I spent Friday morning and afternoon cleaning for my parents. Emily came over at around 3:00, shortly after Lila went down for a nap. So I left Emily to watch the baby and ran off to the store to buy things for the party. It was a mad scramble, made more difficult by the stupid broken wheel on my cart. Jake got out of work at 4:00; he'd gone in an hour early that morning. He ran errands (stopped by Rich's office, got insurance quotes, put in our 30-day notice with the apartment office). My parents got to Emily's shortly after I got home, so she left, and then we waited for Jake to get home. Mike stopped by to pick up the four Twilight books that I sold on Craigslist for $20. He delivered them to the seller in GR on his way to Jim's that evening.
We got to visit with my parents and Bella for a few minutes before Jake and I had to leave for the Stake Presidency farewell party in Vicksburg at the Littles'. We left Lila with my folks and she had a blast, playing with the dog. It was a nice little "date" for us. I like the Littles' house a lot. It's by a little lake and has lots of windows. The food was delish. I swear I ate like 2 or 3 times as much as Jake did. I can put away so much food. So we got to visit for a while. Their last Tuesday meeting together is tomorrow. The new presidency will be installed on April 10th. Anyway, I really like the Littles, they're a fun family. The Andersons, Petersens, Sayes, and Laugheads were also there. We left at 9:00 as planned. Lila didn't get to bed till 10:30. She stayed up late reading books with my mom, who slept at our place. Dad and Bella stayed with Emily. It'll be so nice when they can all stay at our house.
Saturday was a busy day, getting ready for Lila's party. She went down for a nap in the morning. I made pistachio bars, which is what I requested instead of a birthday cake as a child. I also made a layered chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and raspberries, another favorite of mine. :) I chopped everything up for pancit and my dad made that when he arrived. I also made some chicken pasta salad. Emily stayed at her apartment with Bella until 3. We cleaned and decorated. The party was from 1-3. I had invited a lot of people and over 20 had RSVP'd but only THREE came! lol! I was more annoyed than offended. But it all worked out ok and I was just happy to have my parents there. Desiree and Tyler came and so did Annette Shumway. Annette is due on April 19th with a girl (Ruby) Desiree is due on April 20th with a boy (Jarom) and they are both huge and bonded over that. So, all in all a nice time. And then at 3, Aunts Gina and Patti, Uncle Larry, and my 7-year-old cousin Sam came with presents, so I guess technically they count as guests too. :) So we visited with them. Lila really likes Sam. She went down for a nap. Jake went to a garage sale that was selling a bunch of tools and he bought a shop-vac, an air compressor, a car jack for working on cars, and some other things, for like $88. I told him no more buying tools till we're actually living in the house. :)
Speaking of the house, late last week we had the septic system inspected, which is one of the required inspections. Jake was reviewing the report and noticed something that both inspection companies had missed (Cartas--the relocation company--had also done a septic inspection): the tank is only 1000 gallons. A four-bedroom home requires a 1500 gallon tank... so it's not up to code. Which is fine, I guess... unless we end up having a really big family while we're living there, or until we go to sell the house and have to disclose that the tank isn't up to code to any potential buyers. So we're requested than they install an additional 500 gallon tank and waiting to hear back from them. We found out that they don't really like us because we were there for a long time during the inspection and I guess that interfered with some plans they'd had. Oh well.
My mom got her a bunch of books and stuffed animals... including two animals that sing and "dance," like the snowman and dog she got for Christmas. She got a summertime outfit from Emily. A fancy toy from the Neils. A really cute outfit and placemat from Aunt Gina. A toy laptop from the Bruinsmas (she likes that a lot). A few books from Nana Bruinsma. Rand and Lynn Johnson sent home a present from church yesterday, a book. And the Hunts, who had RSVP'd, sent a few presents as well.
In the evening, Jake and I took Mom and Dad on a drive past our house, which was fun. We hung out at Emily's apartment for a little bit and then took Mom back to our place. I think Lila was up late again, till 10 or so. I was planning on going to bed early too, I was so tired, but ended up staying late. And then we video chatted with Mike and Cassandra for like 10 minutes. He went up to Canada that morning to visit her. She wanted to know what Jake and I think of them dating, and we of course told her that we think it's awesome. Her family doesn't know what to make of it yet. Went to bed.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Birthday Cuddling, Lame Wednesday, Happy Thursday, Mike & Cassandra at the temple (Video)
When Jake and I got into bed on Lila's birthday, she woke up and cuddled with us before falling back asleep. She was sprawled on top of me, her head was kind of cuddled on Jake's shoulder, and she slowly drifted asleep. So I was holding her, Jake was holding me and her, and it was just perfect. It was her birthday gift to us. :)
Wednesday was super lame and boring. It was cold and dreary out. Lila and I stayed home all day but didn't do much. Emily came over. Jake was home late from church. We did showers. After Lila went to bed we bummed around. Jake worked, I read. Video chatted with Mike. He video chats with Cassandra nightly. She has a cold right now. Her roommate Michelle told Mike he should come and "heal" Cassandra like he "healed" her when he last visited; he'd given her a blessing. Mike said he could give her a blessing on Saturday. She jokingly said that she didn't want to be sick for two more days. So he said she could meet him at the Detroit temple Thursday night and he could give her a blessing there. So she thought about it for a minute and said, "Yeah! Let's meet there!" Mike was pretty surprised, and excited!
Yesterday was much better. The sun was out. Got a lot of cleaning done. Lila took two very short naps. During her morning nap, I called Jess and we chatted for a while. She's 38 1/2 weeks along and 3cm dilated and 75% effaced, so she'll probably go before her due date (April 5th). I'm so excited for her. She begged me to come visit her in Hawaii when they're stationed there for 3 months. We'll see about that! We listened to music and danced a lot. She practiced walking a lot. There were several times yesterday when I was doing something and look over at her and she was ever so cautiously walking towards me, lol. It was so cute. Up till then she hadn't ever started walking to me unless I was encouraging her to. It's so cool to see her growing and changing every day. Now she's trying to figure out how to go from sitting to standing without support. I think it'll take her a little while to figure that out. So, all in all, it was a good day! We had chicken pasta salad for dinner when Jake got home.
After dinner, we went to Target and got a cake stand for Lila's birthday cake. I looked at stuff for our new house a little bit too, but not for very long because Jake was totally not interested in doing that. I think our home was appraised by the mortgage lender and the septic inspection was done too... so we're getting closer!
We played with Lila before bed. She likes throwing her wooden blocks (not very high or very far) and she always laughs when Jake tries to juggle them. I swear I never get her to laugh the way Jake can. I missed The Office episode (which is apparently awesome, Michael Scott proposes to Holly!) because I was putting Lila to bed (so I'll have to watch that next). We were up late... Jake had to work. Jake woke up before 6 to go to work early yesterday and today and stayed up late last night too. But he's going to try to come home early today.
