So, we moved. (aka most massive post of all time)

Last time berry picking

Early birthday dinner for Jon at Le Pigeon

Right before we drove away. Puffy eyes!

Margot and Arlo meet! Technically half-siblings.

With Mesa cousins Paige and Hollyn

We did so much driving. Thank goodness for iPads.

Theo ate a lot of ice cream.

Margot got her first mini sunburn in Newport.

I proudly boogie boarded in water that was very cold. With a random 8-year-old kid.

A haircut happened.

Truth or Consequences--our backyard.

Margot somehow aged dramatically over the month (here at 11 weeks)

Our front yard.

Labor day in Mesa--fearless swimmer.

Tarantula. Like it really needed a caption.

New home.

We have officially lived in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico for over a month. Moving away from Portland was probably one of the hardest things I have done (and I have delivered two babies without pain meds) and I would gladly deliver about 10 more babies before going through moving again. Moving is stressful. However, like childbirth, there is a gene that makes you forget about the pain of moving and you will inevitably do it again.

But let's start at the beginning. Luckily Jon's employer had a moving compensation package, so we were able to hire movers to pack our stuff, load it and unload it. While this did relieve a lot of stress of the move, we had our first unexpected moving moment. We were told it would take two days to pack and then load us, but on arrival the movers let us know that they would be done packing and loading everything early that afternoon. That left us with no where to sleep, so we were able to stay the night with our friends D and V, which was probably the best thing to happen to us in the end, as we were able to spend one last night talking and laughing until late in the night. The next day had some difficult goodbyes I don't like to think about, and then we were off to Boise. So many tears. In Boise Margot and my sister's new baby Arlo had a big debut party, and we got to spend time with family and cousins before we were off again to Mesa, Arizona. We took two days for the drive and got to stop by BYU for a quick kid's meal at the creamery. (Too short! I love BYU.)

After we made it to Arizona, I took a flight with Margot to Newport Beach, California to meet up with some dear friends for a quick beach trip. I never thought I would enjoy a trip without Jon and Theo so much--but I did. It was a really great catch up time and breather for me. (And a good time to forget I was moving.) Back in Arizona, the real trouble with our move started. We were supposed to hear about the arrival date (between August 1-9) and was not getting any word. Our move coordinator stalled on the phone and never got back to us. Things were getting dicey, especially when August 9th hit. Jon was starting his job on the 13th so we started to panic. However, we had been in Mesa for over two weeks, and in the mean time Theo was getting private swimming lessons every day with his grandma (and becoming a pro! for a two year old) and playing with his cousins. He was having the time of his life. I was starting to really get sick of living with one week's worth of clothes in a suitcase. Long story short, our move coordinator was fired, our stuff had never left Oregon, and they had to hire a third party to drive it to New Mexico right away with an arrival date of August 13th. Super.

Our move did not feel real until we drove up to the town we would call home--Truth or Consequences. Then we drove twenty minutes outside of town to our house perched on a mesa overlooking the lake. Anxiety started setting in, and the millions of dead moths and bugs all over the house did not help. I also neglected to think about the rattlesnakes that lived in the area. (The thought of a two year old living among rattlesnakes gave me frequent anxiety attacks for the first couple of weeks.) Finally our stuff arrived--9 hours later then they said it would--and there we were. The first week was amazingly difficult--I was very emotionally unprepared for the shock of the move while taking care of two kids. Theo survived by watching one episode of Curious George on the iPad over and over and over again. For a week. (He also started climbing out of his crib two days after moving in, to make things more difficult). Then my mom came, got us unpacked, and saved our lives.

After a month of settling in, eating good tacos, meeting nice people in the branch, and enjoying our beautiful view, I am feeling better. It is still a bit jolting, but the adventure side has come out. Our neighbor with a pool has been kind and generous to us, and I see our internet guy in the checkout line at Wal-Mart. Life in a small town is so amazingly different. I have to say Truth or Consequences is a pretty quirky place, filled with tie dye, thrift shops, weird galleries, hippies and a lot of green chiles. We have quickly loved the green chiles. I like its distinct characteristics, and I think living here will be pretty adventurous and yield some good stories. I have also learned that I can feel at home anywhere just being in a house with Jon, Theo and Margot, enjoying each other and following our routine. And that's all I really need.

But really, a Target would be wonderful.

And my friends.  

And a Whole Foods....

Did you read this whole thing? Good for you.

2!

