I'm not Dead

I'm going to catch-up blogging in the next few days.

This Made Me Cry

I was at work when Robert texted me about the fire. I am so sad. The Fire Department became aware of the fire around 2:00 am Friday morning and were still battling flare-ups into Friday night.

I have attended many events in the tabernacle and have many fond memories of it. I'm so sad because in April Robert and I were graduating in this beautiful building.

I don't know where the law school will now hold convocation, but I feel privileged to have been the last class to graduate in the Provo Tabernacle. It's weird. I thought it would always be there with its uncomfortable benches, small bathrooms and beautiful architecture. Now it is little more than rubble and ashes.

(Pictures from the tabernacle are from the Daily Herald; www.heraldextra.com)

No Catchy Title

I've been MIA for awhile. Batman has been studying and Baby has been...busy. He's trying to walk, he wants to walk, and he's just about there. He can stand on his own for 30 seconds to a minute and he can control sitting down from a standing position (he squats down). He can walk all around the furniture and go from one piece to the next at will. He can turn on his own unsupported. He's starting to take a step while standing (he doesn't get very far) but we can all tell that he's just about figured it out. When he does, Heaven help us.



He has also discovered that he was a will of his own and he asserts it. So, now he's learning that he doesn't get what he wants just because he wants it (roaming the house, putting his fingers into plugs, feeding himself with a spoon, talking on the phone, refusing to nap), and we've put the kibosh on all the dangerous stuff he has tried; I say tried because he has not succeeded in being dangerous. He lets us know that he's not very happy when we tell him no (yes, he's already learned what that word means) and he's stubborn. But, I love being a mom (despite being head-butted this morning which resulted in a fat lip (he lunged for the remote when I took it away from him) and despite having Baby try to climb up my hair, I'm not Rapunzel). That little smile and giggle make it worth it.

He learned to feed himself cheerios and puffs. We can only give him two at a time because he will shove every puff or cheerio that we give him into his mouth. Yesterday he was too quick for me. As soon as I opened the container we keep his puffs in he grabbed it, dumped out the puffs, and started smashing them with the container, then he grabbed a handful and shoved them into his mouth; I then had to fish out half of them from his mouth. He loves the phone; when it rings he thinks it's for him and he wants to talk on speakerphone. He loves pounding on his highchair tray and on "The Great Wall." To keep him into the baby-proofed part of the house we put up a box that we have dubbed "The Great Wall." He loves pounding on it and has tried to climb up onto it to escape; he's not tall enough for that yet and has given up for now. However, he can climb on top of his toy box and the pillows around the furniture. He even tries to climb up people when they hold him. He wants to get higher to see better.

He has also discovered Rosie my grandparents' pet bird. He thinks Rosie is a toy so we let him look at Rosie but we don't let him touch Rosie. Luckily, Rosie is not easy for John to get near or reach. John has also picked a spot where he likes to poop. If he goes over there, we know to leave him alone and grab a diaper and wipes. He crawls back over and we change him. He's starting to say ma-ma to me and da-da to Batman. He could say them before but he's learning what they mean and it's awesome.

Batman is studying hard for the bar. It's hard to believe it will be over next week. Then I get to start studying for it and my blog will probably be full of ranting about the bar and studying. Pictures and video follow.

Standing on his own.
Playing with the groceries (supervised by me and great-grandma)

He loves playing on beds and we have each side surrounded when he does.


His new favorite toy (his cousins had one and it entertained him for hours).

John sees the tv is on and crawls over to it and climbs up on the pillow to touch it. He then sees that I have the camera (which he wants to play with) and crawls over to me, stands, then lunges for the camera and falls, then stands again. I then had to stop filming to save the camera. Also, I'm sorry that I held the camera at an angle.

I also have to post about our trip to see Batman's family and John's first pool trip so stay tuned.

I'm back and now a J.D.

Wow. So a lot has happened since my last post. Robert and I graduated from law school. We received our grades yesterday and we both passed - so we are now officially Juris Doctors. We have also moved to Arizona. I was really sad to leave Provo (who would have thought those words would ever come out of my mouth). We had a wonderful apartment and an ever more wonderful ward and friends. I really felt at home in Utah for the first time. I also miss my parents and siblings. We are staying with my grandparents until we get a place of our own. Robert is studying for the bar in July, and I will take the bar in February. This way, one of us gets to be with John.