Mike called after he was done at the temple. He said it was awesome, and that things got pretty awkwardly serious while they were there, lol. After the session, he asked the temple president (who was standing in the lobby) to help give Cassandra a blessing. When they got to the president's office, he asked Mike and Cassandra how long they'd been married. hehehe. Mike said they're not married. President asked, "You're not married? or not yet?" And Mike intentionally didn't answer because he wanted to see how Cassandra would answer. Cassandra said, "Not... yet." hahaha. So Mike really liked the temple president after that. After that they went out for soup hot cocoa and hot soup. Walked arm in arm, holding hands, all that mushy stuff. Kissed a lot too. Mike was so surprised because she was the one who kept the kissing going. lol. At one point she said, "You are too good of a kisser... we can't be kissing this often!" Before they parted ways, she asked him, "Why do you like me so much?" And then she said how he doesn't even know her that well, but they like each other a lot... and she mentioned how she's going to move to Toronto. And then Mike said something like, "Well you should move to Battle Creek." And she sad, "I have to move to Toronto and finish what I've started." And then she said something about how they need more time, he needs more time, etc. Implying that she sees marriage in their future? Mike got the impression that she's been really thinking seriously about marriage, but has some concerns about the timing of it, because he's so recently divorced... and he's glad that she's finally starting to talk about it. They agreed to spend time on Saturday talking about it. She said they could get lost in the woods and talk about it. It was sooo fun hearing about everything. Jake and I were giggling. (Well, I mostly was the one giggling.) But it's so much fun to hear about them falling in love... that's one of the best times in life. Makes me remember all the fun Jake and I had.
Anyway, I'd better go tend to my cute baby. She puts the phone up to her ear now and pretends to talk. She's starting to say a very unintelligible "hello" now. So adorable.
Wednesday was super lame and boring. It was cold and dreary out. Lila and I stayed home all day but didn't do much. Emily came over. Jake was home late from church. We did showers. After Lila went to bed we bummed around. Jake worked, I read. Video chatted with Mike. He video chats with Cassandra nightly. She has a cold right now. Her roommate Michelle told Mike he should come and "heal" Cassandra like he "healed" her when he last visited; he'd given her a blessing. Mike said he could give her a blessing on Saturday. She jokingly said that she didn't want to be sick for two more days. So he said she could meet him at the Detroit temple Thursday night and he could give her a blessing there. So she thought about it for a minute and said, "Yeah! Let's meet there!" Mike was pretty surprised, and excited!
Yesterday was much better. The sun was out. Got a lot of cleaning done. Lila took two very short naps. During her morning nap, I called Jess and we chatted for a while. She's 38 1/2 weeks along and 3cm dilated and 75% effaced, so she'll probably go before her due date (April 5th). I'm so excited for her. She begged me to come visit her in Hawaii when they're stationed there for 3 months. We'll see about that! We listened to music and danced a lot. She practiced walking a lot. There were several times yesterday when I was doing something and look over at her and she was ever so cautiously walking towards me, lol. It was so cute. Up till then she hadn't ever started walking to me unless I was encouraging her to. It's so cool to see her growing and changing every day. Now she's trying to figure out how to go from sitting to standing without support. I think it'll take her a little while to figure that out. So, all in all, it was a good day! We had chicken pasta salad for dinner when Jake got home.
After dinner, we went to Target and got a cake stand for Lila's birthday cake. I looked at stuff for our new house a little bit too, but not for very long because Jake was totally not interested in doing that. I think our home was appraised by the mortgage lender and the septic inspection was done too... so we're getting closer!
We played with Lila before bed. She likes throwing her wooden blocks (not very high or very far) and she always laughs when Jake tries to juggle them. I swear I never get her to laugh the way Jake can. I missed The Office episode (which is apparently awesome, Michael Scott proposes to Holly!) because I was putting Lila to bed (so I'll have to watch that next). We were up late... Jake had to work. Jake woke up before 6 to go to work early yesterday and today and stayed up late last night too. But he's going to try to come home early today.
Mike called after he was done at the temple. He said it was awesome, and that things got pretty awkwardly serious while they were there, lol. After the session, he asked the temple president (who was standing in the lobby) to help give Cassandra a blessing. When they got to the president's office, he asked Mike and Cassandra how long they'd been married. hehehe. Mike said they're not married. President asked, "You're not married? or not yet?" And Mike intentionally didn't answer because he wanted to see how Cassandra would answer. Cassandra said, "Not... yet." hahaha. So Mike really liked the temple president after that. After that they went out for soup hot cocoa and hot soup. Walked arm in arm, holding hands, all that mushy stuff. Kissed a lot too. Mike was so surprised because she was the one who kept the kissing going. lol. At one point she said, "You are too good of a kisser... we can't be kissing this often!" Before they parted ways, she asked him, "Why do you like me so much?" And then she said how he doesn't even know her that well, but they like each other a lot... and she mentioned how she's going to move to Toronto. And then Mike said something like, "Well you should move to Battle Creek." And she sad, "I have to move to Toronto and finish what I've started." And then she said something about how they need more time, he needs more time, etc. Implying that she sees marriage in their future? Mike got the impression that she's been really thinking seriously about marriage, but has some concerns about the timing of it, because he's so recently divorced... and he's glad that she's finally starting to talk about it. They agreed to spend time on Saturday talking about it. She said they could get lost in the woods and talk about it. It was sooo fun hearing about everything. Jake and I were giggling. (Well, I mostly was the one giggling.) But it's so much fun to hear about them falling in love... that's one of the best times in life. Makes me remember all the fun Jake and I had.
Anyway, I'd better go tend to my cute baby. She puts the phone up to her ear now and pretends to talk. She's starting to say a very unintelligible "hello" now. So adorable.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Lila's 1st Birthday!
My sweet girl turned a year old yesterday! WOW! On one hand it feel like she's been here much longer than that, but it also feels impossible that it's already been a year since we had her. I've been thinking about our sweet time in the hospital together, bringing her home, all the wonderful fun that was. What a sweet baby. It seems like overnight she's more like a little girl than a baby.
The day started out with visiting teaching. Talked to Mike on the phone on the way to pick up my new companion, Christy (Davis) Szekely. He and C had video chatted the night before. I got Christy at 9:45. I hadn't really talked to her for a long time. Not since she got married in June, at least. I thought maybe she'd matured a little, and maybe she has, but not very much. Oh well. We had a nice visit with Rachel Mills. I love her and her family. Abe was just leaving for work when we got there and we visited with him for a bit. The four youngest kids were all running around. I'm so excited to have a house full of kids. So we visited and got to know each other a little better. I serve with Rachel in the primary presidency. Her 10-month-old daughter Juliana also doesn't eat, same time of deal as Lila. She will eat crackers, like Lila, and some soup, but that's about it. Interesting, huh? Juliana is Rachel's first child who won't eat like this, which kind of makes me feel better... maybe it's not me that's messing Lila up; maybe Lila's just really picky :)
After that, Lila fell asleep almost immediately in the car. Dropped Christy off. And since Lila was sleeping, I called Jake to see if he wanted to meet up for lunch. It takes a while to drive over there so Lila would be able to sleep. We drove around our new neighborhood first :) and then picked up Jake. Went to Culver's for my pregnancy cravings: french fries and then my favorite sundae, chocolate custard with raspberries and brownie chunks. I thought that was a fun way to celebrate. Oh, and another cute thing: the number Culver's gave us to put on our table was 22! :)
Lila and I went home, played for a bit, I made her birthday cake. She went down for a long nap and so I got to make dinner without her whining at my feet. :) Jake got here before she woke up. Talked with Kelsey on the phone for a bit. They just found out they're having another boy! :) So exciting. When Lila got up we had another pregnancy craving for dinner: beef stroganoff (and it was delish!). Mike got here around 6. Here's the excerpt I wrote about her party from her 1 year letter --
We had Granny and Grandpa Ollero on Skype. We played with balloons and you freaked out, you loved them so much. We sang you happy birthday and blew out the candle for you. We did cake and ice cream, of which you ate none. You were fascinated with the birthday candle though! You tried touching it quite a few times. We relit it over and over for you because you liked it so much. Then we opened your birthday present from us: a Playskool Explore 'n Grow Step Start Walk 'n Ride. You love it and I'm thrilled that you do. You started walking all around the apartment with it with a silly grin on your face. I'm excited for you to have more space in our new house for you to walk around in. So, all in all, a wonderful first birthday. We're having a bigger birthday party for you on Saturday when your Granny and Grandpa are here.
