JAM

already missing portland

2012-01-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

All photos by Kate Maxwell Photography

After spending a few weeks away from Portland during Christmas, I was missing it quite a bit. After over three years here it has really become our home. It makes me sad already to know that we will most likely be moving when Jon graduates school. Luckily this past fall my friend Katie, who is a very talented photographer and one of the hardest working people I know, took some family pictures for us and we are now enjoying them in our home. I love the location in Tryon Creek park, because no matter where we live they will remind me of our time here where we started our family. I've unfortunately learned from the past (ahem, wedding) that quality photos are worth the cost, and I am going to treasure these forever! Thanks for putting up with the most squirrel-y toddler around, Katie!

Check out Katie here. She's spunky, easygoing and willing to get poison oak to capture you at your best. (That was actually for a friend's photoshoot--for us she got stinging nettle)

Babies everywhere

2012-01-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

This picture is blurry, but is my favorite. Jon was so tortured on this photo shoot.

It feels so great to be back in Portland after a fun holiday in Boise with my family, and I am excited to finally share a bit of news with the internet--I am not just showing off a Christmas of overeating, but a baby too! And if the picture isn't too obvious, Kenz is as well! It has been so amazing to be pregnant at the same time as my twin, even though we live across the country from each other. Our first trimesters both consisted of a lot of texts to each other sharing our similar cravings (smoothies, so many smoothies...). We went to an ultrasound-in-a-box place over the break, and found out we are having a girl. We are very excited to meet a girl Hall baby, although Theo gets mistaken for a girl just about every day. So I guess there will be no mystery--she will look like Theo.

I'm due June first and while I get a little nervous about it being three weeks before Theo's second birthday/days after Jon's final boards/two weeks before graduation/weeks before moving somewhere TBD, I try not to think about it. It will all work out. Probably. Yes.

But really, I am so overjoyed and thrilled and excited to add to our little family. Kenz being pregnant too just makes it that much more amazing. She is going to be knitting up some awesome things and our little girl will have the cutest genetic half sibling around. Go visit her blog to find out what she's having!

Pants free Christmas decorating

2011-12-15T14:54:00.000-07:00

Ah, Christmas. The time of year where we get our one or two decorations out from the Halloween box and I tell myself I'll really get decorating when I'm a real adult. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have tons of holiday cheer around, but the thought of adding another box to our already jammed storage closet or 700 sq foot apartment that we will be moving from soon enough is too much for me to handle. But really, one tiny elf-proof tiny elf tree was enough to fill our whole space with festivity--and a few whiffs of good smells. Good thing we have to throw it away this weekend, because it's already dying! We loved you while you lasted. Theo had the best time hanging up the ornaments, and it's always been my favorite Christmas ritual. Up next, Idaho and some real snow! And a 45 minute flight. That is 2 episodes in Yo Gabba Gabba time. (What? Theo doesn't watch shows...)

giving thanks for carbs and meat

2011-12-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

It's hard for me to describe how much I was looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. And while I have a lot to be thankful for, that wasn't really on my mind. Since October, a steady mantra of "turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls" had been on repeat, and it just got louder and louder as the days went by. We're talking minor obsession. Maybe major. We stayed in Portland for the first time and had dinner with David and Vanessa, and I rounded out my selfish Thanksgiving thoughts by not thinking enough about the needs of one dairy free, gluten free, soy free member of the party. (So glad meat free wasn't in there too). See? Thanksgiving brings out the worst in me. The other day Jon accidentally threw a pillow at my head while I was eating dinner and I became really, inappropriately harsh, so maybe food brings out the worst in me. (I did warn him that the pillow hit was like approaching a predator while eating, so maybe I was just acting within my biological nature?) Anyway, after I got a few bites of food in me my selfishness dissolved a bit, and my thoughts turned to wonderful friends, and our wonderful little family. We always have the best time making food with the Wilkes so it was a perfect day. Plus, David made THE BEST TURKEY I HAVE EVER HAD. All caps totally appropriate. Raise the roof, you deserve it. And I made gluten free dairy free pumpkin pie to make up for the fact that I was a horrible friend and brought rolls to dinner. Sorry V! At least they weren't homemade.

I actually let Theo have at my plate before I had a chance to start eating, which was remarkable given the frenzy I was in at that point. The spoon in the potatoes was his fault.

phone documentation of life

2011-11-16T18:16:00.000-07:00

I haven't been the most regular in posting. (oh, you haven't noticed anyway?) Theo has been taking a single half hour nap daily, doesn't like it when I'm on the computer, and night time is strict couch and Tivo time with Jon. It's a sacred after-a-long-day routine in which we soak up as much screen time as we can after Theo goes to bed and eat random snacks. (just kidding Mom, we don't do this all the time just kidding we totally do just kidding just kidding) So here's some of the other stuff we do.

Go to art class.

Visit with old friends. Especially if they have a matching stroller.

Go to pumpkin patches and just buy a corn on the cob. Theo loved it--who cares about pumpkins?

Play in an orchestra, which is hard on my back. I am old.

Go to the park with friends and enjoy the last sunny bits of fall.

Make lots of towers.

Make our own hot tubs and maybe wear pajamas while doing so.

We Motherboy III. (I think we're on III, correct me if I'm wrong)

We dance, which is my main source of exercise right now. Arcade Fire seems to be a Theo favorite.

spooks

2011-10-31T12:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! I'm a little sad Jon and I didn't quite get into the costume spirit--I saw everyone dressed up at our church party Saturday and had some regret. Jon, not so much. Theo's costume restrictions were no hoods or hats (we are making strides in wearing hats, however) so he went as a hobo with fingerless gloves on his feet (turns out he hates wearing gloves, too). Apparently according to the internet, dressing as a hobo is considered insensitive due to the economy? Oh well. I just needed any excuse to draw a beard on his face.

I am taking Theo on his first trick or treating outing this afternoon at some shops in the neighborhood. He will have no idea what is going on, but I will get all his candy. Isn't that the reason people have kids in the first place?

p.s. hobo stick=weapon.

And here's a video of Theo chasing his tail--or, hobo stick.

Niece attack!

2011-10-21T08:46:00.000-07:00

We had the women in Jon's family come to visit recently, including our nieces aged six and three. Theo had such a fun time with them, even when they smothered him with hugs and scared him right out of the bathtub with their screams. These girls are seriously, all girl--covered in pink sparkles, Barbies and princesses. But I think Theo helped convince them that little boys can be pretty fun too. Theo also got crazy attached to Grandma Hall--something that I think still would have happened even without all the candy involved. We had such a good time and I can't wait until our next super pink sparkle manicure session!

We made a little trek to Cannon Beach one day and I was a meanie and wouldn't let Theo out of his stroller for the few minutes we were on the beach. It was cold, windy, and I knew his first instinct would be to run right at the ten degree water. So, he was mad. Which of course, was funny.

All the way from PA

2011-09-29T14:05:00.000-07:00

Of course I was having such a good time that I didn't take many pictures. Luckily I got a few when we went to see the swifts one night. September tradition!

I think one of my favorite moments of Kenz's time here was when she thought a recycling/deposit center was an outdoor laundromat.

Whenever Kenz and Tyler come for a visit, it seems like we are welcoming them back home. And after about 10 minutes it feels like they have always been around. Luckily for us, we married husbands that are alike enough to handle all the time we need together. Because when twins are married the attitude is--"we need to go make up shopping, talking at rapid speed about random stuff for two hours. Have fun, guys!" It would be horrible to be married to people who didn't have that much in common--not that it would take away from us spending time together, of course--they would just have a lot of awkward time together in their future. I think they actually enjoy commiserating and comparing our shared foibles and (lovable) quirks, which are many.

It was so great to have them here for a whole week, because we got to do just about everything we planned--food places and fabric thrift stores and everything in between. If we would have put Kenz on the plane with a Taco Time crisp bean burrito, the trip would have been complete. We ate so much, it took me about a half hour to come up with the complete list later. Kenz did a great compilation of everything we ate on her blog. We visited a lot of old favorites, but found some new favorites too. Needless to say, it was one of the best weeks of the summer. Theo loved loved loved having them around, especially with Uncle Tyler's love of scaring kids, and Theo's love of being scared. It was a perfect match. And I even found some great thrifting scores. Heaven! I hope they come back as soon as possible. Once I work the extra pounds off.

A Few Days of Summer

2011-09-23T20:32:00.001-07:00

Call me weird, but I like Portland weather. Oftentimes you will hear people whine for months on end that the winter wasn't snowy enough, it was too snowy, too wet, too cold, too cloudy, summer came for a week, summer isn't a billion degrees, summer didn't let me build that awesome tan, etc. And although I just sounded like I never complain, even I (yes, me!) can get bored and wish things were different.
And while my pale, non-tan self enjoyed our mild, comfortable summer, I was looking forward to our Oceanside trip with Jon's family. I wanted to sit in the sun, get even slightly uncomfortably hot, and read a magazine by the pool. I am only human. Plus my hair needed some natural lightening.

Turns out, Theo loves the ocean and the waves. He got dirty, but never too dirty. Which is perfect I think. The water was at its warmest and I even got in long enough for a remedial boogie boarding 101 lesson from Jon. We sat in the sun, drenched in SPF 110 so we got all the warmth, and none of the skin damage (best of both worlds! FYI we use half a bottle of sunblock as a family in ONE application. I'm not exaggerating). I also beat Jon in ping pong, an epic feat in which I invented a new victory dance. I think I called it "the rewind." You may see me perform it sometime in the future when I achieve athletic greatness.

Things were going so well. Then the blackout hit. (I thought it was national news--it wasn't. It was a blackout from San Diego into Mexico and Arizona. Huge.) I've never been in a blackout before, but I can assume when you are vacationing it is that much worse. The power was out Thursday afternoon, and word on the street was that maybe we would have power again by Friday night, but that was tentative. Being in a city with no power was strange. Luckily there was a street festival thing that basically fed the whole city dinner that night on generators and propane, but people kept talking about "wait until tonight, there will be crazy crime," and people were buying ice like they had a cryogenics lab in their garage or something. After dinner I was anxious to get home before dark, as if zombies were going to come out. I saw one house in the neighborhood with a generator running, fence padlocked in front to prevent an attack from the under prepared. (Or more zombies? My fears get really irrational at times.) Add in a little general paranoia and my father in law talking about the end of times, I was working full time trying to keep a full fledged panic attack at bay. Then, the power came back on. I was so relieved. Vacation saved! So in summary, an exciting trip.

On "monte cristo-ing"

2011-08-26T11:46:00.000-07:00

Whenever my twin sister Kenzie is trying to get somewhere and gets a little lost, she always goes opposite of her instinct. When she thinks to turn right, she goes left, and vice versa. As someone who is "directionally challenged" (seriously, I am continuously shocked at how lost she gets) Kenz finds that she makes it to where she needs to go by not following her shoddy inner compass. I have a shoddy inner compass as well, but it refers to my communication instincts. So I follow her rule and try not to talk when I feel like talking. This rule applies especially when annoyed, and extra especially when I feel like saying "well, actually...". Those who know me also know that I fail often in this, but I try. When I remember.

This week we found a great deal for a baby bike seat on Craigslist, (aka the Walmart of the aught generation) and went to pick it up on Wednesday. We had never received an exact address or phone number, just an cross street downtown--but it was in the Pearl district so I wasn't too worried. In summary, we showed up at the designated time (actually earlier, I emailed her we were there) and waited. And waited and waited. It was after Theo's bedtime, and he was trying to throw himself in a park pond, so we finally left. Theo was overtired and screaming. Suddenly Jon, the stalwart of the anti-impulse, the calm peacemaker of the family, decided that we should record a short video clip of our horrifically screaming child, and email it to the seller. I agreed without hesitation. We assumed she had found another buyer and had left us out to dry. Bike seat deal over. We decided to send her a message, politely worded, with a surprise at the end. Hopefully it would induce enough guilt to make her reconsider her bad Craigslist etiquette. High fives to awesome technology! We crowned ourselves geniuses.

1), 2) Maiden voyage! Helmet with skulls! Helmets sans skulls or other doodlies are for rich people, apparently, so we have skulls. 3) Maiden voyage ends, and the sadness begins. Looks like we have a winner!

What are these bike seat pictures, you ask? I guess I left out the part where the next morning we get an email from the seller who didn't get any of our emails until that morning (internet was out), therefore missing us while she was at home ready to meet us. And then after some searching we realized that this deal was still too good to pass up, and didn't exist elsewhere. We fought over who was going to make the initial call back, and I lost. After hearing a cute tiny girl voice on the voicemail message, the regret started to creep in. Then I sent Jon to pick it up after I talked to her (her: I'm so sorry that... me: No problem! It's great! I'm trying not to sound embarrassed!") so we could both partake in the awkwardness. There is that chance she never opened the video, but like an errant text message to the wrong receiver, you must always assume the message has made it.

