January at a Glance

Wow it's the end of the month! As you can probably tell from our latest blog posts, Eleanor continues to grow into a fun, silly and constantly moving individual. We are loving this stage where she seems to learn new skills every 5 minutes, but takes a lot of energy to keep her out of trouble these days. Plus, Seth has spent the last few weeks working hard on the Jeep and thus Ellie and I have hung out together even more than usual. She has recently come to a stage of "sharing," especially with Daddy. She loves to hand over balls (if they come back to her), blocks and stuffed animals. But, even more exciting (for her) is sharing food and pacifiers! The spoon goes into her mouth, she grabs it and promptly sticks it in your mouth. Yum, baby carrots! :)

Other things of note that I don't think ever quite made it here to the blog were a couple of trips out of town with Amanda, lots of shared meals with Amanda and Kayli and a bunch of trips to the library. All in all, nothing really exciting, but our days were full and pleasant.

So, here's a glimpse into Ellie's January:

A bug on the go.

"What mom? The bubbles are fun and whoa, rugs are great!"

Finally, I got the tongue. This started when she started working hard at crawling, but it has since turned into a teething action. I think it must feel weird to have teeth suddenly taking over your mouth.

This one is here because I think she looks like a Sargent baby. I'm glad there is at least a little bit of me that's coming through. :)

And this "old man" face is hilarious. We haven't figured out if it is another teething thing or if she makes it when she doesn't like a particular texture of food. She tends to fuss while she's doing it, too.

I tried and tried to get a pic of her two front teeth... and these are the best that came from it. She now has two others erupted on the top and two more on the bottom working very hard to break through. Teeth make her look so much more grown up!

Happy January everybody!

I Like to Do It Myself

Hello!

Good Friends

Kayli spent the night about 2 weeks ago now and Ellie LOVED it. She loves Kayli. This video was taken while Kayli was talking on the phone. Ellie pulled up on the couch and just started laughing at Kayli for no apparent reason. This tends to happen randomly when the two of them are together.

Finally I Got Some Gumption

Okay. So I don't usually post "all about me" posts... but this one is going to be. I'm super proud of myself. I finally went running... outside... who cares that it was 15 degrees!

The pros:
Running again felt awesome
I realized running in the snow, cold and wind is doable
The sky just before and just after sunset was gorgeous
Geese
Frozen ponds
My clothes were actually warm enough (after one attempt around the block and back inside for an additional layer)
Yak Traks

The cons:
It was more of a shuffle than a run
I hate my hands being cold
Clambering up snow banks on the side of the road every time a car came along really started to kill my ankles after a while
I definitely have to either wake up before the crack of dawn to do this before Ellie wakes up or have to wait until Seth gets home in the evening
I'm not sure I can handle anything much colder... and I think 15 was one of the highs this week

Anyway, I mostly had to post this because I need the reminder that I can do it. Hopefully I'll keep it up. I just can't wait for spring to roll around!

Grumpy Old Man

I'm It

I

I am: tired from a night on the couch with a teething monster
I think: about music and how to incorporate it back into my life
I know: I have the most wonderful husband and baby possible!
I want: to walk on the beach
I dislike: mopping
I miss: family and friends who are far away, the looming mountains of Salt Lake, and freedom to practice the piano intensely for hours at a time
I fear: stagnation
I hear: baby chomps (yum! Rice Krispies!)
I smell: hot coffee
I crave: hot baths and good books
I cry: when I have hard days alone
I search: for peace
I wonder: what tomorrow will bring
I regret: staring at the computer instead of chasing my daughter down the hallway
I love: smiles
I care: too much!?
I always: sing my baby to sleep
I worry: about money
I am not: out of my pajamas yet!
I remember: life so full of piano lessons I didn't have time to eat dinner...
I believe: God has a plan for each one of us
I dance: in the rain
I sing: in the dark
I always: love
I argue: when my temper rises
I write: because words just come out
I win: when I can
I lose: unfortunately :)
I wish: I knew I'd get a shower today
I listen: carefully when I'm focused
I don't understand: a lack of snow plows in a town where it snows regularly for 5 months out of the year
I can usually be found: at home
I am scared: of failure
I forget: more often now that I have a child
I am happy: when it's sunny

