At Long Last

So this is the phone I’ve been using for the past three or so years:

Yeah, she’s a stunner, isn’t she? Years ago when my previous phone died before my contract would pay for a new phone I went to Target and bought this $15 phone and put my sim card in it. It worked fine to make calls but I kind of wanted something with a bit more to offer. But I couldn’t really justify buying a new phone when I already had a working phone so I set of goal that I would get a smart phone when I lost 20 lbs.

I got pretty close to my goal but never quite reached it. And after a while I kind of got attached to my ghetto phone. It survived being dropped several times and even came back to life after a soda exploded in my bag and soaked it. It was the trusty little ugly phone that could.

But after a while decided to focus again on losing weight. Just as I was getting serious again and looking forward to getting a new phone I got pregnant. I knew that it would be well near impossible/unhealthy to try and lose a significant amount of weight while pregnant so I changed my goal to exercising at least twice a week for 45 minutes until we went to Korea.

And I did it! It was hard at times but I stuck with it. After we got back from Korea things were so busy and I was paralyzed with indecision (seriously, the number of options is insane!) so I put off phone shopping. But this weekend I finally finished waffling over different carriers and phones and got a brand spanking new smart phone. And it is awesome (in no small part because I feel good about meeting my goal).

(On an unrelated note, this guy got a bit jealous of me taking pictures of my old phone this morning and insisted that I take his photo. So here is E enjoying his breakfast.)

Thankful

We had a nice relaxing Thanksgiving. We hung around the house watching football and playing with E then whipped up a dairy-free, egg-free Thanksgiving meal. The hit of the evening was this vegan pumpkin pie which was actually quite good (I copped out and used a pre-made Marie Callendar’s pie crust).

E was pretty excited about the whole thing.

Yesterday I felt a little worn out and sort of over Thanksgiving but when I stopped to think about it (which I need to do more often) I was floored by my many blessings, especially my family and my relationship with my Savior.

The tricky part is hanging on to that feeling and not letting my first-world problems get me down.

Somewhat Disappointing

Last week E had to have several vials of blood drawn so they could run tests on his food allergies. As you might imagine, the blood draw did not go easily and kind of traumatized E. It was worse than last year because now E has a much better idea of what’s going on and he’s a lot stronger (it took two techs and myself to hold him still). Anyway, yesterday I took E in to get the test results and to see his allergist for his annual check-up.

Sadly the test results were not encouraging. The tests measure the amount of antibodies in E’s blood that react to specific allergens. Last year his results for milk were already quite high and since then they have doubled to being super high. His results for peanuts doubled as well and eggs and most nuts stayed the same.

All of which means that E is very unlikely to outgrow any of his current allergies. I’ll admit that I was pretty disappointed. From year one to year two it looked like E might outgrow his nut allergies and maybe his egg allergy. But this last year everything just looks worse.

I was feeling kind of down as I drove home. It just hit me again that my son will most likely never be able to eat like a normal person. Right now making sure that he only eats food that’s safe for him is solely my responsibility (and N’s) but what’s it going to be like when he’s in school or away from home? It’s a lot for a little kid to handle.

On the positive side E’s allergist said that there is hope that this new baby won’t have allergies/or will have less severe allergies. She said it’s a combination of genetics and enviroment and that when nursing moms cut allergens out from their diets (like I’m going to do) sometimes kids only end up for a few milder allergies that they outgrown within a few years. I don’t know how much difference it will make since I eliminated allergens from my diet when I was nursing E once we found out about his allergies but he was already seven months or so old at that point.

So while there’s nothing really concrete to go on I won’t be eating dairy, eggs, and nuts after the baby’s born because I will do anything in my power to lessen the chance that another one of my kids has to go through this. On the plus side, this time around I’m a lot more knowledgeable about what our food options will be (and it will probably help me lose the baby weight).

After spending a few hours at the doctor’s office, getting skin tested to see if he could get a flu shot, and then getting the flu shot itself E was pretty wiped out and hungry so on the way home we stopped into a Chik-Fil-A that recently opened near our house.