Shoddy inner compass: 1
Me: 0

If only I had a J. Walter Weatherman handy to teach me life's lessons!

My life right now.

2011-08-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

1) Having the best time of your life in the tub. 2) Two seconds later, you poop in the tub and your life (or bath) as you know it ends, suddenly and abruptly.

You know how much I love Theo. He's the maple frosting on my old fashioned doughnut. [pause as I flick two ants off my arm. Jon left out a bacon grease-filled paper towel one night, and our lives haven't been quite the same since. How do you put an ant trap in a dishwasher?] I live for his toddle, his hugs with accompanying back-pat. However, with his burgeoning communication skills arrives a new family member--frustration. I mean from him, not from me. He learned how to unlock my phone, so when I take it away so he doesn't delete all my apps--meltdown. Pajama time? Meltdown. Tired? Hungry? Have the need to wander in a non-wander zone? He starts to squeal, while arching his back and violently flinging his head. He balances on the ground in an upside-down U on the top of his head and heels, usually with a couple rolls thrown in. He even head butted me (so hard!) in the most vulnerable area of my body, my kill zone, my fragile yet insanely expensive fake front teeth.

I don't want to make him sound like a terror, 99% of the time he is a pure joy. And honestly, I think his meltdowns are entertaining. I just have to let the worst pass and redirect, and it doesn't take too long. The worst part is that we are also in the midst of transition nap time (or, TNT--where two naps become one, but you never know when or where naps really happen). So both these phenomena together mostly leave me scratching my head. I know I'm in a phase where Future Malorie is looking at me and laughing that I don't know that Theo just needs ____. And I don't know what ____ is, because I'm Present Malorie. So there's nothing I can do until Present Malorie turns into Future Malorie, where I will know the solution was that he needed a nap at 10:30 and 2:00, or that his front bottom tooth and all his molars are pushing through at once. But right now, Present Malorie is stuck in ignorance, so I'm popping in my mouth gaurd and treating each nap time with a victory peanut butter cup.

Random kid post

2011-08-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

From top: 1) I will never get tired of super close ups of Theo's eyeballs. Can you spot Jon and me? 2) This baby has made me have babies on my mind, big time. Don't my man hands look so natural, cradling a newborn in their gentle strength? 3) We made Theo a box playhouse this weekend. It was one of the most satisfying things I have done lately. Look at that face. So happy!

Even though I may refer to him as such, Theo is no baby. (I think I've said this a lot on my blog. Just ignore me, I'm in denial most of the time). He walks and runs, and actually communicates. Mostly in whines, fits, and arm gestures, but we talk. I'm going to say his first word was "mama" just because he says it all the time when he wants us--and I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt that he associates this word with me. We thought "ball" was in there too, but that comes and goes, and is mostly a mimic word. He mimics a lot of sounds, but I have a hard time counting them as actual words. Am I being too strict on this? But for sure he has a second word, and he has convinced me that he associates it with the item. It is, cheese! He pronounces it "chz." Hand him a cheese stick though, and "chz" follows. Boy genius!

I am embracing Theo the kid. It is so much fun to watch him play with other kids--and we may have more wrestling/play time than the average mom/son duo. I don't know what I was thinking as a child--it is so much more fun to run around making sound effect noises and doing fake body slams.

Phoning it in

2011-07-22T15:32:00.000-07:00

(Second and third from the bottom: Motherboy II. Last picture: Original Motherboy.)

I have been somewhat of a curmudgeon when it comes to social media--I'm latecomer to Facebook, and Kenz has had to explain Twitter lingo to me about 12 times. All this checking in business and status updates seem a bit narcissistic to me. Why am I supposed to care where everyone is at all times? And it seems I am constantly submitted to statuses such as "Dear cookies, you are delicious but stop making me fat. Love, me." But my opinions may be a bit misguided--I think it's just a little boring. Which is why I have picked up and loved Instagram, which is like adding pictures to status updates. Add a picture and suddenly little obvious statements become interesting. Eating a delicious cookie and want to write a letter about it? Add a delicious looking picture and I am a fan. I suddenly care where people are when there is a great looking picture attached. It makes everything relevant somehow. I get to see Nikki's experimental dye job and what Kenz ate for lunch (and a few Gigi pics, of course). As you can tell, I am a bit addicted. It beats spending too much time on Angrybirds. (I have 3 stars on almost every level anyway...)

(if this post has convinced you, give me a follow! Then you can see the people I follow who take much better pictures than I)

an angelic birthday

2011-07-18T12:44:00.000-07:00

In his Sunday best for Jon's birthday.

Wives do a lot to "influence" their husbands. Some change their look, their hair, the way they chew their food. I am proud that I converted Jon from milk to dark chocolate. One thing I can't change, no matter what, is his birthday cake. Always angelfood, made from a box (I offered to make it from scratch, but if he doesn't care, why bother?) with strawberries and whipped cream. I am a pound cake type girl myself, and while Jon has convinced me that angelfood is acceptable, even tasty to eat at times, I am not entirely convinced it is THE cake. It's a cake that you can toss in the air and it keeps its form. It has no butter. It has no butter cream, no chocolate. But it's his birthday after all, so I will make him angelfood cake whenever he wants. I might still talk about a multi-layered caramel/chocolate/nutella/ganache masterpiece though, just to test his loyalty.

One other birthday gift I gave Jon was the gift of accepting and participating in any and all plans he had in mind. During a morning walk, we made it to that fourth garage sale even though my feet were tired. I held back whining after a huge (huge!) bowl of pho that I just wanted to take a nap instead of driving out to pick berries (and what if Theo resists and makes life difficult?). We went, I loved it, Theo loved it. Seeing him pick a berry and plop it in his mouth happily was one of the greatest sights of my life. After I forgot to buy the angelfood cake mix (horror!), I went to the store at 10:45 (right when I was ready to go to bed) to get it. This is usually a Jon job. That I make him do.

So other than learning a valuable life lesson (or two), we had such a good time celebrating Jon's birthday. (another stand out meal here of course) I gave him several presents that were all surprises, and he loved each one. It felt amazing. He is amazing. Happy birthday Jon!

babies please.

2011-07-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

Chocolate souffle cupcakes...so good. Don't worry they're supposed to look like that. (and the cucumber punch stuff in the foreground--not so much. Sorry girls!)

Looking cute in a dress made by her mother in law!

My mom was kind enough to knit her a little grandma sweater. Probably owe her some weeding now. If I was in Boise, I would...

I am slightly proud of this last minute banner I made--mostly because it was an idea from my own mind and not the internet, and it actually worked.

Vanessa is a trooper. She has endured a pregnancy that makes me feel guilty that I had such a relatively easy time--and is still so excited and overjoyed about her forthcoming baby girl. She deserved a great baby shower, and I tried my best to deliver. She also is a trooper because she has met all these new friends that speak loudly over the top of each other and make quilts and have too many opinions. (Well, I'm probably just talking about myself here.) She has been quickly adopted by all and is extremely well liked. We had a great time just talking about babies, drinking homemade horchata, and avoiding the cucumber soda thing I made that was gross. In the end, it was a gluten free, games free, cute present-filled morning. Vanessa looked radiant, and forgave me for throwing her a shower 10 days before her due date. It is hard to describe how much I am looking forward to this baby's arrival--we probably need to work out a code word so she can tell me I need to back off and give her some breathing space.

I wish I had gotten a few more good pictures, but I have a huge insecurity about taking pictures at parties I am supposed to be hosting. I always feel dumb whipping the camera out. I'm not the only one that feels this way, right?

Boise, Utah, and a third birthday cupcake

2011-07-06T23:03:00.000-07:00

My parents have a nice tub and natural light, so I couldn't resist taking a bazillion bath photos.

My, what big (6) teeth you have.

Wedding wear. This picture points out my nice ombre hair shading, and the fact that I need a haircut fairly badly. A Hall family picture exists from this event, if I ever get it from my brother's camera (ahem).

Noah and Theo bonding. Noah is about to bite Theo on the back rather aggressively, ending their happy moment.

We did an excellent job of disrupting Theo's sleeping patterns.

Jon officially finished his third year of dental school near the end of June and we jetted off to Boise for a little break that included a built in nanny (i.e. Grandma). We also got to spend time with my brother and his adorable family, and even a side trip to Utah for my cousin's wedding and a nostalgic visit to BYU. I can't really describe how excited I was to see the mountains of Provo, breathe the cottonwood tree floaty things of early summer, and walk past my freshman apartment. Although I love Boise, my memories of late adolescent life there are not very rosy. As in, high school was not kind to me. At BYU, I met caring people and true friends, and had experiences that I will never forget. Of course, that's where I met Jon as well, which is the best part. So, needless to say I walked around campus twirling and singing happy songs. We bought Theo a little boy BYU shirt, some chocolate covered cinnamon bears and ate graham canyon ice cream at the creamery. I walked past my prior job at library security and confirmed in my mind that it indeed was taken over again by an all male militaristic staff (snap judgement, but I'm probably right). And someone waved at me like they knew me, even though they didn't. It made me feel like I was being mistaken for Kenz, a pastime at BYU we both enjoyed on a regular basis.

Aside from the fact that I just let the world know that I have issues from high school that probably need the attention of a therapist, the week was a wonderful one. My cousin's wedding was beautiful and I loved catching up with close cousins. My nephew Noah is growing leaps and bounds larger than Theo already (found out yesterday Theo is in the 9th percentile for weight, so not too surprising).

Jon is officially a senior now, which makes me really happy and a little sad that we may have to move away in a year. But luckily I don't have to think about that right now. But if I do, every time I visit Portland I will be doing the happy twirly nostalgic dance.

Happy Birthday Theodore!

2011-06-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

Auntie Kenzie made and sent Theo this onesie just in time! She's the best.

Once he got a taste for ice cream, he became a little demanding.

And root beer. (I know he's drinking soda, but it's Virgil's. Only the best.)

He covered his ears when we sung Happy Birthday, which is what most people instinctively want to do, I'm sure.

Right now Theo is walking past me (!). He explores everything, loves to sing "patty cake," mimics when you say "uh-oh," used to wave hello but decided to stop, crinkles his nose when he laughs, loves to play ball, and today is ONE year old!

These pictures are from his party we had on Friday, and I spent most of my time chasing him down as he speed-crawled away the second I wasn't looking. He got a scratch on his face, crawled across pavement with bare knees, and explored bushes and trees. He was practically shouting his boyhood at me.

His party was ball themed, as throwing a ball is his favorite thing to do. I made far too many cupcakes and thought too much about specific shades of sprinkles, but it was so much fun to be with our friends who have been around during this whole crazy baby journey. (And who remained friends during that whole non-sleeping phase.)

Theo has added so much to our lives, and he has personally taught me how to love, sacrifice, and be a less selfish person. Most importantly, he has been patient with me as I try this Mom thing for the first time. We love him so much. I can't begin to explain all the emotions and feelings I have today. I feel full to the top, content, and happy. In about two seconds I'm going to be a soppy mess, so I'll leave it simply at that.

Don't eat the black stuff

2011-06-20T15:24:00.000-07:00

Jon's spent the entirety of his first Father's Day last year appropriately--he was becoming a father. But constantly walking around the neighborhood in the rain, no sleep, and having to fend for your own food wasn't exactly the fun day I planned. I would whimper between contractions about the nice dinner I had planned to make. I know he really didn't care--as he drove 45 minutes to find an open pharmacy to get me a single Ambien after midnight as we hit over 20 hours of labor--and that's why he deserved a special father's day. It's hard to describe how much I appreciate everything he's done this year for me and Theo.

Jon and David are a lot alike, and they both have been talking a lot about lobsters. David more about cooking one, Jon more about just eating one. So when Vanessa approached me with the idea about a lobster adventure, I knew it was the perfect super-special fancy thing for Jon. So we met on Saturday night at Uwajimaya to pick out our dinner from the lobster tank. Lobsters are basically large insects of the sea. We picked out a big guy, put him on ice and brought him home. Then we cooked them. Jon panicked a bit at the last second as the lobster stretched wider than our pot diameter, and used the lid (and a squeal) for assistance. Twenty minutes later we had a red lobster and a steamy lobster-y smelling apartment. (Still smells like the ocean by my stove). You can eat several parts of the lobster other than just the tail and claws, but only Jon was brave enough to try the roe. Imagine his surprise (and yet, not, based on the taste) when he realized that he had actually sampled the lobster's poop.

