My girls seem to be confused about this whole "new baby" thing. No doubt the 9-month time lag between the announcement and the actual appearance of the heralded new family member is one of the sources of confusion.
Eliza's has misconceptions on a very basic level. Today at bedtime, I reminded her that "Mommy’s going to have a baby.” She thought for a second, then said, “And Diego have a baby Jaguar.” (For those without three-year-olds: Dora's cousin, Diego, has a young jaguar sidekick named "Baby Jaugar.") Right, Eliza. Except, not. Clearly our first ultrasound picture of #3, proudly displayed on the fridge, didn't have the humanizing effect on Eliza's perception of the baby that it did on mine.
Sage, on the other hand, accepts that many seemingly unrelated things are often attributed to Mommy's pregnancy. She figured out the positive connection that Mommy's grumpiness and expanding waistline are directly related to her 1 1/2 hour computer game allowance (during my naptime). In fact, she seems to be feeling pretty pleased about this new "baby" (aka, playhousedisney.com). I think she figures if I can attribute my rejection of veggies and meat at dinner to the bun in the oven, this baby must have a wide range of influence. Last week, the beanbag I warm up and take to bed started leaking its contents, which turned out to be rice. It took me a day or two to figure out the source (early morning mental intelligence is definitely limited by the fetus). When I put two and two together, I exclaimed to Sage "I think maybe this rice came from this beanbag!" Sage quickly offered, "Or maybe it came from your tummy."
Is it worth even trying to explain it all?
April 29, 2008
April 27, 2008
Good news
There's nothing like a world wide web confession of my procrastination habit to give me a big kick in the pants. This incentive explains my recent absence from the blogging world. Or maybe I give myself too much credit, and really no one noticed. At any rate, I come back with good news and updates about each member of my family.
Mark found out he passed the Utah state bar exam! I couldn't be happier, and am using this as an excuse to eat out at every restaurant that I think might satisfy a craving. (Sage is obviously pleased to be included in the celebrations as well.)
I attribute his passing of the bar, at least in part, to the great support we had from friends and family. Check out this excellent candy bar poster. (Thanks, Eli and Kira!)
Go Fighting Irish.
Mark found out he passed the Utah state bar exam! I couldn't be happier, and am using this as an excuse to eat out at every restaurant that I think might satisfy a craving. (Sage is obviously pleased to be included in the celebrations as well.)
Becca and Suz composed quite the poem to wish Mark luck (Good luck on the bar/You're cooler than the czar/...etc. for 15 more -ar rhyming lines). Many thanks for the other goodies, shows of moral support (including both those who inquired after Mark's results and politely refrained from asking), and prayers on his behalf. To Mark, the passing of the bar legitimized his January graduation from Notre Dame law school. So we borrowed some BYU law school graduation robes (thanks, Averetts!) and staged some pictures of Mark's "graduation" in front of the mountainous background of an obviously non-Indiana location.
Go Fighting Irish.
As for me, I am sick of being a manager. Luckily, the worst of the spring/summer work is almost done. Now that our rental units are filled, I'm boycotting my phone and refusing to answer unknown numbers. Because I don't want any more calls from that guy who wants to tell me why his cat will make a great tenant. I'm finally in my second trimester, and I join with all those who know me in hoping crankiness and nausea will decrease drastically from here on out.
Eliza has been busy organizing parties. This past week, during the girls' naptime, I walked in on a princess potty party. Here's the evidence:
Eliza has been busy organizing parties. This past week, during the girls' naptime, I walked in on a princess potty party. Here's the evidence:
The next big event was apparently Dora and/or Diego's birthday. We found this little shrine (complete with birthday candles and monetary presents) next to the DVD player.
Sage has been enjoying Spring. She loves to ride her bike, and is working on achieving goals to earn a new bike that is actually her size. She and Eliza could play for hours in our backyard. On Saturday she found a worm that she named Coco, hunted for nuts, collected dandelions as if they were worth their weight in gold, and played on the "park" (our swing/slide set). Incidentally, she found out, shortly after this picture, that doing the splits on the slide is not a very good idea.)