About two months ago, Theodore turned two. Unfortunately his birthday got a little squished by things like new little sisters, graduation, and moving across the country. We celebrated by going to Jamison Park downtown and most importantly, getting french fries for dinner. Theo has become such an active, engaging, adorable toddler. (and maybe a bit unadorable at times, as he is a toddler after all--we love him all the same.)

Things he loves right now are Thomas the Train, Shaun the Sheep, car keys, sitting in the driver's seat of any car (obsessed with this one), ice cream cones, french fries, smoothies, snuggles, climbing on anything, pointing at Margot's eyes, and repeating anything he hears. He has been such a loving big brother who loves to point out too loudly that "Margot's shleepin!" The prayers he says at night slay me with cuteness. It's hard not to give him anything he asks for, his little voice is so cute. Love you Theo, hope your second year is just as great as the first!

Dr. Hall

 Us four years ago. We looked like kids. Now we have kids.

 After sitting still for two hours, Theo got Jon's cap, never let it go, and refused any command an adult gave him thereafter.

 The closest we got to a family picture.

Friends! And if Jon looks short, it's because Theo still has his cap (mostly). And if I look tired, it's because I am so, so tired.

I almost can't believe it, but after four long years Jon is finally done with school! On June 15th he became an official doctor (cause dentists are doctors too! I make too many of those jokes). I have to admit that I was more emotional for this event than for the birth of my most recent child. (But I could also blame the emotion on being one week postpartum.) I am so proud of every thing that Jon has accomplished--all the long hours and stress and hard work and dirty teeth scraped. It has been an epic journey, and even though he feels that he somehow luckily finished, I know he deserves every strand on that tassel that we paid six figures for. We have met some great people and have gotten to know this city very well over four years--maybe we will be back, but if not we will be frequent visitors. I have really loved this part of our lives and will never forget it!

Margot Geraldine Hall

 Just for fun--me at 40 weeks with Margot...

 And 40 weeks with Theo.  (That pose was first struck to minimize my double chin, that was the only thing I was thinking about at that moment)

Margot Geraldine Hall has arrived! She was born June 7, 2012 at 5:20 am, weighing 6 pounds, 12 ounces, and was 19 inches long. Now she is three weeks old and we can't imagine life without her.

Margot was due on June first and for some reason the combination of Jon's board exams a week earlier and the fact that everyone who was pregnant around me seemed to have their babies already made me feel anxious for her to come. I started acupuncture treatments the day after my due date, and I felt so good and normal I feared she may stay in there forever. Acupuncture was interesting--something I had never done before. Whatever it did or didn't do, it was the most relaxing hour or two of my day where I could just unwind and sleep, especially two days before I went into labor when Theo split his chin open playing in our jogging stroller.

Almost there

 Theo's first trip to the ER at the beginning of the month. Luckily a simple case of nurse maid's elbow but was scary anyway. This could probably be in its own post but when you're in your last days of pregnancy these things happen.

Theo's first solo ice cream cone at Ruby Jewel. Big on the list of things I will miss about Portland!

 39 weeks. Sitting very still this weekend while Jon is doing boards but I'll probably go late anyway.

 Made some newborn leggings. Yep, the openings at the bottom are two inches! I love tiny things.

39 weeks pregnant, Jon taking his dental boards this weekend, graduating, Theo turning two. All big things that are happening soon. Oh and moving, I guess that's a big one. In less than two months we are packing all our stuff to head to Jon's first job in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Yes, you read that correctly--there is a town in the U.S. that exists with that name, we are moving to it, and it may be the opposite of Portland, Oregon in most ways including its Wal-Mart. I have not seen this place yet, but I will eventually when I move there. It's crazy, a little scary, and feels right all at the same time. And the chilis, friends, are probably going to be worth the move alone. Right? Right? I need to buy some sunglasses.

My heart is going to hurt for a while leaving Portland and its temperate weather, friends, food, and domestic comforts. But I'm packing up my mood stabilizing placenta pills (yep, just typed that out loud), Amazon Prime, internet recipe searching skills, and am going to embrace my inner southwesterner. That person I didn't know existed. And I think I'm going to take up paddle boarding.

sunshine

A few weeks ago we made a Saturday visit to the coast to meet some friends (and Theo's BFF, Elli). It was supposed to be 70 degrees, so I made sure to bring a sweater, extra hats, socks, scarves, and coats. It's always a lot colder on the coast than you think. But to my surprise, the weather was beautiful and we all got a little sunburned. No one else did, but of course the Halls are extra sensitive to any sunlight. My friend Cathleen and I are due days apart, and nothing feels as good as stretching your large-bellied self out in the sun while we made the husbands chase the kids. Theo loved flying our kite and chasing the waves, although he has developed a sand-walking intolerance since last summer. That surprised me, but he also started eating rocks so I guess I shouldn't be surprised by anything he does lately.

a bunch of stuff

 Theo loves smoothies, and watching Elmo and Thomas the Train. I love his eyeballs.

