Oh New England...

So the little one and I are up here for my sister's high school graduation and we're having a grand old time!!! Nonie (My mother's name for "grandmother" as she is too young to ever be called "grandmother") has been spoiling Chucky-Sue silly, lots of fun new toys to look at, a bouncy seat, and clothes by the bagful! Don't worry, she's been spoiling me too; buying me Dunkin Donut food daily and letting me take some of her old stamping stuff home!!

I've gotten to play the proud older sister role to Mae as she won a scholarship at her Senior Dinner, and I'm looking forward to reprising the role on Friday at the Graduation :) It's weird looking around at her 2010 class and seeing all the little pipsqueaks that used to annoy me on our bus! They've all grown up and even at 22 make me feel OOOLLLDDD.

Mae has also relished being an aunt, she is always kidnapping Chucky-Sue away from me. (And she willingly changes diapers!!) It's really cute to see her try to calm her down and play with her. Now go check out my mom's blog to see a video of Mae reading to Chucky-Sue :)

I love visiting up here and seeing my old friends but I can't wait to go home back to Jake, been missing him like mad :) be on the look out here and on facebook for photos of our visit!

Catch-Up Post

Due to our computer being out for repairs, I wasn't able to entertain you with my witty and charming posts. (I know you are all very disappointed. Please, try to hold back tears!) So We're going to play a little catch up in this post.

Easter
Chucky-Sue had a good, relaxing first Easter, we attended an Egg Hunt at our friend's house. We even snuck some of the extra eggs for her to enjoy. (What? She likes the bold colors, Mom and Dad enjoys the candy treats!) We had a simple Easter dinner at Grandma's in between sessions of conference. Her Easter outfit was techinically a 6/9 month size, but thank to a tie in the back, she pulled the look off wonderfully.

Growing Up
She's getting HUGE, she's outgrown some of my favorite sleepers for her. None of her newborn sizes fit, as she is too long. She wriggles like mad when I try to measure her, but at best guess I'd say she's around 24-25 inches now. She's still tiny when compared to other two month olds (my friend's newborns are still outweighing her!) but she makes up her size with her personality- which when she is happy is sweet as sugar. But when she is upset or doesn't like the situation she does a complete 180!

Some milestones she's hit: Lifting up her head for a few seconds at a time. When I hold her tummy to tummy she pops up and likes to look around. She also does a few mini-push ups during tummy time but not consistently. Same with social smiling, Jake and I have both gotten a grin, but  she doesn't do it often enough for us to really count it yet (and she still has lots of gassy smiles!) She's started to sleep longer stretches at night, usually 10pm-2am and then 2am-4:30/5 (we've sometimes stretched that to 6 if she's being snuggled.

She's having some minor digestive issues (mostly likely due to the extra calories and fat in the Neosure.) but that's more annoying for US than for HER. It just means she's extra fussy when doing #2 and not so pleasant to be around until her business is done.

She's been out in public a few times (grocery shopping, church, out to eat once but she really hated that.) and we're very glad the quarantine is over! We're also happy to announce that her adjusted age (the age the docs go by for milestones and physical development) is now in the positives! She's two months actual age and 9 days adjusted!

New Hampshire Trip
To quote Sheldon, "We're taking the train!"
Chucky-Sue and I will be enjoying the steady clickty clack of the smooth wheels on the polished rails come this june. We're heading up to good old NH for my sister's graduation (and yes, to show off this cutie to our northern friends and family) I'm both excited and nervous to take her up there by myself. (Jake took so much time off when the girls were born, and while Chucky-Sue was still in the NICU, he couldn't easily take more time off again so soon, Hopefully for the holiday season??) I am looking forward to seeing the "old stomping grounds" and seeing in-person how much my little farm town has grown!

Completely Random
I just want to proclaim my love to the cavewoman who invented slings. Holy crap do I love ours. Chucky-Sue sleeps deeper and better while in it. Normally she's a very wild, flailing loud and Liiiiiiiight sleeper. In the sling? She's out like a light and doesn't wake up except for food.

We may also have to give love to the inventor of the mechanical swing, but it's still being tested. So far it's good when she's already calm/sleeping but if she's fussy already, she gets this "How dare you put me in this thing" face and wails till she is rescued.

Conclusion
So, to sum it all up, we've been good! She's growing, we're still learning together how to make all three of our lives easier. Coming up? Hopefully scanned photos of Easter, her blessing dress and in a University Jersey! So stay tuned!!

