Sometimes You Must Give Her a Hand

16. Things that make you really angry.

• When people (mostly Brian) don't understand what I'm trying to say, or take what I said the wrong way.
• My plans get changed/messed up.
• I get frustrated (not angry) when Lydia doesn't take a long enough nap or doesn't sleep through the night...I can't get angry at that (she's a baby), but I can get very frustrated.

Not much makes me really angry. I'm kind of like my mom - most things people do make me frustrated or "disappointed", not angry. I'm a pretty happy person, although I can lose my temper now and then. Brian's gotten the brunt of my temper at times. Most of the time, when I get angry, it's because someone important to me isn't listening to me or isn't understanding what I'm asking/telling them. When I get angry, I usually cry, which makes me more upset.

Anyway...

Tuesday Lydia and I were stuck inside all morning because it was so rainy. I didn't want to risk it and drive to the library for story time, since I hate driving in the rain (and story time is only about 20 minutes long). Lydia woke up around 6:45. I put The Wiggles on on her TV in her room and kept her in her crib. I then tried to run/walk on the treadmill, but Lydia only lasted about 15 minutes in her crib and then started screaming. I was disappointed that we didn't get to watch the Today show, since the local weather channel wanted to talk about the rain for 2 hours and didn't show the Today show! So, we ate our breakfast watching the weather channel and then I turned the TV off and listened to music while I cleaned.

Lydia is really good when I'm cleaning. She usually follows me around and "helps" or she goes off and entertains herself. Several times I went to check on her in her room and she was sitting on the floor reading her books or dancing to The Wiggles. She also likes to get into Brian's belt buckles and move them from room to room. And, of course, she pushes her baby around in the stroller. I was able to detail clean the kitchen, straighten up the living room, clean Lydia's room and my room, and clean both bathrooms - AND vacuum the whole house before 10:00!

When I was done cleaning, I tried sitting down and watching Lydia play, but she then started getting bored and was getting fussy and clingy. So, I decided to come up with some clever toddler activities for her. I must say that I am pretty good at coming up with toddler activities. When I worked in the child care center with 10 under 2-year olds, we had to constantly keep them busy with one activity after another. I could definitely entertain one little 18-month old!

My first activity (that I had hoped would last a long, long time) was the sensory tubs. I used two plastic drawers and put them on our un-carpeted floor with a towel underneath. I filled one tub with (a tiny bit of) water and the other with some rice and pasta. I put measuring cups and bowls in the water and some link toys with the pasta. Lydia really enjoyed the water. She scooped the water up and poured it into the other tub. I should have just done two tubs of water! I did learn a lesson for next time, though: don't provide pasta/rice when there is also water for sensory time - the pasta/rice get soggy and are harder to clean up!

The sensory tubs only lasted about 15 minutes. I think if Lydia had had a friend with her, it would have lasted longer (since mommy is just not that much fun). For our second activity, I put a big blanket over our card table and put a blanket on the floor to make a tent (or a fort). I put some books, her stacking toys, and her baby doll (of course) in the tent. I thought Lydia would have loved this! It was gloomy outside and it was nice and dim in the tent. I had to convince her go under the table by going in first myself. I was able to read a few books to her and sing some songs before she didn't want to be in the tent anymore.

Lydia actually "came up" with the third activity for the morning. She wanted me to follow her to the office and then walked over to her craft bin. So, I decided she could paint using the foam letters that spell her name (we have a foam alphabet puzzle that I used). I put three different colors on a paper plate and then put each letter in some paint and Lydia used them as stamps on the paper. She really enjoys painting and it turned out pretty cute.

After the third activity, it was just about lunch time, so I sat Lydia down with some lunch. Then we watched Yo Gabba Gabba and then headed off for her nap. After nap (she slept about 1.5 hours), the sun was finally shining and drying up all the rain! We headed outside for an afternoon walk with her baby doll and stroller. Lydia fell twice and scrapped up her right knee! I hate seeing the scratches on her little knee! I'm not used to this scratched-up knee stage yet.

Then I Shall Have to Make You Wings

15. Things that make you really sad.

• Leaving Lydia at other people's houses to go to work used to make me really sad. I would almost cry as I walked out the door, hearing her crying and knowing she is wanting me. But, Lydia's crying has always made me really sad. Leah used to tease me that as soon as Lydia made even the slightest whine, I would immediately pick her up. Whenever Lydia got upset (especially when she was tiny), I would also get upset and tell her she's "breaking my heart". I think that hearing your child cry - when they're genuinely upset - is the saddest thing.
• When other people aren't very nice to me. I recently experienced this and to think that someone didn't like me enough to be mean - when they didn't even really know me - made me just cry and cry! I could barely keep it in. I don't like being mean to others and I really don't like it when others are mean to me. I believe myself to be pretty likable and try to make myself likable to others, so when someone is deliberately mean, it makes me sad.
• Whenever I watch those home videos when the military man returns home to his children - that always makes me tear up!
• I was watching ONCE UPON A TIME (new show on TV) recently and Snow White had to first have her newborn baby taken away from her and then she discovered her (supposedly) dead husband - that made me really sad. Mainly because I have a husband and a baby and even the thought of losing them makes me extremely sad.

