustainhaiti.blogspot.com/ and to see more of what Pinnacle is doing to raise funds for Sustain Haiti, you can go to http://pinnaclesustainhaiti.blogspot.com/. Here is the story that the Utah news station KSL 5 reported on this group and what they are doing: http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=10918510.

On November 6th, Tracey, Ezra (via jogger stroller), and I will be running in a 5K Charity run which is being organized by Pinnacle. In fact, I am helping to organize and put it together! There will be 3 levels of entry fees depending on how much each participant is able to raise: $25, $75, and $150. Our goal is to raise as much as we can to support this program. In doing this we also want to reach out to our friends and family to help raise funds towards the entry fees. Just think, if everyone we know contributes $1, we could make such a difference already (tracey speaking now- what costs a dollar? chips, mcdonald's soda, dollar store items [and even those cost more sometimes]... back to Carl). And again all this money will go directly to helping the people of Haiti. We have created a button that will allow you to make donations into our Paypal account, each donation will be labeled "Sustain Haiti." We will donate every penny towards the charity.

We can use your help, but Haiti can use it more!

I just can't help it.

2010-09-13T15:47:00.000-06:00

Any time Ezra takes a nap, I want to hop on the computer and do things that aren't on my "to-do list" for the day, such as looking for housing in Provo/Orem area, looking at the dream family vehicle we would like to buy some day (Volvo XC90), checking out what other people are doing on facebook or blogger, and of course, writing another blog entry.

Today, Carl and I finally got out and walked about 2 miles. We bought a jogger stroller off of craigslist in hopes of getting hot bodies. We also want to train together for a charity 5K run (more on that for another entry)- yes, we actually need to train for a 5K, especially me, because I am not a running kind of gal. I can bike miles and miles, but running even just one mile KILLS me. But my pride tells me I can do this and I should because it makes me look cool when I say, "Oh yeah, I'm going to run a 5K next week." No biggie.

What do these pictures make you think of ? An audition, perhaps?! Well, as I was wasting my time on facebook earlier, I came across this and said, woah! That would be so fun! In case you're feeling a little lazy today and don't want to click on the link, it's a casting call from the LDS church to be part of a Bible or Book of Mormon movie! OooooOOOOOooooohhhh! So, I told Carl he needed to take a picture of me and I'd take one of him and together, we will audtion to be an extra in the movies! I could possibly be Nephite #6 or perhaps Girl Throwing Stone. I don't know, but it sounds like fun. You don't have to be a Mormon to audition or even live in UT, though you would have to be in UT if chosen to be part of the movie. They're looking for more ethnic looking people.

Anyway, I'm going to take a quiz for my only class now. The class is actually quite a breeze compared to the ASN program. Getting my bachelors in nursing shouldn't be to hard going part-time! Hope everyone has a fantastic day!

I done goooood.

2010-09-07T15:43:00.001-06:00

i love this face (not the one in the one in the bottom lefthand corner- that one is ok. i'm talking about the guy with the adorable smile and though you can't see in this picture, he also has dreamy blue eyes). ... (he also has big muscles and can fix anything.)

(boo-yah!)

I was feeling that reminiscing mood I feel every so often today and looking through some old pictures of Carl and me. I really haven't known him that long- we met in September 2007, got engaged after a few weeks of dating (I think it was like 6 or 7 weeks) and then married the following spring. It's crazy to me that it's been 3 years since he barged into my apartment while I was strumming on the guitar with some roomies. Then he tried to set me up with his cousin who just came home from a mission. Then he ditched that plan and asked me out on a date and won my heart. It's been so fun and although the past 3 years seem like an eternity, I still get giddy thinking about growing old with Carl and having lots of handsome babies over the years. I can only imagine what next 10 or 20 years will be like! Pure craziness with handfuls of love and happiness :)

I'm madly in love with you, Carl Wallace Leder!!!

For your enjoyment, I've included some pictures to gaze over:

october 2007 - we just started dating a few days before

how we fell in love

the proposal

touring SF

our wedding

riding in a mustang on our way to ocean city, de

rosarito beach, mexico

somewhere in lehi, ut

snowshoeing in ririe, id

salt lake temple for devin & karina's wedding

cleaning our pores - texas

graduation

the only nice picture of all three of us (almost)

I'm Satisfied

2010-09-02T22:28:00.000-06:00

By the way, I love when this

becomes this

wish you had a tasty Gala apple now, don't ya?

This is my second post for the night. Here is the first.

I wish I took more pictures.

2010-09-02T21:01:00.000-06:00

I had so much fun in CA and OR, but like I always say whenever we visit, I wish we could stay longer. It was so great to see family, especially those who I hadn't seen in awhile or hadn't met Ezra yet. I also wish I took more pictures! I brought my camera, but only managed to snap a few pictures, mostly in CA. Fortunately, someone used my camera while in OR (perhaps thinking it was theirs?) and took a few pictures at the open house for meeting the newest and only grand babies of my in-laws. Anyway, here are a few snapshots of the fun we had!

Oh, and I did pick blackberries. 7 lbs worth! And yes, I probably ate 3 lbs on my own. And no, I did not have to go potty as frequently as one may assume you would have to with that much fiber. Mmmmmmm berries!!!

Classic Daddy smile :) Ezra welcomed his Grand Daddy by burping up on him as much as possible while visiting!

Shnooks, or Yee Yee as Ezra will most likely refer to her as. Because really, who calls her Julie anyway?!

Oh Schteph, you and Ezra are such good friends already :)

In my grandpa's own words, "When I was younger, I never thought I'd live to be 50. Then I thought I'd never live to become a grandpa. Now, I'm a great-grandpa!" Grandpa is turning 87 this month!

Here's what I mean when I say I didn't take enough pictures... this is the only one that tells me my mom was present during our visit. She made a pillow barrier on her bed while Ezra was napping. But in case someone decided to jump on the bed without looking, she put a sign up so that the potential-unaware-jumper would not jump on Ezra. I love you, mama!

Cousins taking a snooze together :)

Why yes, I did just get a bath and yes, I decided to pee everywhere when you took my diaper off. And then poop when you tried to put a new one on me. And then pee again when you cleaned me off and tried to put another diaper on. I love you, Mom and Dad!

Handsome in his blessing outfit!

Happy Family!

Carl is hot :) And there is serious cuteness in Leder grand babies!

Opening some presents from family members. This is when someone used my camera and recorded this and the following pictures! Thanks!

Hey Grandma!

Hands on your hips- it's a popular stance!

My pretty sister-in-laws and handsome nephew!

I really wish I got more pictures of everyone together!!! But I'm glad I got a few good snapshots in :) So good to see everyone and November and December cannot not come quickly enough so that I can see everyone again!!!