We got to party hard with a South Bend friend, Mickey Standiford, when he visited this month. It was a short stay, but we dragged him all over campus and spent a good amount of time at the bookstore's candy counter--sour candy only, no chocolate-covered cinnamon bears, please. Then we hit another church bookstore and Cafe Rio, where Eliza fell asleep in Mickey's arms (just like old times on Sundays in SB...except she weighs a lot more now). Mark and Mickey hiked the Y and then we binged on candy while scaring ourselves (me) silly watching "I Am Legend." The next day I strained my back so badly that I lay in bed while Mickey and Mark took the kids to church, then toured temple square in SL. Sage cried when she found out Mickey had left for good. We hope we can entice the Standifords, or any other friends, to Provo again. Especially since we'll be living in my parents' big ol' house in August...
We got to party hard with a South Bend friend, Mickey Standiford, when he visited this month. It was a short stay, but we dragged him all over campus and spent a good amount of time at the bookstore's candy counter--sour candy only, no chocolate-covered cinnamon bears, please. Then we hit another church bookstore and Cafe Rio, where Eliza fell asleep in Mickey's arms (just like old times on Sundays in SB...except she weighs a lot more now). Mark and Mickey hiked the Y and then we binged on candy while scaring ourselves (me) silly watching "I Am Legend." The next day I strained my back so badly that I lay in bed while Mickey and Mark took the kids to church, then toured temple square in SL. Sage cried when she found out Mickey had left for good. We hope we can entice the Standifords, or any other friends, to Provo again. Especially since we'll be living in my parents' big ol' house in August...
Having Mickey come reminded me of how blessed we are to have such great friends. And the outpouring of support we received before and after the bar means so much to us. Our time in Indiana was so short, but being away from family helped us realize how important and strengthening good friendships can be. Maybe it's the fact that graduate school can be so lonely and isolating, but the friends we made during our grad school time are people who really changed my life. They're people I will never forget them, and with whom I never want to lose touch (Andrews, Kings, Mears, Standifords, Bradys, Karrases, Darts, Tuttles, Jensens, Christophersons, Grumbines, and many more.)
It's been a busy, and happy season for us. And the love and support of family and friends has sustained us through the best and worst.
April 15, 2008
Manager monolith
I have been putting off the [herculean] task of figuring out the spring/summer rental situation for my dad's three apartments, over which I occasionally claim the title "Manager" (especially when it comes to getting a paycheck). It makes me think of this cartoon.
Other things that are too hard to do:
1. Go to bed
2. Divide up my family plan cell phone bill
3. Do the two days worth of dishes that await me in the kitchen
4. Finish my sewing projects
5. Send in my phone charger for a replacement
6. Clean my desk
7. Get off the internet (also referred to as "floofing")
Other things that are too hard to do:
1. Go to bed
2. Divide up my family plan cell phone bill
3. Do the two days worth of dishes that await me in the kitchen
4. Finish my sewing projects
5. Send in my phone charger for a replacement
6. Clean my desk
7. Get off the internet (also referred to as "floofing")
April 10, 2008
100 posts
This is my 100th post on this blog! When I started in August, I had no idea where I or the blog would go. In fact, this t-shirt was a pretty good summary for where I thought my blog might be. (Thanks for the link, and your vote of confidence, Rich.)
Well, here we are, and I'm pretty pleased. I have found a new joy in writing. And it appears that perhaps one or two of my readers may not even be related to me! [Wilson familial bonds require that siblings regularly leave gushing praise in the comments section.]
Thanks for reading. And stay tuned for more great action.
Well, here we are, and I'm pretty pleased. I have found a new joy in writing. And it appears that perhaps one or two of my readers may not even be related to me! [Wilson familial bonds require that siblings regularly leave gushing praise in the comments section.]
Thanks for reading. And stay tuned for more great action.
April 5, 2008
One green grape
My mom liked to quote Thumper’s mom and say “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” It is in this vein that I throw around vague and general hints about my first trimester case of pregnancy.
Here are the “nice” baby facts:
Weeks: 10
Due date: November 4, 2008
Size: green grape-ish
Mother’s status: ready for a daily epidural.
Now for those who want to know the more truthful, interesting, and grumpy version of these first 10 weeks, read on. At your own risk.
***
The green grape-sized baby (10 weeks old) growing deep in my body is doing an overhaul on my system. It’s not pleasant.
