Sorry for the lack of pictures . . . Grant hid my camera battery charger.
Last week one of my not-so-pleasant pregnancy symptoms (nasal congestion) mutated into a man-eating monster---attacking my nose, throat, ears, and eyes. This physical unpleasantness combined with my oppressive guilt over having to ignore my precious and loving son left me extremely discouraged. While in the throws of not-so-endless torment, I found myself reflecting on the Young Women lesson I missed last Sunday and wondering, "How am I suppose to find joy in this?"
And so I have compiled a list of things to smile about (see An Invitation to Young Women). One for each day I've been sick, so far . . .
1. Interesting Typos
A yummy recipe suggests: "Stop by your favorite Chinese food restaurant as a time saver and purchase a cartoon of sticky rice." I think I need to find a new favorite Chinese food restaurant because mine doesn't sell cartoons of sticky rice.
A clip-art CD advertises: "thousands of color-and-black and white images". Personally, I prefer the color-and-black images best; I have a hard time seeing the while images.
2. Baby Giggles
I find that I am willing to try just about anything when I am sick and pregnant (e.g., visit the doctor). Saturday's natural remedy consisted of gargling salt water to relieve my burning throat. Grant thought the gargling noise was hilarious. We both laughed and laughed as I gargled the disgusting salt water.
3. Valentine Candy
Of all the artificial candy holidays, Valentine's Day is definitely my favorite.
Conversation hearts: not as yummy, but definitely funny
Sweet-tart hearts: the sour taste forces you to pucker-up
Cinnamon hearts: the best of all worlds (cinnamon flavor, chewy texture, romantic shape)
4. Free craft patterns on AllPeopleQuilt.com
One of my favorite craft magazines is distributed by Better Homes and Gardens Creative Collection, and I have been frantically searching for one of their back issues. Luckily, last week I happened upon this amazing website that has many of the patterns available as free downloads. Here are some I can't wait to try.
Soft Baby Blocks
Covered Journals
Messenger Bags
5. An eternal student for a husband
Although I would love a bulkier paycheck and a house, the flexible student schedule has come in handy this week. It has been very nice to be able to have Nathaniel help out a little more while I have been under the weather. He has cooked, run errands, picked up toys, and even washed dishes a few times. He has taken such good care of me that I barely miss my mom who has been diligently taking care of Candace.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
15 Months of Baby Steps
I still need to do an Arizona Christmas post, but today Grant turned 15 months and I had to get this cute video posted. Here are two of Grant's favorite things:
1) Stairs. I think Grant spent 90% of his time at our parents' homes climbing up and down the stairs. Although the animals at the zoo were interesting and deserved some intense pointing and "oo-ee-oo"s, nothing at the zoo quite compared to the stairs leading up to the lookout deck. Nat refuses to take Grant to Elder's Quorum lessons because Grant only wants to climb up and down the dangerous stage stairs. Really, Grant just loves climbing in general, as can be seen in the I Looked at the Window post and the Still Enjoying Thanksgiving Leftovers post.
2) Oranges. Grant loves eating oranges. If he happens to be near an open refridgerator, he will find an orange and hand it to me, indicating that he wants me to peel the orange for eating. Once he was too impatient for me to peel the orange and decided to try eating the unpeeled orange. The face he made was one of our favorites. His love of oranges was further confirmed in Arizona when he discovered the orange trees in his grandparent's backyard. Unfortunately, we never got a picture of Grant and his orange trees, but we did get about 40 different pictures of cacti we saw on our hike to the Wind Caves. 
Words Grant can say: ball, book, "ba" meaning food, up, more (sometimes), hi (sometimes)
Animal sounds Grant knows: dinosaurs (and most other animals) - roar; cows - moo; sheep - baah; dogs - woof; pigs - oink (sometimes they roar)
Commands Grant will follow: Up/down, turn around, walk, eat, say "aah" (very useful when he refuses to swallow the food he doesn't like), "so big", tickle-tickle (he tickles his tummy), give hugs, give kisses, blow (mouth), blow your nose, change diaper (runs away), clap, throw, wave "bye-bye", go night-night, and so much more
He still doesn't follow the "no" or "stop" command . . . I'm not sure if he doesn't understand "no" or if he chooses to ignore me. Given that he tells me "no" when he doesn't want to do something, I think he is probably choosing to ignore me.
Body parts Grant can identify (on himself and others): bellybutton, toes, nose, mouth, ears, head, hair, hands, and teeth
Grant may be a late walker and talker, but I am so impressed with his problem solving and fine motor skills. We have been playing with his pet puzzle for the past few days. I recorded this video this morning. Prepare to be amazed.