On different note, we are in Texas now and settled in! The apartment is newer and nicer than the one in Kansas and we get to park in a garage now! Huzzah! It's still nice and warm here, though there was crazy lightning going on last night. Clear sky + lightning = pretty amazing!!! I start my online bachelor's course next week. No excitement there. Hopefully I'll be awesome and manage to balance mommyhood, school, being a wife, exercising, and maintaining spiritual endeavors!

one minute of sneakiness.

2010-08-24T15:20:00.000-06:00

Carl is doing work stuff.

I'm supposed to be making shoes.

That's Ezra's blessing shoes, I mean.

I'm also supposed to be packing up our home as we will be moving to Texas in a week and leaving for our fun family trip tomorrow morning.

Which brings me to this blog... I'm so excited to go visit everyone this week! Here's my list of things I'm excited about:

1. Family. I can't wait to see my parents, Shnooks (that's my sister- don't ask why I call her Shnooks. I'm not even sure if she knows why.), grampa (he gets to meet his first great-grandson!), in-laws, and all of my in-law siblings. and my only nephew! I haven't seen him since he was a few days old!

2. CA's weather- what can I say? The Bay Area won my heart many years ago :)

3. My mom's cooking- she cooked for Carl and I for almost 3 weeks and then even left some frozen meals for us. We consumed every last crumb and now we miss it more. Mommy!!!

4. Ezra's baby blessing- I'm excited for Carl to have this new experience and for Ezra to receive this blessing! And plus there's a party afterwards. Party on!

5. Berries. I cannot even tell you how much I want to eat Oregon berries. Every time we buy berries here, Carl tells me how sweet and delicious Oregon berries are and that there's even an abundance of wild blackberry bushes that grow like weeds everywhere. I want them. and I will get them.

6. Hang out time! It'll be nice to just hang out with everyone in CA and OR. I'm hoping to see my dearest friend, Stephanie as well (HI SCHTEPH!). It'll be nice to just finish dinner and sit around the table chatting while eating fruit my mom has just peeled or to be sitting around making fun of each other at the Leder household (a family favorite).

I am just SO stoked for this trip! I can't wait for everyone to meet Ezra! and to hold him because my arms are screaming for relief! haha

alright, back to making shoes and then packing up the home.

Mr. E-Z-R-A among other things

2010-08-17T19:37:00.001-06:00

This was Ezra's first full day of church at 4 weeks old. Photo quality isn't so hot do to it being taken with my phone :) And yes, he was passed out with his tongue sticking out. Or that could be a poopy face too.

So where did the name Ezra pop out of? Many of you asked Carl and I what we would be naming our baby when he arrived and of course our answer was, "No idea, we really like the names Damien or Jayden, but we'll need to see him when he arrives."

And he arrived.

And we had no clue.

Because he was neither the Damien (which I wanted so badly) or the Jayden we thought he may be.

So about 4 or 5 hours after he was born (and probably 4 or 5 nurses later who asked us what his name was too), I was sitting in the L&D room looking at my brand new baby with Carl crashing on the not-so comfy recliner next to me, and I stared long and hard into my little boy's eyes and said,

"Are you a Damien or Jayden?"

Ezra, *wrinkle nose, furrowing of the brows, etc*

"Ok, I'm not sure what to call you, boy"

...

*inspiration hits me*

"Ezra? Could you be an Ezra?"

Ezra, *squeaky sound*

Then Carl wakes up and I ask him, "Hon, what do you think of the name Ezra?"

Carl, "You are an inspired woman!"

So we decided that Ezra Wallace Leder sounded and felt perfect for our first son. I love that we felt inspired to name him that. Back in the day, I had made a list of baby boy names that I liked and Ezra was on there, but when we found out we were having a son, Ezra Wallace didn't sound good to me at the time. I LOVE the name Damien and hope to have little Damien running around with his older brother Ezra someday, but I'm so glad we named this boy Ezra.

More icky phone-quality photos. Notice that this is a pet peeve for me? At least the photo subject is a cutie even through the fuzzy quality!

Sorry if I scared anyone in my last post about the labor. It was not my intention, just me speaking my true feelings about giving birth... which was pain. haha! Sometimes I get this idea from other women that giving birth with an epidural is for pansies and au natural is the high way because it proves how strong you are. I'd just like share more opinion (this is my blog, isn't it?!) that if you are a woman and ever feel this way, please, just know that carrying a child for 40 weeks is more natural than anything! And also, please know that if you do give birth without medication, awesome! Either way, the end product is what matters most - we are not defined by what kind of labor we had, whether medicated, unmedicated, or c-section :)

Well, I'm sitting on my bum with a jug of Welch's Strawberry Breeze juice that I'm drinking out of (no cup, just the jug. Mama, you'd shake your finger at me because you did teach me better than this :). The end of the summer is coming about and Carl and I are packing and selling things like mad! We're leaving KS on Sep 1 and heading to Dallas, TX for 2 months, then back to UT for awhile... lot's of moving! However, I must say though, I am SO excited to see all of our family next week! We'll be in CA August 25-27 and then OR Aug 27-30. The granddaddies finally get to meet this boy and so do several aunts! Yes, I am very excited indeed :) Also, on Sunday, Aug 29, we will have his baby blessing (1000 Country Club Rd, Woodburn, OR - Sacrament begins at 1:00 PM), so please, come if you can!

Ezra had his 1-month birthday last week and we celebrated by packing up all the newborn clothes. He is growing so fast. We started cloth diapering last week too. So far, it's been great though there is a bit of a learning curve to overcome because I can't tell when his diaper is wet now and neither can he, so we've gone 6 hours without a change before and then we get a leak. Lot's of onesies in the wash :) Other than that, cloth diapering isn't so bad! Just about as easy as a disposable!

Well, enough of this brain dump. Here's a glimpse of our last-minute, less-than-24-hour trip to St. Louis on 8/8-9!

Isn't it HUGE?! 630 feet!!!

Tiny door... and tiny elevator thing...

We were pretty cramped going up!

We're at the top!!!

The awesome view

I guess gooey butter cake is unique to St. Louis. It was DElicious!

The trip was so fun! Hope you have fun reading this!

14 hours later and out popped a baby...

2010-08-03T18:20:00.001-06:00

Oh. My. Heck.

Ezra is 3 1/2 weeks old.

Time has flown by so quickly. I don't even feel like my mom stayed with us for 3 weeks. or that it's been almost a month since Ezra was born. or that I'm actually a parent now. The days have been crazy! Recovery was and still is a bit rough, but so much better than the first and second bweek.

I won't go into too much detail, but I will just mention that it took a week to finally stop wearing dresses/night gowns and an extra week after that to stop wearing the stretchiest mesh underwear known to man (stretchy undies were courtesy of the hospital). Of course after getting rid of the stretchy underwear, I came down with mastitis, so my slow upward climb on recovery quickly took a tumble downhill as I battled with fever, chills, sweats, antibiotic side effects, and fatigue. I literally stayed inside for 3 days straight and slept for most of the day. and night.