1. I think I’m losing my mind. I told the Primary that after 3 days, they put Jesus’ body in a tomb. Then after three days, he was resurrected. And it will probably only take 3 days before I get fired from that calling, if the bishop catches wind of the false doctrine I’m inflicting on these poor children. After I gave my testimony in church on Sunday, I sat down and promptly tried to recall whether I had said “retribution” or “restitution” and, even more perplexing, which word was right.
2. I sleep like a baby. Like the expression “sleep like a baby.” Not really like how a baby sleeps. And definitely not how my own 21-month-old “baby” sleeps. I seriously want to sleep all the time. Like 9 hours at night and a 2 hour nap are not excessive, according to my body. Sage doesn’t know what to make of this strange change. Actually, I don’t know what to think about the fact that there is an hour and a half of each day that I have no idea what my 3-year-old is doing. This could be a problem.
3. My food likes have been entirely rearranged, without my approval. Meat makes my tummy churn. Ice cream has lost its appeal. Mac’n’cheese always sounds like a good idea, even for 2-3 meals a day. I have become a Saltine cracker guru. Zesta is the only choice. Not the lower sodium kind. I wish they had a double sodium, actually. Since I’m downing twice our normal year’s supply of Saltines each day.
4. Mood swings. My kids fear me. I fear me. I fear the people who drive too slowly in front of me.
5. I have no desire to do productive things like dishes, organizing, bill paying, or socializing. I just want to put on a movie for my kids and go back to mentally calculating how many hours until my first trimester ends. I’m not happy to report the results aren’t looking good.
6. Numbers just don’t seem the same as before. Nine always seemed like such a small number before someone slapped a “months” after it. Now 9=eternity. And I know why 40 was a number used biblically to represent a lot. 40 [weeks] is like infinity. Remember those mood swings? That’s me remembering how big 40 really is.
I’m really happy that we’re going to be having a baby. And I’m grateful for my body’s ability to conceive and carry a child. That’s why this list of negative things is somewhat inappropriate. It just also seems inappropriate that a grape could be so naughty to my body!
I enjoyed the spiritual messages at General Conference today, especially the emphasis on the importance of families. I’m grateful for the calling to be a mother, and the trials and blessings this brings. I love my two girls, and look forward to the having a third—especially once I get past this first trimester! I hope that in spite of my sometimes sarcastic tone, it's obvious that I really do find great fulfillment in being a mom. Today, when Mark turned on the vacuum, both girls ran to me and snuggled in my lap while he vacuumed. It made me want to crunch my Saltines on the floor to prolong the sweet moment.
Here are the “nice” baby facts:
Weeks: 10
Due date: November 4, 2008
Size: green grape-ish
Mother’s status: ready for a daily epidural.
Now for those who want to know the more truthful, interesting, and grumpy version of these first 10 weeks, read on. At your own risk.
***
The green grape-sized baby (10 weeks old) growing deep in my body is doing an overhaul on my system. It’s not pleasant.
1. I think I’m losing my mind. I told the Primary that after 3 days, they put Jesus’ body in a tomb. Then after three days, he was resurrected. And it will probably only take 3 days before I get fired from that calling, if the bishop catches wind of the false doctrine I’m inflicting on these poor children. After I gave my testimony in church on Sunday, I sat down and promptly tried to recall whether I had said “retribution” or “restitution” and, even more perplexing, which word was right.
2. I sleep like a baby. Like the expression “sleep like a baby.” Not really like how a baby sleeps. And definitely not how my own 21-month-old “baby” sleeps. I seriously want to sleep all the time. Like 9 hours at night and a 2 hour nap are not excessive, according to my body. Sage doesn’t know what to make of this strange change. Actually, I don’t know what to think about the fact that there is an hour and a half of each day that I have no idea what my 3-year-old is doing. This could be a problem.
3. My food likes have been entirely rearranged, without my approval. Meat makes my tummy churn. Ice cream has lost its appeal. Mac’n’cheese always sounds like a good idea, even for 2-3 meals a day. I have become a Saltine cracker guru. Zesta is the only choice. Not the lower sodium kind. I wish they had a double sodium, actually. Since I’m downing twice our normal year’s supply of Saltines each day.