ALL CAPS

2011-06-14T22:25:00.000-07:00

Did I mention he also grew a mustache? These were the best shots I got in the milliseconds it was on his face.

Theodore, previously content merely with walking to his parents at their pleading, started walking around of his own volition on Sunday. Cute wobbly steps.

What is happening here? I'm confused. I still don't feel mature enough to be the parent of a toddler. The day will soon come when Theo will cast his eyes down in shame at his mom doing something embarrassing. Like tomorrow.

My mind is exploding a little bit. There are a million emotions I am feeling, probably best expressed by a page full of exclamation and question marks. I can't stop time from making this little baby a little baby man. But please let him stay a cuddly mama's boy. That's all I ask.

and we're back

2011-06-08T11:57:00.000-07:00

Theo doesn't realize just how much he needs that sun hat.

The long way to Multnomah Falls, so pretty.

He didn't eat a lot of it, but he made a mess, which is just as important.

I realize I have taken a mini blog break, caused by grandparents visiting and then Theo and me catching some springtime virus. I dread us being sick at the same time, as I am at my absolute neediest (and whiniest, if you ask Jon). Unfortunately babies couldn't care less if their mamas are sick. Theo had a raging high fever for a few days, even having a mild febrile seizure one night. Luckily he has a paranoid mother that had already read up and asked his ped about this very topic months ago, because it looks much scarier than it actually is. (If you are a mom or are going to be, I highly recommend familiarizing yourself with this topic, it saved me from having a severe panic attack. Instead, I just got a small one.)

Anyway, we missed much of the warm sunny weather this weekend, although we did get out Saturday and flew a kite. Last weekend Theo got lots of grandparent love and presents, and we did a dry run to see how Theo would react to his first birthday cupcake. Prognosis is good on that front. I can't he is two weeks away from being one year old. !

Sun, for reals

2011-05-23T14:42:00.000-07:00

Everyone looking a unimpressed. From left--Nellie 11 mo, Locke 1.5, Jane 13 mo, Theo 11 mo, Ellie 10 mo

A row of delicious babies.

11 months old. What happened?

To anyone who has been in my near vicinity for the past two months--I am sorry. I am sorry I have been irritated, crabby, annoyed, negative, tired, an eye roller, and in general a complainer about most things. In the wake of sleeping in hour long stretches week after week after week, I had kind of become moody antisocial version of myself. I tried to put on my best front, but I know at times zombie mom came through.

(Total aside from my hypochondriac self--I was feeling a little sick on Saturday morning and 90% jokingly told Jon I thought I was turning into a zombie for the end of days.)

I have been in sleep recovery (rehab) for a week now, and I have a new outlook on life. People are friendlier, mornings are bright and exciting, and I no longer need two naps a day. When people invite me places, my first instinct is "yes!" Instead of "ughhhhhhhhhhhh. Go away."

So I ventured out into the world last Friday. I reintroduced myself to all my long lost friends who welcomed me back despite my indiscretions. Theo got his splash on, and he loved it. Even when he accidentally submerged himself underwater. I felt freakishly, uncontrollably giddy.

I don't even care that it's raining today. I just vacuumed my apartment, walls and the ceiling and I feel great. Is this what being high on drugs feels like? Sleep is my happy drug.

Us at 60

2011-05-19T15:38:00.000-07:00

This spring I joined a community orchestra, and I am loving it. I get to get out a night a week, play my violin again, and talk nerdy shop with people mostly of retirement age. I lucked out with a great stand partner, Nancy (for those not in the know, that means we share music and sit together--sounds obvious but Jon didn't know what I was talking about). The first night I showed her pictures of Theo, and she showed me pictures of her cat. I found out later she had a daughter. She is also a woman of many talents--she plays the dulcimer, and Native American flute. This week she was playing a gig and I googled it when I went home to see where it was, and I found her website! She and her husband hire themselves out to play anywhere. And they have an outfit for every occasion. Here are a few.

Ok, so I was going to give you a few but these are all of them. I couldn't help myself. So, if you need a dulcimer/bass music ensemble for your for your formal civil war party, I've got their contact info.

blueberry lipstick

2011-05-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

I just made Theo a flowery bib. (Jon walked around with a similar lunch bag for a year and I'm pretty sure his testosterone levels are still the same) I'm sad I can't dress him in more plum colors--it really looks exquisite with those blue eyes.

moms!

2011-05-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

Photo by Lisa Warninger

Top-me and Theo 6 weeks, Middle-My mom and Theo 5 months, Bottom-Jon's mom and Theo 8 weeks

Being a mother is difficult to comprehend until you actually are one. So this year Mother's Day really hit me, not only because I was looking forward to a holiday where selfishness is welcomed, but really because I realized even more this year just how much my mom has sacrificed, served, and loved me. Being a mom is letting go of your own desires and needs because something has suddenly become much more important than you. And you love this little person so much, even if you have days where you want to lay in bed and cry because you are so tired (not me of course...). But it's worth it. I love Theo so much that I don't care if he has six more months of double digit night waking. Of course I only say that because Jon is the best partner that I could ever ask for, and I really couldn't survive without him.

Jon and I have great examples of women who are amazing at all that they do. My mother in law is a giant of faith and I look up to how strong she has been through adversity. We may compete while running (sigh...I always lose) but I am so glad she has come into my life. I only can hope to become more like my mom. But I never can because she raised twins, something I realize now is like climbing Mount Everest backward without oxygen in a bathing suit. She is super mom to me.

Thanks to Jon for the best mother's day ever. He gave me gifts, made me multiple meals, and took me out for a movie date Saturday. I also have made him get up with Theo so much these past few nights. I think he's just trying to get extra points for Father's Day. Totally worked.

Lifetime supply of jeans in one year. Let's hope jean fashion never changes.

2011-05-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

Ok. I have a confession. (not only do I write with a lot of parenthetical references, but) A company I used to work for in Utah once got crazy into the Secret. You know, the book where if you think you will make a million dollars, a lot, you will get a million dollars. And if you don't get a million dollars, then you must have let negative energy creep in, and the Universe then taketh away your dream. Our department had a special meeting at my supervisor's house where we were given the book, watched the accompanying video (where I learned you can always get a prime parking space--if you just think it), and made "dream boards" where we made a collage of our future personal goals. I didn't think this was a bad idea--I presented mine which had things I wanted in life like, "an adult tricycle," "a house shaped like a box," and to write a book (all still being visualized! I will get an adult tricycle!). I think our boss just really wanted to boost revenue, and our department was in charge of selling the company's product. Instead of going through all this magic voodoo, what she really should have done was not leave the company's success to the least paid department that had faulty 15 year old computers and had to work on holidays, while everyone else basked in the gentle glow of their new Macs and took off when it was convenient. We did have amazing Christmas parties though (in the magical time before the 2008 economic crash, of course). But I digress.

At the time I was convinced my thoughts had magical powers to change the course of the universe. Mostly because I trained all my thoughts on how we were going to live in Portland and Jon would attend dental school. Then suddenly, he got an interview and he got in. Done and done. I knew that his acceptance must not have been due to his grades, interview, or test scores, but singly controlled by my will, and the Universe. Then I found out that Jon always assumed he wouldn't get in as to lessen disappointment. And with time, and repeated mocking jokes on 30 Rock, I have become disillusioned.

Until, Saturday. We were at the Gap, looking at baby things, when I noticed some kind of promotion where they were giving away an employee discount for a year (50%, which I know is not the exact employee discount as my sister worked there in high school and begrudgingly let me share in her discount at times when I bugged her constantly to let me use it) a day to each store this week. I actually left the store, thought about it, and went back in and entered. It was a tedious process, involving an app download so I could scan some thing and enter in a bunch of information. It took 10-15 minutes, and I was pretty sure most people wouldn't go through the hassle. I felt annoyed by it too, but I figured it would be worth it if I won.

Actually, I thought of the Secret because I not only thought I might win, I knew I would. I really didn't have a doubt. And Jon thought so too. I'm pretty sure I was the only one who entered that day anyway, but I was still excited the next day when I got my email notifying me that I had won.

The Secret The Secret The secret... (whispered in a mysterious voice for best effect)

High temps, and just lows

2011-04-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

I spent too much time trying to photograph Theo's eyelashes. Aren't they pretty?

Saturday was the real first day of Spring, in other words, the one day where it is beautiful and 90% of Portland is outside, because they know it may not come again for two months. You know, when the temperature hits 70 and all the girls are sunbathing in bikinis in the park. I freaked out and thought we were all getting sunburned, but spending a day in the sun felt lovely.

Later that night we went to a food cart festival that we went to last year. I was all big and pregnant and loving it. And I quote, "Already looking forward to 2011 (without a heartburn causing, stomach-shrinking baby in my belly)". And yes, there was less heartburn involved, but that baby in my belly was now outside my belly. And the whole time he was fussy and squirmy and upset and I wished he was back in there for just two hours. And this year the festival's theme apparently was "more!" More people, more carts, more money, more long long long lines, more crazy meats. Less organization. I did have a couple high points--The fact that I tried a whole sardine and liked it. Italian ice at Oregon Ice Works. And for some weird reason, buffalo sloppy joe. Low points--the crazy, crazy long line to get in. When we started feeding Theo macaroni salad and vitamin water to stay happy. Trying to breastfeed next to a garbage can without a cover with a baby who wasn't having it, thereby exposing my nip to thousands.

I was so tired when we got home (we didn't make it to all the carts) that I went to bed at 9:15 and woke up at 12 with a crazy high fever, no doubt caused by all the rich and crazy meats. A meat fever.

Born with a love of clean teeth

2011-04-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

The first time I used a Sonicare, I couldn't stop laughing (it feels really weird). Theo, however, was somehow born to brush with sonic waves.

Cake dedicated to Kenzie!

2011-04-20T14:38:00.000-07:00

Cake, I love you.

Took some pictures in the adjoining Ace Hotel after dinner--pictures are much better with babies. (old pics from Kenz's visit in November, that flash sure did freak Theo out.) And, now you know what Jon's mug shot will look like if he ever decides to become a serial killer.

It was my birthday yesterday! It was a great day. I got some great things, including the same nail polish I gave Kenz from David and Vanessa, and they also gave me a thread holder/organizer, which was something that I had no idea that I wanted and needed so badly until I saw it. Kenz thoughtfully took stock of my lack of sleep and general state and bought me a floating session from Float On. I am very intrigued and excited to try this. It's how Portlanders relax I guess? Sounds awesome to me.

I spent the whole birthday day making a cake. Jon got me some cake pans, and I wanted to make myself a layer cake. I also wanted to use my new cake stand my mom found for the greatest deal ever ($8!). I have made very few layer cakes in my life, so I decided it was only rational to make a four layered lemon cake, filled with lemon curd and marionberry curd, frosted with a Swiss buttercream. All from scratch. I know. It was my idea of an adventurous day. If Kenz was with me she would have been all over this idea. With the two of us together, we get exponentially ridiculous. It would have been something like, five layers, salted caramel frosting, each cake layer different flavors of chocolate, with a hidden miniature replica of our likenesses hand carved from an almond inside. My whole day made me miss that she wasn't celebrating with me. Twin pains. Anyway, it all went pretty smoothly--but my friend watching Theo for a little bit for the assembly probably saved me from a stress filled disaster. (Thanks Amy!)

David and Vanessa offered to watch Theo (and she washed all my cake dishes while we were gone! Saint!) while Jon and I had a fancy pants dinner at Clyde Common. I dressed up, but forgot to bring Jon a change of clothes, so he was in scrubs. It was so nice to have a little dinner date, eating what Jon deemed our fanciest meal ever. Clyde Common's menu is kind of mysterious--they list the ingredients of the dish but don't really explain how it's cooked or how the ingredients are used. I mean, you can ask the waiter but that takes away all the fun and risk. Trout, copa, greens, mushrooms, fried egg--did I know it was going to be the whole fish, wrapped in copa, stuffed with greens, topped with a fried egg and mushrooms on the side? Nope. But I loved it, and I love the idea of just trusting that they would bring something delicious to you.

Ok, one more bit about the cake. When I assembled it, the frosting was light and fluffy. After it was done, I popped it in the fridge to prevent the layers from sliding off of each other. Side note, seven sticks of butter went into this thing total, 3 in the frosting. So when we cut into it, the buttercream was...buttery. Like a hard, sweet buttery shell. I'm guessing the refrigeration was a mistake. But it looked good. I'm still counting it as a success overall.

winning! mostly

2011-04-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

And a store gave me a tiny bag of tiny gummy bears with my purchase. yes please.