Enough about sad things! 

Last night I decided to turn Lydia's crib into more of a "bed". I have only recently put a blanket in her crib (after she was 12 months) and have never had anything else in there (except her baby doll). But, the past few nights she has been waking up a lot and her feet are always cold in the mornings, since she always takes off her socks. She never stayed in one place in the crib (her positions were always funny), so her blanket never stayed on. So, last night I put a pillow at one end of her crib and tucked her princess quilt in at the end and had her sleep as if she's in a bed. When she fell asleep last night, she was at the end of her bed, on top of the quilt. She woke up quite often last night - perhaps getting used to this idea of a quilt and pillow.

I so desperately want to take a picture of her right now sleeping in her crib! She is asleep with her head on the pillow and is covered by the quilt! Super cute! Maybe tonight she will sleep better. I told Brian we can't go in every time she cries (even when she's crying for her pacifier) because that just encourages her to cry for us if she wakes up a bit instead of putting herself back to sleep. And, she needs to get used to not sleeping with a pacifier, since we're taking it away at the end of this month.

Oh, and I have a funny Lydia story. Brian, Lydia and I went on a long walk yesterday afternoon with Lydia's baby doll and stroller. On our way back to our house, Lydia wanted to stop off at Leah and Jessie's to say hi. Unfortunately, Leah and Jessie weren't home at the time. Lydia didn't understand this and started to throw a fit! She threw down her baby stroller, attacked one of Leah's bushes, and rolled on the ground. I let her throw the fit and then crouched down to her level and asked her if she needed a hug (this always works). During the hug I told her I was sorry Leah wasn't home, but does she want to go to her house and make spaghetti for dinner? Lydia nodded yes and we were off. It was very funny to see how upset she was over Leah and Jessie not being home! She loves them!

I Know Exactly How You Feel

14. What gives you everyday inspiration?

Hmm...

Lydia inspires me to wake up every morning. Partly because she's either screaming or being noisy in her crib, and partly because I can't wait to see her and give her hugs and kisses after missing her all night. I feel like my life has a purpose when I'm taking care of her. There is someone other than myself to feed, clothe, entertain, care for, love. Sometimes my days can seem pretty routine - like when I worked at Bright Horizons and everyday seemed the same. But, with Lydia, everyday is different: she's always learning something new, we go on new adventures. Everyday is an adventure for Lydia!

Brian inspires me to work hard at my job and to enjoy my job. He is such a hardworking teacher and is very dedicated. He leaves at 6:30 in the morning and doesn't get home until 5:00, yet he's more than happy to help take over Lydia's care, help with dinner, set the table, and even clean up! He does bath time and bedtime. He loves teaching, he loves his family.

God inspires me to live everyday to it's fullest. I have been so blessed with an amazing family, an amazing husband and daughter. We live in a house, we have food on the table and clothes in our closets. There may be hard days and sad days, but the Lord always gives us the happy times - the times we remember the most. When I think back on our car accident last year, the thing I remember the most is how much everyone stepped up to help us - random witnesses at the crash site, all the amazing doctors and nurses, my family, Brian. But most of all, I think about God's love. He kept us safe, He kept Lydia safe, and He brought us through.

Is There Anything You Can't Do?

13. Write about your earliest childhood memory.

This is a weird memory and I'm not sure why I remember it, but it has always stuck with me. We were living in Okinawa, Japan and I was around 3 years old. We were at the park near our apartment building and we found a huge snail. My dad "caught" the snail and said we could bring it up to our apartment. I remember being really excited and interested in the snail. As we were riding up in the elevator, I remember holding this huge snail and being worried that it would come out of it's shell, so I quickly passed it off to my dad.

Once we got up to our apartment, we put the snail in a glass bowl. It came out of it's shell and I remember we thought it's body looked like a giant foot. I don't remember what happened to that snail or how long we kept it. I don't know why I remember this. 

This weekend was pretty fun. Saturday, we had a very relaxing day and then hosted a Clark Community Gathering (our neighborhood gathering) at our house. This time, the Elders in charge of our community came, as well as a couple from our neighborhood and their two children. We had so yummy food and good fellowship. I do wish this time more neighbors would have come. Our church is trying to get neighborhoods together and fellowship, to meet your neighbors and build bonds. So far, it's not working too well in our neighborhood or in my mom's.