As I watched E eat his waffle fries and chicken nuggets (his doctor okayed food fried in refined peanut oil) and then run around the playground I felt my spirits lift. While there are a lot of things E can’t eat and he’ll most likely have to be careful of them his whole life it’s not as though he has a serious or terminal illness like some kids do. He’s still a healthy little boy for which I am deeply grateful.

Music and Crafts for Christmas

How is it that I’m both eager to get into the Christmas season and already vaguely panicky that I’m running out of time?

I received an Amazon gift certificate recently and I used it to go on a mini Christmas-themed spree. I picked up these two things to help me get into the swing of Christmas.

This Sufjan Stevens box set, Songs for Christmas*, is a good deal at Amazon right now ($14) and has nice alt-folksy versions of favorite carols. (And it comes with stickers!)

And I’ve been really enjoying flipping through this book, Fa la la la Felt*, and daydreaming of the cute Christmas ornaments I could make if I, you know, actually got my crap together. Amazon doesn’t have the option of letting you search inside but if you go here you can see the table of contents and a few sample pages. The ornaments are so cute! There are several that I want to make for our tree.

*FYI, these are Amazon affiliate links which means that if you purchase something through them I get a small percentage.

Letter: Month Thirty-Six

Dear E,

You recently turned three with a vengeance. Suddenly you are all about doing whatever you can for yourself. “E do it!” is your favorite catch phrase right now. You insist on climbing in and out of your high chair and your car seat by yourself (but sometimes you like to push my buttons by clambering around the backseat instead of getting in your seat) and if you are interrupted heaven help us all but you have to start the process from the very beginning and do it over again ALL BY YOURSELF.

You’re filled with an overwhelming sense of confidence that can be both endearing and frustrating. Yesterday I was trying to tie the laces on your sneakers when you decided that it was something that you could do on your own. You weren’t going to let the fact that you’ve never tied a bow before and don’t have the coordination to do it yet stop you. On one hand it’s kind of admirable but on the other hand–SERIOUSLY?

But along with this stubborn independence other aspects of your personality are emerging. You have quite the imagination now and love to pretend you’re a superhero, a spaceman, a doctor, a chef. You love pretending to pick food up off from the pages of your books and eating it or feeding it to me or your dad.

This last month was a big one for us, mostly because of our trip to Korea. Parts of the trip (i.e. the flights to and from) were kind of rough but for the most part you were a trooper. I love the sights and people of Korea (and the food!) and it made me so happy to be able to share them with you. I know you probably won’t remember any of it when you’re grown but at least we have the photographic proof. You were so cute and charmed pretty much everyone around especially when you would bow and say “An-young-ha-seo!”

Your third birthday had me feeling kind of sentimental. Not to be overly dramatic but lately it seems like a chapter is ending for our family. You’re not a baby any more; you’re a little boy. And with your baby sister on the way at the beginning of next year all of our lives are going to change in a big way.

I’m so excited to welcome this baby into our family and I know that you’re going to be a great big brother. But I’ll always fondly remember these last few years that it was just the three of us.

I know I’m far from perfect as a mother but now I feel like at least I know what type of mother I’m striving to be. And that’s because of you. Your sister will totally owe you for breaking us in for her but something tells me you won’t ever forget to rub it in.

Love,

Mama

Yay for the weekend!

My quarterly report for work is finally finished which means that I can stop and just breathe for the first while since we got back from Korea. Not having any pressing work deadlines means that I’ve emerged from my stressed-out stupor, looked around my house and realized “Er, I should really clean this place up.” However, that’s what tomorrow is for.

Today I’m treating myself for finishing my report and I’m getting a start on holiday gift-shopping. After I drop E off at preschool I’m heading down to Provo to check out the Bijou Market, a craft fair that usually has some really cool things. And then depending on time I may treat myself to lunch at a local Korean place.