Today Theo and I ventured downtown to do a little birthday shopping for my twin sister. After visiting a few stores and making a few purchases (hope you like, Kenz!), I went to my third stop to buy her some ketchup. Yes, ketchup. Before you judge me as a horrible gift giver, let me explain--it's delicious ketchup from Little Big Burger, made with sriracha (which she loves), and is something uniquely from Portland and food related that I can actually send her. I thought it would be a fun little random gift. Turns out they aren't selling any right now until the summer. So, no ketchup. Kenz is probably relieved.

But it was lunchtime and I didn't want a burger/pay for lunch, so I walked to the Noodles and Co. next door. Understand, noodles really isn't a place I eat unless (a) I happen to be in the near vicinity (b) it is lunchtime and I am hungry (c) I have a coupon. All things applied to me today, as I got my free meal email yesterday for my birthday. But, I didn't have it printed out, so I asked if they would let me show them my coupon on my phone. They said no, (strike two!) so I walked away to go home to some PB&J. Suddenly, the girl stopped me by the door and whispered, "We would like to buy you lunch anyway." No catch--I got a straight up free lunch! So I ordered a Thai curry soup, and it was surprisingly really good., especially on a hail-y rainy day like today. It made me think of Kenz--the girl loves a good Asian noodle soup. Don't worry, I won't buy you soup for your birthday. I might have to go back and claim my second free birthday lunch.

I haven't even told you about the best part of my day--I parallel parked successfully on the first try with a guy standing on the sidewalk staring at me. (He totally thought I couldn't do it.) And it was the first time I have parallel parked with our new Subaru alone without Jon. Fist pump!

sleepy sammy

2011-04-12T15:28:00.000-07:00

So as I hinted in my last post, Theo's not the best sleeper. In fact, in some reverse sleep bragging (Don't you hate sleep bragging? I do. And for me, sleep bragging occurs whenever anyone else talks about their baby's sleep.), I may be so bold to say that you may not find one much worse. (Well, I know that's not true--I can't tell you how much more normal I felt after reading a sleep book!) But, my doctor may have gasped when I told her how many times a night he woke up. I have to say that last night was his best in a while, and every night it gets better. So he's learning. And we are learning things too, like his preferred bedtime (7:00! Awesome!). I used to think he just needed an evening nap. Not so. I am so lucky to be humbled constantly by the things I don't know about parenting.

One tip offered by the book we are following was to introduce a "lovey," something to take to bed to offer some comfort. They suggest something cheap and easily replaceable, like a metaphorical pet hamster. I made him a lamb out of two tube socks from this book, which has lots of other cute animals, but I thought a lamb/sheep was appropriate for this situation. I loved making him. This will probably doom Sammy (full name--Sleepy Sammy the Lammy) to being ignored, but I will keep my hopes up that Theo will love something I made for him. My mom made me and my sister the most simple fabric dolls--kind of two stuffed fabric triangles with heads, arms, legs and button eyes--but I still remember them fondly. (I also still remember my Barbie doll that had roller blades that made real sparks, but you know what I mean.)

Me and my expectations. I already know I am going to be a weepy mess in the future when Theo deems himself too cool to take me to the mother-son dance. Prepare yourself, Jon!

forays with purees

2011-04-07T16:46:00.000-07:00

Thankfully, most of Theo's total food aversion issues have resolved. Unlike most babies, he moved straight from finger food to purees... and I made him a special one yesterday, spinach-pea-pear. And today, he liked it! Ate it all up. I could have not been more happy.

Now that he's eating food like a real boy, we are going to focus on sleeping for more than 2 hours at a time. Actually, 2 hours at a time on a regular basis would be a dream come true. I'm not asking much, little Theodore!

san juan san juan

2011-04-03T22:05:00.001-07:00

Sigh. Spring break is over. I am a little bit sad Jon has to go back to school. Well, a lot a bit sad. But we had a great week. We had planned on making a trip to Canada but in the end we decided to explore San Juan Island in Washington. We found a half off deal at a really great boutique hotel, as we were a few weeks shy of prime Orca whale watching season. After a scenic ferry ride, we explored the island, went on some nature walks (we Halls dislike "hikes") and checked out places like Smallpox Bay, Deadman Bay, and Smuggler's Cove. We also spent a solid amount of time eating dinners in our suite (so fancy) and enjoying complimentary breakfasts, one of my favorite things in life. This one had homemade scones.

We spent the rest of the week getting haircuts (Jon looks smashing, I got some butchered bangs) and ended with some General Conference. Nothing like some church while eating waffles and wearing sweats. Luxury!

Tomorrow, my twin and I go head to head, as our NCAA bracket scores are tied for first. Victory lies in the final score total--my 139 to her 145. Who will win???? da da da...

Sometimes, you camp just to inform future decisions about camping

2011-03-27T11:13:00.000-07:00

We went to the coast this weekend to go camping with some friends. The forecast was rainy, but I was optimistic that everything would still be fine. We had a back up plan of sleeping in the car, but set up the tent as it was sunny when we arrived. We took a little hike to a look out that is the first picture--it was beautiful. Theo was dressed like the little brother from the Christmas Story to stay warm, and even a slight drizzle couldn't dampen the deliciousness of my fire roasted hot dog. The people there, the s'more I ate while lying in the tent feeding Theo to sleep, the constant sound of the waves, having 3G coverage so I could find out that I have a HUGE chance of winning my family March Madness bracket--all great things. Theo even slept well and had a great first camping experience. Things just went downhill after we went to bed. Some raccoons came to the site, which was no big deal but freaked me out a little. (You have to remember when I am camping, at night every bit of my rational thinking disappears.) Then the wind started blowing (and tons of rain), shaking our tent, but I thought it was a bear, so I kept waking Jon up urgently thinking we were under attack. He even got sucked in, sitting up suddenly, issuing a stern "KA-HISS!" I found out that "ka-hiss" is Jon's go-to defensive noise. Good to know in case we ever do confront a bear, in which I will know that our doom is certain. But if a stray cat is around? We're all good. Needless to say, I didn't sleep much, but the rain stopped long enough in the morning to pack the soggy tent away. Then we went home, skipping our church beach clean up activity as I was afraid of Theo losing a few toes due to cold. I took a delirious 2.5 hour nap and woke up with a fever, my slight cold likely worsened by stress and lack of sleep. I think my jaw is still sore from clenching my teeth all night long.

But don't get me wrong, I don't want to sound all complain-y because there is always a bit of adventure and good storytelling resulting from things not going as planned. I just want to warn my future self--if there is a threat of rain, just sleep in the car, Malorie. Sleep in the car.

.75 years

2011-03-23T10:45:00.000-07:00

Theodore was nine months old on Monday. I really can't believe it. I know every mom thinks their baby will stay a little baby forever, and it's obvious I did too and it's also obvious he is no longer one. We went on a walk for about an hour and a half today, and in this park there is this huge hill that one year ago (almost exactly! And Jon has the exact same mustache right now. Mustache March.) Jon and a pregnant me sat in the sun. Today I stopped and stared at it, feeling all nostalgic, thinking about how much can change in a year. I hope I'm not this-close-to-weepy-while-blogging when he's actually a year old, but I probably will be. Gracious goodness I love this little man. He does all the normal things all babies do--Crawl, laugh, giggle, not sleep, sleep, eat messy foods, grow teeth that terrify and hurt me with his crazy bites--but how can each one of these things make me feel such joy? I still need to work on not squeezing him too much. I can't help myself.

(first swing yesterday!)

les bois, les bois! Voyez les bois!

2011-03-16T14:37:00.001-07:00

As I was flying into Boise last week, I thought about why it is called "The City of Trees." (Referred also as "les Bois," which french trappers called it when they saw it or something. When I was in France and we made a friend on the train I told him about Boise. I realized just how lame it was when I realized I was just saying "the trees." But anyway.) Coming from an actual city of trees, the area outside of Boise is so dry and void of any vegetation--therefore any traveler coming from the East must have just freaked out and thought "Finally! It's a freaking tree! We are not on the moon!" Therefore, we are forever known as the City of Trees because we have a couple trees around the river. Kind of like when you are traveling in the heat of summer and are so hot and thirsty (and cranky in my case) and you buy a can of Diet Coke and it is the best tasting Diet Coke in the world, when really, it's just a Diet Coke.

What I am meaning to say is, I was in Boise last week. We had such a good time--we celebrated my grandpa's 80th birthday, Theo got to hang with his cousin Noah and I got to see my entire family, toured through my brother's new house that they are moving into today (hooray for you! So jealous of the garage and walk in closet.), got a pedicure with the sisters, bowled a score of 101, ate Cafe Rio, went make up shopping with Kenz, and fixed her Christmas blanket that I constructed horribly the first time around (didn't take any pictures, may have to steal some from her later.). Busy. Didn't even have time to make some super time consuming dessert. (Mom will have to blog about her baby whisperer days of magic...) Here's (too) many pictures, all I got was Theo eating and the babies together, of course.

Decided that the best way to eat a slippery peach is to not bother with the hands.

Lemon. The only shot where he looked right at the camera, thinking, "how. could. you."

Just couldn't resist the crazy eyes or this picture that makes him look like a kewpie doll. I love his eyelashes.

Noah and Theo mostly just wanted to bite each other...

Noah has this perma-grin that is so cute. And he could definitely teach Theo a few things about eating...

Jon never thought I would finish...

2011-02-28T16:54:00.000-07:00

Jon is a professional at finding inexpensive chairs. We picked this one up for half off ($25!) because of a flaw that you can't see in the wood under the cushion. The cushions themselves were in decent shape, but ugly. I had a bunch of upholstery weight yardage from a project that I changed my mind about, so I decided to make some new covers. I tore the old ones apart and used them as patterns, and recycled the zippers and cording to make the piping. I got to try out a new technique, which was making one continuous bias strip out of a square instead of cutting and connecting individual ones, which is tedious and also uses up fabric inefficiently. I figured there had to be a better way--and of course there was. (link is a pdf file) I know that further discussion of this topic will be boring for most of you, just know that it was a bit magical and I will excitedly talk about bias strips to those who are interested. It all turned out pretty well, especially the zippers. Zippers and I are enemies and these went in perfectly on the first try, a rarity for me. I hosted book club last week, so luckily I had a deadline, as Theo got croup and progress was slow. I was also motivated by Theo constantly trying to eat the polyester batting wrapped around the foam cushions.

Speaking of Theo eating, we (I) have given up on baby food. (Thanks to Grace for the baby led weaning tip.) He ate a whole asparagus spear recently so things are looking up! I have to say watching him trying to eat something is a lot more fun than aimlessly waving a spoon in his face. I am a little sad not to use my baby food book with its amazing looking recipes, but I have to get over myself a little bit and give up my desire to make baby peas with mint.

And what of baby Theo? Here he is on a walk last week, fully unappreciative of nature as he sleeps away in his bear suit.

valentimes

2011-02-16T16:49:00.000-07:00

I think there is a reason cliches are cliches. Sometimes people get caught up trying so hard to not follow a cliche that it becomes a cliche in itself. (and slightly annoying, no? But I'm sure I fall into that category sometimes.) But back to my original thought. Valentine's Day. We reveled in the cliches this year, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Flowers (lilies), box of chocolates (TJ's, so good I asked if they were hiding some extras yesterday), perfume (I am bringing my signature scent back! Perfume that doesn't smell like perfume.). I also gave Jon a pillow I made with a Sufjan phrase, because it can't be a holiday, birth, or wedding without some Sufjan involved in the Hall family. (My first attempt at freezer paper stencils--I must admit I wasn't so exacto with the knife as I had hoped. But I tried my best.) Add in some delicious pizza and a warm brownie topped with fancy ice cream and chocolate ganache--I was feeling so wonderful it didn't matter that Theo decided to wake up and not fall back asleep. The worst part of the night was when crazy Michelle got sent home from the Bachelor. But I'll get over it.

After sitting Theo in the chair, it quickly turned to this-

Then this-

And finally this, his attempt to crawl on the nightstand.

Needless to say, he's got some bruises on his face (not from this, don't worry, just other times when he falls on his face and I'm not paying attention). He also has his first mild cold, and I'm sure the neighbors think I am torturing a baby dolphin when in fact am just trying to suck excess mucus from his nose.

It's such a cliche. My baby is attempting to crawl off cliffs and is leaking crusty fluid from his nose, but I love him all the same. Or even more.

be my heart valentine

2011-02-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

Came across this on a walk last week and thought it was brave. She busted out the cursive and everything. I would have never done this, but I did give each pre-printed note on my class valentines an extreme amount of thought, matching the appropriate recipients to "I like your smile, Valentine."

For a second I thought it was fake. Shoshi? Do people name their children that? (apologies to the Shoshies) I might have known Shoshi in my life, or it might have been a dog, I don't remember.

He crawls! He crawls!