I tag: Hannah, Lindsey & Abbie

Back in Business

So, yesterday I taught my first piano lesson here in Sheridan. As I've prepared to start teaching again a lot of doubts and little fears crept up and I realized I haven't taught a lesson for over a year and a half! But, as soon as I sat down to collect all the needed materials for a first lesson and actually planned out the time itself I felt great. It was actually really engergizing to engage with helping someone learn to love the piano. I started the lesson plan and just couldn't quit - I kept planning and planning - and then I found myself waking in the middle of the night with other ideas for older students...

Anyway, the lesson was a bit chaotic since it involved a 5 year old, 4 year old and an 8 month old, not to mention 2 mothers. :) But, all in all, it went well and I'm looking forward to next week. Eleanor fell while pulling up on the piano bench and bashed her face in the middle of the lesson... so I might just be looking a bit harder for a childcare solution sooner than I thought.

Since I found myself happy again doing this, I think I'll start to work harder at advertising. It's the networking and advertising that is the most energy draining for me... but it'll get me back in business.

Housekeeping Update

This is an FYI for those of you who were interested in the schedule or routine I came up with for my housekeeping tasks.


I found last week to be somewhat demanding in terms of housekeeping, but I do feel well caught up. It was mostly demanding because I had to make up for days/items I hadn't completed because of my previous lack of organization. I'm expecting this week to be easier, especially as I get into the routine. I'll give you another update after I've worked with the schedule for a week or two.


Here's my projected schedule:

DAILY
sweep upstairs
quick mop upstairs (Swiffer)
load & unload dishwasher
make bed

vacuum living room
sort mail
pick up odds & ends

MONDAY
clean bedroom
clothes laundry
cat box
pay bills/file
garbage out

TUESDAY
clean out refrigerator
diaper laundry
clean Ellie's room

WEDNESDAY
plan menu for the week
vacuum stairs
clean sliding glass window

THURSDAY
take recycling out
grocery shopping
water plants
bedding & towels laundry

FRIDAY
clean bathroom(s) (downstairs every other week)
diaper laundry
cat box
mop upstairs

SATURDAY
dust
sweep downstairs
mop downstairs
clean sliding glass window

SUNDAY
rest

I have yet to figure out how to add in those monthly/biweekly chores I tend to forget about until they are disgustingly dirty... like cleaning the oven and wiping down the washer and dryer.

Teething, Chopin and Sunshine

Eleanor has decided to gain 4 new teeth at once. Lovely. She's actually doing pretty well with it, but it does make for a few sketchy nightime wakings, a wacky wagging tongue and some feeding difficulties. Once these teeth decend completely she's not really going to look like an infant anymore!

Saturday evening Seth and I had a chance to get out for a few hours, leaving Ellie with our next door neighbors. Ellie, Robin, Denis and their dog Baxter, had a great time playing while Seth and I enjoyed a piano concert. Joshua Wright, the pianist, was a young man from the University of Utah, who is living in Gilette, WY at the moment on his LDS mission. He presented a program entirely of Chopin works. It was a good concert, but I must admit, I was relieved when his encore was Lizst, and I'm not a big Lizst fan. :) I found the concert somehow less inspiring than the last pianist I heard here in Sheridan a few months ago, but it was an enjoyable evening.

Seth spent much of the weekend out in the sunshine, working on the new-to-us Jeep. He had a couple of guys he knows through work come over and help. It seemed like they all had a great time. Ellie and I enjoyed the sunshine, too, with a couple of walks in the not-quite-so-frigid air.

And While I'm At It...

here's what the living room looks like:

I still have a few pictures to hang, and we continue to change things and Eleanor prompts us... but it is much better than before!

Finally, More Makeover Madness!

Okay, so this week I finally got myself in gear and finished opening boxes, organizing and decorating our big basement family/play/drum room. It is so nice to have this finished! Instead of dreading walking into this room I now find myself eager to head down there in the evening.