John is huge! He is definitely his father's son. He is long and while he is solid he is not a chub or fat. He cut one tooth last week and another one yesterday. He also sat-up by himself for the first time at the cabin while my parents were watching him. He is also crawling. Yes, he learned to crawl last week. This week his mission is to pull himself up on whatever he can. So far he has used me, Robert, the brick fireplace, the couch, the leather chair, and he tried, but failed, to use the wipes box. He's not supposed to be doing this yet he's barely six months old! He gets mad when we don't let him crawl or pull himself up in not-so-safe places.

Playing with his toys.

My mom (grandma) got him some bath fish. He loves them but has not yet figured out how to get them. He kept turning in a circle chasing the fish.

Trying to grab the fish.

We finally got him a high chair. He loves it.

Our apartment.

Our room in our apartment.

John's room.

The bathroom.

The kitchen.

Our table and entrance.

Graduation. It was freezing and rained all day right up until graduation.

I'm being hooded and Robert is next in line.

Walking after being hooded.

Catching Up

A lot has happened the last few weeks. This is our last week of classes, then we have two weeks of finals. Several papers and presentations were due and are now completed. John had his four month check-up last week. He is 16 pounds 11 ounces and 25.5 inches long. He is 75 percentile for weight and height. The doctor was surprised at some of the things he can do already. He is healthy and the doctor has no concerns. John has started on solid food. He loves rice cereal, sweet potatoes, and apple sauce. If I don't feed him apple sauce fast enough he lets me know! We started him a little early but he was always hungry and would wake in the middle of the night having wet through everything because he drank so much formula; the doctor was not surprised and said it was fine. Each baby is different.

I got another cold and then Robert was not well for a few days. We went to the cabin for Conference and Easter and worked on homework. John also had his first walk a couple of weeks ago. The weather was warm so we took him out in the stroller. He didn't quite know what to think about it and eventually fell asleep. We've only been on one walk since then because it has snowed last week and this week. I guess mother nature didn't get the memo that it is Spring.

We are in crunch time until graduation is over.

Getting ready to eat rice cereal for the first time.
Mulling over whether he likes it or not.

He wants more after all.

In his swing right before eating. He wondered why he was in a bib.

Playing.

Right after his walk (he pulled his socks of right after we got home. He managed to get one off during the walk - we put it back on.

Ready for church.

Sleeping.

Random Ramblings of a 3L

I've had an eventful couple of weeks. My substantial writing requirement is turned in. The. Final. Paper. Is. Turned. In. Yea!! I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders this morning when I hit the "send" button. Poor professor Thomas now has to read twelve of these monsters. Professor Thomas is retiring after this year. I have been in three of his classes. He is kind and knowledgeable. Many professors have not practiced much and teach more theory than practical knowledge. Professor Thomas has practical experience and teaches both. It is a sad day for the law school. Professor Wood is another awesome professor that is retiring this year as well. I know the students will miss them. It is starting to dawn on Robert and me that we are leaving this year as well.

Law School has had its ups and downs. I have grown so much through this experience and met some truly amazing people. A part of me thought this day would never come. But here I am staring at my graduation announcements and ordering my cap and gown. I entered law school as a scared 1L (first year law student). I was single and thought I would remain single for some time. I had started to make plans for my life. Then, I met Robert. I started my 2L year as a newlywed; I never thought I would have a child when I graduated. Yet, I started my 3L year six months pregnant. I took one set of finals while throwing up from morning sickness, and another set of finals recovering from giving birth. I learned through this experience that I can do more than I thought I could. I also learned that the Lord does prepare a way for you to accomplish what he commands, even when it seems impossible.

Yet, things are difficult. I never really rested after having John. I had classes to attend less than two weeks after his birth. Then, I had finals and the holidays. While I had two weeks to rest over Christmas, it was not enough. Soon, I started another semester and went back to work. I'm not suffering from anything huge, just several little annoyances that will not go away. I feel like I'm only functioning at 60%. But, as of last week I no longer have a job. My good friend Elizabeth hired me last year as an editor and I loved that job. After a busy day writing my paper and taking care of a very fussy John, I had had it. After John finally went to bed Robert noticed that Elizabeth had called us both repeatedly. Sure enough she had left five voice messages on my phone. I knew then that it was not good news. Robert called her and she and her husband wanted to come over (it was 9:00). Elizabeth and her husband are our classmates and our good friends. Elizabeth told me that most of the company, including herself, had been laid off earlier that day. I know that must have been hard for her to have to do.

