For Reggs

This post is intended for an audience of 1. My sister chastized me for not posting enough photos of Ireland. She has a point, we haven't been nearly as diligent as we should be. Tonight I took some video that I hope makes up for my negligence a bit. Enjoy!

Clear Eye for the Straight Guy

Thursday afternoon Brent put his baby blues under a laser for Lasik surgery. No more glasses falling down his nose, no more contacts irritating his eyes, no more asking me what time it is at o'dark-thirty in the morning because he can't see the clock! I'm almost more excited than he is. The doctor said everything went perfectly. Between the procedure and Ireland's (non)sleep schedule Brent slept for 12 hours Thursday night. It goes without saying that he woke up with a new perspective on the world. Now it's just that much easier to gaze deeply into his eyes and think of the million reasons I love him!

Before

After

Fly Girls

The first time we flew with Liesel was from Boston to SLC. By the time we finally landed we were embarrassed to go to baggage claim because Liesel had been SUCH a beast. Our recent trip to Iowa was markedly better. First of all, the flight was much shorter but this was also the first time Liesel had her own seat. The only glitch was the flight from O'Hare to Cedar Rapids.

The plane was a one seater on the left side of the plane and then a two seater on the right. When we booked the flight, we figured I'd sit with Ireland in the one seater, nurse her through take off and landing and Brent would sit with Liesel on the two seater side of the plane. Per regulations, Liesel's seat had to be next to the window. We then found out the lap child had to be in a two seater side as well because there weren't enough oxygen masks on the one-seater side. So then I figured Brent would sit with Liesel on the two seater side and I'd also move to the two seater side but one row back. But wait! It gets better: only even numbered rows (aside from 16 and the front exit of course) have 3 oxygen masks rather than 2. As luck would have it, the flight was chock full of people with lap children like myself so even the prospect of sitting two rows behind so I could manage just one child rather than two was not going to happen. Brent thought I could just nurse during take off and then he would handle Ireland while I worked with Liesel but that wasn't allowed either because of those dang oxygen masks. The flight attendant sternly advised me to go over the instructions for inflating the toddler life preserver which is also only on those even numbered rows. Confused yet? To make a long story short, I ended up sitting next to Liesel (who was already antsy from being strapped down during the Boston to Chicago flight) with Ireland in my lap while Brent sat across the aisle in his own seat. It was miserable for me personally, but thankfully it was a short flight.

Both girls got a lot of attention on all flights. At one point we had a small crowd of airline attendants around our seat and they kept reminding us they'd be happy to walk Ireland up and down the aisle if we needed a break. Even the one who was insistent about the toddler life preserver came and chatted for quite a while. The people seated around us were incredibly kind as well. Turns out the lady in the video (whose seat Liesel is kicking) was a pediatric nurse and she didn't mind at all. Liesel was fussing after one landing and when I tried to quiet her, a woman in the row behind me said, "Oh she's all right." Really, it was a successful trip!

O Blessed Day!

Last Sunday we blessed Ireland in my home ward in Iowa City. Brent's parents flew in for the occasion and my brother Logan drove down from Cedar Rapids to be there for the event. It couldn't have been more perfect! Ireland was calm throughout the blessing and Bishop Jeppsen noted she had her eyes transfixed on Brent as if she understood the importance of it all. The ward gave us lots of love even though we were just visitors. Dorothy had it right: there's no place like home.

Our little family was able to spend a week in Iowa where my parents absolutely spoiled us. I'd wake up and discover I'd slept in to find my mother with Liesel who was dressed, fed and had an adorable hairdo. They watched the girls while we went to see How to Train Your Dragon and to go to the Nauvoo temple. We ate at all our favorite haunts from HyVee (local grocery store) for a cheap and delicious breakfast to the Lighthouse with Brent's parents. The weather was amazing so Liesel was able to play in their big backyard and we were able to take the Mustang out for a drive along gorgeous country back roads. Iowa was positively neon green and I'd forgotten just how nice everyone is! The girls received loads of attention and compliments. Ten minutes after dropping us off at the airport, my dad called to tell us he was already homesick. We are too. Liesel is still asking for her cousins who she was able to spend some time with at the Children's Museum. When we landed in Boston she asked us repeatedly about Logan and everyone around us was so impressed she knew the name of the airport. It was so cute.

Ahhhhh, back to the grind!

Jump! Jump!

I had to get this on video before Liesel actually learns how to jump. I love how she ends up kind of trotting like a horse.

Last night I was nursing Ireland and holding her head in my hand. Even though it still fits in my palm, I can tell it's bigger than it was. My baby is growing up! So sad. But good. I wouldn't want her to be in arrested development and stay a baby forever. I just wish I could enjoy the moment a bit longer I guess.

How Would You Feel if the Bunny Peed on YOUR Head?

A direct quote from Brent to Liesel in the wonderful world of potty training. Lately Liesel will randomly take off her diaper/panties/pullup and pee on whatever is in her way. Today it was her newest Build A Bear which fortunately is washable.

*BIG exaggerated sigh*

Another Day, Another Copay

Spring fever arrived a few weeks ago with a vengance. Since then I have been to 5 different doctors and 8 appointments all over Boston. Ireland has had conjunctivitis, a sinus infection and now she's fully in the gassy stage of life. Liesel has a nasty virus which has her little body covered in tiny red bumps and a sore throat so bad she's barely eaten in two days. Even something mild like warm milk or chicken broth brings buckets of tears to her eyes. She sobs, "boo boo" and refuses anything more. As for me, I've had a mild case of shingles and the same sinus infection Ireland has. That infection has made it's way from my head to my chest where it is now firmly lodged. As the only healthy person in the house, Brent has had the worst thing of all: responsibility for taking care of the rest of us. He's been running on just a few hours of sleep per night for weeks now. Of course everyone's symptoms are much, much worse at night.