This room was especially tough because of it's strange layout (or complete lack of layout) and size. It is HUGE, but long and skinny and there is just one tiny window at the far end. Seth did a great job setting up his two drum sets at the dark end and this ultimately inspired me to finish the rest. Once I got going, though, I had a lot of fun because I ended up using all the random, interesting and nostalgic items we didn't use throughout the rest of the house. This has made the room cozy, eclectic, warm and fun. I laughed to myself through the whole process because I chose not to use any reds anywhere upstairs and thus I had boxes and boxes of random reddish decorations - and therefore plenty to choose from for this room.


I think, in the future, Seth and I will continue to talk about doing a lot of remodeling work down there, but for now it is 110% better than it was!


Here's what it looked like when we first moved in:

Then I painted one red wall:


And now we've moved in!:

Snow Plows & Piles

Okay, so I know anyone who lives in Wyoming, especially if they've lived here all his/her life, will think this post is hilarious... so if you are one of our blog readers who lives close to us, either skip this one or remember I've historically lived in places where it snows approximately one week a year. :) And, last year, in SLC, we were in the city, so every street was plowed daily.

Wednesday I left Ellie with a gal across the street and went off to MOPS. I had a great time, felt re-energized and headed home only to find our neighborhood had finally been plowed. Now finally means for the first time all winter... and thus there was a huge barrier of snow between me and our street. We essentially live on a cross street inside a circle and the circle had been plowed without making any breaks in the large snow pile that accumulated in the middle of the street... I drove around and around. Finally, I witnessed another small car barreling over the mound in a place where it was a bit lower... I figured if they could do it, I could do it. Luckily, it happened to be on the correct end of our street so that I didn't have to cross the pile again to pull into our driveway.

A few hours later, Eleanor and I heard large trucks outside. So, we went to the big front window to investigate. Here's what we witnessed:

The snow blower thing was inching along, pouring snow into a whole line of dump trucks. They only got through half of our street (and it isn't long!) with 4 trucks and then the blower had to stop and wait for the trucks to come back again. Seriously, with all the melting and reaccruing of snow, it seems to me this would take a lot less time if they just were able to plow a bit more often than once every 2 months up here!

Anyway, our street is now plowed. It is now quite icy. The plowing didn't help the giant, icy puddle at the end of the street that one has to wade through if one desires to take a walk... and Ellie and I are now educated as to the ways of carting away large piles of snow.

It snowed an additional 5 or 6 inches Wednesday evening... so the vicious cycle has begun again.

A New Way to Help

Eleanor discovered a few days ago that she could climb INTO the dishwasher. This is now how she prefers to help unload. Fortunately, she's only dive-bombed off the edge head first once. I think maybe she learned her lesson. In terms of learning to climb on and in things... our adventures have just begun.

Daddy's Hat

Eleanor loves Daddy's hat. She waves it around, bangs the bill on the ground, puts it on and then crys because the lights go out. What a fun toy! Of course, it is always the most fun when Daddy is there to play with her.

Cute When They're Small

We have friend who mentioned after she had her son that suddenly everything a baby does is cute, even farting. There is definitely something about small things - they are just cuter than big things. Seth and I have also found just about everything about Eleanor cute - from crying to coughing. In fact, yesterday Seth admitted that he felt a little bit guilty thinking Ellie's coughs are cute since they mean she's not feeling well. But it's true, with such a little button of a mouth, even the coughs are cute. So, in the same train of thought, I just had to post this crying picture because I think it's cute. Maybe I'm mean. Or, maybe I'm just a mom.

Weekly Housekeeping

Okay. I've been mulling over the idea of setting up a weekly housekeeping schedule for myself. I've put it off for a month or so because it feels kind of anal to come up with a huge list of tasks, assign them to a day of the week (or month) and then hold myself to this schedule. Finally I've decided I just need to do it. Then, the plan is that I will stick to it for a month and then re-evaluate. In theory, I hope that after following such a regiment for a couple of months that I'll get into a routine and will then be able to drop the actual schedule, but will feel like I'm still keeping up with everything around here.