It was actually a lot of fun. I enjoyed myself! I think Lila did too. It took her a while to wind down to go to bed. I tried not to let the day be overwhelming... it started feeling that way if I thought about it too much... just tried to relax and let it be a fun time for our family.
After Lila went to bed we visited with Mike some more. Weird, right? :) He's been noticing, and expressing to us, his need for a lot of validation... in general but especially in his romantic relationships. Yeah, Mike needs tons of validation. Which is why he talks so much :) So we analyzed Cassandra more.
This morning Lila got up with Jake, as she seems to like to do now. I was really tired. She didn't fall back asleep after he left, so we got up and played in the living room. (So exited to have our house! It'll be so much bigger!) I gave her a graham cracker and sippy cup and put on PBS and she happily snacked while watching the TV. It was pretty cute. She seems to eat a lot more if she's distracted by the TV... like she doesn't realize she's actually eating or drinking. She's in bed sleeping already again.
The day started out with visiting teaching. Talked to Mike on the phone on the way to pick up my new companion, Christy (Davis) Szekely. He and C had video chatted the night before. I got Christy at 9:45. I hadn't really talked to her for a long time. Not since she got married in June, at least. I thought maybe she'd matured a little, and maybe she has, but not very much. Oh well. We had a nice visit with Rachel Mills. I love her and her family. Abe was just leaving for work when we got there and we visited with him for a bit. The four youngest kids were all running around. I'm so excited to have a house full of kids. So we visited and got to know each other a little better. I serve with Rachel in the primary presidency. Her 10-month-old daughter Juliana also doesn't eat, same time of deal as Lila. She will eat crackers, like Lila, and some soup, but that's about it. Interesting, huh? Juliana is Rachel's first child who won't eat like this, which kind of makes me feel better... maybe it's not me that's messing Lila up; maybe Lila's just really picky :)
After that, Lila fell asleep almost immediately in the car. Dropped Christy off. And since Lila was sleeping, I called Jake to see if he wanted to meet up for lunch. It takes a while to drive over there so Lila would be able to sleep. We drove around our new neighborhood first :) and then picked up Jake. Went to Culver's for my pregnancy cravings: french fries and then my favorite sundae, chocolate custard with raspberries and brownie chunks. I thought that was a fun way to celebrate. Oh, and another cute thing: the number Culver's gave us to put on our table was 22! :)
Lila and I went home, played for a bit, I made her birthday cake. She went down for a long nap and so I got to make dinner without her whining at my feet. :) Jake got here before she woke up. Talked with Kelsey on the phone for a bit. They just found out they're having another boy! :) So exciting. When Lila got up we had another pregnancy craving for dinner: beef stroganoff (and it was delish!). Mike got here around 6. Here's the excerpt I wrote about her party from her 1 year letter --
We had Granny and Grandpa Ollero on Skype. We played with balloons and you freaked out, you loved them so much. We sang you happy birthday and blew out the candle for you. We did cake and ice cream, of which you ate none. You were fascinated with the birthday candle though! You tried touching it quite a few times. We relit it over and over for you because you liked it so much. Then we opened your birthday present from us: a Playskool Explore 'n Grow Step Start Walk 'n Ride. You love it and I'm thrilled that you do. You started walking all around the apartment with it with a silly grin on your face. I'm excited for you to have more space in our new house for you to walk around in. So, all in all, a wonderful first birthday. We're having a bigger birthday party for you on Saturday when your Granny and Grandpa are here.
This morning Lila got up with Jake, as she seems to like to do now. I was really tired. She didn't fall back asleep after he left, so we got up and played in the living room. (So exited to have our house! It'll be so much bigger!) I gave her a graham cracker and sippy cup and put on PBS and she happily snacked while watching the TV. It was pretty cute. She seems to eat a lot more if she's distracted by the TV... like she doesn't realize she's actually eating or drinking. She's in bed sleeping already again.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Letters to Lila: 12 months, 1 year!
Dear Lila,
This is it: the letter I've been anticipating writing to you for, well, a whole year. You are a year old today! It's my first baby's first birthday and I'm full of all kinds of emotions. I'm a little sad--you're growing up so fast!--but mostly happy. I think it'll be your legacy in life to bring happiness to everyone you meet. (Brace yourself: this is a long letter.)
I feel like you have grown up so much in just the past month. You're no longer a baby; you're an actual kid! For the longest time, it felt like you and I were one; like you were a part of me and I was a part of you. But now I feel like we are two separate and different people who live life side by side and adore each other for it. We spend all day, every day together... except for the few hours a week I might slip away for some time with friends or for a Relief Society activity. I've been going out a little more often now, as you're getting older, and I think it's good for both of us. You get some good one-on-one time with Dad and it strengthens your bond. It also strengthens Dad's appreciation for all that I do every day to take care of you. :) (On that note, I really appreciate all that your dad does to help out when he's home. This past Sunday I had to get you ready and take you to church by myself--he was away on Stake business--and boy, it was so much more difficult without your dad's help!) And we sleep next to each other at night. It's actually one of my very favorite things in the whole world, to have your chubby face next to mine at night. You love being next to me too, and I will enjoy these moments with you as much as I can before you get too old. There's a country song I'm reminded of, that I first heard when I was a child myself, that's always stayed with me. The chorus goes, "Let them be little, 'cause they're only that way for a while. Give them hope, give them praise, give them love every day. Let 'em cry, let 'em giggle, let 'em sleep in the middle, let them be little." And that's what I'm trying to do. Actually, one night this past month, I woke up in the middle of the night, and had this moment of complete, enveloping happiness to be laying next to you. I felt the Spirit so, so strongly in my heart, and I was filled with pure joy to be your mother. I don't know if I've ever felt happiness like that before.
At a year old, you are still a big girl. You're wearing 24 month clothes and even have some 3T clothes that fit you. You really are almost as big as I am! You're over half my height and almost a third of my weight. It actually is a big challenge for me to haul you around. Just walking you out to the car is a work out, and I'm always grateful for an extra set of arms to help me. Cooking dinner has especially become more difficult lately. When I'm chopping things up or cooking at the stove is apparently your very favorite time to be held, so you'll stand behind me, grab onto my pants, pull at them, and whine. You've learned how to whine effectively. So sometimes I strap you into the Ergo, but since you're so heavy, that's not always ideal. Even Dad comments on how very heavy you are, but he still tosses you around in the air and you like that. You're perfectly healthy and perfect the way you are--we just need bigger muscles is all. :)
Your hair has really started to get longer this month. On Sunday I put piggy-tails in your hair for the first time, and you couldn't figure out how to pull them out (like you do with your bows), so they actually stayed in place for a few hours. It was completely adorable and you looked like a little girl toddling around with them at church. I think you have more hair than most blondies do at your age, so I'm thinking you'll eventually have a thick head of hair like Dad and I do.