Fortunately, I have Carl and my mom was with us at the time, so getting over mastitis wasn't as bad as it could have been! The only tough thing now is learning to be a mama and understanding what Ezra wants. I am most definitely not a baby whisperer. A "wah!!!" for food sounds just like a "wah!!!" for a diaper change. I like to stay optimistic though and believe that one day I will be an expert in Ezra's cries :)

So onto more interesting things- the birth story!

I really enjoyed reading other lady's birth stories to get an idea of what to expect. I figured between contractions, late hours, and excitement, I would forget details, so I recruited Carl to be my scribe when I was busy (ya know, having a baby), so I have a nice record to look back on now!

Saturday 7/10

12 pm - went to our apartment complex's pool party to catch some rays, eat free food, and win prizes. I'm happy to say that Carl got a $20 gift card for winning and I got a $25 gift card for losing.

1 pm- I start to have a few small contractions and tell Carl that we should go home.

2 pm - contractions grow stronger and we begin to time them. They're fairly consistent, maybe 5 minutes or less apart. I'm not convinced this is the real thing though, so I take a shower then take a bath because my lower back hurts a LOT with each contraction.

3:30 pm - I begin to time my contractions again because I'm thinking, "maybe this is the real thing" since my contractions were growing closer and more painful. Carl passes out on the bed and I try to take a nap but the contractions hurt too much so I make my way to the couch and time them there.

4:30 pm - Contractions are about every 3 - 4 minutes, so I decide that it's time to call the on-call OB. Dr. Heit calls me back, asks me a few questions, then says I should go to the hospital and get checked out. I wake up Carl and say, "well, looks like I should go to the hospital!"

I was convinced that we'd get to the hospital, they'd check me, tell me I hadn't progressed much, so I should go home and wait a little longer. It seems like everyone I know has that experience of false labor. I tried to tell Carl that was probably going to happen, so we shouldn't pack all of our hospital stuff into the car yet since I would probably be sent home. He disagreed. So, we packed up the car, drove the minute long drive to the hospital, and made our way up to the labor and delivery unit. Bystanders must have thought something was wrong because every 3 minutes or less, I'd stop walking, moan and groan through the contraction, and then say, "ok Carl, that one is over with so let's speed walk over to..."

5 pm - Check in at the Labor/Deliver (L&D) unit and they send me to a triage room to make sure I'm in real labor. I get hooked up to the monitors, checked by a nurse and looks like I'm 3 cm, 80% effaced.

I'm going to interrupt now and say OUCH. Was that clear enough? How about HOLY CRAP THAT'S A MAJOR OUCH. I'm not kidding. I've never been in so much pain I had to be vocal about it. The contractions just kept getting worse. Just when I thought that previous one was the most painful, the next one would top it off. They felt like the most horrible menstrual cramps ever combined with some obese man jumping on my lower back. Anyway, I was in pain and would be in even more in the next two and half hours.

6:30 pm - they say, "well, looks like we'll admit you since you've progressed and you're having fairly strong contractions (hence the screaming, right?)" They ask me if I want an epidural and Carl answers yes. Haha. In between contractions, I decided that I wanted to enjoy my labor and talk between contractions and not have to deal with even more pain since I knew I would probably tear and be in agony during recovery.

Really, we don't get our wisdom teeth pulled out without some kind of pain relief during the procedure to feel more connected with our mouths, do we? Well I didn't. I love modern medicine! I read a lot of birth stories and articles about how epidurals and pain medication made babies more sluggish after the birth, but I don't buy it. However, don't let my opinions change yours. Some people need that painful connection with their baby to form the best bond possible. Or they feel strongly against synthetic drugs. Or they just have incredible pain tolerance. Lot's of reasons.

7 pm - in my room, still in pain, waiting for the anesthesiologist to come save me.

7:15 pm - He's arrived and sets up shop

7:45 pm - YES! Epidural is in! But then it caused my blood pressure to drop to 70/50 and the baby wasn't getting as much O2 anymore, so then they had me lay on my left side with an O2 mask on while the nurse gave me some IV meds to get everything back to normal. That was a bit frightening...

Well, I progressed well on my own without any Pitocin, so about every hour, I'm a centimeter further along.

10:15 pm - the on-call doctor says hello and asks if he can break my water to see if labor will progress even more, so I say okie dokie and much to my horror, the fluids contain meconium. So they flush me out, warn me that there will be a large team of nurses and don't be afraid if he doesn't cry right away. Ok.

Sunday 7/11

12:20 am - I feel more pressure, call the nurse in, get checked, I'm 100% effaced and almost fully dilated!

1:20 am - Lights come out of the ceiling, bed comes apart, and it's time to PUSH! Huzzah!

2:30 am - And I'm still pushing!

3:30 am - And I'm still pushing... the doc comes back in and says baby is stuck so if progress isn't made in the next 20 minutes, I'll need to have a c-section. A little bit of a bummer since I didn't plan on that at all.

3:50 am - I've pushed and I've pushed and he's come down just enough, so the doc says, "let's try forceps then!"

Well, I'll leave out more gory details, but I pushed every single contraction, even fell asleep between a couple, and the forceps were placed, doc did a snippity snip, and...

4:16 am - Ezra is born! Doc lifted him up, said, "say hi to mom!" snipped his cord, and handed him to the NICU nurses so that they could assess him. He then went to work sewing me back together.

I'm pretty sure I would have died if I went through this experience before modern medicince.

The experience was amazing and very different than what I expected. I'm one of those weirdies who wanted a mirror to see the baby crowning and I wanted Carl to cut the cord. I was afraid of a few things: meconium stained fluid, hemorrhaging, clots traveling to my heart, prolapsed umbilical cord, and extreme pain. The nursing student in me made me frightened of all those things. In the end though, I'm just happy that Ezra arrived here safely. Apparently he was just so anxious to be born he pooped! Haha, he had great Apgar scores and no complications. By the end of the 3 hours of pushing, I didn't even care that they pushed the mirror out of the way and that the doctor cut the cord. I would have even been ok with a c-section if it meant that Ezra was born safely. I can't even describe the emotion I felt when I saw him the first time. He was so ugly and purple, screaming his little head off, but at the same time, I was so happy to see him and thought he was just the most handsome baby ever to be born. I just knew he was ok instantly and I felt so connected to him- after all, I had been carrying him for the past 39 1/2 weeks, right? After everything settled down a bit, I finally got to hold him- he was so alert, taking in the world. Perfect moment for Carl and I :)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading this. If you are expecting or planning to have children someday, don't let me scare you off with my reports of extreme pain- it's different for everyone. I'll post again soon about how we named him!

