Brown Eyes? Blue Eyes?

The first thing most people say about Easton is “Look at those big, brown eyes!” And every time, in the back of my head, I think, “Where did he get those?” Ronnie’s eyes are hazel, my eyes are hazel-y green. Pondering this the other day, I remembered a project we probably all did in the 8th grade [or thereabouts].

We were assigned partners. Partners of the opposite sex. (gasp!)

We rolled the dice and created our own baby. (double gasp!)

I remember wanting so badly to be paired with Sean. Never mind that he was shorter than me, he was the cutest kid in my science class. The teacher announced the pairs. My partner was a girl. [unfortunately, there was not an even boy/girl ratio]

We did the assignment and I don’t remember anything about the traits our baby had, just that I wished I was partners with Sean.

I know this is an incredibly random memory—I have a lot of those.

Who did you want to be paired with in 8th grade? [Bethany—it is so unfair that your answer will be Casey]

And now, to reward you for reading this fairly pointless post, I’ll give you a view of the beautiful browns that brought it all on.

This American Life

My new obsession.

After hearing about this program from hola,isabel and the love of NPR in general from Jen, I was intrigued.

Work has slowed down. The move is over, my office is organized and all is well.

I’ve been typing minutes from meetings, editing newsletters and the like—a perfect opportunity to have something on in the background.

I went to the This American Life website and decided to start from the beginning. If I was going to be truly educated on all things pertaining to the American life I lead that seemed the logical place to start.

Love it.

Not every episode, not even every part of every episode. I tend to skip the episodes about current events (like the presidential election of 1996), and occasionally skip a story I don’t like, but overall I’m in love.

So go ahead—give it a listen and then tell me about your favorite episode. [I’d list mine, but I’ve listened to the first 37 (more or less) and already love many].

Where DO babies come from?

The question that every parent dreads.

At the ripe old age of four, I knew I had the answer.

It made perfect sense.

There was a staging area for the babies to be organized and a direct connection to each hospital. Another connection left the staging area and headed (I was sure) straight to heaven.

Pretty smart for a four year old (If I do say so myself).

Many of you have seen the “baby station.” I would even venture to say that several of you will recognize it instantly.

So, without further ado…


Have you placed it in your mind yet? It is located just at the mouth of Provo Canyon. Who knows where those pipes really go, but to four year old KaLee each one went to a different Utah hospital. This picture doesn’t capture the connection to heaven, so I found one online. The pipe below runs all the way up Provo Canyon and when you can’t see it any more it is ascending to heaven (right). [please ignore the random runner]

What falsities made perfect sense to you as a child?

It's Official

Ronnie has completed his first year of law school.

Way to go babe! I'm so proud of you and the hard work it has taken to get you through!

(Ronnie is pictured on his recent birthday--27 years!)

5 months!

Remember this little guy? Yeah, he's still around. His mom has been a little busy lately, so she apologizes for the break in posts.

Since Grandma Cali is here visiting, Easton has been sleeping in the pack and play. One morning he was playing and watching his mobile and then we came upon this.
He had completely pulled down the "toy bar." Silly boy.
One of the many funny faces he pulls. I call this one "total disgust."
He has also taken to sucking on his bottom lip if a binky is not handy. Cute for now, but not something I want to encourage. Can you imagine if he still did this in college?
Easton also loves to run his fingers through my hair. He does not pull it, but just touches it. This was the best picture we could get--although he normally does it with a much larger chunk of hair.
When he wants to put something in his mouth he strains with his lips--achieving this look...
"I want those buttons! Give me the buttons!"

Ah-ha! I got them!

And finally, I'll leave you with this--just a reminder of what a little cutie I have all to myself--and I guess Ronnie too.

Just a few thoughts

You know how you think your family is the best? Well, I'm here to tell you that you are dead wrong, MY family is the best.

My wonderful mother-in-law, Karen, came up to help out during finals--SUCH a blessing!