Your interest in food has noticeably increased this month! You're still not eating enough to stop nursing, probably not even close, but it has noticeably gotten better and that makes me so happy. It also reaffirms to me that you will continue to get better at eating in your own time. This whole food situation with you has really taught me that I'm definitely not in control of who you are! You are your own person with your own likes and dislikes. You still don't like to be fed, but you make a game out of it and laugh at us when we try to. You like crackers--your favorites are the Graham and soda variety. You've enjoyed banana cookies I found in the toddler food section. You like broccoli cheddar soup from Panera and tomato soup too. You love French fries and potato chips. You don't like to have messy hands, so anything that's wet or goo-ey you generally avoid. You like to suck on spaghetti noodles. Something hilarious that you've done a few times recently with macaroni and cheese and spaghetti: you put my big bowl of food in front of you and stick your whole face in it so you can gently lick the flavor off the noodles, like a little puppy dog. When you resurface, your whole face is covered in food. It's pretty funny and we've never seen you be so enthusiastic and playful with food before. Another big deal is that you figured out how to sip from a straw this past weekend! We went out for pizza and the waitress gave you a styrofoam cup with a lid and straw to drink. It took you a few minutes, but as soon as you figured out how to drink the water, you happily did so for a few minutes. Since then, you've been drinking a little bit of water every day from a sippy cup straw, and it makes me so happy to see you learning and developing. There's something about the high chair we have for you at home that you don't like. You barely ever eat or drink when you're in it. You do most of your eating at home when you're playing in the living room. You do like to sit on Dad's lap during dinner and will eat a little bit then.
Your napping has changed this month. You used to consistently take two naps a day, both around 40 minutes each. Now you usually take at least one nap that's around an hour and half every day! And sometimes you take two naps a day that are both an hour or more. I enjoy that a lot. :)
Your walking has also greatly improved this month. One day after dinner, you decided to start taking 10 steps at a time! It took me by surprise so much that I burst into tears to see my sweet little baby's face walking towards me! Oh my, how you're growing, little girl. We giggled and clapped and hoorayed. You love walking to us and we always give you a big hug and kiss when you reach your destination. You don't know how to go from sitting to standing without furniture or a person to grab onto, so you still mostly crawl places. But your balance is pretty decent now. We bought you real shoes, finally, and wow, you hate shoe shopping. You would cry every time we put shoes on you. But I found a pair that you don't seem to mind. You're wearing size 5 shoes.
I'm so happy to see the relationship you have with Dad. You absolutely adore him. Usually the hour before he comes home from work, you're pretty cranky. But as soon as Dad walks into the room, you light up, say, "Dada!" and scramble to be at his side. He always has you laughing and does things with you that I would never think to. Like he throws stuffed animals at you and you laugh and laugh. Parenting has become much more rewarding than it was in the first few months because you've become an affectionate little girl. You give me actual hugs and press your cheeks against mine. You let me hug you when I want to. I love it. Yesterday you were laying on the floor with your head in the my lap, just lounging, eating your cracker and drinking your sippy cup. It was so cute.
A funny story I'd like to remember: I wanted to buy you a pair of jeans, because you've never really owned any before. You've always been a bit too chubby to fit in them. :) But it had been a while since I'd tried any on you, so I gave it a shot. I got a pair of 2T jeans, and they barely fit over your knees! It was pretty funny! Needless to say, I returned them. But soon after I found you a hot pair of (size 3T) jeggings (jean leggings) that are the cutest things you've ever worn. I call you J. Lo when you wear them.
I guess the biggest news of the month, and maybe of the year, is that we put an offer on a house a few weeks ago! Since January, we've dragged you around all over town looking at houses. Over time, we learned what we like in a house. Well, after church on March 6th, we went to an open house. After walking around for less than 5 minutes, we knew that it had everything we wanted. Later that week, we put an offer in and it was accepted! So now we're doing inspections--everything looks good so far--and we will close on or before April 15th. Dad and I are so excited to finally have a house. We think you'll love it and are so excited to make many happy memories there.
Well, it's almost your bedtime. You're playing with my keys (they are your favorite things to play with; you love the green leather "R" keychain) and listening to the radio. We had a really nice day together. We went visiting teaching in the morning. You fell asleep in the car on the way home, so I called up Dad and asked him if we could meet up for lunch, since you were sleeping in the car anyway. We picked him up (after driving past our new house for fun) and headed to Culver's, a place we frequented when I was pregnant with you. For dessert we had one of my favorite pregnancy cravings: a sundae with chocolate custard, raspberries, and brownie chunks. When we got home I made your birthday cake and dinner and you took a really long nap. For dinner, Uncle Mike came over (Auntie Em would've come over too, but she had to work). We had another one of my pregnancy cravings: beef stroganoff. We had Granny and Grandpa Ollero on Skype. We played with balloons and you freaked out, you loved them so much. We sang you happy birthday and blew out the candle for you. We did cake and ice cream, of which you ate none. You were fascinated with the birthday candle though! You tried touching it quite a few times. We relit it over and over for you because you liked it so much. Then we opened your birthday present from us: a Playskool Explore 'n Grow Step Start Walk 'n Ride. You love it and I'm thrilled that you do. You started walking all around the apartment with it with a silly grin on your face. I'm excited for you to have more space in our new house for you to walk around in. So, all in all, a wonderful first birthday. We're having a bigger birthday party for you on Saturday when your Granny and Grandpa are here.
One last thought: before you were born, I read a talk by Sister Julie B. Beck (the current General Relief Society President) called "Teaching the Doctrine of the Family." It's inspired me in what I do as a mother. In it, she reports that youth and young adults today aren't very confident in their abilities to have successful and happy marriages and families. She explains that that is because they don't understand that the plan of salvation--the plan of happiness that God has for all of his children--is really a plan for families. She writes, "The Creation of the earth was the creation of an earth where a family could live. It was a creation of a man and a woman who were the two essential halves of a family. It was not about a creation of a man and a woman who happened to have a family. It was intentional all along that Adam and Eve form an eternal family. The Fall made it possible for Adam and Eve to have a family, to have sons and daughters. The Atonement allows for the family to be sealed together eternally. It allows for families to have eternal growth and perfection. The plan of happiness and the plan of salvation was a plan created for families." She continues to teach, "The story of Isaac and Rebekah [in the Old Testament] is an example of the man, who has the keys, and the woman, who has the influence, working together to ensure the fulfillment of their blessings. Their story is pivotal. The blessings of the house of Israel depended on a man and a woman who understood their place in the plan and their responsibilities to form an eternal family, to bear children, and to teach them. In our day we have the responsibility to send 'Isaac' and 'Rebekah' forth from our homes and classrooms. Every young man and young woman should understand his or her role in this great partnership—that they are each an 'Isaac' or a 'Rebekah.' Then they will know with clarity what they have to do." I know and feel in my heart that you are a daughter of God with a divine destiny. It is my job to make sure that you are prepared to do all the good things in life you are meant to do and want to do.
This is it: the letter I've been anticipating writing to you for, well, a whole year. You are a year old today! It's my first baby's first birthday and I'm full of all kinds of emotions. I'm a little sad--you're growing up so fast!--but mostly happy. I think it'll be your legacy in life to bring happiness to everyone you meet. (Brace yourself: this is a long letter.)