2011-02-11T11:27:00.001-07:00

A week ago, February 4th, I looked up from folding laundry and realized that Theo was no longer scooting, but crawling! By now he is all over the place. He used to play happily on his little quilt square while I was in the kitchen doing something, but his little face pops around the corner as he tries to find me wherever I go. Which is pretty cute. About the same time last week he regularly started pulling himself up to standing position, and now is shuffling along the coffee table. And yesterday his second tooth finally (finally!) broke through. I lowered his crib one level, only to realize I should have lowered it all the way. What is happening? Our Theodore is becoming a little man. I'm a little behind on child proofing...tasks for this weekend.

I had to include this clip of Theo standing, because baby bums are so cute. Crawling baby bums are even better but shows too much baby junk for public view. I try to hold my blog to network television standards.

I need a theo manual

2011-02-03T09:36:00.000-07:00

It should be no surprise that people blog a lot about their babies. Their perfect, sleep through the night babies that are somehow cuter than all other babies and are doing what no other baby can do (like blink and make noise). At least that is how I feel sometimes. I'll read a blog about some 5 month old who was offered food for the first time and "they absolutely loved it! They are in heaven! Look at my advanced baby eater!" (Just know I am exaggerating basically all points so far, I'm sure all the blogs I've read are perfectly normal.) Theo is over seven months old and refuses basically all solids. He sat independently so well and acted like he wanted food, but after trying avocado, sweet potato, bananas, applesauce, and going remedial with brown rice cereal (which he ate briefly for a period of two days and then stopped), he he mistrusts any spoon headed his way. The other day he kind of ate a little so I got excited and tried a few other things, and was rewarded by giving Theo a case of junkitis and Jon a shirt full of straight up vomit. So sad. Believe me, I know that babies eat solids in their own time and I'm totally fine with him not being ready if that is what he needs, but it is tiring to try again and again. Can't he just tell me on that magical day when he is ready for all the delicious food I am prepared to hand make him? He has no idea what he is missing.

At the same time, watching his reactions when we feed him are pretty funny. He has this certain type of whine/coo that only comes when he is attempting to eat--his "I'm not sure about this" sound. He also tends to wink his left eye when tasting something strange. See if you can catch it below. (This was taken at a 6.5 months, trying Grandma's homemade applesauce.)

But, he is scooting and half crawling all over the place now, which is fun and gives me proof that he is learning new skills. At least I can tell my pediatrician that--I don't know how to tell her that he's not eating baby meat now, or anything really.

slowly becoming an adult... slowly.

2011-01-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

Oh Altima. You grew mold in your trunk, and attracted deer wherever we went. Your grill ripped off on the freeway and we washed you too infrequently. I get the feeling we might not have sent you to owners you prefer, but please forgive me and know that I will always love you.

Recently Jon and I were discussing how we would love a new car. We also discussed how we shouldn't really buy one right now, but make ours work until whenever. So, yesterday we bought a new car. Well, a new to us car that my mom recently decided to give up. Long story short, our beloved Altima had too many problems and we decided to put it to sleep (or sell it on Craigslist). Our car sells quickly, some drama occurs (heated text messages after we were swindled a bit) and now we have more knowledge about what not to do when you sell your car--but it's done and now we are living the dream, driving a car we could sleep in the back of. A Subaru Outback is my Barbie Dreamhouse.

My mom purchased her own new Outback to replace her old one, and now even my dad--who was convinced that Outback drivers are socialists who live in communes eating only vegetables and wearing homespun hemp--is a fan. And Jon and I really fit in now, as Portland probably has the highest Subaru-to-recycling-bin ratio in the world.

The best part is that my mom drove it over so I was able to assist her, I mean she assisted me (cough), in doing a total reorganization of part of my apartment. My bedroom now looks like a bedroom, and not a walk in closet with a bed in the middle. Storage once lost is storage found. My mom took one look at the disarray under our bed and swore she would not stop until feng shui was restored. (Now the Outback driving mom married to the Glen Beck lover is making more sense, right? Although I can't misrepresent her, I'm sure she's a solid R voter who just lives progressively.)

THEO PHOTOBOMB! More on you later.

3 day weekend plus

2011-01-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

Our friends David and Vanessa came to stay this weekend. As per tradition when they come, it rained the whole time and we ate delicious chicken tacos they made for us. I really have not known Vanessa long, but we bonded over the fact that we are neurotic worriers and our hip bones collide with our ribs when we stand. Actually when I first met her I judged that she would be as cool as her wedding dress, and my prediction has not been wrong. (It's on the front of their blog--amazing!)

We were watching Modern Family one night and she happened to spot this:

That is Vanessa looking over Mitchell's shoulder. She was there for the taping that day and happened to see herself and the .2 seconds she strolled through the shot. Extra ten points for the creepster vibes she's throwing.

We spent part of a rainy day at Cargo checking out the tiny hats, cats and all the other random stuff you find there. I highly recommend this place, especially if you have a need for wooden matching mannequin heads.

Of course right when they left we got a break from the rain, and Jon and I walked around the Pittock Mansion grounds and had some exceptional sandwiches at Bunk. All in all a great weekend.

One last note, Theo also cut himself a tooth last week! I am going to miss all his gums, especially when he bites my finger. And when I am breastfeeding?! How does that work? I'm a little worried.

post holiday goaling

2011-01-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

I did this on Saturday. Blame Groupon and its look alikes, and my friends for banding together to buy some classes from a place that also instructs grown women on how to pole dance. I needed to try something new since winter running is just not happening right now (it's too cold, too rainy, I'm too sleep deprived...who forgot to tell me 6 month-old babies morph into teething monsters that forget how great they used to sleep?). So, aerial yoga came into my life. Somewhat awkwardly, but effectively. There were moments when I thought my liability waiver might become relevant (like when I was upside down with no real plan on how to right myself), but two days later my abs are still painfully sore. I'm looking forward to next Saturday, although the Zumba class this week will probably just remind me of the few shameful hip hop classes I took in college. Which was embarrassing for everyone involved.

While on the subject, with this new year I am going to pretend that a tiny little Jon is listening on my shoulder during all my conversations as to prevent verbal gaffes, find somewhere to play my violin on a regular basis, and to make time for writing and sewing.

One more goal: Make sure I never even think of attending the "Cardio Striptease" class.

sunny christmas

2011-01-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

Christmas break went far too fast as usual. Jon is counting down the days of school he has left, but it will be sad when we have no more two week breaks. Here are some pictures--I'll try to tone down my rambling.

We had a mini Christmas with our mini tree in Portland before we left. Theo loved eating the paper. We secretly love our Christmas-before-Christmas because we have little or no will power when it comes to opening presents.

Christmas day in Arizona, sunny and warm. Kenz made Theo this crazy awesome pom pom hat. Christmas in Arizona also means cinnamon rolls, which also means delicious.

I got my 2-year old niece the world's first colored bubbles. (That's right--world's first!) I think I should have bought some for myself. The solution is dark (like permanent stain scary dark), but when you get some on your skin you simply rub it and the color disappears magically. So magically that I actually think it is magic. It reminded me of vaPOOrize. (Or am I the only one that watched this lame movie?)

New matching church attire. Theo has developed a cute habit of sticking out his tongue.

Climbed a portion of Camelback (mountain? hill? rock? I never am sure).

We went swimming for about 12 minutes. Theo was mostly indifferent and we like to avoid the sun at all costs to keep our vampire-like Oregon complexions.

The lack of masculine cousin influence on this side of the family mostly gets Theo squeezed and held, which luckily he doesn't mind. (It makes me laugh how Paige is two yet looks the same size as a six month old. Is it me or does her head actually look smaller?) My nieces are so cute and they certainly love their little cousin.

We ended the break in Portland with our all time favorite pizza and a bit of reorganizing. We all got wonderful presents but my favorite thing was having our first Christmas as a new little family. This next year will have so many new experiences, and I am excited for whatever else it brings too. It may not bring me a pair of boots, as my quest seems destined never to end.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good pom pom

2010-12-25T21:33:00.000-07:00

Theodore may not let me sleep until 9:15 on Christmas morning ever again. Then again, hopefully I won't wake up multiple times on Christmas eve night to feed him ever again. But no complaining, I spent part of my Christmas day swinging in a hammock with the sun on my face. We had fun watching Theo open toys, and Theo had fun playing with tissue paper. Love that precious little baby man.

Hope you all had a wonderful day full of overeating and pleasantly long naps.

Doppelganger

2010-12-16T10:30:00.000-07:00

(He has more of a beard now, so trust me. Top picture from Oh My Cavalier)

This print was an early Christmas present to Jon from Kenzie. This print is hanging right next to a picture of Jon, and it is perfect!

Speaking of Christmas wishes, I am wishing this morning for a huge hand painted family portrait and a huge walk in closet. Because right now I feel like I sleep in a walk in closet. I'm afraid neither will be covered by my budget...

Theo meet Santa! Sorry Santa.

2010-12-09T14:34:00.000-07:00

The church party Santa visit is tradition. Most of my childhood Santa encounters feature a picture with me crying, Mom looking stressed with the other crying twin in her arms. So this year I hoped to continue the tradition, and Theo did not disappoint. While he did not reach full blown Santa meltdown like another girl who has actually asked her parents to not have Santa come this year, he was just uncomfortable enough for some good phone photos.

These last two photos are unrelated, but 1) I couldn't help myself and 2) I love baby butts.

I forgot how uncomfortable static-y hair feels

2010-11-30T23:42:00.000-07:00

I told my grandpa that I shot a gun for the first time, and that it was a pellet gun. You would not believe the look of disgust he shot me. Apparently pellet guns are not "real" guns.

I spend so much time prying my hair from his little iron claws.

Sorry, this is the best shot I got of both--Noah happened to have scary eyes.

Dad using his cutting tool of choice--a 30 year old electric knife.

Grandma was loving life.

We had a great Thanksgiving in Boise, which is saying a lot because we almost turned around and came back home when we encountered 10 car pileups and ice sheets on the way. I was a mountain pass away from a complete meltdown. But we were safe and learned that familiarity with tire cables before you leave is worth the effort (we learned that lesson by not making that effort, of course). We ate so much, ran a leisurely family 5k, and saw Harry Potter (so good!). Almost two months younger, Noah has already taken the lead in baby growth against our little baby borne of average-to-smaller-than-average genes. We even came home with some sugar cookies, and beef. My parents bought half a cow, and when the boxes arrived--well, let's just say anyone is always welcome at the Naylor house for some grillin'. And I will actually use beef to make something for the first time in our married life... (it's not that I don't like meat, I just don't like raw meat. It's easier for me to avoid it entirely.)

Mugs instead of medals! Good idea, Eugene.

2010-11-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

My friend Marissa and I made a goal to run a half marathon crazily while we were still pregnant. I had no idea that recovery for me would be so slow and that anemia can make you feel like a blob of unmoving jelly. So when our race was canceled I was ok with it, because I was only prepared to be extremely slow. Then a few other friends found another half marathon--so we were stuck with one, but with an extra month to train. Behold, a window opened to not be extremely slow, but just kind of slow!

So Jon and I rolled into Eugene, found a good pizza place in a city we have never been to before (always a plus--thanks Yelp!), and Jon motivated me by telling me he didn't think I could beat his mom's time (2:12). So of course I was determined. He also said if I did beat that time, I could buy any boots I wanted. (Jon had NO faith I would finish faster than that time. Absolutely none. And if you knew my training times, neither would you.) We were all prepared to run in a downpour, so of course it was sunny, and the course was beautiful. With the help of my faster friends I ran and hurt and ran and never walked and sprinted to the end... 2:11:59! A much better time than I had anticipated from myself. I had done it! Cheers! Hooray! All was well!

Then Jon checked later and told me he was mistaken, and his mom's time was actually 2:11.

So I am still buying a pair of boots. And Jennifer, I will win. Someday.

For those who think I am lame for trying to beat my mother in law, I must inform you she has about 35 extra years of running experience on me and I have at least 25 extra pounds more than this tiny woman. And she always beats me! Extreme competition with your mother-in-law is ALWAYS healthy and normal. Right?

And after on the Smith Homestead I shot a gun for the first time and hit a water bottle. What a great day.

last place still gets a t-shirt

2010-11-18T17:11:00.000-07:00

Two surprises: The rain and Katie's suddenly brown hair

The race in its entirety--walkers in background, organizers and Rocky theme song singers in the middle, another runner foreground, frozen turkey on the ground.

My friend Katie sent out an email today that basically said "Do you want to run a Turkey Trot today? Show up at 11:30." I take any chance to run without a stroller, and thought it would be good practice for my half marathon Saturday. I haven't been my typical type-A training self--I registered Monday and my training has been made up as I go along.