My favorite dad was down in Utah and went all the way to Payson to pick up some things for our Relief Society Enrichment. Plus he took a picture of something I have been wanting to blog about for a long, long time--go ahead, anticipate it.

I'm so grateful to have these wonderful people cheering for me and my little family all of the time.

What would I do without them?

Joy

I'm not trying to exclude anyone, but only mothers will understand the pure joy I felt today.

Easton pooped.

Easton pooped after 82 hours of non-pooping.

My heart swelled with joy.

Pure Joy.

Taxes

Nothing is certain but death and taxes. ~Ben Franklin

I was astounded by a human being last night (as opposed to when I am astounded by butterflies, Bear Grylls—I don’t care what you say, he is not a human being, or science).

It’s the first of two finals weeks for Ronnie. Have I mentioned that? Well, let me say it again. It’s the first of two finals weeks for Ronnie—translation: our house is a little hectic.

So I went to Little Caesar’s to pick up a pepperoni pizza, crazy bread and sauce. I walk in behind another lady (AL) and patiently begin my wait.

AL orders: “One cheese pizza please” and then hands over her five dollar bill.

The worker-guy-with-greasy-hair-that-I-am-trying-not-to-notice-or-think-about (WGWGHTIATNTNOTA) finishes pressing all of the buttons on the cash register and announces, “That will be $5.30 please.”

AL looks at him. WGWGHTIATNTNOTA looks at her.

He waits.

And then repeats, “That will be $5.30 please.”

AL finally responds, “But the sign outside says $5.”

WGWGHTIATNTNOTA: “With tax it comes to $5.30”

AL (as she digs in her purse for spare change): “You guys should really change the sign then.”

WGWGHTIATNTNOTA: “The sign says ‘plus tax’ at the bottom.”

Completely frustrated now, AL slams her change on the counter, takes her pizza and storms out of the building.

And I am left to wonder, are there really people who never think about taxes? (besides those people who live in states that don’t have taxes—I’m talking to you, Carissa)

A Dream

I have a dream…

This particular dream does not involve world peace, unity, sunshine and flowers (although I have all of those dreams separately).

I dream of seeing one of these driving on a railroad.


During the countless hours I have spent on Interstate 80, I have seen many Union Pacific vehicles with the capability of driving on the railroad, but have yet to see one in action.

Can someone explain what is so appealing about this whole thing? Is it the fact that you are driving on two skinny rails? That you are driving where almost no one else can drive? I have yet to answer those questions, but continue to dream anyway.


(sigh)

Fears

We all have them. At least I really, really hope we all have them. Otherwise I am one lonely, fearful human being.

I’ve found a new one.

Something so irrational that at first I hesitated blogging about it, but what is this blog good for if not to tell embarrassing stories?

My breath catches each time I come upon it (which happens at least 8 times a week). My foot hesitates (involuntarily) before I step closer.

I’ve really got your minds spinning now—don’t I? What is this horrible thing that KaLee has to encounter so often?

I’m not going to tell you—I’ll just show you.

See? I told you it was irrational. I know that I’m not going to fall through the holes or even twist my ankle on them but that doesn’t seem to matter. My fear is not increasing but it is not lessening either so I’ll take that as progress.

Please tell me I’m not alone in stupid fears—what are yours?

Oh, to be 5 again: Week 12

Erc recently told her kindergarteners that she is pregnant. She began by telling them that she had very exciting news—she was going to have a baby. She then explained that when the baby grows, her tummy will get bigger. The following conversation then proceeded.

Mark*: Are you having a boy or a girl?
Erc: I don’t know yet.
James*: Yeah, the baby doesn’t have any hair yet, and you have to wait until they have hair to tell what they are going to be. A boy will have short hair and a girl will have long hair.
Erc (after deciding that James’ explanation was suitable for 5 year olds): Yep!

* Not the children's real names.

Kindergarten Visit

Erc—the kindergarten teacher we all know and love—invited me to bring Easton in to visit her class. She had told them all about him and had said that she would see if I would bring him in.