I feel like you have grown up so much in just the past month. You're no longer a baby; you're an actual kid! For the longest time, it felt like you and I were one; like you were a part of me and I was a part of you. But now I feel like we are two separate and different people who live life side by side and adore each other for it. We spend all day, every day together... except for the few hours a week I might slip away for some time with friends or for a Relief Society activity. I've been going out a little more often now, as you're getting older, and I think it's good for both of us. You get some good one-on-one time with Dad and it strengthens your bond. It also strengthens Dad's appreciation for all that I do every day to take care of you. :) (On that note, I really appreciate all that your dad does to help out when he's home. This past Sunday I had to get you ready and take you to church by myself--he was away on Stake business--and boy, it was so much more difficult without your dad's help!) And we sleep next to each other at night. It's actually one of my very favorite things in the whole world, to have your chubby face next to mine at night. You love being next to me too, and I will enjoy these moments with you as much as I can before you get too old. There's a country song I'm reminded of, that I first heard when I was a child myself, that's always stayed with me. The chorus goes, "Let them be little, 'cause they're only that way for a while. Give them hope, give them praise, give them love every day. Let 'em cry, let 'em giggle, let 'em sleep in the middle, let them be little." And that's what I'm trying to do. Actually, one night this past month, I woke up in the middle of the night, and had this moment of complete, enveloping happiness to be laying next to you. I felt the Spirit so, so strongly in my heart, and I was filled with pure joy to be your mother. I don't know if I've ever felt happiness like that before.
At a year old, you are still a big girl. You're wearing 24 month clothes and even have some 3T clothes that fit you. You really are almost as big as I am! You're over half my height and almost a third of my weight. It actually is a big challenge for me to haul you around. Just walking you out to the car is a work out, and I'm always grateful for an extra set of arms to help me. Cooking dinner has especially become more difficult lately. When I'm chopping things up or cooking at the stove is apparently your very favorite time to be held, so you'll stand behind me, grab onto my pants, pull at them, and whine. You've learned how to whine effectively. So sometimes I strap you into the Ergo, but since you're so heavy, that's not always ideal. Even Dad comments on how very heavy you are, but he still tosses you around in the air and you like that. You're perfectly healthy and perfect the way you are--we just need bigger muscles is all. :)
Your hair has really started to get longer this month. On Sunday I put piggy-tails in your hair for the first time, and you couldn't figure out how to pull them out (like you do with your bows), so they actually stayed in place for a few hours. It was completely adorable and you looked like a little girl toddling around with them at church. I think you have more hair than most blondies do at your age, so I'm thinking you'll eventually have a thick head of hair like Dad and I do.
Your interest in food has noticeably increased this month! You're still not eating enough to stop nursing, probably not even close, but it has noticeably gotten better and that makes me so happy. It also reaffirms to me that you will continue to get better at eating in your own time. This whole food situation with you has really taught me that I'm definitely not in control of who you are! You are your own person with your own likes and dislikes. You still don't like to be fed, but you make a game out of it and laugh at us when we try to. You like crackers--your favorites are the Graham and soda variety. You've enjoyed banana cookies I found in the toddler food section. You like broccoli cheddar soup from Panera and tomato soup too. You love French fries and potato chips. You don't like to have messy hands, so anything that's wet or goo-ey you generally avoid. You like to suck on spaghetti noodles. Something hilarious that you've done a few times recently with macaroni and cheese and spaghetti: you put my big bowl of food in front of you and stick your whole face in it so you can gently lick the flavor off the noodles, like a little puppy dog. When you resurface, your whole face is covered in food. It's pretty funny and we've never seen you be so enthusiastic and playful with food before. Another big deal is that you figured out how to sip from a straw this past weekend! We went out for pizza and the waitress gave you a styrofoam cup with a lid and straw to drink. It took you a few minutes, but as soon as you figured out how to drink the water, you happily did so for a few minutes. Since then, you've been drinking a little bit of water every day from a sippy cup straw, and it makes me so happy to see you learning and developing. There's something about the high chair we have for you at home that you don't like. You barely ever eat or drink when you're in it. You do most of your eating at home when you're playing in the living room. You do like to sit on Dad's lap during dinner and will eat a little bit then.
Your napping has changed this month. You used to consistently take two naps a day, both around 40 minutes each. Now you usually take at least one nap that's around an hour and half every day! And sometimes you take two naps a day that are both an hour or more. I enjoy that a lot. :)
Your walking has also greatly improved this month. One day after dinner, you decided to start taking 10 steps at a time! It took me by surprise so much that I burst into tears to see my sweet little baby's face walking towards me! Oh my, how you're growing, little girl. We giggled and clapped and hoorayed. You love walking to us and we always give you a big hug and kiss when you reach your destination. You don't know how to go from sitting to standing without furniture or a person to grab onto, so you still mostly crawl places. But your balance is pretty decent now. We bought you real shoes, finally, and wow, you hate shoe shopping. You would cry every time we put shoes on you. But I found a pair that you don't seem to mind. You're wearing size 5 shoes.
I'm so happy to see the relationship you have with Dad. You absolutely adore him. Usually the hour before he comes home from work, you're pretty cranky. But as soon as Dad walks into the room, you light up, say, "Dada!" and scramble to be at his side. He always has you laughing and does things with you that I would never think to. Like he throws stuffed animals at you and you laugh and laugh. Parenting has become much more rewarding than it was in the first few months because you've become an affectionate little girl. You give me actual hugs and press your cheeks against mine. You let me hug you when I want to. I love it. Yesterday you were laying on the floor with your head in the my lap, just lounging, eating your cracker and drinking your sippy cup. It was so cute.
A funny story I'd like to remember: I wanted to buy you a pair of jeans, because you've never really owned any before. You've always been a bit too chubby to fit in them. :) But it had been a while since I'd tried any on you, so I gave it a shot. I got a pair of 2T jeans, and they barely fit over your knees! It was pretty funny! Needless to say, I returned them. But soon after I found you a hot pair of (size 3T) jeggings (jean leggings) that are the cutest things you've ever worn. I call you J. Lo when you wear them.
I guess the biggest news of the month, and maybe of the year, is that we put an offer on a house a few weeks ago! Since January, we've dragged you around all over town looking at houses. Over time, we learned what we like in a house. Well, after church on March 6th, we went to an open house. After walking around for less than 5 minutes, we knew that it had everything we wanted. Later that week, we put an offer in and it was accepted! So now we're doing inspections--everything looks good so far--and we will close on or before April 15th. Dad and I are so excited to finally have a house. We think you'll love it and are so excited to make many happy memories there.
Well, it's almost your bedtime. You're playing with my keys (they are your favorite things to play with; you love the green leather "R" keychain) and listening to the radio. We had a really nice day together. We went visiting teaching in the morning. You fell asleep in the car on the way home, so I called up Dad and asked him if we could meet up for lunch, since you were sleeping in the car anyway. We picked him up (after driving past our new house for fun) and headed to Culver's, a place we frequented when I was pregnant with you. For dessert we had one of my favorite pregnancy cravings: a sundae with chocolate custard, raspberries, and brownie chunks. When we got home I made your birthday cake and dinner and you took a really long nap. For dinner, Uncle Mike came over (Auntie Em would've come over too, but she had to work). We had another one of my pregnancy cravings: beef stroganoff. We had Granny and Grandpa Ollero on Skype. We played with balloons and you freaked out, you loved them so much. We sang you happy birthday and blew out the candle for you. We did cake and ice cream, of which you ate none. You were fascinated with the birthday candle though! You tried touching it quite a few times. We relit it over and over for you because you liked it so much. Then we opened your birthday present from us: a Playskool Explore 'n Grow Step Start Walk 'n Ride. You love it and I'm thrilled that you do. You started walking all around the apartment with it with a silly grin on your face. I'm excited for you to have more space in our new house for you to walk around in. So, all in all, a wonderful first birthday. We're having a bigger birthday party for you on Saturday when your Granny and Grandpa are here.