We put Lydia to bed around 8:30, hoping that she would sleep in until 6:30 (new time). But, she woke up this morning at 5:30 and was playing in her crib. Brian tried to lay her back down at 5:30, but she just got right back up. I went in at 6:30 and changed her diaper and rocked her for a bit, hoping that she would go to sleep. She did finally fall asleep (after make a lot of noise in her crib) before 8:00 and then slept until 8:45. We went to our Young Marrieds class at 9:45 at church and then Brian, my dad, cousin Chris, Jessie (and Adah) and Thomas went back to my parent's house to watch the football game. Leah, mom and I stayed for the 11:30 service.

Lydia was still, amazingly, awake when we got to my parent's house - Brian said she had been in such a great mood and playing and chasing the dogs. I gave her lunch and then put her down for a nap, and then she slept for about 2 hours. I even fell asleep watching football and had a nice nap. At 5:00, my mom's neighborhood gathering started, but no one showed up until after 5:30. We had yummy home made ice cream (I shared mine with Lydia and ended up having 2 bowls). The one lady who showed up quickly left, since she didn't want any ice cream. But, we had a great time chatting and playing games.

I really enjoy relaxing weekends, although I'm glad we got to hang out with the family. Lydia can get bored with just Brian and me with her, but she is always entertained when then are several people who will play with her and give her attention.

Then I Suggest You Run

12. Bullet point your whole day.

• 6:30: Lydia wakes up.
• 7:00: I go in to change her diaper and try to get her back to sleep.
• 7:15: Brian goes in to try to get her back to sleep.
• 7:30: I go in to try to get her back to sleep (she had woken up from 2am-3am, she should be tired!)
• 8:00: Brian gets up with Lydia and lets me sleep in.
• 9:00: I finally get out of bed.
• I have breakfast - I share my cheerios with Lydia.
• I watch 2 episodes of Say Yes to the Dress on netflix.
• Lydia and I take a nice, hot shower.
• I get Lydia dressed.
• I get dressed and beautiful.
• My dad comes over to pick up our old blinds for free dump day.
• I make Lydia lunch.
• I put Lydia down for a nap.
• I eat my leftover Free Birds burrito from last night for lunch.
• Lydia wakes up.
• I clean the house while Brian and Lydia go to the dollar store.
• Lydia, Brian and I go outside to play - we throw the frisbee, teach Lydia to go down the slide by herself and give Lydia a wagon ride.
• Lydia has a snack.
• Lydia goes down for a nap.
• I have a snack and watch some netflix.
• Lydia wakes up.
• I get the house ready for our community gathering.
• Our guests arrive.
• We eat hot dogs and yummy dip and chili outside on the porch while visiting with our Elders and one family from our neighborhood.
• We say goodbye to the guests but chat with mom, dad, Leah and Jessie.
• We watch Yo Gabba Gabba while trying to keep Lydia awake until after 8:00pm.
• Brian and I get Lydia ready for bed.
• I go on the computer and look for shows to watch on netflix.
• I go to bed.

I Could No Sooner Choose a Favorite Star in the Heavens

11. The best advice you've ever heard, or ever been given.

I wish I could think of some great advice I've been given, or even great advice I've heard...but I can't. I have been given a lot of advice in my life. I just can't remember one that really stands out and has affected me.

You seem to get lots of advice at certain milestones in your life - when you graduate high school, when you go to college, when you graduate college, when you get married, get your first job, have a baby. That is when everyone really loves giving advice. Luckily for me, I have people in my life that I trust and I depend on their advice.

I looked to my mom for advice during my pregnancy with Lydia. I looked to my mom and sister for advice when Lydia was an infant. And now, I try to get advice from anyone I can on how best to handle certain situations with Lydia. I have never been the person who hates getting advice. I may not use all the advice I get, but I definitely enjoy listening to it.

One of the worse pieces of advice I received after Lydia was born was to "sleep while the baby sleeps". This is ideal for parents who get maternity and paternity leave, for stay-at-home moms and dads. This is not good advice for the new mom whose husband has a broken leg so he can't help much with the baby. It's really not good advice for the new mom who had to go back to work a week after her baby was born (and work from 7:00 to 6:30). I couldn't sleep while Lydia slept - I had to work! And now, if I slept while Lydia slept, nothing would get done around the house and I wouldn't have any time to myself. Now, of course, if I had had Lydia in different circumstances, I would totally agree with that advice. But it just didn't work for me at the time.