I have hope we are all over the worst of all this and in the end our immune systems will be impervious against anything that might come our way. In the meantime, we're still just in survival mode. Every doctor I've seen has told me all of this is caused by viruses and there's nothing to be done but wait it out. We've been waiting for almost 4 weeks now.

Please, put us out of our misery!

Birthdays

Two very significant events happened today. Ireland is now officially a month old! My sister Katrina and I are strangely fertile around the same time so our last two pregnancies have been just a month apart. This morning she had her darling little boy. I was holding Ireland when she cracked this HUGE (non-gas related) smile out of nowhere. A few minutes later I got a text message from Katrina's phone letting us know their boy had made his arrival. Call me crazy, but I think Ireland knew. I'm SO excited to have another baby in the family not to mention a cousin who will be Ireland's age!

While I was pregnant Katrina regularly sent me little packages to keep up my morale. I received adorable baby clothes, a fashionable baby sling and just before I had her, THE package of all packages came... Ireland's quilt! Because Katrina had three active kids and her own pregnancy to manage I wasn't sure if she'd make a quilt for Ireland like she had for Liesel. As a quilter myself, I know how time consuming and expensive they are. I never said anything, but I secretly hoped for it. I'd be thrilled if I could pass along a blessing outfit and baby quilt to all of my kids as an heirloom they can in turn pass along. I was pee-your-pants happy when the quilt arrived.

Katrina made this quilt out of 30's reproductions fabrics (my favorites are the blue ones). The filling is called McTavishing which she thought was appropriate for a baby we were plannng to name Ireland. It's not only whimsical and beautiful, it's emblematic of how selfless Katrina is, even when she has enough concerns to fill up her own life. All she asked in return is that I take a picture of Ireland with the quilt. Unfortunately, Ireland and I have been sick lately so I hadn't gotten around to it. When I realized Ireland is already a month old, I decided I'd better do it before I turn around and she's a toddler. Besides, snapping a few pics is very little to ask for such a pretty quilt!

Twofer

I can't believe my little girl is already two! Having someone smaller and younger than she is certainly puts things into perspective but I can't help but be stunned at how fast time has flown since she was that tiny infant. We celebrated the big day right after she got home from daycare. That should explain the messy hair... they had been on the playground and Liesel plays hard. She had a whole sandbox in her hair which took 3 washings to get completely clean.

Lately Liesel's really into trucks so we got her a blue one with flames that's remote controlled. Rather than attempt a cake when I have a newborn and am nursing, I got a giant cupcake from Whole Foods (because then it's healthy, right?). She can't quite say "cupcake", it comes out "cupape" which is really cute... that's why Brent keeps trying to get her to say it. Sorry he was unsuccessful! I think she was distracted by all that frosting. As you can see from the video, she takes her cupcakes very seriously.

Saturday we headed to the mall to get her official 2 year photos. Afterwards I had shopping to do at a few of the stores and we were stopped every 25 ft by strangers wanting to tell her how pretty she looked. Rather than shyly hiding behind my legs, she's started interacting more with adults and her little comments made them smile. There was one older gentleman who told me his grandchildren were teenagers and he missed this age so much. When he walked away, Liesel called out, "Buh bye! Have a good day!" which was adorable. I know I'm completely biased, but she's a doll and now that we have Ireland in our family, I treasure my time with Liesel even more.

We love you Liesel! Happy Birthday!!!

ObamaCare Unemployment

I've been laid off. Unless you've been following the political process very closely, you're probably unaware that with the passage of the health care reconciliation bill came another change which directly affected the student loan industry. As of July 1, 2010 all federal loans will be originated by the federal government rather than the private sector. Obama and the Dems have been pushing for this change for years based the purported "savings" it will generate. I won't launch into a tirade on that here... there's just not enough time in my day. Since I worked in the private sector, this legislation of course directly affected my job and I was notified on Wednesday that was my last day of employment with my company.


Truth be told, I wasn't going to return after my maternity leave anyway. Now I get severance which is a huge blessing to our family after the years we struggled trying to get the Arizona house sold. Brent and I are already debt free and can live on just his salary so really, this is good news. I'm excited to stay home with my girls rather than outsource their upbringing.

On the flip side, I've had a job since I was 11. I keep telling myself I'm just changing jobs and I'm now CEO of our household. However, the future is very cloudy without that steady schedule I thrive in. Aside from my father, I've never depended on a man for money. Brent is anything but machismo but I can't help feeling a shift knowing he alone will be bringing in the income. He's feeling the pressure too. Between the new baby and this, it's a lot of changes in a short amount of time.

I am extremely disappointed in our current federal government. While we will be fine and able to make it work, something seems wrong about a president who encourages a change which puts people out of a job... especially in this economy. In a recent interview with the Washington Post, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan stated this change wouldn't create a job loss, but actually an increase in jobs. May I present Exhibit A? Sorry if I can't help but feel these men are tragically out of touch.

Nonetheless, it's a whole new chapter in my life. I have no choice but to fix bayonets and charge ahead.