One last thought: before you were born, I read a talk by Sister Julie B. Beck (the current General Relief Society President) called "Teaching the Doctrine of the Family." It's inspired me in what I do as a mother. In it, she reports that youth and young adults today aren't very confident in their abilities to have successful and happy marriages and families. She explains that that is because they don't understand that the plan of salvation--the plan of happiness that God has for all of his children--is really a plan for families. She writes, "The Creation of the earth was the creation of an earth where a family could live. It was a creation of a man and a woman who were the two essential halves of a family. It was not about a creation of a man and a woman who happened to have a family. It was intentional all along that Adam and Eve form an eternal family. The Fall made it possible for Adam and Eve to have a family, to have sons and daughters. The Atonement allows for the family to be sealed together eternally. It allows for families to have eternal growth and perfection. The plan of happiness and the plan of salvation was a plan created for families." She continues to teach, "The story of Isaac and Rebekah [in the Old Testament] is an example of the man, who has the keys, and the woman, who has the influence, working together to ensure the fulfillment of their blessings. Their story is pivotal. The blessings of the house of Israel depended on a man and a woman who understood their place in the plan and their responsibilities to form an eternal family, to bear children, and to teach them. In our day we have the responsibility to send 'Isaac' and 'Rebekah' forth from our homes and classrooms. Every young man and young woman should understand his or her role in this great partnership—that they are each an 'Isaac' or a 'Rebekah.' Then they will know with clarity what they have to do." I know and feel in my heart that you are a daughter of God with a divine destiny. It is my job to make sure that you are prepared to do all the good things in life you are meant to do and want to do.
I love you, Lila. This has been the best year of my life. Becoming a mother, I have grown into a woman, and I am proud of the woman I am. Being your mother has given me confidence and has helped me to love myself more. I absolutely love being your mom. You are my favorite person in the whole world. There is so much more I could say, but I'm tired now. Thanks for all you've given me, sweet girl. Happy birthday.
Love Forever,
Mama
Letters to Lila: From Daddy
Dear Lila,
Today is your first birthday. We just celebrated with cake and icecream. You weren’t to interested in the cake or icecream, but you were totally digging the lit candle on your cake. You tried to touch the candle flame several times. You were fascinated. Reminds me of me!
In fact, there are a lot of things about you that remind me of me. The way you love to play with shoes and play in the closet, the way you are so fascinated with mechanical things, with playing the drums, listening to and dancing to music, the way you love making different noises, they way you are often just so chill, and overall just the way you love to learn things.
Two weeks ago on Saturday, I started showing you how to blow raspberries in the morning. In the afternoon, we were driving, and you started to blow raspberries. I was so proud of you, because it was only that morning that I showed you. You were cracking yourself up over it. When you were just a few months old, sometimes when you would start to whine or cry over something, I would slide my finger over your lips to make a funny sound, and you would stop whining quickly because the noise was funny. Not long after that you started making the noise yourself! It’s so fun to teach you things, and I really look forward to teaching you so many things as you grow up.
You are such an amazing little girl. As I reflect back upon this first year of your life, I realize that you have been such a great blessing to your mom and I and all of your siblings to come. You have been such a sweet girl. You are so well behaved and so sweet and loving. Your Mom and I will be forever grateful for how kind you’ve been to us as we’ve learned to be parents.
We have had a lot of great memories in this first year of your life. We watched you grow quickly coming home from the hospital, we took you to New York, to Boston, to the UP, and everywhere we’ve gone. We’ve had a lot of great Friday or Saturday night dates together with you. We haven’t really gotten a babysitter because you weren’t really interested in taking a bottle, and you have been so well behaved. That’s one way that you’ve taught us to be good parents and to take care of your needs. You basically demand that we spend so much time with you, but you are also so very pleasant to spend time with. That has helped your Mom and I keep our priorities straight with respect to our children. Another great example is when we attempted to sleep train you. You slept in your own room/crib from 6 weeks to 6 months. But after that, you wouldn’t sleep away from our bed. At about 9 months...we tried to sleep you in your crib and let you cry it out. You stopped crying after 45-min and then sat in your crib up and awake til 2:30am. Needless to say, we learned our lesson. Fortunately, you didn’t hate us after that. And, we realized that we are perfectly happy having you sleep with us. I’m not sure how our other kids will be, but thank you for paving the way for them to be sure to get the care and treatment they need, whatever it is. We will be sensitive to their needs whatever they are. And we will continue to be sensitive to yours. We love to spend time with you and to give you everything that you need.
I realize now, that this trait of yours, demanding that we treat you right, is something that comes from your Mom. When I was dating your mom, she demanded that I treat her with the absolute respect that she deserved. It’s a very good thing. Your mom is an amazing woman, and I am so glad that she is your mom and spends so much time with you. I know her good traits and love will rub off. Don’t ever feel bad about becoming like your mom.
Anyway, lately you have been really blooming. You started walking quite a bit, walking to and from your mom and I and other people. You get to spend a lot of time with my brother, your Uncle Mike and mom’s sister Aunt Emily because they live close by. It’s so nice to have family near. They love you and you love them too.
You really love dogs and cats and anytime you see them, you start to get really excited, and just NEED to be next to them to touch them and be near them. We have a couple dogs that live here in our complex. We’ll be moving into our first house soon, and there are lots of dogs in that neighborhood. I think you’ll just love it there. We found a really great first house.
I love you so much Lila, and think you are such a beautiful girl. I am so honored and grateful to be your father, and will always be there for you. I love holding you, and taking care of you.
Something really great is that lately, you have been waking up just about the time I need to get up to get ready for work, and you make it clear that you want to get up with me, to spend a little time with me before I leave for work. If ever you don’t get up, but then wake up just before I leave for work, you start to cry because I have to leave. It is so cute, and precious that you want me to stay with you. I love it when you get up early and hang out with me before work.
I really feel like I don’t get to spend enough time with you, but I suppose it’s enough and the time we do spend together will be really good for you.
You’ve been doing a lot of talking lately too. That is so cute, it’s so fun to talk with you.
I am so proud of you and all that you have learned and done in your first year of life. I look forward to our many many years together here in this life and for an eternity together forever. You are my precious baby girl and will always be. I love you forever Lila.
Love Always, your Daddy.
Today is your first birthday. We just celebrated with cake and icecream. You weren’t to interested in the cake or icecream, but you were totally digging the lit candle on your cake. You tried to touch the candle flame several times. You were fascinated. Reminds me of me!
In fact, there are a lot of things about you that remind me of me. The way you love to play with shoes and play in the closet, the way you are so fascinated with mechanical things, with playing the drums, listening to and dancing to music, the way you love making different noises, they way you are often just so chill, and overall just the way you love to learn things.