I came in on Monday, the classroom was colorfully decorated and completely void of children (they were at Music). Erc had a napkin with a handful of goldfish crackers at each chair and was getting ready for the next part of the day. She left to go pick up the kids. Two minutes later nineteen kindergarteners came literally tiptoeing into the classroom and to their seats. (Erc had informed them that they had a very special visitor and that visitor was sleeping).

Then I got to see her in action. She is GREAT with the kids. They listen attentively as she gives specific instructions and she keeps up that 5-year-old energy the entire time (something I definitely could not do).

I proceeded to get Easton out of his car seat and the kids gathered in front of the Story Time chair. Then the questions began. (My mental answers will be in parenthesis)

Does he walk?
What does he eat?
Does he roll on the sidewalk? (Do YOU roll on the sidewalk?)
How much does he weigh?
Can he talk?
When will he get more hair?
Are you still breastfeeding? (Answer and move on to the next kid—quick, quick!)
Why doesn’t he have shoes on?

At this point Easton was not appreciating all of the unfamiliar faces and started crying. He settled right down with his binky but from then on, some kids kept their eyes on him like he was going to explode. And then the questions continued.

Does he go to the bathroom?
(Insert about 5 kids who raised their hands to ask a question and then when I called on them, forgot what they were going to say).
Does he like his pacifier?

Then the kids waved goodbye and we left.

Ah, the innocence.

I didn’t take any pictures, since I figured that most parents wouldn’t appreciate their precious little ones online, but you can see updated pics of Easton on his blog.

I've been a slacker

but here are a WHOLE bunch of pics to make up for it!

Easton normally gets up before I am completely ready for the day--so I let him play while I finish up. Apparently, this day I had worked him too hard and he gave in.
Easton loves the Baby Bjorn, and I love that I can have both hands free. He also enjoys laughing and smiling at that strange baby in the mirror. These two shots are my poor, poor, poor attempts to document it.

I came home from work one day to this. Easton was playing with a toy in the Bumbo chair and daddy got sick of bending over to pick it up when he dropped it, so he created a pillow barrier so it was physically impossible for Easton to drop the toy. I was laughing so hard, I had to take a picture.

We recently got Easton this bouncer station (although he has never actually bounced yet). The doctor recommended something like it so we can finally get rid of that flat spot on the side of his head (which is doing sooo much better). We call it the "backyard" because it has turtles and hedgehogs, and ducks, etc.

Another documentation of what Easton does while I get ready for work. This particular day he was getting tired and whiny (sp?) so I handed him this stuffed horse, he immediately gave it a big hug and cuddled with it and this is the best shot I got of the ordeal.
I'm training him to be a reader--he can even hold the book for himself! Now I just need to figure out how to let him know that we don't need to eat it!
Easton recently found his toes. It is the funniest thing to see him wrestle with himself to get them in his mouth. His leg is trying to kick and his hands can't figure out what is resisting them.

Easton also had his first real excursion outside this week. Check out Lindsey and Steve's blog for pictures!

Breathing Again

This motherhood thing—sometimes the worrying kills me. It started at the doctor’s office. Easton had dropped percentile-wise with his weight (from 25th to just above the 15th). I got lots of questions about how often he eats, how long he eats, was I noticing a difference in my milk production, etc. It was intimidating to a new mom—and I didn’t like it one bit.

Then Easton (who was so good at switching from bottles at the sitters to me) suddenly stopped eating out of bottles. Well, not completely, but his consumption went from 4-5 ounces per feeding to 1-2 ounces. Scary. And this was AFTER the doctor weight lecture, so I got a little more stressed.

I thought it was just because I was away all day during my events two weeks ago, or that he was going through a “distraction” phase and I just needed to get as much down him as possible. Then, I began assuming that I would be leaving work three times a day to go feed him (a possibility, but definitely not ideal). And then I had one last idea.

A week previous, I had switched him from the slow flow nipples to the fast flow nipples. He was eating much quicker from me and I figured that he would appreciate the no-nonsense approach. But then, after the sudden change in consumption, I decided to switch back to the slow flow nipples.