It was cool yet sunny, and a whole 6 women showed up, 4 runners and 2 walkers. There was a raffle for a turkey at the start. A one in six chance to win a turkey? Never will any race I enter have those odds. Still lost. And of course it started raining as soon as the race started. The two taller girls got away from us at the start but a confused volunteer sent them the wrong way, and so Katie had an asterisk first place finish with me close behind. She won a Lewis and Clark intermural t-shirt, which I was a little jealous of since I never scored one at BYU. But I should do all my runs with her because I ran my fastest pace since pre-Theo times.

After this race on Saturday I am gearing up for the Naylor Turkey Trot. Main goal is to beat my mom.

twin hangover

2010-11-09T13:39:00.001-07:00

Top photo taken by Kenz, last photo taken of aftermath, large yarn pile included.

I don't know much about substance related hangovers, but I know about emotional ones. Kenzie's week here was crazily filled with preparing for her show and trying to fit in the stuff we wanted to do--of course we have a list we never got to but are saving for next time. Little Winter was so much fun, and it was a great opportunity to meet so many new people. I even dorked out once, saying "Hi, [name] right? I read your blog." Kenz was right, all these crafty people are the nicest people ever. So yesterday (and honestly, today too) I have been wearing my robe late, cleaning my room by wearing the clothes on the floor, and doing a lot of baby snuggling. I haven't done anything with the huge pile of garland leftover from the show on my counter, but the smell is taking the edge off the musty old apartment perfume our home can have.

I picked up a few things from the show, like a tiny house ornament from My House Party (tiny is involved--therefore I am involved) and a winter/Christmas print I loved from Shanna Murray*. Having her booth next to Kenz was a highlight--she is so much fun and Theo loved her too. Of course I am wearing a new scarf around, paid for by hours of hand sewing, staying up late wrapping a branch in yarn (thanks Katie!) and making a bazillion muslin bags. All of which I loved doing. Sigh.

Luckily I have a couple more guests to prepare for this weekend--I am scouring the internet for the best gluten free options Portland has to offer, and I am pleased with the results so far.

*also responsible for making amazing wall decals that don't make me want to gauge my eyes out, and my favorite quote stated regarding the awesomeness of the show in general--"people are shizzing themselves on Twitter right now." So true, so true.

serious twin faces

2010-11-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

Kenz is here (yea!) and we have tried to fit in as much food carting, waffle windowing, Japanese candy eating, and baby holding while doing the finish work on all her wonderful scarves before Little Winter starts tomorrow. (Please come visit!) I'm so excited for her. She also got a new "french little boy" haircut which is very cute, and I got chocolate all over my face while eating a waffle. What a good week.

I gnome you!

2010-10-31T17:08:00.000-07:00

He wore his costume last night at our church party, and there was a chili spill that was totally his fault so he is not pictured in his gnome shirt or pants. Happy Halloween!

Shlumbo

2010-10-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

Theo in his little bumbo. He slumps forward mostly to start eating the side, and all that bending causes a little heave ho of spit up over the side.

I posted the second picture to show that he inherited my crazy eyes. Probably a good thing I accidentally cut off his head.

p.s. Kenz has introduced her amazing woven scarves to the world! I love them. She will be selling them in her new shop soon, and also here in Portland at Little Winter, a craft show at the beginning of November. I am so excited for her and her new venture.

This makes me nervous

2010-10-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

Grandpa and Theo

I will admit I have mother bear syndrome. I flinch at any noise while jogging, worried that a killer dog or squirrel will jump out of nowhere to harm my son. I grimace and squirm at someone who covers Theo's face with kisses, needing to protecting him from microscopic harm. (Air kisses people, it's freaking cold and flu season!) I constantly imagine horrific ways he could fall on the ground. And after almost four months, I still check to see if he is breathing at times. (I recently realized Jon was not going to stop breathing in the middle of the night. I've checked enough to know this.)

I felt a little better about myself when I saw a dad in a parking lot with his young son on his shoulders, and not too far behind was the mother, with a hand hovering about two inches from the little boy's back. Mother bears unite!

first "swim"

2010-10-08T16:49:00.000-07:00

Arizona is what I like to call, "The Fiery Furnace." But Theo was able to swim, in the evening, when the sun was down. His skin is obviously very sensitive to any and all UV rays. I like that his swim ensemble was a regular diaper and a onesie. That's how we do things...

Niece attack! Theo weirdly looks about as big as my two-year-old niece Paige. She is so tiny!

but they stain your fingers

2010-10-07T11:17:00.000-07:00

I like the color of beets. But I don't like eating beets. When I saw these deep purple carrots at the farmer's market, however, I immediately wanted to make purple carrot soup with them. And it turned out a beautiful dark purple. Maybe if I had done half parsnips and half purple carrots, I would have gotten a light purple soup. Is that too unappetizing?

the question is not why...

2010-09-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

It's why did I not think of this earlier?

this makes me feel a bit self conscious

2010-09-22T12:54:00.001-07:00

I read this Portland street style blog, and admittedly thought it would be fun to be stopped on the street by a style blogger. Well, that did not exactly happen, but Kenz happened to be internet friends with the author when she was here and we met up. Lisa was so nice and actually did not make me feel like a fool when being photographed. She's talented at what she does!

check it out here

(p.s. do some digging from a few months back and find Kenz!)

Boise is Portlandizing

2010-09-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to Boise Fry Company, a new restaurant being all hip and green and with it. Four different types of fries, tons of sauces. The yams with vanilla salt were the best. But even better was the fact that my dad applied the vanilla salt to the fries and liked it! The Naylor boys are broadening their horizons. We also got the story about the place from the owner, and given that my dad introduced himself he might just become a regular. My dad loves being able to walk into a place and order "the usual." Which is one of my goals in life. Jon and I tried that at a place in Provo, but the guy who consistently took our order once a week (who may or may not have had an English accent, never could tell) refused to recognize us as regulars. He would avoid eye contact while giving the cool kids free meals.

Also, Theo met his cousin Noah! Don't think they realize each other exist though. Theo is seven weeks older but I already know he is going to be smaller than Noah who has the biggest hands I have ever seen on a baby. My brother breeds his kids to be tall giants--I am assuming mine will be the opposite.

happy labor day

2010-09-06T11:16:00.000-07:00

Don't be sad. We will save the "labor in the yard weeding" labor days until you are a bit older.

I kid Mom. Service is a good thing...

the importance of anti-hubris

2010-09-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

Blogs are full of narcissism. You know, the my husband loves me the most, check out my awesome new something, my baby is much cuter than your baby, list of 12 million reasons why my wife is the one that makes other women frustrated because she is so awesome...stuff. We all need to be humbled every once in a while. For me, that humility comes every time I open iPhoto. Thus, the first in a series of posts I would like to call "This is Most Unflattering."

Yes, babies too. Cross eyes and a forehead for days does not a flattering picture make. (look at his little Homer hairs...)

Self portraits don't usually turn out as cool as you want them to.

Last but not least (from the pregnancy days...). Do not pose in front of an enormous magnifying glass. Trust me.

Join me if you dare. Whitney provided me with some inspiration from her sneak attack post.

More than one cute baby can exist!

2010-08-23T17:07:00.003-07:00

I have been so excited to meet my new nephew, Noah. I know a baby, though, who was a little reluctant to share the spotlight. (ahem, Theo.) After a little chat, he decided to change his ways and made this video. I generously offered to translate.

(sorry the video is cut off slightly... you can click to view in youtube also.)

8 weeks

2010-08-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

Baby survived a weekend of both sets of grandparents! Well, he had no problem turning on the charm for them, but I was worried about a Hall vs. Naylor cage match as to who would get to push the stroller. Turns out it was a needless worry, and the Halls were very hospitable especially when they figured out the Naylors didn't mind sharing their restaurant food (a common Hall tradition). Jon gave Theo a beautiful blessing at church (bonus points for not forgetting his name) and I now owe him a situation in which I am nervous with clammy hands.

What a little baby doll I birthed! I love this little face. Especially the healthy eyebrows.

Motherboy

2010-08-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

The first of many matching ensembles.

classic portland

2010-08-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

Mackenzie is here! Theo loved meeting his Auntie Kenz. With Kenz and Tyler here, I have gotten out of the house about 12 times more than I have in the past few weeks. Muscles have been sore from doing this thing called walking. We picked 17 pounds of marionberries, ate at good food carts and tried a new restaurant (Pok Pok).

The first full day they were here, Tyler was approached by this couple wanting to take a picture of him and his beard, tourist style. They said it was because it was "so Portland." We didn't have the heart to tell them they were visiting as well, from Pennsylvania. The guy posed next to Tyler like he was a character from Disneyland. Also, last night we had a picnic by the river and got approached by a homeless man who asked us if our child was going to learn the phrase "it is what it is," and I said yes (I do assume he will learn those words in English someday). He also asked for some of our food, which we willingly gave if it was going to make him leave that much quicker. Peaceful, philosophical bums. So Portland.

Thought you would want to see the famous beard. More pictures (Kenz's cute haircut included) on her blog here.

great Sarah Palin's ghost

2010-07-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

I did something on Friday that I have been planning long before Theo was born--go berry picking! I'm laughing at the thought that I wanted to do this in the first weeks of his birth. That was a hilarious idea. I took a picture to commemorate the moment, with Theo in his carrier. As I was taking the picture I remembered there are not many things in the world I hate more than taking a picture of myself. But my thumb was halfway there so this is what happened.

I also had a dream last night where I use the word "refudiate" twice in a blog I wrote. Then I find out that Sarah Palin made up that word, and I get super embarrassed. I woke up embarrassed for my dream self. Is Sarah Palin breaking into people's dreams and trying to convince them this word is real?...

Theo. hat. pom pom.

2010-07-21T16:16:00.000-07:00

Got your attention? Click here to see on Kenz's blog.

baby tried to steal birthday thunder...

2010-07-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

It was Jon's birthday Saturday. It was filled with the usual Trader Joe's treats and angel food cake, with presents like a jogging stroller infant adapter and Radiohead baby lullabyes. Oh and I think my new favorite food cart. Happy birthday Jon! And in keeping with his probable wishes, I'll leave it at that. (Except that we found that Inception is not the best movie to take an infant to... but Jon made it work. Even when he pooped in the Ergo. Love you Theo!)

Sunday was Theo's first day at church. We told him he was Mormon and that he best get used to it. He cried a little at first, but by the end he was cool with it.

Lately

2010-07-11T15:18:00.000-07:00

Theo spent a lot of time with Grandma Naylor, especially in the middle of the night!

Grandpa Naylor and Theo are both very happy like this. You can see where the pointed ear comes from.

Bought a tart pan and made a strawberry tart with mom (I was shocked I didn't ruin the pastry cream)

Theo Meeting Grandpa and Grandma Hall

Amateurish photo shoots (isn't that onesie the best? Thanks Kenz)

Any time leftover is usually spent like this.

Also, this week Kenz had a few lovely posts about our Grandpa... on her blog here (with a picture that shows I haven't changed a bit... long hair and salt water sandals) and as a guest blogger here.

But of course...

2010-07-04T14:31:00.000-07:00

My son has a golden rat tail. Daddy could not be more proud.

And my mom left this weekend (my dad too, who was able to come after the longest jury deliberation ever--good thing he totally won!) which makes me instantly more sleep deprived. Having my mom here for almost two weeks saved my life. Especially when your recovery consists of having multiple doctors tell you, "You look really pale." Granted, they could just be thrown off by the fact that my skin is normally a nice transparent color.

Theo is born!

2010-06-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that Theo is already a week old today... this past week was a blur, and it's hard to blog when you have a little baby snuggled asleep on your chest!