Two weeks ago on Saturday, I started showing you how to blow raspberries in the morning. In the afternoon, we were driving, and you started to blow raspberries. I was so proud of you, because it was only that morning that I showed you. You were cracking yourself up over it. When you were just a few months old, sometimes when you would start to whine or cry over something, I would slide my finger over your lips to make a funny sound, and you would stop whining quickly because the noise was funny. Not long after that you started making the noise yourself! It’s so fun to teach you things, and I really look forward to teaching you so many things as you grow up.
You are such an amazing little girl. As I reflect back upon this first year of your life, I realize that you have been such a great blessing to your mom and I and all of your siblings to come. You have been such a sweet girl. You are so well behaved and so sweet and loving. Your Mom and I will be forever grateful for how kind you’ve been to us as we’ve learned to be parents.
We have had a lot of great memories in this first year of your life. We watched you grow quickly coming home from the hospital, we took you to New York, to Boston, to the UP, and everywhere we’ve gone. We’ve had a lot of great Friday or Saturday night dates together with you. We haven’t really gotten a babysitter because you weren’t really interested in taking a bottle, and you have been so well behaved. That’s one way that you’ve taught us to be good parents and to take care of your needs. You basically demand that we spend so much time with you, but you are also so very pleasant to spend time with. That has helped your Mom and I keep our priorities straight with respect to our children. Another great example is when we attempted to sleep train you. You slept in your own room/crib from 6 weeks to 6 months. But after that, you wouldn’t sleep away from our bed. At about 9 months...we tried to sleep you in your crib and let you cry it out. You stopped crying after 45-min and then sat in your crib up and awake til 2:30am. Needless to say, we learned our lesson. Fortunately, you didn’t hate us after that. And, we realized that we are perfectly happy having you sleep with us. I’m not sure how our other kids will be, but thank you for paving the way for them to be sure to get the care and treatment they need, whatever it is. We will be sensitive to their needs whatever they are. And we will continue to be sensitive to yours. We love to spend time with you and to give you everything that you need.
I realize now, that this trait of yours, demanding that we treat you right, is something that comes from your Mom. When I was dating your mom, she demanded that I treat her with the absolute respect that she deserved. It’s a very good thing. Your mom is an amazing woman, and I am so glad that she is your mom and spends so much time with you. I know her good traits and love will rub off. Don’t ever feel bad about becoming like your mom.
Anyway, lately you have been really blooming. You started walking quite a bit, walking to and from your mom and I and other people. You get to spend a lot of time with my brother, your Uncle Mike and mom’s sister Aunt Emily because they live close by. It’s so nice to have family near. They love you and you love them too.
You really love dogs and cats and anytime you see them, you start to get really excited, and just NEED to be next to them to touch them and be near them. We have a couple dogs that live here in our complex. We’ll be moving into our first house soon, and there are lots of dogs in that neighborhood. I think you’ll just love it there. We found a really great first house.
I love you so much Lila, and think you are such a beautiful girl. I am so honored and grateful to be your father, and will always be there for you. I love holding you, and taking care of you.
Something really great is that lately, you have been waking up just about the time I need to get up to get ready for work, and you make it clear that you want to get up with me, to spend a little time with me before I leave for work. If ever you don’t get up, but then wake up just before I leave for work, you start to cry because I have to leave. It is so cute, and precious that you want me to stay with you. I love it when you get up early and hang out with me before work.
I really feel like I don’t get to spend enough time with you, but I suppose it’s enough and the time we do spend together will be really good for you.
You’ve been doing a lot of talking lately too. That is so cute, it’s so fun to talk with you.
I am so proud of you and all that you have learned and done in your first year of life. I look forward to our many many years together here in this life and for an eternity together forever. You are my precious baby girl and will always be. I love you forever Lila.
Love Always, your Daddy.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Solo Church, A Chat with Kalina
Yesterday was a little rough. I woke up feeling worse than I did on Saturday. I had a cough and my lungs hurt. Jake left for Coldwater at 7:30. I did my best to get us to church on time, but we were 10 minutes late. Jake usually gets Lila ready for church (changes her diaper, dresses her, etc.). I really missed having him around yesterday--he does help me so much! I thought about leaving after Sacrament Meeting, and I don't know why I didn't... I felt awful and wasn't really needed in Primary, but for whatever reason I stayed the whole time. Lila liked crawling around and watching all the kids and played with my keys too. She fell asleep in the car and slept for 40 minutes. We had lunch and Skyped with my parents. I love how they'll Skype with me when Jake's not home and we're bored. Lila loves watching my parents and their dog. My mom played peek-a-boo with her over the computer and she giggled. She danced when my parents put on some Beatles music too.
Jake got home at around 3:15. I started dinner, we talked to Mike on the phone. Kalina was at church yesterday. (She's been to church only 3 times since the divorce; seems like she's just been going once a month.) She approached Mike between 2nd and 3rd hours and asked him how he's doing, and he said, "I'm fine." And kind of gave her a look like, "I don't want to talk right now." He was talking with one of his YM at the time. So during 3rd hour she texted him and said something like, "Every night before bed I have conversations with you, so I thought today maybe we could talk in real life." And then she explained that she's found out she's allergic to gluten and that may have affected the happiness level in their marriage. She said that she won't approach him again and is sorry if she bothered him. Mike's been thinking the past week, and feels like the Spirit has been telling him that he needed to somehow tell Kalina that he's forgiven her... that she probably needs to hear that from him in order to get some healing and make progress. So, he texted back and said they could talk after church.
They sat down and Kalina starts apologizing and crying. Said that she can't believe she did what she did to him and she doesn't know how he could ever forgive her. He reassured her several times that he has forgiven her. She told him that she realizes that even though she was physically there during their marriage, she was never really emotionally there for him and feels horrible about it. At this point, Mike did have some feelings and wondered where this was going, but then he asked where she's at spiritually. She said that she has ups and downs and that it's been difficult lately. That reaffirmed to him that he's on the right path... because he wants/needs a wife who is spiritually solid, and he thought of Cassandra and how awesome she is spiritually. She said that she wants to go to BYU now and is slowly working towards that. She asked how his family is doing. He briefly said something about how Jim and Angela came over for dinner the other night but left it at that. He said, "She doesn't get to know about how awesome and adorable Lila is now, or about how you and Jake scheme with me all the time." And that's fine. But, what a crazy weekend for Mike.
We had spaghetti for dinner and Lila enjoyed sucking on the noodles. We had cornbread and fruit too. After dinner Jake and Lila took a nap. Lila slept for an hour and Jake slept for 2. Lila did some pretty enthusiastic walking between Jake and I in the evening; she was almost running. Lila went to bed pretty late, because of her late nap. Kristen Murphy (Shane's mom) stopped by to pick up General Conference tickets. Jake worked on more mortgage stuff. I was a little cranky. Jake was bugging me. :)
Jake got home at around 3:15. I started dinner, we talked to Mike on the phone. Kalina was at church yesterday. (She's been to church only 3 times since the divorce; seems like she's just been going once a month.) She approached Mike between 2nd and 3rd hours and asked him how he's doing, and he said, "I'm fine." And kind of gave her a look like, "I don't want to talk right now." He was talking with one of his YM at the time. So during 3rd hour she texted him and said something like, "Every night before bed I have conversations with you, so I thought today maybe we could talk in real life." And then she explained that she's found out she's allergic to gluten and that may have affected the happiness level in their marriage. She said that she won't approach him again and is sorry if she bothered him. Mike's been thinking the past week, and feels like the Spirit has been telling him that he needed to somehow tell Kalina that he's forgiven her... that she probably needs to hear that from him in order to get some healing and make progress. So, he texted back and said they could talk after church.