Last night N and I went out to dinner and saw the new Harry Potter movie. N’s company rented out a theater and so we got to see the movie at 6:45 pm instead of midnight. (I’m still not sure how we got to see it before midnight, though. Maybe there weren’t the same time restrictions on private screenings?) As we were walking into the theater there was already a long line of teenagers camped outside the theater (some in tents). The security was pretty crazy. When I left my seat to go to the restroom I had to show my ticket at least three times to get back to my seat.

But it was really fun to hang out with N and chat with the people from his office. I thought the movie did a pretty good job. The first part of the book is not really my favorite part and the movie alternates between long scenes of Harry, Hermione, and Ron wandering the picturesque countryside and frenetic fight scenes.

The movie definitely feels like the first half of a longer film; I found myself checking my watch to see how likely it was that they would be able to wrap up the movie in a satisfying conclusion. But they don’t even really try: there were groans from the audience when the movie ended abruptly. But the movie was fun to watch and the actors did a great job, particularly the A-list supporting cast and Emma Watson. It’s worth seeing; I just wish I could have seen part two immediately following it. (Oh, and if you go I would recommend sitting pretty far back: the camera work during some of the fight scenes is pretty close. (But maybe that’s just because I’m getting old)).

Spice Cabinet: Update 6

Last night was the second-to-last day of woodworking class. I finished sanding my dad’s Christmas present and my instructor put a coat of lacquer on it. He also put the last coat of lacquer on my spice cabinet.

My instructor spraying the cabinet box.

It’s great to have access to a spray room (when I’m not pregnant) because it’s sooo much nicer than applying finish by hand in my garage and having to worry about cleaning up.

Here’s a picture of the door in between coats. The lacquer really makes the wood grain pop.

It was nice to have a bit of time left over at the end of class while I was waiting for the lacquer to dry instead of rushing around like I normally do. (And it’s only taken me 5+ years to learn how to pick a realistic project and manage my time well!)

My instructor paid me a nice compliment at the end of class. He said he was impressed with how quickly I put together my dad’s present on my own and that it seemed like I had improved a lot this last semester. Being the recovering teacher’s pet that I am it made me feel great.

We don’t have class next week because of Thanksgiving but the week after that I’ll be installing the hinges on my cabinet, attaching the back, and bringing it home!

(Previous spice cabinet updates here: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.)

Tarte Cheek Stain

Growing up I was kind of a nerd. I was more into books and photography than make-up or fashion and as a result I sometimes feel like I’m still a bit behind the curve when it comes to girly things.

But I’ve been dabbling in makeup more lately. Maybe it’s something about turning 30 but I’ve been feeling like trying a bit harder might be in order.

I’ve had my eye on these Tarte cheek stains for over a year and before we went to Korea I finally picked one up in “Tipsy.” It’s more than I normally spend on makeup but I love it! It blends really easily and looks more natural than the powder blush I used to use. It seems to last all day and smells delicious. Also, I can tell that the container is going to last a long time; I’ve been using it frequently for a month and the stick still looks like new.

I had to try on a couple of shades to find one I thought looked natural so I would recommend trying it on in person if you get the chance.

28-Week Ultrasound


I spent most of the morning at my doctor’s office getting an ultrasound and then waiting around to meet with my doctor.

When I had an ultrasound at 20 weeks they saw that I had a marginal case of placenta previa and so my doctor wanted to check me again to see if the placenta moved up and out of the way. If it didn’t it would mean an automatic c-section.

Luckily, I don’t have placenta previa any more. And the ultrasound tech confirmed that yep, the baby is definitely a girl. Everything else looks great. She’s measured in at 3 and a half pounds which puts her in about the 68 percentile as these things go. And the results of my glucose test came back and I passed with flying colors so keep the Cozy Shack pudding coming!

We still haven’t decided on a name yet. For a while I really liked Rosalie but it didn’t sit well with N and then I also remembered that it’s the name of one of the vampires in Twilight which was both strikes 2 and 3 against it. We still have about three months left so we haven’t started panicking…yet.