Hallelujah!

Easton is eating again! He still gets distracted (due to his age, I’m sure), but I don’t feel stressed and can breathe again.

Note: Surprisingly, throughout this entire ordeal, he never acted differently. Same smiley, happy baby—just one with not enough food in his belly!

Oh, to be 5 again: Week 11

Nathan*: Mrs. S, Bill* is taking a REALLY long time at his center!

Erc: Bill, are you about finished with your project?

Bill: I haven’t been here for a long time! I’ve only been here for a YEAR!

Erc (as she thinks about how she needs to go over this subject again): Bill, a year is a really long time. Do you mean that you have been at this center for a few minutes?

Bill: Yeah! I’ve only been here for a few minutes!

*Not the children’s real names

I think

that maybe, possibly, spring has sprung in Laramie.

Or that could be just the first phase of spring. I fully expect another wet snow storm before June.

Two things of note happened yesterday.

The snow pile in my front yard finally melted completely (which you wouldn't think is that big of a deal, but it was only ever about 2 feet high).

And, I saw my first shirtless jogger.

I think that officially proves it.

Welcome warmness!

Time with Grandpa

Easton has a darling shirt that reads Grandpa Digs Me (with a excavator pictured) you can kinda see it in this picture. We had to get a picture before he outgrew it.
I included this picture because I love Easton's fake smile.

Update

Get ready for some bullet points.

• I survived the weekend. My back kills (which my paranoid brain thinks is the beginning of another shingles breakout—time will tell), but I survived. Easton did too—I know there was no reason for him not to, but I like to think that he can’t live without me.
  
• I am now in the process of packing up my office. We will be moving on May 14th, and I am determined to have everything ready to go before then—especially since packing will involve a lot more sorting.
  
• Ronnie is beginning to gear up for finals—this means that I see even less of him than normal. This law school business is not for wimps.
  
• We are currently looking for a new place to live—somewhere a little less expensive for the next two years. Oh, how I despise searching for apartments!
  
• So excited to finally share that my sis—Erc is pregnant! She is due October 7th and I’m as excited for her as I was for myself (or as close as a person can get to equal excitement).
  
• But—there’s a catch. They are moving to SLC since Dan received a great job offer. I’m incredibly happy for him, but very bummed out about the timing. (Do people even say bummed out anymore?)
  
• And lastly, I hate when people title their posts “Update” but I couldn’t come up with anything else. Not. One. Thing.

Oh, to be 5 again: Week 10

Henry*: Mrs. S, I’m going to put my project over by the stapler and the tape-ler**.
Erc: The stapler and the what?
Henry: The tape-ler, you know the thing that holds the tape.
Erc: Henry, that is actually called a tape dispenser.

*Not the child’s real name.
**This is my technical spelling of the word. Personally, I think that Henry is brilliant and we should all start calling it the tape-ler. I mean, it rhymes, they usually sit next to each other on any desk, and it is a heck of a lot easier to say than tape dispenser.
***In case you are checking, these asterisks do not reference anything above, but I just wanted to state that I will not be back until next week (BIG events at work this weekend that I am in charge of).

Sorting Winner

First of all, I was going to offer a prize in each category--but then I realized that it didn't matter because Anne Marie (who has a private blog) was the closest on all three!

I am moving 1 box. Just for the record, 20 boxes were shredded (my department handles all scholarships and donors for the college so there was a lot of personal information), and 8 boxes were recycled. Even the shredded stuff will be used in drywall (or something like that--so the shredding company told me).

The oldest document I found was Sept. 17, 1965. Although the documents from 1977 enthralled me the most since they were all typed on carbon paper so our office could have a copy of the letter.

Our office did their accounting by hand in GIGANTIC ledger books until 1993. Not as horrible as I made you all think, but still personal computers were around.

So, thanks for playing! Anne Marie--send me your preferred monogram for the cards and I'll get those right out to you!