4. Mood swings. My kids fear me. I fear me. I fear the people who drive too slowly in front of me.
5. I have no desire to do productive things like dishes, organizing, bill paying, or socializing. I just want to put on a movie for my kids and go back to mentally calculating how many hours until my first trimester ends. I’m not happy to report the results aren’t looking good.
6. Numbers just don’t seem the same as before. Nine always seemed like such a small number before someone slapped a “months” after it. Now 9=eternity. And I know why 40 was a number used biblically to represent a lot. 40 [weeks] is like infinity. Remember those mood swings? That’s me remembering how big 40 really is.
I’m really happy that we’re going to be having a baby. And I’m grateful for my body’s ability to conceive and carry a child. That’s why this list of negative things is somewhat inappropriate. It just also seems inappropriate that a grape could be so naughty to my body!
I enjoyed the spiritual messages at General Conference today, especially the emphasis on the importance of families. I’m grateful for the calling to be a mother, and the trials and blessings this brings. I love my two girls, and look forward to the having a third—especially once I get past this first trimester! I hope that in spite of my sometimes sarcastic tone, it's obvious that I really do find great fulfillment in being a mom. Today, when Mark turned on the vacuum, both girls ran to me and snuggled in my lap while he vacuumed. It made me want to crunch my Saltines on the floor to prolong the sweet moment.
April 2, 2008
Lemon lysol perfume
Tonight I am sporting a new perfume called essence of Lemon Lysol. I won’t describe the events leading up to such a choice of cologne, but it was something no pregnant woman should have to experience. And it was something every mother has dealt with. And I will not be feeding my 1-year-old any fiber tomorrow; rice, bread and applesauce is all she gets. And it was hard to finish my bowl of chocolate ice cream after the incident. Kind of hard. But I did it anyway, like a noble pregnant woman would. And that's no April Fool's joke.
April 1, 2008
April Fool's Day
Would you believe me today if I said I am pregnant?
If I were my sister, Becca, you shouldn't believe a word I said on April Fool's Day, under any circumstances. She was the one in our family that hid heavy cans of food in everyone's backpacks and rocks under pillows on her favorite day of the year, April 1. She begged mom to make pancakes so she could slip pennies and little pieces of cardboard in the batter (and is still the queen of such "special ingredients"). This morning, Mark and I found our cars and windows covered in Peeps. It didn't take a fingerprint test to determine the culprit. It was embarrassing to explain at my Safety and Emissions test today why there were sticky white smears adorning my car.
When we were younger, we had to be constantly on the lookout for Becca's April 1 booby traps. Becca was pretty good at wrapping string around dolls or stuffed animals, then propping one on the upper edge of an almost closed door, awaiting its victim. Danielle remembers screaming when she walked into her empty bedroom and her doll came swinging down in her face, then it hung there, suspended in midair.
A few of Becca's tricks were more calculated. I happen to know that today my youngest (15-year-old) sister got a very official looking letter in the mail from the Director of the Department of Motor Vehicles warning "The Parents of Heather Wilson" that they were conducting an investigation into some recently reported suspicious behavior of the aforementioned Wilson daughter, and were revoking her driver's permit until further notice.
Mark got Sage pretty good this morning by switching the contents of a package of fruit snacks with the contents of her underwear drawer. In Becca-like trickery, I found a few heavy jars in my purse, and my morning pill case was filled to the brim with sleep aids! I had to get Mark back by calling after the Safety and Emissions test to report that we'd failed and they'd recommended we just get a new car.
Sage got her share of 3-year-old tricks today. She loved decorating Becca's front window with cheese whiz, fruit loops, life cereal and goldfish. She just had a hard time not spilling the beans!
A little before dinnertime, I found a neat website, and thought it would have been fun to make these, but chose the path of least resistance and enjoyed some tasty cooking by Krista at dinner group instead.
Happy April Fool's Day. And if you see Becca before midnight tonight, run away fast!
****
Suzy reminded me of a few more of Becca's tricks:
--There's always a fake parking ticket on the windshield of the car
--She stuffed cotton balls in my flute every single year
--One time she stuffed some paper or something up the end of my french horn and it got stuck up there! Dad had to rig some wire hook thing with tape on the end to pull it out.