Twenty First Birthday!

I'm three days early, but I had planned a fabulous This Is Your Life birthday post, and me not having a computer is not going to stop me!

So there are a few years in a person's life that mark important changes, I've tried to find photos of all of them, let's see:

Being Born:
thank GOODNESS I do not have a photo of the actual birthing, but here's the earliest photo I could find of myself- I'll have to make copies of the other ones my mom has at her place.




First Birthday:
The love affair with chocolate cake begins!



Siblings:
For an eldest child, gaining a sibling is a big event! My sister Mae joined our family shortly after my 3rd Birthday.



Baptism:
in our church, Children aren't baptized till they are 8 years old (check out lds.org for more info!) I was baptized with my good friend Nikki who is just a few days younger than me.





Being sealed:
I was lucky enough to get to go to the Toronto Temple and be sealed to my family, sadly I don't remember much, the nursery and taking photos outside in the gardens.



Sweet 16:
Instead of a huge party, I spent my 16th birthday in France! I actually missed about 6 hours of it, due to the time difference, but it was worth it! I spent two weeks in France with my school's french club- It was amazing, we saw all the sights in Paris, Nancy, Strasbourg and northern France. I would post all the incredible pictures, but I haven't had time to scan them in.

Graduation:
After 1 elementary school, 2 middle schools and a high school that was too tiny for a football team, in 2006 I graduated! I remember the pointless several hour long practices we had for walking. (thankfully I had Colleen to get me through it, not to mention the 4 years prior =D ) It was only 3 years ago, but it seems like a whole other life.




Marriage:
I'll be the first to admit that a "normal" 21 year old probably wouldn't have marriage on their list of accomplishments :) I was incredibly lucky to find Jake as quickly as I did (though it felt like forever to GET him, he was stubborn!)




Now I'm (almost) 21, and I am proud of what I've done and become for these past 21 years. I may not always act like it, but I've had a pretty good life! I've always been surrounded by people who love me and want what's best for me. I've forged fantastic lifelong friendships and have learned so much from everyone in my life. So here's to You, thanks for making my life wonderful!

My first Tag, How Exciting!

My Friend,Gaberelli, from good old NH tagged me to share 6 quirks about myself, narrowing down my personality to 6 major quirks was rather difficult, I never knew I had so many layers.

1. Phone Calls. I HATE them. I hate taking them, I hate making them. There is no logical reason really. Which is the point of a Quirk I guess! I hate talking to people when I can't see their faces (if they are someone I know) and I hate talking to new people on the phone. I don't discriminate either, I couldn't call JAKE on the phone for the longest time. It wasn't until we spent a summer apart that I could call him without being extremely nervous and not write out the conversation topics beforehand. Yes, I realize how pathetic that makes me sound. Many people have noticed that if they call my Cell, I will NOT pick up if their phone number isn't programmed in my phone, as I am terrified of speaking to telemarketers.

2. Checking my Email. First, I must say I don't get any important emails really. Once in a while I get one from school or my bank- but it's nothing that needs attention ASAP. However, I NEED to check my email at least every 15 minutes or I start wondering if there is an important email in there. (There never is.) People may see me playing with my phone, I'm not playing a game, I'm checking my (empty) inbox! I maybe get 10 emails a day that aren't spam-related, they are usually part of my blogs and facebook and I get them all by noon, yet I cannot stop myself from typing gmail.com into my web browser! (I've done it twice while posting this!)

3. Needing to know the time. Wherever I am, whatever I'm doing, I need to be able to see a clock. Whether it be my cellphone, on the wall, michael's wristwatch or the computer, I need to. I usually have no where to go, so there is no reason for me knowing the time. I do believe it stems from my high school jobs. I worked as a cashier, and the clock was only big and bright on the register. I would countdown to my break, and then to when I was leaving. I've actually had a panic attack in a classroom with no clock when I forgot to bring my cellphone, I knew it had to be between 2 and 3, but it KILLED me not knowing EXACTLY what minute. And, for someone who needs to know the time, I'm often late. Ironic no?