I am sad and a little scared, our summer plan was for me to work while Robert took the July bar; he would then, hopefully, get a legal job and I would take the February bar. Now, we do not know what our plans are (other than Robert is taking the July bar). Once again I had made plans for my life but my life is going in a different, unknown direction. With this added stress came the stomach issues and the flare up of my TMJ (inflamed jaw due to overuse). When I'm stressed I clench and grind my teeth which causes my jaw joints to swell and protest in pain; I do this in my sleep as well. I have not a flare-up this bad since High School. Usually, I have a mild flare-up every couple of years. I take some advil for a day and then I'm fine for another couple of years. My jaw has hurt so bad this week I could barely talk (but I finished "that paper" in spite of it). I guess the point of all this rambling is that life never turns out how you expect it to. There will be times of great stress and distress but, hopefully, things work out and you make it through.

That's My Roly Poly

John learned how to roll from his back to his tummy on Monday. It is his new favorite trick and he does it all the time. Poopy diaper change = attempt to roll over; getting clothes changed = attempt to roll over; put down on his back = will roll over. Robert had to go into the other room. John was on his back. When Robert came back (maybe 30 seconds later) John was on his tummy. We kept missing him roll because he would do it in the 2 seconds we turned our heads. Finally, we were able to see him.

The video was hard to get. Every time I would have it ready he would stop turning to see what this camera was, or he would turn before I could hit "record." Luckily, I caught this one just as he started his turn.

He still is not a huge fan of tummy time so when he rolls he is all proud and then realizes "wait, I'm on my tummy!" Then he cries. When he gets really going we roll him onto his back. Two seconds later, he rolls back to his tummy. Sigh. He attempted to roll over in his crib the other night but got stuck when he rolled onto the edge of the crib. His hand-eye coordination is really good now. If he wants something he can usually grab it if it is within his reach - up, down, side, etc. He still giggles and squeals. He loves Robert's voice; whenever he talks John smiles and giggles. Wow, a semi-mobile baby. Now the fun starts!

Snow now? Really?

Yea, it's March! It snowed this week. A lot. Ugh. It was a sunny Saturday though. We took the MPRE and then did Saturday chores. But, alas, it is raining today. I was sick this week. I had a horrible cough, no voice and felt like crap. I'm feeling a little better but am completely drained of all energy and I still have that dang cough! John caught my cough, but he's still happy, smiley, and giggly. I'm counting the days until graduation. I'm so ready to be done with law school. My professor returned my substantial writing draft and I don't have to change much. I'm so glad. That paper took a long time to write and I was worried that I'd have to rewrite it.

John likes putting everything he gets in his hands into his mouth (including my hair if he can manage it). We had to take the stuffed animals out of his crib because he moves around in his sleep (hey, he sleeps like daddy) and we don't want anything to happen. We go in before we go to bed and put his blankets back on him, only to find them once again kicked off in the morning. He and his swing have been good friends lately. He is having trouble napping, but the swing puts him right out. He looks relieved if he's really tired and fussy and we put him in it. He also likes to be put in his bed before he's asleep so he can fall to sleep on his own. Win-win I'd say. He loves sucking on his fist or his index finger. He loves it when we sing to him. He smiles and giggles (this is really great when he's cranky). One of his favorites is the hokey pokey (probably because he loves the arm and leg movements that we do for him).

Tired.Reading his book on bugs.

Sleeping in his swing.

Looking at mommy.

Putting everything into his mouth.

Sucking on his fingers.

Looking out my sliding glass door.

This is March!

This was only a third of what we got.

Winter Wonderland.

Sunday Ramblings

So, it's been a while. Yeah, I know. I've been sick, then Robert got sick. We both take the MPRE on Saturday and I've been finishing my substantial writing requirement. The rough draft is due tomorrow and then I have a week to fix it after receiving back the professor's comments. I've been trying to get everything done but it's been really hard. Graduation is approaching and most of our class, including us, do not have legal jobs upon graduation. Normally, you have an offer before Christmas, but with the economy the way it is, few of us do. Many have said it's the worst economy for law graduates ever. Lucky us! The school hasn't been much help either. I've been wondering why I went to law school. It's been difficult wondering how things are going to work out; wondering if they are going to work out. This just makes it that much harder to focus on my paper. I'll be glad when school is over, that stress will be gone.