--One time she drew a little black spider on a piece of scotch tape and put it in the crack between the ceiling and the wall in Heather's room. We had scripture time in there and in the middle Bec jumped up and said, "There's a spider up there!!" and grabbed one of Heather's Sunday shoes to "squash" it...Heather freaked out that Becca used her Sunday shoe... ha ha (she was little, I don't remember if she cried or not)
--A piece of cardboard in the PB+J sandwiches
If I were my sister, Becca, you shouldn't believe a word I said on April Fool's Day, under any circumstances. She was the one in our family that hid heavy cans of food in everyone's backpacks and rocks under pillows on her favorite day of the year, April 1. She begged mom to make pancakes so she could slip pennies and little pieces of cardboard in the batter (and is still the queen of such "special ingredients"). This morning, Mark and I found our cars and windows covered in Peeps. It didn't take a fingerprint test to determine the culprit. It was embarrassing to explain at my Safety and Emissions test today why there were sticky white smears adorning my car.
When we were younger, we had to be constantly on the lookout for Becca's April 1 booby traps. Becca was pretty good at wrapping string around dolls or stuffed animals, then propping one on the upper edge of an almost closed door, awaiting its victim. Danielle remembers screaming when she walked into her empty bedroom and her doll came swinging down in her face, then it hung there, suspended in midair.
A few of Becca's tricks were more calculated. I happen to know that today my youngest (15-year-old) sister got a very official looking letter in the mail from the Director of the Department of Motor Vehicles warning "The Parents of Heather Wilson" that they were conducting an investigation into some recently reported suspicious behavior of the aforementioned Wilson daughter, and were revoking her driver's permit until further notice.
Mark got Sage pretty good this morning by switching the contents of a package of fruit snacks with the contents of her underwear drawer. In Becca-like trickery, I found a few heavy jars in my purse, and my morning pill case was filled to the brim with sleep aids! I had to get Mark back by calling after the Safety and Emissions test to report that we'd failed and they'd recommended we just get a new car.
Sage got her share of 3-year-old tricks today. She loved decorating Becca's front window with cheese whiz, fruit loops, life cereal and goldfish. She just had a hard time not spilling the beans!
A little before dinnertime, I found a neat website, and thought it would have been fun to make these, but chose the path of least resistance and enjoyed some tasty cooking by Krista at dinner group instead.
Happy April Fool's Day. And if you see Becca before midnight tonight, run away fast!
****
Suzy reminded me of a few more of Becca's tricks:
--There's always a fake parking ticket on the windshield of the car
--She stuffed cotton balls in my flute every single year
--One time she stuffed some paper or something up the end of my french horn and it got stuck up there! Dad had to rig some wire hook thing with tape on the end to pull it out.
--One time she drew a little black spider on a piece of scotch tape and put it in the crack between the ceiling and the wall in Heather's room. We had scripture time in there and in the middle Bec jumped up and said, "There's a spider up there!!" and grabbed one of Heather's Sunday shoes to "squash" it...Heather freaked out that Becca used her Sunday shoe... ha ha (she was little, I don't remember if she cried or not)
--A piece of cardboard in the PB+J sandwiches
March 25, 2008
Out of context
Ah, the intricacies of the English language. Here's a few expressions that have stumped my kids recently.
Eliza ripped a map off the wall and said “Ta da!” [Sage's tumbling teacher taught her to say this after she did a forward roll. Eliza obviously picked up on the phrase, if not the meaning.]
Eliza ripped a map off the wall and said “Ta da!” [Sage's tumbling teacher taught her to say this after she did a forward roll. Eliza obviously picked up on the phrase, if not the meaning.]
Eliza held up an apple to examine it and said “Sick!” then happily ate it. [I don't care what exclamation she uses, as long as she keeps eating the fruits and veggies.]
When I was reading a book too slowly for Eliza, she interrupted with a loud "Amen,” forced the book closed, slid off my lap, and walked off. [She tries to cut off family prayers that go "too long" this way, too. The length she's willing to wait patiently during a prayer is inversely proportional to the deliciousness of the food sitting in front of her or the exciting-ness of the toy she had to set aside for prayer.]
Sage looked up from the toy she was playing with, while I was trying on clothes in the dressing room at Target, and said, "Mommy, you’re so righteous!” [What if everyone thought trying on clothes were a sign of righteousness?!?]
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