4. I've stolen this one from Ms.Gabe (sorta) I have a very set morning routine, it pains me when I have to change it. I wake up at 7:30 to see Michael off to school or work (and by "wake" and "see" I mean I open one eye and kiss him goodbye) I then doze on and off until 8:45 when I get up get what ever breakfast items I need, and make a cozy little nest on my bed and watch Regis and Kelly at 9. (or a DVD of Stargate on the weekends) Then I get out of bed, get dressed and go about my day. Michael can always tell when I didn't watch R&K for whatever reason, as I'm grumpy, forgetful and just not right.

I also have a going to bed routine, I put on PJs, get a drink of water or juice, then make the bed. We each get 4 pillows- I get the four fluff ones, He gets the 4 not-so fluff ones. Then We divide up the blankets. We're both "cocooners" and need our own blankets for the sake of our marriage. I get the striped one and the knitted lap blanket, he gets the fuzzy one and the solid blue sheet. I then lay down, get comfortable as Michael puts on a DVD (the man cannot sleep without that TV on.) He then takes my glasses from me, kisses me goodnight and we fall asleep to the wonders of Stargate or Superman. If these things do not happen in this order, or for some reason one of us goes to bed before the other, I cannot go to sleep until much later than I'd like. I'm beginning to think these aren't quirks but more symptoms of OCD.... :)

5. Driving Home. Our Town is mostly laid out in a grid pattern. There are many ways to get to our building, all of which are the same distance and time. Jake l has no problem just randomly choosing a street to go home on. I however cannot stand it. There is really no one way I prefer, but I am desperately trying to get Jake to go the same way each time. He knows it drives me insane (haha pun.) when he just goes all willy-nilly. I need to know where we're going and how we're going to get there. He also does this on the way to Grandma's house, weaving in and out of streets, saying he is missing more stop signs this way, but I believe his main point is to annoy me!

6. Food Shopping. Now, I got this from my mother, so if it freaks you out to bad- blame her. :) Normally when we go grocery shopping we do have a very set list and budget. We're pretty good at sticking to it, only sometimes adding a "good deal" item into our carriage (Not Buggy. Carriage. CARRIAGE.) But I need to go up and down every aisle (except dog food, it's eerily similar to my mother's habits.) and get my items that way. I start in the produce and work my way from one end to the other. Even though it may be quicker to split up the list and go dash and grab, I like going down the aisles, checking out sales, looking at new products etc. etc. I can tell it drives Jake bonkers, as he impatiently stands behind me most of the time, sighing dramatically.

Thanksgiving Back Home

There is no better feeling than going home! Michael figured out a way to get me to NH to spend Thanksgiving with my side of the family. (Most of whom I haven't seen for a year plus, and a few cousins I had never met!) I'm going to skip over the actual traveling, because as you can tell in Michael's post about Thanksgiving I HATE flying. I especially hate flying in tiny rinky-dink propeller planes that may hold 30 people and look like you have to wind a rubber band to get it off the ground.

I got to visit old high school haunts with my friends, have a fantastic girl's day with my mom and sister, shop for things I don't need, go in New England Country Stores (which are much better than Southern ones, sorry to say.) It was great to see old familiar places, NH is like a big snuggly warm blanket or a well-worn pair of jeans, it feels old and comfortable.

I got to have Dunkin' Donuts Hot Chocolate and Doughnut, it was the first thing I did when I got to NH. I don't understand people's fascination with Krispy Kreme when DD is where it's at! The Christmas Dove (an year-round christmas store, ornaments, decorations, music, food etc. etc.) was my favorite store when I lived up there, it's room after room of different themed christmas items and set ups like Giant window boxes with trains and town models. I got my hair done at the salon that did my first hair cut, and almost every haircut since then. The owner and many of the stylists know my hair very well and know exactly how to cut it. (They also know to have at least 2 people blow-dry my hair, or we'll be there for hours!) Michael laughed when I went on and on about this salon, but I love it!

I also met "Gracie", a cute little cat that my mom got from her boss. I won't get into the psychologicalness of her naming a cat with a name that rhymes with mine soon after I got married. This poor kitty-cat was scheduled to be fixed on this coming tuesday, but sadly it was a week too far, as she went into heat the day we arrived. She cried and cried VERY early in the morning, and it was hard getting her mind off of finding a man-cat. Luckily, it only lasted a few days and she was her playful self our last night in NH. (two words: Laser Pointer. Hours of entertainment right there.)

I think it's fitting that my 100th post is about my home and re-visiting my favorite places. I'm hoping to not have to wait another year before going up there again, I didn't get to reconnect with half the friends I wanted to, or visit the newly remodeled high school. I will have photos from my lunch with my high school BFFLs<3 to share soon, keep a look out on Facebook.