On a side note, I'm sending out birth announcements this week. If you would like one or you don't think I have your most recent address, just leave a comment with your best mailing address or e-mail me at tlockwood22@gmail.com. Love you all!

Ezra Wallace Leder!

2010-07-21T15:15:00.000-06:00

These are my two favorite boys :) ...and favorite picture of them both.

As some may have read on my facebook album (check it out here), Ezra decided to poop in Carl's hand (with a diaper on of course) when Carl was holding him up. Right after we both exclaimed our "ewwwwws!" and "that's sick!!!", I caught this wonderful smile on camera.

So I haven't gone missing, but recovery sure has been tough. Ezra Wallace Leder was born on Sunday, July 11th at 4:16 am (during no-man's hour, so congratulations to my dear sister, Shnooks, who won the tasty treat! You hit the bullseye!). Everyone is doing very well and I am SO glad my mom is out here! I haven't had to worry about making a meal since I've been home and Carl and I have only had to figure out this whole parenting thing.

More updates to come including a birth story and other fun tidbits like how we came up with the name Ezra :) Love to all and can't wait to share more of Ezra!

I've Got the Whole World In My Hands

2010-07-08T18:45:00.002-06:00

There isn't a baby yet. Remember this? Well, it's still going on.

Just had to get that out there in case you were wondering. No Baby.

But thanks to this waiting time, Carl and I have had some spare time! Today, we did this:

(that's Antartica at the bottom. I swear my skin isn't white as snow!)

Half of you readers know me as a biology nerd/nursing student junky (well, actually I'm a real nurse now :) while the other half remember me as the high school gal who aspired to be on broadway and major in art and French when I began college. This project brought out the latter. Carl bought me some paint for my birthday knowing that I had wanted to paint my belly once it was nice and round. I'll give Carl most of the credit for this one though, since he is a master at world geography and he painted all the continents with a q-tip (I will give myself credit for whispering fiercely about making Africa too big and Florida too thick). It was a fun project to do together though :)

I hit 39 weeks yesterday, passed up many of your due date guesses, and today I had an OB appointment. I won't go into all the fun details of these weekly appointments, but progress seems to finally be picking up and I even had my membranes sweeped (for all you non-OB-term-savvy folks, here's what it means to sweep the membranes). Anyway, I really like my doctor. She's female, funny, and thorough with her explanations, though very concise at the same time, if that's possible. We decided on an induction date of 7/20 (exactly when I'm 41 weeks) if the baby decides to hang out a week late.

SO the end is in sight, but I do hope to go before the 20th since that's another 12 days from now and I could possibly go crazy by then. Possibly.

My mama is coming this Monday- I'm so excited- she's bringing me tasty Chinese treats and I'll get a chance to brush up on my Chinese (which is more Chinglish the older I get). And I was promised lessons on Chinese cooking (I haven't forgotten, mama!). July sure is a happening month! My mom is coming, our baby is coming, and then my mother-in-law is coming out too! It's gonna be a party (though I wish the dads were both coming too! and my sister! and really, all my family on both sides!)! Anyway, I must feed this undying hunger that aches in me daily. I swear there's a hole in my stomach.

This would be very convenient

2010-07-02T23:19:00.000-06:00

I'm just saying that a tracking number would be very convenient to have at this point. It would help me feel a little more prepared for this new package that's estimated to arrive somewhere between, oh let's see, NOW and two weeks!

Reality is beginning to sink in more and more. I re-packed the hospital bag and re-folded the baby clothes tonight. Meals have been prepared and frozen. House is clean. Grocery shopping just about done (still have some last minute 4th of July food shopping to do!) and all I have left is my imagination and anxiety. I wish that after I delivered the baby, I would also deliver an instruction manual too.

Playing the Waiting Game

2010-07-01T11:52:00.000-06:00

Well, here it is, my boredom allowed me to make a fancy calendar of all of your guesses! This was fun to for me to see what you all have in mind too. I wasn't really sure for some of you who was making the guess, so I either catergorized you as a couple, family, or individual.

I keep having Linda Ronstadt's song "The Waiting" play over and over in my head, specifically the chorus when she sings "The wa-a-ai-ting is the hardest part." Isn't this so true? Of course the song obviously isn't about some woman who is 38 weeks pregnant in midst of July's summer heat, but I can relate to the chorus at least. It's exciting to know that the babe will at least be born by July 21st (41 weeks) because I'll be induced by then. Still hoping this boy decides to surprise me in the middle of the night or something. Actually, I'm mostly just hoping that I'll be home if my water breaks instead of walking around the mall or in a movie theater..

Speaking of movies, Carl and I have suddenly had the strong desire to watch every movie in theatre right now and those to come out soon. I even want to watch Eclipse. If you know me, you know how much I trash-talk those books. Yes, I read them each within a 24 hour time period, but not because I thought they were so amazing... I just needed to find out if Bella became a dang vampire or not. Anyway, I still don't recommend the books, unless you enjoy indecisive teen girls who have the perfect vampire boyfriend that allows her to kiss her hot werewolf friend, nor the movies unless you enjoy seeing some cool werewolf action scenes, which both Carl and I think is pretty cool. I think I want to watch Eclipse mostly because of the hype. We'll probably catch a matinee very soon.

I've been fairly sew-crazy lately but not so photo-snapping crazy hence the lack of pictures of my creations. I made another dress, hemmed some clearance sweats into shorts, and I have some cute little baby pants cut out and ready to be sewn when I decide I feel like it. I am very ready to have this baby now. I even told him he could come out now that I got a haircut, had a pedicure, and finally finished my important sewing projects. I don't think he's ready to leave the uterus hotel though- I don't really blame him. It's kind of a scary world to be born into compared to being toted around 24/7 in a warm environment and hooked up to your meals through your belly button.

Let us make a wager!

2010-06-26T14:33:00.006-06:00

Well, I'm 37 1/2 weeks along now and I'm feeling a little bored right now. No more Kaplan to review, no more stress of taking the NCLEX, Carl's out working, and the house is clean (mostly). SO, I would like to do something fun. I'd like to invite all you friends and family to guess (via a comment) when our babe will be born and the winner will get something delicious mailed to them. To make it more exact, specify one of the following times:

"morning" - 6 am to 11:59 am

"noon," - 12 am to 5:59 pm

"evening," - 6 pm to 11:59 pm

"no-man's hour" 12 am - 5:59 am

So here is an example if you are confused: I am betting that our babe will be born Friday, July 9th during no-man's hour.

Since many of you haven't seen me in person for awhile (I'm a baby beluga at this point. It's the truth, Katy!), I'll give you some numbers:

- I'm measuring right on the spot, so about 37 cm

- My waist is approximately 40 inches around

- I weigh 129 lbs as of Thursday (meaning I've gained 31 lbs!!!)

- EDIT: I should probably add that my due date is July 14th!