 Trying on some leggings I was making for a baby, excuse the threads

 Sewed up a tie and bow tie last minute so my boys could match for Easter Sunday. Luckily you are all missing the millions of close up shots of Theo's face because my camera battery was dead.

 Theo used to go down to sleep like a champ but now is determined to protest every single time for a few minutes. It leaves him often falling asleep with his head against the crib rails. No wonder he doesn't like falling asleep.

I have restarted this post so many times--I literally (and I mean it literally) just rolled my eyes at myself. For some reason summarizing my life right this second is a challenge, and I also just spelled reason with a z. My name is Malorie, and I am 32 weeks pregnant, losing my mind. I'm getting large, baby girl rolls around constantly and unlike with Theo I have no idea where she is in my belly. My pregnancy is generally similar to the first time, except I'm not trying to do silly things like run, or do much of any exercise for that matter. I used to worry about that and then I realized that taking care of a toddler is actually much more taxing and exercise worthy  than all the yoga and other stuff I did with Theo. Plus, as a carrier pigeon for all things germ and disease related, this little boy is giving me a lot more to deal with. But now I've had a sinus infection so severe that I feel ready for another bout of natural childbirth (should it happen). Thanks Theo!

But besides all that, I have to note just how excited I am to meet our little girl! It feels so different when you actually know what to expect after the baby is born, instead of focusing so much on pregnancy and birth. Theo points to my belly and calls her by name, which basically means he thinks my belly button has a name, but she is such a big part of our family already and we love her so much.

Here are some random life photos that don't match anything I just wrote. Theo has become such a classic boy, loving trains, cars, and buses. He also has one mean throwing arm (especially when you get a bouncy ball to the face). He is talking so much more now, still mostly doing one to a few two word phrases but every bit helps. He says "I love you" like a dog would, mimicking the sound pattern, but it melts me every time. One of his favorite phrases is "1, 2, 3, blast off!" And he now is really good at jumping! These are the things my life is made of and I pretty much love it.

Big Boy.

 Every day I am in awe of everything Theo is learning and doing. Understanding more, saying more words, saying "toot toot!" when he hears a, you know, toot... (I am especially proud of this one, it's hilarious). Lately he sounds like a little Frenchman as he has to add some sort of sound before a word (ze hat! ze cars!) or German (und bar!). I signed him up for swim lessons, and Grandma Hall (swim instructor extraordinaire) would have laughed at this class because I think all he learned was to forget how to blow bubbles in the water. Lots of playing with toys.

And... the haircut. !!! We were not coerced by the public that thought he was a girl every day in the park, but we felt like it was time. So off we went to a kid's hair place, where Theo sat in a car, got to watch Elmo, and play with toys--it was genius. Best $20 spent all day. He was surprisingly calm unlike me, I was in such a nervous frenzy I forgot to change the settings on my camera. I am in love with his little boy cut--we just told the hair stylist we wanted him to look like his dad. All the beautiful baby curls are gone, but now we are left with this little boy who somehow aged dramatically. And everything he does now seems cuter? I don't know--this kid slays me.

Speckle

I haven't been so good at documenting Theo's "firsts." I typically remember an approximate age he starts doing certain things, but I know there will be few times in the future that I will care about the age he rolled over, so I don't worry about it too much. I also know that many of the current things that I think are so amazing (he recognizes the letters P and O! Can tell the difference between my twin and me in pictures!) will lose their dazzle among continuous new achievements. But the other day, I noticed a freckle on his left leg. A single, dark freckle--the only freckle on his entire body. Theodore has a mother and father who genetically gifted him with vampire skin prone to many freckles, moles, and inevitable sun damage. With this one freckle it hit me that he is growing up into a little boy that will have scars and sunburns and maybe even a broken bone someday, but surely more freckles. I really want to remember the time that he just had one. And now I want to take my hormonally charged pregnant self and cry in the corner over the general passage of time and what it has done to my former baby boy.

(I also want to be able to remember that time in his life when strangers constantly thought he was a girl. I just try to document the important things.)