We had been waiting since his due date (16th) for labor to start, but I knew he would come when he was ready, or as Jon thought, after I was able to eat a long awaited breakfast sandwich from a food cart we had been meaning to visit on Saturday. (The Big Egg in the Mississippi district, and it was delicious.) Saturday night I started having the usual regular contractions that I knew would either go away with sleep or lead up to the Big Event. Sunday morning I woke up shortly before 4 am with painful, regular contractions, and I knew labor had started. After talking with the midwife on call she said she expected to see me later that morning in the hospital. Hours later, she said she would be expecting me in later that afternoon...and then it was that evening for sure! My mom had arrived from Boise, and my contractions were getting to be very intense, but not quite close enough together. I was in tears and we decided to go to the hospital, if only to get checked with the possibility of being sent back home.
After being checked, waiting an hour, and then being checked again, I was dilated to a two. This was discouraging after 20 hours, but the midwife assured me that I was hovering between early and active labor. She sent us home with Ambien at midnight, and I took a bath with the idea that I was taking a break from these contractions and getting a little sleep. Thirty minutes after trying to get some sleep I had bloody show, called again and she wanted me to come back. I was reluctant as I thought my labor would not have progressed much. After we got there she said two wonderful things--I was dilated to a seven and, fill the tub! (I was planning a natural waterbirth)

The tub was such a relief, as the contractions were still there but I was able to relax and float. I got in at about 4 am, and the time passed so quickly. Before I knew it I was feeling the unavoidable urge to push. I was dilated to a 10 (this was done by slipping a flashlight into a vet glove and checking it underwater), which was interesting because transition seems to have presented itself earlier when I was at a two rather than when I was approaching a 10. Pushing was an adventure. I was making these low noises I didn't know existed (think cows singing karaoke). It felt intense. I had many conversations in my head encouraging me to keep going! Before I knew it, forty minutes had passed and there was a crying baby in my arms. It was so unreal and amazing to share the next twenty minutes with Jon just looking at our baby boy. He was predicted to be about 7 pounds and ended up being almost 8 and a half! (That was a fun surprise)

It's funny how merely a week later I am digging deep to remember the painful details of childbirth. Those parts have just become unimportant and overshadowed by the joy of Theo's birth. I prayed for the faith that my body would know what to do, and Jon gave me the confidence and motivation to go through with everything without fear. I love our new little family.

We were both a little tired.

2010-06-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

But it was so worth it.

Theodore Andrew Hall
8 lbs, 6 oz; 20 in.
Born June 21, 2010 at 5:57 am

I love birth stories, so I'll be sharing mine soon. Thanks for all of your well wishes!

The winter maternity sweater is back out!

2010-06-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

40 weeks today... My apartment is dark and it feels like late winter again here, which makes my 2 cups of "I hope this stuff actually helps labor" tea go down comfortably, at least (in my favorite ceramic non-disposable disposable cup!). Jon drank hot chocolate last night. My heater just clicked on. What is going on here?

Yesterday I googled things like "pedicure natural induction" and got my toes painted jade green. Which was the Chanel color of 2009. It might look ugly, I can't really decide. My finger nails are red so I look like Christmas. Is this why people usually get mani/pedis with their friends? To avoid potentially fungal related polish choices?

What I'm up to lately

2010-06-11T14:07:00.000-07:00

*making boyish shorties/bloomers to be paired with the sleeveless onesies I'm dying today. Just try to tell me those things are not adorable.

*listening to Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside (while making above)

*eating lunch with Jon here, where I promptly canceled out the past two dinners of raw veggie sandwiches in one fatal, home fry filled, bechamel sauced swoop (the name of the cart is more than self explanatory). My tummy feels more bowling ball than basketball.

*fielding kicks, shoves, and aggressive dance moves from my belly (I think he's confused as to the correct way to get out of there)

*watching videos and in general geeking out over Apple's newest product. Theo, I don't care when you come, but I already have plans June 15th, 12 am.

38.75 weeks nesting (or lack of) thoughts

2010-06-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

My pregnant twin (no, not my actual twin, but my friend who had her due date three days before me) had her baby yesterday. Which kind of sent me into a slight "am I ready" panic. But I am so happy for her, and everything turned out wonderful, and her baby is precious. I think the most nesting-ish thing I did last week was make a 5 hour playlist consisting of mostly Sufjan and a track that plays ocean sounds for an hour. Hospital bag not too packed, cause mostly it's stuff I can't pack until right before. (right?) Our car seat was ordered weeks ago, and is still not here. All I know is, I still may not have him for another 2 weeks, but each day I get more uncomfortable and feel pains that mean this situation is going to go down. Sometime. Anytime.

But with all those natural anxieties, we are so excited to meet this little guy. And it's ok if he doesn't have hair at birth, but I just want this ranging, crazy heartburn to have meant something, you know?

i heart estate sales

2010-06-03T17:25:00.001-07:00

I used to love thrifting, and I still do, but one drawback about Portland is that a lot of people love thrifting. And Goodwills are so expensive it makes me mad. Estate sales are where it's at. They are popular here too, but we hit a good one right when it opened one morning, and the thrill returned just like I had walked into a farm town Deseret Industries. My favorite find was a completely hand pieced vintage honeycomb or "grandmother's flower garden" quilt top. It is lap sized, (pieced American style, FYI) and I love that I can finish it on my own. These quilts take about a million years to make, consisting of hundreds of hexagons (about 2" across). I will need some help from my mom figuring out how to finish it...

It might be feeling real now? 37 weeks

2010-05-26T13:48:00.000-07:00

My baby is sleeping at the moment. In case you can't tell, I am holding it. Him. Got to stop doing that.

Also? Some advice for pregnant people worrying about maternity wear. I am still wearing my normal Shade shirts. I bought a maternity one and might need to save it for my friends who near the 6' mark. Seriously, they make some crazy long shirts. Their catch phrase should be "For Momos with freakishly long torsos."

for a good cause

2010-05-24T13:44:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I get a little enthusiastic about things. Especially food. After my church announced a dessert auction, I got cupcake crazy and started a multi-hour search on the internet for the perfect combination. Because I wanted to get top dollar. (Eventually) I settled on chocolate cupcakes, filled with chocolate mousse, topped with chocolate ganache. Luckily nothing went wrong and they were really fun to make. I got really excited about picking the most perfect looking twelve and finding out how easy and amazing chocolate ganache is. I definitely wasn't going to mention that the chocolate mousse was silken tofu blended with a bag of good chocolate (plus a little maple syrup), because one time my dad ate it and pronounced it delicious before he knew what it was. So, I didn't worry about it much. Anyway, I will modestly say there was a small bidding war--I just hope whoever ended up with them thought they tasted good.

I better get going--I am hosting book club tomorrow (book: In Defense of Food--read it!) and have hours of baking ahead of me...

Friday Food Carts and Matinee Movie Mornings

2010-05-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

I borrowed this picture from my fave cart go-to site because I refuse to be that person walking around food cart pods with a large Nikon. I always see those people and am slightly embarrassed for them. Same thing goes at shows. It doesn't mean I will never take a picture at a food cart (now that I have a big bag I can be more conspicuous)--but, you know what I mean.

Every Friday I pick Jon up from school for a little lunch outing. It started with me bringing subways into his cafeteria, but now it has become Food Cart Friday, a time to explore that magical world of food carts we love so dearly. I reserve a little time in my hours of web surfing per day to research new potential pods and carts. The best part is if we change our minds we can always find something, somewhere we want to eat. Last Friday Jon wanted an old standby, Whole Bowl, and I was feeling sick and couldn't even think of eating actual solid food--all I wanted was a smoothie. A short drive later and we were at a cart called the Portland Smoothie Company, where my need for something cold and non-acid inducing was met with a raspberry, marionberry, blueberry, and banana smoothie with soy milk (so good!). And this pod was a short walk to Voodoos to split a maple old fashioned. I love Fridays. And maple old fashioned doughnuts.

Next new tradition is titled Matinee Movie Mornings (Matinee Morning Movie? Morning Movie Matinee?). Jon decided we were going to go see actual movies while we can before baby comes (something we rarely do anyways--$!), and so we go to an early bird showing, which is an extra low price for the very first showing of the day (in this case, Iron Man at 10 am, $6). I think I'm going to bring a breakfast sandwich to the next one. Because I don't think anything sounds as awesome as eating breakfast in a movie theater.

We have about four more showings, (more if I'm late, of course) and so what should we see next? Jon wants to see Robin Hood because he loves Robin Hoods. I only enjoy Robin Hoods with American accents and Morgan Freeman, so I'm not so sure. [I was shocked years ago to find that "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" was Jon's favorite movie. I thought it was a joke. He honestly, genuinely, non-ironically loves it. I like it too now, but mostly because I think it is hilarious.]

Nesting Week 36:

2010-05-17T12:47:00.000-07:00

Dyeing onesies, getting my hair cut, getting my glasses adjusted, throwing away my spice rack. All very essential things. Especially the hair cut and glasses, both were driving me a bit crazy.

Things I need to do this week: Order car seat (today!), get a pediatrician, buy new pajamas, make relaxing playlist, get fake candle things, try and get a few more things on my "things I need to get for baby" list...

Is it weird that I'm stressing out that I don't have burp rags?

He's the smart one

2010-05-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

I just watched my brother graduate law school seconds ago due to the wonders of the internet. I wanted to be the first to blog about it to get extra brownie points since I could not be there. He is the first "doctor" of the 3, the two other pending. I'm sure it will be a good joke later between the D.D.S. (or is it D.M.D? Whatever Jon will get) and the PhD if a J.D. is really a doctor? My Dad would be on his side, I'm sure.

He'll have to let me know what non-student life is like, because I have no comprehension of that world. (working? for real money? wha...?) Congrats Jake, I'm proud of you!

I even got a screen shot picture. How about you, Kenz?

feel free to zoom in on this picture

2010-05-10T14:38:00.001-07:00

Ah, Mother's day. I kept my requests modest, as I am technically a mother, but my sacrifices remain limited to lots of heartburn, a significant weight gain, and fishy morning burps (thanks, omega-3 pills!). I really wanted three things: Cinnamon swirl french toast, root beer floats, and no dishes. And I would be happy if Jon handed me a single dandelion, but he got me some pretty flowers too.

But let's talk about the real suspense of Mother's Day for Mormons (and I'm sure other religions as well)--what are they going to hand out at the end of the meeting? Since becoming an "adult" woman I tend to scrutinize the choice carefully. The two (!) Mother's days at BYU when I was handed a pamphlet with church talks were not good years. In fact, I left rather offended and usually threw it away with an eye roll and a sarcastic grumble about how the men in the church have no idea how to handle this sensitive day (candy! chocolate! Even one of those flower pots are fine). Let's ignore the fact that I could have used the advice given in those talks I never read. But giving mothers a talk about being better mothers is not good idea.

Yesterday I have to admit I was almost giving into emotional pregnancy hormones at times, but my eyes really started to mist as the army of adolescents marched down the aisles at the appointed time. Lo and behold those 13-year-olds were carrying mini loaves of Great Harvest cinnamon burst bread, which is quite possibly the greatest use of refined white flour ever devised. I cradled that thing like I would a newborn child, except more carefully. Not even tied with a pretty ribbon or card, this gift said, "Thanks for all you do. You are amazing." To which I felt like replying, "I am hardly deserving, but humbly accept." I think I actually whispered that into my purse during Sunday School when I checked to see if it was doing ok.

[UPDATE: It seems like I changed something about my comments that made them not work. They should work now if you would like to share what you got for Mother's Day! Sorry.]

This is a toothbrush.

2010-04-29T16:04:00.000-07:00

Not just any toothbrush. Sonicare would do well to hire me as a salesperson, as I have loved this toothbrush through the taunting of former roommates and many cavity free dental checkups (we'll see if that stays true next week--its been a while). I laugh and reminisce with the Sonicare representatives at Jon's dental fairs about the size and dexterity of the models of the past eight or nine years. Don't even talk to me about Oral-B's (ugh). We got this newest beauty for free recently (want one? It's easy, just take out loans the size of a large house to go to dental school for four years) and it sits happily next to mine.

At least, it was happy. Until, with a swift move of my elbow, I sent it across the bathroom and directly into the toilet. Yes, the toilet. The most unhallowed act you can bestow on a toothbrush. Luckily with my mothering instincts (they do exist!) I didn't hesitate a second to stick my arm in there to grab it. The resulting look on Jon's face was much worse than having an arm dripping with toilet water. A much cleaner person than I am, he was beyond horrified. I apologized to him, I apologized to the toothbrush. I threw away the brush head, I scrubbed with Clorox wipes. And while he has forgiven me, I'm afraid that the memory of my sin will remain and scar this toothbrush forever.

best. event. ever.

2010-04-26T15:51:00.000-07:00

The only picture taken before the camera battery died. It was such a cute mini taco.

This weekend was Eat Mobile, an event where 30 different food carts gathered together to give away samples for a small entrance fee under the Morrison bridge. We bought wristbands about 3 weeks early (they sold out a few days before Saturday, but we wanted to be safe) and got in line a half hour before it started, because we are food cart nerds. A couple other friends joined us and we started waiting in line after line to sample things like maple bacon ice cream, korean fusion tacos, and waffle sandwiches. Picture the most amazing sample day at Costco (for me, July 4 2009--two words, hot dogs) and replace those smiling old ladies and frozen burritos with tattooed (generally) chefs handing you gourmet, sometimes very unusual (grilled peanut butter, bacon and jalapeno sandwich?) food for 2 hours. The 20 or so different foods mixing in my stomach caused a chemical reaction that needed about 7-8 Tums to soothe, but it was absolutely worth the burn. Already looking forward to 2011 (without a heartburn causing, stomach-shrinking baby in my belly).