Ladies and gentlemen, let the wagers begin and a tasty treat be mailed your way!!!

FYI: Since I'll be 38 weeks this Wednesday (6/30), the contest closes off at midnight on that day... otherwise it'd be a little too easy to put in a guess after that...

On a different note, I'm one year older and wiser now! This year was very special to me because of this number: 22! You may notice that I put 22 at the end of my personal emails, screen-names, etc. This is why: I was born on June 22nd at 2:22 am. So what are the odds that this year, I turned 22 years old on June 22nd, at 2:22 am? It was special :) Carl and I even stayed up until 2:22 am. Well, ok, I made it to that time and Carl dozed off every few minutes. At least he tried :)

Ok now really, let the wagers begin!!!!!!!!! (even you, mommy, because I know you read our blog religiously!)

And Now, I Present to You...

2010-06-19T09:20:00.000-06:00

Tracey Leder, RN!

Here's what I paid $7.95 (mind you, one of the BEST $7.95's I've ever spent) for this morning:

(i blotted out my ID and registration # since i wasn't sure if they were important identifying numbers...)

All I have to say is WHAT A RELIEF!!! I seriously came out of the test center 99% sure I failed because there was no way I could have passed with all those scary questions! Sorry to my fellow nursing student buddies, but it was SO HARD and SCARY!!!! At least for me it was! Other students have said it was easy or that it was just like a Kaplan test. On my test, the questions they pulled from the "Question Pool" were all so random and at least 1/2 of them weren't anything like the Kaplan practice questions and tests. It looked like my practice tests, but holy moly, the questions were HARD!!! So, through much anxiety and prayer, a miracle came about!!

Nursing Students,

As far as words of advice go, just be optimistic and confident when you take the test and I would highly recommend earplugs, minimizing the time clock, and only looking to see what question you're on every 10 questions or so after you pass #75. It took me 3 hours by the time they shut off the test somewhere between 110 and 120 questions. Good luck!!!

Now, I will continue to sew up a storm and focus on being a mama soon :)

SO GLAD I NEVER HAVE TO TAKE THIS EXAM AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This one is a keeper :)

2010-06-16T11:25:00.001-06:00

I love him :)

We found him in the middle of a country road trying to soak up the rays, but had to rescue him from other cars. So we placed him in a grassy patch nearby.

Don't worry, I love Carl too :)

We had a fantastic journey going to some LDS Church history sites near us. First we went to Independence, MO on Friday, and then on Sunday, we took a lovely drive up north a little bit further to Far West, MO and Liberty, MO. Here are some pictures:

Disclaimer: this is not an LDS temple- it is the Community of Christ's (formerly RLDS- Reorganized LDS) temple in Independence, MO. It was interesting to learn so much about all the little churches that broke off in the beginning after Joseph Smith was martyred!

Far West, a tiny town that thrived when the early Saints were forced to move there after being persecuted and also where a few sections of the Doctrine and Covenants (revelations we believe to be scriptures as well) were revealed to Joseph Smith. This includes where our church gets its name (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

the camera added a few pounds to my face...

A reconstruction of where Joseph Smith was a prisoner for the bitter winter of MO due to accusations that were never proved. Also where he received revelation for a few more sections of D&C.

They used some of the original limestone from the jail! Thanks to some historian who took pictures of the place in the late 1800's and also felt prompted to write the exact dimensions of the jail, this is an exact replica of Liberty Jail. Crazy, eh?

Carl and I thoroughly enjoyed our time touring these sites. I really wish we could drive 5 more hours one day to go check out Nauvoo and Carthage Jail in IL and even a couple more hours to Kirtland, OH, but that will have to wait for another trip. There is so much history of the Church there and it really adds to my testimony of this Church- I am so grateful for the pain and suffering all the pioneer Saints went through so that I could have this Gospel in my life! It really has made an incredible difference in my life and definitely in Carl's too, especially since he had the opportunity to teach many individuals and families in Spain for 2 whole years. Without this church, I would never have met my sweet eternal companion and would have had some other life that I cannot even imagine. I am truly amazed at how blessed we are everyday!

Love you all and hope you have a fantastic day! I take my nursing license exam tomorrow morning and I'll be good to have this baby in 1 to 3 weeks!

If you are interested in more about my church, Mormon.org answers a lot of questions!

The Countdown Has Begun

2010-06-11T09:58:00.000-06:00

June 11th.

Hmmmm, can it really be June already? I remember being in school thinking June would never come. and really, time seemed so slow then. Now, I have

33 days until my due date, which puts me due in 3 to 5 weeks (2 weeks if you count 37 weeks as term)

31 days until I see my mama (can't wait for you to come out here, mama!)

13 days until I take the NCLEX, which determines if I'm going to be a "Real Nurse" or not. Can I just ask that you all please pray that I don't suddenly pop in the testing center. I'll be 37 weeks at this point!

11 days until I turn 22 years old. Whoopee, I'll be sooooo comfortable in my 37 week body! Carl has presents stashed in the home somewhere, though so far, all I've discovered is the wrapping paper in the water heater closet.

9 days until Father's day (can't wait to give Carl his present. It's also currently stashed in a very secret spot)

6 days until my next doctor's appointment. We get to do fun stuff (not) like the Group B Strep test and checking to see if I've dilated or effaced any yet. Please, please, please tell me that I'll be closed up for at least another 2 weeks after that!!!

3 days until our AT&T bill cycle restrarts. Yes! Minutes are very scary right now and could use a restart...

2 days until Carl gets a break from work and we get to go to church and hopefully check out some cool historical sites nearby!

1 to 2 hours until I see Carl. Can't wait!

I feeling extremely pregnant now. I've even begun to develop a waddle. I've learned that at this point, my iliosacral joints are really beginning to loosen and stretch, causing me PAIN. and a waddle. On a brighter note, Carl took me out yesterday and we bought 2 shirts that fit me! I love Target clearances. I had been getting fairly frustrated because I now can no longer zip up any pants and all my shirts are too short. I've escaped maternity clothes this pregnancy, but maybe the next one I'll invest in some pants, skirts, shorts, shirts, and well, a whole wardrobe because while I enjoy being a penny pincher, it's not really fun to wake up each day and think, "Should I stay in my robe today, wear my black sweats, my blacks sweats, or black sweats? And should I wear the grey shirt or pink shirt, or the grey shirt or pink shirt?"

Can't wait to be holding our babe though!

I love spending money... when it's practically FREE!!!

2010-06-07T10:05:00.000-06:00

A special thank you to...

So, I just needed to share a good deal with anyone who reads this because holy moly, I got these items for a steal!