They sat down and Kalina starts apologizing and crying. Said that she can't believe she did what she did to him and she doesn't know how he could ever forgive her. He reassured her several times that he has forgiven her. She told him that she realizes that even though she was physically there during their marriage, she was never really emotionally there for him and feels horrible about it. At this point, Mike did have some feelings and wondered where this was going, but then he asked where she's at spiritually. She said that she has ups and downs and that it's been difficult lately. That reaffirmed to him that he's on the right path... because he wants/needs a wife who is spiritually solid, and he thought of Cassandra and how awesome she is spiritually. She said that she wants to go to BYU now and is slowly working towards that. She asked how his family is doing. He briefly said something about how Jim and Angela came over for dinner the other night but left it at that. He said, "She doesn't get to know about how awesome and adorable Lila is now, or about how you and Jake scheme with me all the time." And that's fine. But, what a crazy weekend for Mike.
Insomnia, Martini's, First Kiss
Friday night was really weird. Mike stopped by after dinner, before heading to Serena Baker's wedding reception with Cassandra. Jake and I were pretty tired, so when Lila went to bed, we decided to lay down for a while too... kind of intending to get up in a few hours after we felt more rested. So we laid down with Lila at 8:00. She crawled and rolled around in bed for an hour and fell asleep at 9:00. I really didn't feel good... had a headache and my shoulders and neck ached too. Couldn't get comfortable. Fell asleep for a little while, but woke up again at like 10:30 and then couldn't get back to sleep till after 1:00. It was so dumb. I actually got out of bed for a little while and had a snack and read some of my book, but Lila woke up shortly after that crying, so I went back to bed. Lame.
I finally fell asleep but at 4:40 woke up from a stupid dream (where I had to sing a solo in public but didn't know the song) with my eyes burning and almost in tears. Lila cried for a while. Thankfully, Jake woke up and took care of me. He gave me a blessing and then rubbed my back and took care of me till I fell back asleep. I have another head cold.
Saturday morning, he got up with Lila and I got to lay in bed for maybe 15-20 minutes before he had to leave for Ultimate Frisbee. He was going to take Lila with him, but it was too cold for that so I kept her home. I felt better after getting up and having breakfast. We Skyped with my parents for a while. Lila and I took an hour+ nap. She woke up at 12:15. Jake didn't get home till 12:30; he'd promised to get back before noon. :) So I "made" him take me out for pizza at Martini's. It was so yum and fun to have Lila there. We love her. She figured out how to drink water out of a straw and happily did that for a while. After that we stopped at Lowe's to look at paint samples and then went to Meijer. Lila cried when we sat her in the cart, so Jake stood her up in the back of the cart and that's where she happily stayed while we shopped. Pretty funny and I can't believe she's old enough to do that.
After that, we went for a walk around the trail. Our first family walk of the year. We enjoyed it a lot and remembered how different it was going for walks with Lila the last time it was warm out. And how this time last year I was HUGE and waddling around and couldn't walk very far. And how it took just a year for Lila to become this awesome kid. She liked looking at the geese. We stopped at the playground and put her in the baby swing, she liked that too. Took her down the slides a few times but she didn't seem to care for that. Jake and I got to chat, which I always love. I love going on walks together. It's so relaxing. Talked about our new house and how excited we are to move in and to have a house.
We had mac and cheese for dinner and Lila was so funny... she pulled my big bowl up to her face and stuck her face right into the food, trying to lick the cheese. I guess she likes cheese. She wouldn't accept a fork or spoon or any noodles, she just wanted to kind of lick the flavor. Pretty funny, and nothing we've ever seen her do before. She's been sipping from her sippy cup that has a straw, which is good too!
We did showers and Lila was asleep by 8. After that, Jake and I worked out filling out and signing our mortgage application. I worked on Primary stuff. It took a long time. At almost 11:00 Mike came over; he'd just left the Lillrose's. He had spent the whole day with her and her family. They went for a long walk in the woods with her siblings, wherein they "fell behind," cuddled on a bench for three hours, and had their first kiss!!! Big news!!! hehehe. The night before, Cassandra had asked him about him being ready to date again so soon after his divorce, and he talked about how the atonement has really helped him and changed his life... and about how he'd done everything he could to save his marriage so that he didn't have any regrets. And, it's not surprising that after what Kalina did to him, he's not pining after her. He's really doing great--he's processing things still in healthy ways, he's never seemed better or happier.
I finally fell asleep but at 4:40 woke up from a stupid dream (where I had to sing a solo in public but didn't know the song) with my eyes burning and almost in tears. Lila cried for a while. Thankfully, Jake woke up and took care of me. He gave me a blessing and then rubbed my back and took care of me till I fell back asleep. I have another head cold.
Saturday morning, he got up with Lila and I got to lay in bed for maybe 15-20 minutes before he had to leave for Ultimate Frisbee. He was going to take Lila with him, but it was too cold for that so I kept her home. I felt better after getting up and having breakfast. We Skyped with my parents for a while. Lila and I took an hour+ nap. She woke up at 12:15. Jake didn't get home till 12:30; he'd promised to get back before noon. :) So I "made" him take me out for pizza at Martini's. It was so yum and fun to have Lila there. We love her. She figured out how to drink water out of a straw and happily did that for a while. After that we stopped at Lowe's to look at paint samples and then went to Meijer. Lila cried when we sat her in the cart, so Jake stood her up in the back of the cart and that's where she happily stayed while we shopped. Pretty funny and I can't believe she's old enough to do that.
After that, we went for a walk around the trail. Our first family walk of the year. We enjoyed it a lot and remembered how different it was going for walks with Lila the last time it was warm out. And how this time last year I was HUGE and waddling around and couldn't walk very far. And how it took just a year for Lila to become this awesome kid. She liked looking at the geese. We stopped at the playground and put her in the baby swing, she liked that too. Took her down the slides a few times but she didn't seem to care for that. Jake and I got to chat, which I always love. I love going on walks together. It's so relaxing. Talked about our new house and how excited we are to move in and to have a house.
We had mac and cheese for dinner and Lila was so funny... she pulled my big bowl up to her face and stuck her face right into the food, trying to lick the cheese. I guess she likes cheese. She wouldn't accept a fork or spoon or any noodles, she just wanted to kind of lick the flavor. Pretty funny, and nothing we've ever seen her do before. She's been sipping from her sippy cup that has a straw, which is good too!
We did showers and Lila was asleep by 8. After that, Jake and I worked out filling out and signing our mortgage application. I worked on Primary stuff. It took a long time. At almost 11:00 Mike came over; he'd just left the Lillrose's. He had spent the whole day with her and her family. They went for a long walk in the woods with her siblings, wherein they "fell behind," cuddled on a bench for three hours, and had their first kiss!!! Big news!!! hehehe. The night before, Cassandra had asked him about him being ready to date again so soon after his divorce, and he talked about how the atonement has really helped him and changed his life... and about how he'd done everything he could to save his marriage so that he didn't have any regrets. And, it's not surprising that after what Kalina did to him, he's not pining after her. He's really doing great--he's processing things still in healthy ways, he's never seemed better or happier.
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