Speaking of belly inhabitants, can I just mention that this little guy is bound to make his appearance in about a month and a half? Ummm, wha....?

man oh man rainbow chip!

2010-04-23T13:58:00.000-07:00

I had such a wonderful birthday week. I really like stretching my birthday into multiple days. (I went out to lunch four times this week! Birthdays are a perfect excuse.) Today I guess doesn't count cause it is Meet Jon for Lunch Fridays, where we tried a new food cart which has given me a food baby along with an actual baby. I think I was given about two pounds of basil pesto, most of which I ate. Then Voodoo doughnuts was such a short walk away... And now I am feeling some ill effects (worth it!).

I have also had some great friends give me baby showers, so I have been opening up presents all month. This week was an online baby shower, a technological miracle where someone in the group video chat usually ended up scrambled, but was still awesome.

My birthday has also given me a new bag that will fit all baby things, the actual baby and probably Jon if he gets tired (copied Kenz with this one). But even better than presents are birthday wishes from friends, so thanks for those. I will also add a lesson for birthday week--our computer hard drive crashed (again), but my life was not ruined because of a wise decision to use Christmas money for an external hard drive. One click of a button (thank you Time Machine! yea for macs) and my computer was restored exactly as I had left it. So friends, know that hard drives can fail at any time, and if you have the feeling you need to back up your shiz, do so. You can thank me later.

And with this long, photo-less, pointless post, I hereby end birthday week. I am off to sew an elastic waist skirt that is embarrassingly large, and therefore will fit me perfectly.

nature...robert goulet

2010-04-14T17:56:00.000-07:00

The present I got Kenz for her birthday was accidentally shipped to me today, so now her present will be late. I was so annoyed it triggered what I like to call "baby rage"--an annoyance that progressively grows to fuming anger followed by a headache behind the eyes and sometimes the urge to burst into tears. (This episode also caused an email to be sent to the seller with a subject that basically said, "I'm slapping you with negative feedback, beyoch"--albeit professionally, of course). So after the present was re-shipped I decided to unwind by taking a nature walk and taking pretty pictures of pretty flowers. All the lilacs are in bloom and I feel like it's a special early birthday present to me, as lilacs are my favorite. (You know what else is a birthday present? Not living in Utah, where it tends to snow on my birthday.)

I feel so much better now. Now that I'm at one with nature, I might give a neutral rating instead.

p.s. Check out Kenz's guest blog...

Bird in Hand, Pennslyvania visit is off the bucket list

2010-04-07T17:22:00.000-07:00

Last week we traveled across the country to visit Kenz and Tyler, which is a lot of traveling to hang out and watch movies and eat lots of desserts. But luckily that's exactly what we wanted for spring break, and we got to spend a few days in D.C. too. Jon had one desire while there, which was to see Lincoln's hat (he had no idea where, just believed it would happen), and good thing it was one of the first things we saw. All I wanted to do was eat an Easter dinner with someone at the table wearing a gun, holster, and two extra clips of ammo, and I'm glad Tyler's second cousin's son was able to make that happen. (When you work in IT, you gotta be prepared, am I right?)

Cherry blossoms were out! And kites. Although I thought that there would be millions of trees everywhere blooming, and it was really just a couple patches.

Kenz threw me a pom pom themed shower that was awesome. Look at those amazing vintage baby shoes! She also got me a vintage maternity shirt, cause she knows what I like. And a hand knit hat with a pom pom on top. She is the best. [Right before this happened, some kids were playing on the basketball court and a boy fell on his face and chipped his tooth. Anyone who knows me well (owner of two falsies) would not be surprised at the extreme distress I felt. It took me a while to get over, while saying things like, "His life is never going to be the same!" "His mother is going to be so panicked," and "Why was that other girl laughing? She is a horrible, horrible person." I think when I grow up I'm going to start a charity called The Emergency Fund for Children Who Fall Teeth-First and Feel Guilty About Causing Expensive Dental Bills on Unsuspecting Parents, and a support group named "I Have No Front Teeth--How to Meet and Marry a Future Dentist."] That was a long aside.

It was such a wonderful trip, it reminded me of the old times when we all used to live in the same place and spend all our time together. Next time she sees me I will be sans bump and plus baby. Weird.

some of my baby's clothes are pre-worn

2010-04-05T16:26:00.002-07:00

Gigi. Sorry we dressed you in a baby onesie (not really). But on the plus side, you now know your optimal size is 0-3 months.

mystery solved

2010-03-31T06:04:00.003-07:00

So right now we are across the country spending some time with Kenz and Tyler (yea!), and we've already had such a good time, doing things like eating at Ben's Chili Bowl, staring at Amish people and devoting much of our time deciding what food to eat. We sent for our twin DNA test results a few weeks ago, and after staring at the letter for a few days (for some reason we were hesitant to actually open it) we made a double layer cake and decided we were ready. After about 10 minutes of discussing how we would open it, we handed it to Jon and went through various nervous coping mechanisms. And this is what happened...

It's silly to watch this (silly) video and even wonder what the results were, based on how we do things like make the exact same pitch of shriek, but we were raised being told that we were fraternal so this was a big deal to us. Not to offend any fraternal twins, but being identical is pretty rad (and rare). Jon and Tyler were so nervous and had likely hatched a plan for how to deal with us if the results weren't what we wanted, but luckily we didn't have to think about that.
No test result would change the bond that we have with each other, but this makes me love being a twin even more.

Old man smile, or sneer? I can't tell. Too many wrinkles.

2010-03-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was pulling into our parking space when I realized I was a little close to the dumpster. Then I hit it with my front bumper, leaving a bright green scrape mark. The condo association president, Ray, was a few feet away spraying for weeds. After I got out of the car he told me, "I knew you'd make it." The funny thing was, I clearly did not make it, but hit the dumpster about two yards from his face. This could be related to the fact that he is probably 92 years old, or he was being sarcastic, his hostility originating from when I made him come out to check the washing machine because I could not get a load to start for two days. Then I realized I was using a Canadian quarter the whole time, (after he asked after the second phone call, "Do ya think you have a Canadian quarter in there?") and I confessed this, making it known his trip to the complex and testing of the machine completely pointless. Touche, Ray.

First Day of Spring

2010-03-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

The day Portlanders reluctantly come outdoors, blinking at that huge bright thing that creates heat that is called "the sun." We forgot it existed for a few months, but we don't take it for granted. Jon probably can think of better things than studying for finals outside, but hand sewing in the sun probably tops my list.

Pinkies out!

2010-03-16T20:16:00.000-07:00

One spring break long ago, my grandparents took me and my siblings to the Oregon coast, where we visited Keiko the killer whale from Free Willy. We also stopped by a large mansion (I believe the Pittock Mansion here in Portland?), and my grandma took me and my sister to a tea house nearby. I think I remember the tea tasting funny, (and thinking when the food came, "that's all?") but it was one of the most memorable moments of the trip for me.

A few weeks ago my friends chose to go to a tea house for a joint birthday party, and I didn't know what to expect. My first thought was "man, that's girly." But I like my friends, and I dressed in my most grandma, tea-party-esque dress for the occasion. (To show even more how much I like my friends, I washed my hair.)

No need to worry. It was AWESOME. The herbal teas were super good, I ate tiny sandwiches with the crusts cut off, and I felt like I was living in the tea party Kenz and I (and our trolls) would pretend to have in our room when we were eight. Lesson learned: Super girly does not always mean super gag-inducing.

I could have imagined more interesting teacups, but you can't ask for perfection.

to do

2010-03-04T16:16:00.000-07:00

*exchange stuff at forever 21 (not a success) and anthro (success! new owner of blue tights!)
[also, can I say that my parallel parking job (third try) downtown was a thing of beauty.]
*clean bathroom
*make soft pretzels (which are related to my latest obsession, the bagel)
*fill out enrichment reimbursement sheet (craft night done!)
*order twin zygosity test

So that last one's a little unusual.

For those that care, this is me with a baby bump. For those that don't, this is a picture of me playing air guitar. Air saxophone didn't turn out so well. And, did you know that flutes and saxophones are keyed the same? (ahem Mackenzie) Crazy awesome.

too much

2010-02-25T14:14:00.000-07:00

We are dogsitting this week. Last night, as is customary lately, I got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, which is where the dog sleeps. I don't like to turn the light on because I don't want her to think it's morning already, but I noticed it smelled like she was letting off some gas. Turns out she let out more than gas because my toe brushed against her poo pile. Wonderful. (Don't worry, I sanitized the foot.)

I forgave her of her poo misdeed and after work took her on a walk. She was trying to chase a squirrel down a pathway towards a nearby park when I heard a large rustling in the trees above, and then something hit me. I thought a squirrel threw some leaves or something, but it turns out a large bird had unloaded their poo and pee supply for the year (seemingly) down the arm of my pink "private club" jacket. Before I realized it, I got some on my hand. Holding the dog's leash is really a two hand matter because the little thing can drag me all over the place, so my non-poop hand was formed into a painful claw by the time I got home.

I should not be experiencing this much poop in a 24 hour span. Like my lack of sleep, is this a subconscious way to prepare me for motherhood?

Flotsam and Jetsam

2010-02-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my personal hell. I somehow need to attach doodads in various ways to these blocks in hope that the women in my church will want to make this craft. I've been staring at these mod-podged blocks for two days now and the inspiration is nonexistent. There will be other holidays to choose from, and I feel like I am going to be the one with an empty table on craft night. It's going to remind me too much of my high school lunch hour.

It kind of looks like a shoebox

2010-02-19T15:52:00.001-07:00

Jon has been wanting a record player so badly. We've looked on Amazon, ebay, and Craigslist to find a cost-appropriate option (I preferred one with a small footprint). I tend to give up after a while, but this kid is persistent. On the way back from the coast he tracked one down outside of Portland, and we stopped by with a record to test it. All I have to say is, thank goodness for hoarders. We've met several interesting people from Craigslist adventures; Bob who sold us the tivo who had 3 crazy recliners instead of a couch and his genius daughter's typewriter-piano instrument invention mounted on the wall, and a giant of a woman with her GIANT Big-Dawg wearing son who bought our enormous overstuffed leather chair (match made in heaven, that one). This most recent woman had a house that lives in my mother's nightmares--it was overflowing with cluttery, dingy, kind of weird smelling stuff. But she had a huge flat screen TV. $10 and a clorox wipe (or two) later, the next Sunday morning was filled with the sound of vintage Mormon Tabernacle Choir tunes.

impromptu mid-week getaway

2010-02-16T16:22:00.000-07:00

Including: Storms, wind, a fireplace, ocean, meh chowder at Mo's. (& too many jelly bellies!) Ignored my cell phone. Not that anyone called.

Of note: Valentine's weekend made me the ecstatic new owner of two coral-colored (!) latte bowls. Pink and I may not be great friends, but me and coral are BFFs.

Nesting for beginners

2010-02-05T11:38:00.000-07:00

Step 1: Buy a crib.
Step 2: Crib is delivered to front door (Wednesday).
Step 3: Leave crib outside until Jon comes home because it is about 5 million pounds.
Step 4: Help Jon bring the crib inside.
Step 5: Go eat dinner.
Step 6: Live your life normally around a 150 pound box in your entryway.

In more successful nesting news, I finally finished the hand quilting on the baby quilt I started a year ago.

When excitement leads to tears

2010-02-01T15:03:00.000-07:00

My twin sister Mackenzie is super talented. Her magnets are featured in this month's Crochet Today!, one of the most highest regarded crochet magazines (I didn't have to tell you that, of course). In celebration, she is having a giveaway on her blog to win some of these great magnets, which have super powers to never come unstuck from the fridge/magnet board placed thereon.

The magnets you can win!

Unless. I wanted to take a picture to post of my special "face" magnets, which were hand embroidered with the likeness of Jon and my face (Tyler deserves some credit here). They are amazing. I love them. And then I could not find my face. And then I remembered an unfortunate incident where I was throwing around a deflated kick ball with Mia, the dog I watch occasionally, and how I have a small apartment, and how I threw the ball into my magnet board, causing a small explosion. I must have knocked off my face magnet. The explosion of stuff caused our trash can to pop open... and I think you can deduce the rest. Needless to say I'm a little (a lot) depressed. And in need of a new face magnet.

Jon's face magnet. The detail! The mustache! I also need a baby face magnet. With a baby mustache.

But check out Kenz's blog and try to win some magnets of your own! If she's anything like me (and she is, obviously) each new comment is like a tiny slice of joy. Served on a tiny plate, with a tiny fork. (but that may be just me)