I really never thought I would by everyday items online, but this health supply company, Medco, keeps giving out these $10 off $10 coupon codes, so how could I resist? You see, the subtotal comes to $33.25, but then I actually used 3 coupon codes on 3 separate orders, so before shipping, I paid $3.25 for all those items, and since I had to do 3 separate orders, I had to pay for individual shipping, but it was only $0.99/order! So yeah, all those items for $6.22! Wahoo!

Now, if you would like more toiletries, as you may have noticed that my orders are all everyday necessities like deodorant and soap (true, dove soap is not a necessity, but it sure smells great!), AND save $30, make 3 separate purchases on Medco.com (you'll need to create an account) as close to $10 as possible before shipping and use these codes in this order:

MHS10

TENOFF

DR10

Make sure not to include a space after the code and copy exactly the way it is typed here :) Happy savings!!!

Breakfast Options

2010-06-05T10:06:00.000-06:00

Honestly, I considered eating this for breakfast...

but really, how could I pass this up instead?

I'll probably sorely regret this choice in a few hours when I'm curled back up in bed with a tummy ache. At least it was delicious :)

Happy day to all of you!

ps- I've had a lot of fun looking through this gal's fun craft blog: http://tearosehome.blogspot.com/

The Obsession Continues.

2010-05-31T16:26:00.004-06:00

I know, it's ridiculous really, because I've spent the past several hours making this wonderful cost-comparison Excel spreadsheet. Actually, the cost-comparison took maybe 30 minutes, but the perfectionist inside took several hours making it as aesthetically pleasing as possible. After finishing it, I couldn't help but want to share it with you all. You see, I am a very visual person, so naturally before making hefty purchases, I need to see how it affects my budget plans, as realistically as possible, for the next few months, and in this case, the next few years. Here is my pretty spreadsheet:

Based on 2 1/2 years or 30 months, an average diapering time for one child, this is what I came up with. I don't take into account water usage because I never have to pay that in the apartments we live in (though, this means another spreadsheet when we buy a house someday!)

I am happy to even save a few hundred, but a $1000 with one baby?! And then over $6000 with 6 babies?!* Yes, we really would like to have 6 babies. Anyway, I decided that $40/month was an achievable average for me to obtain had I decided to go with disposable diapering through the years. These expenses are actually quite modest in comparison to what so many other websites have cited disposable costs to be. Just the same for cloth diapering, many sites stated the costs to be SO much lower than what I have listed. Not taking all the extra stuff to compare and just comparing diapers, the amount saved is more like $880 for one baby and $6,240 for six. The whole chart makes sense to me, but I hope it all makes sense to you all. Basically, I figured most of the costs out as monthly, but several things were listed as "cost X number of purchases." Nonetheless, the whole thing is based on 2 1/2 years. Oh yeah, the part that lists "Extra Disposables" on the cloth diapering section is referring to the disposable diapers I will buy while cloth diapering. I've been told that it's nice to have some on hand and I completely agree. Plus, the one-size may be a tad too large for our babe when he arrives, so we'll use newborn disposables for the first few weeks then slowly go into part-time cloth diapering then full time after that.

Initially, I thought I would be paying $18-20 per cloth diaper, but after careful research over the millions of cloth diaper websites and searching out ways to get my hands on promotion codes, I managed to buy my first seven for about $15.40 each (Why seven? Well I wanted free shipping and it had to be over $100, so buying 6 made it a few dollars short. haha).

Anyway, instead of my coupon-clipping madness I do, what if you're more like the average Joe who buys diapers for $8-10/pack or $15-20 for the bulk pack? Fear not, I made a mini-comparison for the "sales shopper/occasional coupon clipper:"

Obviously I could save money if I received diapers and whatever other baby things as gifts, but so far, with the exception of some baby clothes, blankets, and a baby bouncer (love it, Lisa!), everything has come out of our own pocket, so we are really grateful to give our wallets a break by cloth diapering!

Clearly, I am really obsessed, but at least I'm informative too, right? And I know you all secretly enjoy reading this all too :)

* EDIT: Ok, my dad sent me a different link about cost comparison and after averaging the cost for detergent and electricity expenditure for the washer and dryer, our bill may increase an extra $5/month, which puts us at about $600 for the 2.5 years and saving about $940 in that time as well (can you imagine what you can by with an extra $900?!). I'm still happy :) We'll see how much it actually does end up costing in November because utilities may really differ than the average.

The Scoop on the Poop

2010-05-27T20:58:00.000-06:00

I've been noticing something strange lately and that is I have a current obsession. No, it's not the latest movie, TV show, or book, and it isn't Facebook either. It's.....

DIAPERS.

It started out with the scare that we didn't have any diapers yet and only 8 weeks until the baby got here. The last essential babies (and parents, really) cannot go without, the necessity for incontinence, probably the most important item that somehow made it to the end of our list! I had taken a glance at diaper prices many times in the past few months, noting how some brands and sizes had more diapers for the dime (dollars...). I had thought to myself,

"wow, 84 diapers for only $18?! Not bad."

Then, last week came and I started actually calculating,

"84 diapers... $18... that more than $0.20 per diaper... newborns go through 8-10 diapers a day... 84 diapers will only last me a week if I'm lucky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

That's pretty much how my thoughts went. SO, I started calculating prices and seeing how little I could pay for different brands. Calculating, researching, calculating, searching for manufacturer coupons of any brand.. This research went on for a little while. Then one day, I collected a bunch of CVS $10 off $20 coupons from the apartment recycling bin, along with some Huggies coupons and CVS brand coupons, and we hit up the local grand opening of a CVS store (I mentioned these trips in my previous post). I managed to by mostly Huggies diapers plus 2 CVS brand diapers, a total of 238 diapers for less than $30 ($27 something). I was pretty proud of myself because that's about $0.11-0.12/diaper, or hair less than $5/package with tax. So I came home all happy that I had so many diapers and saved so much money. Then it dawned on me again.

"238 diapers... that will be a months supply if I'm lucky. Oh crap. Let's see, let's see, quick math... $30 x 12 months equals $360 in a year. That's not bad! Wait, babies wear diapers until almost 2 years usually. Ok, so double that... $720. How many CVS grand openings will there be in a 2 year span?! Ahhh... more like $1000 in 2 years if I continue to obsess with stocking up and finding coupons left and right."

Don't get me wrong, coupon and bargain hunting are fun for me, but there are so many things to consider such as, what if all my efforts to buy Huggies in this last trip totally failed because the babe is super sensitive to that brand? What if CVS diapers gives him a terrible rash? Well, of course I would try another brand, but that totally defeats my bargain hunting if I have to quickly buy some diapers. The point is, I really don't want to do all this trial/error money spending when already Carl and I are on a tight budget. So I concluded with all my fretting that a more economical route would be cloth diapers.

(...crickets chirping, uncomfortable silence...)