John is doing well. He is so dang cute! He rolled over the other night on his own and giggled for the first time the other day. He is tolerating tummy time now (he hated it before) and continues to talk to "Fudgie the whale" in his gym. He loves his baby mobile and grins in awe when we turn it on and it moves. He also loves the tv. Yeah, not necessarily a good thing, but we found it funny when he kept looking at the tv and crying. Robert turned it on and he was fine. We don't watch that much tv but I guess he paid attention when we had it on. Thank goodness he usually sleeps well at night. He has grown so much. He is in 6-9 month clothes now. He won't eat unless he's hungry - he will spit the bottle out if he doesn't want to eat and will turn his head. He loves sucking on his fist but he won't take a pacifier anymore. He loves to stand or sit and only wants to lay down when he is tired or wants to play in his gym. His hair is starting to grow back from rubbing off in his crib. Socks don't stay on his feet for long. He also moves himself with his legs. We will put him down and come back and he's moved. If his arms were stronger he'd be crawling.

After the first paragraph I realized I needed to list the things that I am thankful for (in no particular order):

John sleeping through the night or only getting up once a night.
John giggling and smiling; it's great to come home to that at the end of a bad day (I've had several lately).
A husband who cleans the bathroom when he can tell I'm overwhelmed.
A husband who is a LexisNexis student rep. I know when all the trainings are.
A husband - more particularly my husband.
Family.
Having another nephew on the way - Congratulations Brian and Mindy; little boys are so much fun.
Baby formula on sale for $4 off - I bought every can at the store yesterday.
Contact lenses - I hate glasses unless it's night.
Law school study carrels - it makes you feel that your tuition was good for something (stay away undergrads, some are not so nice about kicking you out of their carrels).
Being non-diabetic - yeah, that was horrible I'm glad I can eat real food again and that I don't have to prick my finger anymore.
Good chopping knives.
Sleep - It eludes me far too often.
Friends - I love my friends.
Starting to feel human again - giving birth rocks you.

Due to popular demand, pictures of John follow:

After church.

Daddy taking his sweater off after church.

Playing with daddy.

More playtime.

Helping dad with homework.

John and dad having fun with the camera while mom is gone.

In his baseball outfit.

Sitting up.

Kind of a Crummy Week

So, last week and this week have just been crummy. Robert sprained his ankle last Thursday which meant that he had to sit around for two days. Thursday, John wanted to be entertained all day so I got no homework done and got behind in classes, especially when Robert hurt his ankle and could not do much. luckily, Robert's ankle seems to be fine now. We got John a "gym" so that he will be entertained more and, boy, did it sure work. He loves that thing and I am singing the hallelujah chorus! I am almost caught up in all my classes again. It's never a good idea to get behind but sometimes life happens and it's unavoidable. Luckily, I have one small assignment to finish this weekend and I will be set (except for that whole, huge substantial writing paper thing). Work is going well but my schedule is more difficult with John and making sure that he is taken care of and that I get enough time with him. Plus, I've just been in an overall bad mood that I think is starting to lift. I call it the February fog; it happens every year around this time in Utah. The thrill of the new semester has worn off, fatigue starts to set in, and the weather is usually dismal. So I suck it up for a week until it passes.

My dad was here last weekend for Aunt Gloria's funeral. He had a good time seeing us and had a blast with John. It was good to have some time with my dad; we get that a lot with my mom but not much with my dad. It was laid back Sunday at the cabin and Monday night we had sushi (the first for me since my pregnancy) and it was so good. John "talks" to everyone and everything now. My dad and John had so much fun "talking" to each other. John loves being able to "talk" to us; his smile is always huge during it. He is now grabbing the rings on his gym. He is also drooling a ton now. That was something new. He is also having a hard time falling asleep on his own. He now needs to be cuddled and rocked to sleep. I love this cuddle time with him. I know that there is only a small portion of his life where this will happen so I try to enjoy it instead of stressing about what needs to be done.

John in his gym.

He was so cute I took another one.

I love this outfit and took a picture of it because he has almost outgrown it.