I think that the best advice you can give someone - anyone - is to have faith, and that a lot can happen in a year (or a week or a month). I have always been that person who has faith that everything happens for a reason, and everything is in God's hands. Now, this doesn't mean that you don't need to work for what you want, or even hope to better yourself or your situation. But, it does mean that you need to trust in God and if you get what you wanted, great, but if not, then it wasn't part of God's plan. I also know that in hard times, if you just trust God, everything will turn out okay.

Now Is All You've Got.

10. Your favorite 10 people right now and why.

1. Brian: I know, it's an obvious one. But, it's true. He works hard so he can support his family, he never complains about the time and energy he gives us, he takes great care of Lydia and of me. Plus, he's supported my two home businesses and encourages me every chance he gets.

2. Lydia: Another obvious one. She is just so precious and a miracle! I can't imagine my life without her. Even when she wakes me up 20 minutes before my alarm, I love seeing her happy face in the mornings. I love watching her grow and learn!

3. Leah: Mainly because she takes care of my precious baby twice a week and never complains. She's a great person to go to for advice and support. And if I need my hair or makeup done.

4. My Parents: I know, they should count as two people. They're supportive and loving and helpful. I love how much they love my baby and how much time and energy they put in each week watching her and helping us out.

5. Miss Nancy (the new children's librarian): I am so excited that the Igo Library has gotten a new children's librarian who does Toddler Time on Tuesdays! The in between ladies were not very interesting or good. Hopefully Miss Nancy will help Lydia learn to love to sit and listen to books and songs. She's animated and encouraging!

6. Lauren Wilig: She's the author of the book series I've been reading the past month or so. I really enjoyed her first book, The Secret of the Pink Carnation, and am currently book #4 in the series (since that's all the library had), The Seduction of the Crimson Rose. I am not enjoying this book as much as the first, but I am still interested in the book series. I have the 5th book to read after this one...then I don't know what I'm going to read.

7. Bones Cast: I cannot wait until the new season of BONES starts!!! I just loved the ending of the last series - when Bones is pregnant! I just love Booth and Bones' relationship with each other. I know they're not real people, but I am just so excited!

8. Student's Parents: I am thankful for all of my piano students, but especially their parents. Without the parents, the kids wouldn't get the encouragement to play the piano and to practice. And I wouldn't have a job as a piano teacher. I am always excited when it's piano lesson day, and I love researching new ideas and finding new songs for my kiddos.

9. Rekeisha & Abram: They watch Lydia for me on Tuesdays (now) during piano lessons. I am so thankful to have family members willing to watch my baby for me while I am busy! And, Lydia gets to play with her cousin!

10. Preschool Kids: I just love helping out at the preschool and watching the kiddos learn! I love it when they ask me for help and I can encourage them. Today, I helped three little girls learn how to right the letter "k" and they were so excited when they finally managed to write it! One little girl kept writing "k" all over her paper she was so excited! I love encouraging and motivating children to learn and experience new things!

I Will Simply Deny You the Crown...and Live Forever!

Halloween was so much fun this year! I usually do not like this holiday. I get scared easily, don't care too much for candy, and don't like going door to door. But, Lydia definitely made it fun! Last year she was so little, she had no idea what was going on or why I put her in a lamb costume.

I was worried Lydia would be afraid of the people dressed in costumes and wouldn't want to go up to doors. But, she had a blast! She wore her princess dress, her pink crown from her birthday, and her squeaky shoes. She carried her princess basket (that was also her Easter basket), and we put her in the wagon. We went to my mom's neighborhood and took Thomas along with us (since he wanted to trick-or-treat, too). I thought Lydia would cry when we took her out of the wagon, but she was excited to run up to people and have candy put in her basket.

Of course, she has never really seen so much candy, and wanted to hold it in her hands instead of carrying it around in her basket. She was often distracted by the candy and would forget to walk to the next house. After the second house, she didn't want to get in the wagon, so she just walked along behind it. The only house she didn't want to go up to was one decorated like a haunted house - she wouldn't even go up the driveway! 

Towards the end, she wanted to PULL the wagon. We decided to head back home when this happened because she was no longer walking up to houses and was more interested in pulling the wagon than anything else. We made it back to my parent's cul-de-sac, and Lydia insisted on pulling the wagon around their road. Abram was there and quickly joined in on the wagon fun. Eventually, Brian had to hide the wagon in my dad's truck so Lydia couldn't find anymore.

My parents had their fire pit set up in their driveway and we toasted (or roasted?) s'mores. Lydia didn't start getting fussy until almost 9:00, so we got to stay for a long while. When we got home, I put Lydia to bed and then Brian and I headed to bed! It was such a fun evening!

The best thing about having a baby is that you get to re-experience all the wonders of each new holiday.