No, this is not a joke, yes, I am truly serious. I have always been a very eco friendly/tree hugger/animal lover kind of person, but this time, it's all about the money. I promise! I'm always happy if I don't contribute more to our landfills, but comparing costs, this is the way to go. In the beginning of the pregnancy, I looked into cloth diapers and said, "no way, jose! I'd rather pay $10 and get 40 diapers than almost $20 and get 1." It's true, each cloth diaper costs between $15-20 (unless you go with what our moms and grandmas diapered many of us with... that's waaaaaaay cheaper), so I'm looking at spending almost $200 on 10-12 diapers or so. But here's the cool thing- they make them one-size with adjustable buttons to fit 7-35 lbs! Don't believe me? Check this out: FuzziBunz.com. I really like this brand a lot and it helped that I talked to my friend, Stephanie, who diapers her baby with cloth diapers too.

It seems to come down to one thing for many people and that's "what about the poop? You'll have to actually scrape it off and touch it!" My answer,

"Um, I just graduated from nursing school and spent the last 4 semesters scraping code browns (poop explosions) from strangers' bottoms, old people I have never met before that shift at the hospital. I think I would much rather deal with my own baby's poop than an elderly stranger."

So, once I build up a hefty collection of cloth diapers, about 20-24, spend about $300 for the two years for one child and maybe add an extra $100 for when the next one comes, I think I'm fairly pleased that I'll be saving thousands of dollars over the next couple of diapering years to come! In a perfect world, diapers would be free. Forget that, babies would poop and pee in toilets as soon as they are born and I would never even have to fret about diaper costs, but being young and expecting parents, I'm willing to wash diapers every 1-2 days if that means I'm saving some dough. That way, my family can live comfortably in many other aspects, such as going on a fun trip, visiting grandparents, enjoying fresh foods, taking dance lessons or being on a tee-ball league. I know many kids don't get that opportunity growing up, but I did and I am forever grateful that my mom clipped coupons and made clothes for my sister and me so that we could afford some of those things. Not saying you can't make a memory without spending money, but it sure was fun to travel coast to coast and making friends at dance class :)

The Joys of Pregnanthood

2010-05-24T22:06:00.002-06:00

just because I can.

I find that the "because I can" reasoning works very well since I've been pregnant. For example, early on in the pregnancy, I had trouble gaining weight (as in, I didn't gain any in the first 16 weeks). The doc told me that I needed to gain at least 6 lbs. in about a 3 week time period, so I was pounding 300 calorie weight gain drinks twice a day. I also reasoned that eating my favorite cheese, brie, by the pound was necessary. Did you know that there are 100 calories per 1 inch square? Those were very delicious squares indeed. Now that I'm all caught up on my weight gain, I still like to make excuses like eating 7 otter pops in an hour or a dozen of the cookies Katie, my sister-in-law, sent us back home with. She gave us 2 dozen. Chocolate chip pancakes are definitely needed in the morning to get the day started right too. Don't you all fret, I eat many good things too, like 3 lbs of strawberries or a pound of blueberries, and a slew of vegetables that are too numerous to list. Anyway, I do this all because, well, because I can.

Tonight, I wanted to point out all the good things I love about being pregnant because in the last few days, I have been the most uncomfortable woman ever. Tossing and turning at night, having to sit up or walk around the apartment at 2 in the morning so that the baby will stop pushing on my diaphragm and let me take a breath, and deal with exploratory appendages finding their way under my ribs or playing with that odd lump known as my bladder. Nonetheless, I've had a pretty easy pregnancy compared to many other women. Here are my top favorite things I've experienced thus far:

10. Peeing on a stick could never be more fun when you actually want to be pregnant! It was a big disappointment to have one line on the stick the first two months, but that third month was great! Two lines! And digital message saying "pregnant"! What? That's two different pregnancy test brands? Oh, that's because I took 5 tests because I was so excited and could hardly believe that all I had to do was pee and get an answer.

9. I get strangers telling me I'm cute all the time. Is it a crime to enjoy feeling cute? I say nay. I tell Carl I feel like a beached whale almost every night as he helps me climb in bed by giving me boost up or when he puts my socks and tennis shoes on for me. He thinks I'm cute too. I'm pretty lucky to have a husband who takes such good care of me!

8. No stretch marks! The secret? My genes. I never lotion, soak in special oils, use special collagen creams, or anything of that sort. Don't get me wrong though, I have a dark linea nigra, dry skin, and a belly button that deviates to the right (Carl says that's cute though).

7. No morning sickness! I didn't feel pregnant during my first trimester because I thought I was supposed to toss my cookies at least once a day or even once a week. Everyone told me to just wait because it would happen, but nope, I never did throw up once during the first trimester (during the 2nd trimester is a different story that includes how I made up for the first with a bout of food poisoning). There were a few days of nausea that I remember and it's true, I didn't exactly ever have an appetite, but I was just so grateful to never really have that relationship with the trash can or toilet.

6. I can see the babe's every move! I have no idea what's what when something is sticking out, but when he moves, I not only can feel it, but I see my belly transform. This is uncomfortable a lot of the time, but so entertaining!

5. No crazy cravings of any kind. I don't crave ice cream and I don't crave grass. I love to indulge in delicious treats, but that goes back to the "because I can" theory. I figure that if there's a time to indulge in tastiness, it's now! If I haven't ballooned thus far, then I'm safe to have dessert :) Besides, Katie and I are good and exercise almost every morning!

4. Buying baby stuff. Carl will testify that I am quite the budget Nazi when it comes to spending every month. However, that does not mean that I don't enjoy spending! I love shopping in every form and love brand new things! For our baby, I wanted to be sure to have 3 things that were brand, spankin' new with warranties: a carseat, stroller, and crib (or pack n' play):

Graco makes these wonderful pack n' plays with bassinets and changing tables! Take off the those two things, and voila! a crib :)

By careful review, we decided we liked Baby Trend the most! They have the best carseat handle EVER! Plus, if you're expecting and don't have a stroller, check out strollerdepot.com and search out coupon codes from retailmenot.com because we got this for a steal!

and of course I took this opportunity to splurge on a diaper bag that I adore and have been using quite frequently as a purse:

3. CVS pharmacy. Ok so not exactly pregnancy-related, but I'm slightly obsessed with the place right now, and more obsessed with the coupons I got in the mail (and dug out of the apartment complex recycling bin) for the grand opening of one of their stores. I have been going coupon crazy searching for diaper coupons all over the Internet! It's a bit embarrassing that I have a special coupon e-mail (couponcrazylady22@gmail.com - send me a good deal! haha) I use for signing up for loads of websites to get free samples and more, well, coupons. So far, thanks to these nifty $10 off $20 coupons at this special CVS store and several manufacturer coupons, I've managed to buy almost 240 diapers for $27. Sadly, that will only last about a month. I can't believe babies poop so much. Oh yes, I'm expecting to go through at least 8-10 diapers a day. It makes me sick to think that I'll probably spend about $500 or $600 in diapers in a year's time.. and that's if I keep up with this deal hunt. I have seriously considered cloth diapering after the babe is about 3 months old. We'll see. I'm still grateful for the good deals CVS has given me!