Do any of you have a weekly housekeeping schedule? Do you do laundry on Tuesdays and vacuum on Thursdays, etc? Or, do you just do whatever needs doing from day to day and not worry about it? I'm curious because I want to know what works well for other people.

I guess this is coming up because I feel like every morning I get up and clean the same 3 rooms. I never quite get to the rest of the house. And, I tend to go for a couple of weeks before I do laundry (because I get distracted by other things), etc. Then, when I do get to it, the laundry (or whatever else) takes all day and I don't want to tackle it again for a couple of weeks!

Anyway, any suggestions or ways you have dealt with this issue would be appreciated. Meanwhile, I'll keep working on doing a little bit every day.

Sick Baby

So Ellie came down with whatever I had the last week and a half. She's been sick now for 3 1/2 days and thus I've had little sleep and little time to do things such as blog. All in all, Eleanor seems to be a fairly good sick kid, she just fusses a lot more than normal and stays pretty much within reach of me at all times. I'm getting pretty tired of being quite so needed, but I guess there are many, many worse situations in life. :) Hopefully she'll be better in the next couple of days.

A couple of things happened of note over the weekend, however. First, Eleanor had her first feed herself meal. It went something like this:



She LOVED getting to feed herself. Then she went straight to the bathtub (which she also LOVES). And yes, I do realize that bananas are sticky and possibly could have fed her something else that would have cleaned up more easily, but I like to make things difficult. :) Since this incident Ellie has enjoyed eating rice crispies by herself, too. It is fascinating to watch her carefully pick up one at a time and try so hard to get it to her mouth! We're waiting on Cheerios for a while since they have wheat in them. I think I'll let her do the messy thing again this evening with sweet potatoes...

Secondly, Seth and I bought a vehical to replace his truck. We got a 1996 Jeep Cherokee that's a little beat up and very dirty, but has quite a lot of potential. Seth likes auto and mechanical projects, so he's set for quite a while now. I'm glad we now have one vehical with 4 wheel drive. We have several milestones to conquer before the Jeep will be family and highway ready, but the quest for a Jeep is now over. I'll get pics of it up here in a few days.

8 Months!

Eleanor was 8 months old yesterday! Crazy. It sure seems like the time has flown by. We love watching her learn and grow and feel incredibly blessed to have God entrust her to our care. He certainly knew just which little person we needed in our family.

Once I Start Something...

I just keeping on going and going.

As you know, Eleanor began pulling herself up on things a couple of weeks ago. She now pulls up on everything she possibly can, including pant legs, and either gets into the cupboards, or pulls open drawers, or pulls things off of 1st and 2nd shelves, or turns herself in circles changing positions while taking a few steps here and there to travel. One of her favorite places these days is the living room coffee table because she can pull up on it, step around the corner of it, let go with one hand and step to the couch. She will then just keep going back and forth between the couch and coffee table over and over again.

The downside to all this pulling up and attempted cruising is a lot of crashing. Our beautiful daughter has quite an array of bumps, bruises and scratches on her head right now. Luckily, the scare of falls seems to have passed, so the amount of crying that goes on has decreased. Plus, she is definitely getting more skilled at getting down gracefully. We are grateful she hasn't had any major accidents - I think God had it figured out when He planned for us all to learn to stand and move when we're only 2 1/2 feet tall.

She is now a great "helper" in the kitchen. I can call to her, tell her I'm going to unload the dishwasher and start unloading dishes and she'll come crawling from wherever she was and stand up next to the plates to watch me. She will grab tupperware out of the dishwasher, but she's not really interested in anything else yet. She also loves the measuring cups drawer. I often find her laying on her back on the kitchen floor, playing with a measuring spoon, the bottom drawer hanging open while I'm cooking dinner.

I'm pretty amazed at how much she learns every day and how strong she is! The trouble with all this learning is that she hates to stop practicing her new moves and tends to fight going down for naps or to bed at night. When she does finally sleep, though, she sleeps hard!