P.S. My grandma is on Facebook now, what has the world come to? ;)

Thanks

I wanted to give a quick thanks to everyone, I can't even begin to say how much your kind words and thoughts meant to me and Jake. It is amazing to see how many people were willing to do so much for us. We're really truly blessed. I will try to get out and personally thank everyone, but I didn't want to forget anyone either. Thank you!

And yet another update, I'm doing fine, the nurses continued to be amazing throughout the night and this morning and I'm healing up a quickly as the doctor hoped I would. I have been put on a bit of a bed rest, so I don't think I'll be at church tomorrow, but I should be fine for my vacation, as long as I sit/lay down for most of it.

The hospital also has bi-yearly (one around Christmas, and another in spring.) memorial services for the babies there, and once I get information about it I'll post it on here.

Thank you again, I feel very lucky even in this not-so-fun time.

Summer Nights of AWESOME

So on tuesday- my friends: Colleen, Nikki & Josh plus a bunch of other really cool kids went to a local theater, The Player's Ring to watch my high school english teacher, John Herman (johnherman.org) perform improv comedy with a troupe called Stranger Than Fiction (strangerthanfiction.us) It was a very fun and exciting night. Nikki and I even managed to get conned into joining in on a game (hence the crazy photo of me.)

There were some very funny lines- such as "I have come to steal your kitties" but the best one ever had to be from Buj and John II

Buj: Our love is like this flower!
John: Then why is it wilting?!
Buj: Because it's dyyyyyyyyyyinnnnggggg.

maybe you had to be there, but believe you me, I was in stitches all night.

Wedding plans are going well. I've found a bunch of dresses I'd love if I had a random couple thousand dollars hanging around. And I don't see the point in spending that much money on a dress I'll wear for maybe a few hours. But there are a few dresses that I also love that are under $500, so hopefully before I go to school I'll have my dress and be in the process of finding a tailor for it in VA. Congrats to all those 7-7-07 brides!

Graduation Celebrations!

My very close friend Nikki just graduated from my Alma Mater (haha I can say that now. Cool.) and we had some good old fashion BBQ fun at her house this past sunday. She'll be attending university in New Hampshire this fall, and she was 5th in her class! She seriously is one of the greatest people on this earth. She's funny, smart, considerate and crazy talented. She sang the star spangled banner at the ceremony and knocked everyone's socks off, including mine and I've heard her sing before!

Congratulations Class of 2007!!

Hello World!

So, lack of updates is due to lack of interesting tales! I've been busy working with my mom and the tiny terrors. Actually, the kids are mostly adorable and I love getting paid to play all day. It's SO much better than standing behind a cash register and dealing with requesting days off and schedules and all that stuff that comes with a job in retail.

I'm also busy planning my two week vacation, most of which Jake will be up here in NH with me for! So, I'm obviously VERY excited about that.

I've done quite a bit of catching up with old high school friends. Nikki is graduating soon, (oh how they grow up so fast. I remember singing buffy songs with her in 6th grade. =D) and thusly we are partying. We're also planning a minor NYC trip to see RENT in August. Mostly because Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal, two of the original cast members are reprising their respective roles for a bit and we MUST see them. We were about 7 when they were first on Broadway. And also because it will be our last free summer. After this we'll be at college and growing up and we want to leave our carefree lives with a bang! =D

Believe you me, once school starts back up- there will be a lot more posts here.

Summer Days

I haven't done much except work this summer thus far. The kids I nanny for are adorable, but they wipe me out and I'm usually asleep by 9pm on weekdays. I miss the days of staying up till 2 am on AIM for no reason at all. =D I guess that is what college is for.

I'm also slowly, VERY slowly packing up my room so I won't have to do a lot in august. I've come to the conclusion that I have way too much stuff in general. I don't know where I get half of it. Needless to say, I'll be making many donations to salvation army and the like.

I saw Pirates last night. The fight scenes were cool and funny, Davy Jone's Locker is kind of the best thing EVER, but the ending was TERRIBLE and I'm still upset over it.

Jake is coming up to NH on the 19th of June. My parents have planned a huge get-together of mostly my dad's side of the family on the 23rd. I think they are trying to scare him off or something. =D But I am very excited to see him again and get to show him off to all my friends and church people up here. And hopefully he'll get to see STF with me!