2. I'm SEW crazy!!! I have loved sewing more than ever since graduating! It's just been so fun to make baby hats, mitts, a night gown, and a bunch of other stuff I can keep on blabbing about. Once I get a snapshot of these things, I'll be sure to post them.

1. Last, this babe is truly a miracle baby! Why? When I was about 8 weeks along, I had some bleeding going on that was extremely frightening. After going to the OB right away, we were told to prepare ourselves because there was at least a 50% chance of miscarriage due to an odd lump that could possibly be a fibroid in my uterus and impede the baby's chance of surviving. Though, in that first ultrasound, we saw and heard the little baby's heart beating away. So we prepared ourselves with much prayer every night and from our family members and held onto that hope that the babe's heart would keep on beating. And it did :) Every single ultrasound was more promising than the first until one appointment after a million it seems like, the doc said not to worry about the odd lump because the baby seemed to be doing just fine. I'm so grateful for all of the thoughts and prayers our family members supported us with! I like to think that the lump is just a nice pillow for our baby now. haha!

If every pregnancy could have these perks (minus the scary beginning), I'm good for the next few pregnancies! And although this is fun, I can hardly wait for the next 7 weeks to pass by!

Welcome to Our Humble Abode

2010-05-17T10:24:00.000-06:00

As requested by my sister and some friends, here is where we live in Kansas:

Yes, this is a glorified picture I pulled from their website. There is a pond, it's not that close and I'm pretty sure it belongs to the nursing home and not the apartment complex. Nonetheless, bravo to the Claremont Apartment advertising team's skill for snagging this picture.

Living Room from the front door view

Living room from the office/almost-baby room

(I know, the yellow velvet couch is just dazzling)

The office/baby room

The kitchen

Bathroom

And of course the bedroom

That's all for now. I like the location of the apartment mostly because it's right across the street from the hospital I'll be delivering at and my OB is also across the street too! It makes appointments very convenient AND it'll be convenient at the time I pop :)

Please, Refer To Us As Senor y Senora Crafty

2010-05-13T13:50:00.004-06:00

I've always been a a creative person. Carl has too, though, I tell him all the time that he surprises me every time he whips a new talent out that I never saw coming. Such as this:

(Before and After)

Someone on craigslist posted that they had a free desk to give away, so I told Carl, "Hey, you should check it out." So, he did and he sent me the picture on the left. In my head, I said, "Bummer, it's yucky, maybe another free desk will show up" but Carl said, "Fun project!" So he brought it home, glued the top back on (the picture doesn't show its terrible curling top due to water damage... you can kind of see it on the back right corner), sanded it down, stained it, put the handles all back on, and voila! We have a new desk! We brought it inside, but unfortunately, the stain still smells toxic and it needed to air out some more. It's a really well crafted desk though- all the drawers are fitted and glued together, nothing like the desks we have around today.

When we moved out here, I told Carl that if we could find a cheap glider chair, I would really like one. Not really a necessity, but it would be pleasant to have one during late night baby parties. Yes, they will be parties, not moan and groan getting out of the bed to change poopy diapers. I try to be optimistic. Well, what's cheaper than free?! I joined the local Freecycle.org, posted a want for a glider, and a lady contacted me soon after that she had one with an ottoman to give me! Talk about kind people, right?! I had been searching for weeks on craigslist and they were all at least $50 or 50 miles away if less than that. We picked it up the next day and it was kind of yucky because it had been in the garage for several months and also had really stained cushions, but this time it was my turn to say, "fun project!" Here are the results:

(I don't feel like the picture did the new fabric justice, so here's what it looks like up close)

And here we have my new Boppy pillow cover! I really had no idea what I was doing, but it turned out fairly nice in my opinion. Carl chose the fabric (well, I gave him 3 choices to choose from) and it was much cheaper and better than the store-bought covers. Maybe I'll have business making Boppy covers... or maybe I should continue studying and be a licensed nurse :)

Finally, I just had to share a recipe. I meshed two recipes into one from a Better Homes & Garden cookbook and I must say, it's fantastic. Last night, I made a dozen of these Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins. Right now, there are 4 left. And Carl and I haven't shared them with anyone. Without further ado, I present:

Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins

1 1/3 c. flour

3/4 c. rolled oats

1/3 c. white sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

Sprinkle of nutmeg and cinnamon (I just eyeballed it)

About 1 c. sweetened dried cranberries. I may have used 3/4 c.

1 beaten egg

3/4 c. milk

1/4 c. oil (I usually bake with canola)

Streusel Topping

3 tbs. brown sugar

3 tbs. flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tbs. butter

2 tbs. nut of your choice (I used chopped almonds)

1. Pre-heat oven to 400* and grease/flour each muffin tin. Or use paper/foil muffin cups!

2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and seperate those clumps of sticky cranberries. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients.

3. In a smaller bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together and then pour into the dry ingredient well.

4. Mix only enough so that everything is moist and there is no longer any dry ingredients

5. Fill each muffin cup about half way.

6. Top with streusel topping.

- To make: combine all the dry ingredients except the nuts. Cut in butter until course crumbles appear. Mix in nuts.

7. Bake for 18-20 min.

8. Take out, wait about 5 minutes, and delight in the new tasty treat. Mmmmmmm!

Ode to a Comedian's Joke

2010-05-11T11:25:00.000-06:00

The truth is, I have always been a huge fan of Chuck Norris... jokes. For some reason, they just crack me up like none other and I can spend an hour reading and laughing at them! Probably longer! So, for the sake of avoiding studying for nursing and to give you all a Chuckle (i am so hilarious), here are a few Chuck Norris jokes to tickle your day:

Chuck Norris has already been to Mars, thats why there is no existing life there.

Chuck Norris is the reason Waldo is hiding.

When the boogie man goes to sleep he checks his closet for Chuck Norris .

Chuck Norris can win a game of Connect Four in only three moves.

Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas.

Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.

Chuck Norris counted to infinity - twice.

Chuck Norris knows where Carmen Sandiego is.

Chuck Norris CAN believe it's butter.

When Chuck Norris had surgery, the anesthesia was applied to the doctors.

Chuck Norris ordered a Big Mac at Burger King, and got one.

Chuck Norris frequently donates blood to the Red Cross. Just never his own.

Aliens do exist. They're just waiting for Chuck Norris to die before they attack.

Chuck Norris' tears can cure cancer... too bad he's never cried.

And I'm done with the jokes that can go on and on and on. I plan to update with some pictures of the desk Carl revived and the glider chair I made beautiful. Correct, there will be before and after pictures and I will also post some pictures of our humble abode.