He definitely knows where each piece belongs. Sometimes I have to help him turn or slide the puzzle piece, but each day he gets better at figuring out how to move the piece so it will fit. He also organizes stacking toys by color, and he is very close to figuring out how to put the rings on the peg in order from biggests to smallest. He can put three rings in order, but he is still working on ordering four rings. His strategy seems to contain a lot of trial and error, but some more advanced strategies are beginning to emerge. And for those of us unfamiliar with development milestones (I include myself in this group), my book listed "sorts toys by color, shape, or size" under the advanced skills of a 17-month-old, and "does simple puzzles" was listed as an emerging skill amoung 22-month-olds.
1) Stairs. I think Grant spent 90% of his time at our parents' homes climbing up and down the stairs. Although the animals at the zoo were interesting and deserved some intense pointing and "oo-ee-oo"s, nothing at the zoo quite compared to the stairs leading up to the lookout deck. Nat refuses to take Grant to Elder's Quorum lessons because Grant only wants to climb up and down the dangerous stage stairs. Really, Grant just loves climbing in general, as can be seen in the I Looked at the Window post and the Still Enjoying Thanksgiving Leftovers post.
2) Oranges. Grant loves eating oranges. If he happens to be near an open refridgerator, he will find an orange and hand it to me, indicating that he wants me to peel the orange for eating. Once he was too impatient for me to peel the orange and decided to try eating the unpeeled orange. The face he made was one of our favorites. His love of oranges was further confirmed in Arizona when he discovered the orange trees in his grandparent's backyard. Unfortunately, we never got a picture of Grant and his orange trees, but we did get about 40 different pictures of cacti we saw on our hike to the Wind Caves. 
Words Grant can say: ball, book, "ba" meaning food, up, more (sometimes), hi (sometimes)
Animal sounds Grant knows: dinosaurs (and most other animals) - roar; cows - moo; sheep - baah; dogs - woof; pigs - oink (sometimes they roar)Commands Grant will follow: Up/down, turn around, walk, eat, say "aah" (very useful when he refuses to swallow the food he doesn't like), "so big", tickle-tickle (he tickles his tummy), give hugs, give kisses, blow (mouth), blow your nose, change diaper (runs away), clap, throw, wave "bye-bye", go night-night, and so much more
He still doesn't follow the "no" or "stop" command . . . I'm not sure if he doesn't understand "no" or if he chooses to ignore me. Given that he tells me "no" when he doesn't want to do something, I think he is probably choosing to ignore me.
Body parts Grant can identify (on himself and others): bellybutton, toes, nose, mouth, ears, head, hair, hands, and teeth
Grant may be a late walker and talker, but I am so impressed with his problem solving and fine motor skills. We have been playing with his pet puzzle for the past few days. I recorded this video this morning. Prepare to be amazed.
He definitely knows where each piece belongs. Sometimes I have to help him turn or slide the puzzle piece, but each day he gets better at figuring out how to move the piece so it will fit. He also organizes stacking toys by color, and he is very close to figuring out how to put the rings on the peg in order from biggests to smallest. He can put three rings in order, but he is still working on ordering four rings. His strategy seems to contain a lot of trial and error, but some more advanced strategies are beginning to emerge. And for those of us unfamiliar with development milestones (I include myself in this group), my book listed "sorts toys by color, shape, or size" under the advanced skills of a 17-month-old, and "does simple puzzles" was listed as an emerging skill amoung 22-month-olds.
Monday, January 12, 2009
The Joys of Visiting Home
During the Utah portion of our vacation, we got to enjoy all the things we have desperately missed while living in Pennsylvania.
1) Fry Sauce! We've tried all the traditional (ketchup) and non-traditional (ranch dressing, tarter sauce, Wendy's Frosty) substitutes for fry sauce; and nothing really compares to Utah's own fry sauce (not even the homemade kind). Thanks to our favorite little North Ogden drive-in (Kirt's), we were able to get our fill of fry sauce for the next year.
2) Mexican Food! Nat claims he had plenty of Mexican food during our trip to the West. I, however, can always eat more Mexican food. Unfortunately we were only in Provo on a Sunday and so we weren't able to enjoy our favorite Provo Taco Joint: Diego's Tacos. Yum!
3) Temples Everywhere! It was nice to not have to drive four hours to the nearest temple. It was also nice to have free babysitting. Thanks Mom!
4) Family and Friends! We were happy to see so many of our loved ones while we were in Utah; and we were sad that we weren't able to see everyone. We love and miss you all!
Here's the recent picture of the growing Berrett clan. We have added two new members to my family since our last family photo (Nat and Grant) . . . and this one will be out of date in approximately 3 1/2 months!
Although we had a blast during our long vacation, it sure is nice to be home. We were already starting to miss some of our Pennsylvania favorites: pizza, Backyard Burgers, hills, trees, great football (if we block out the January 1st game), and new friends. It's great to be home. Hooray for no more traveling (we spent 8 of our 23 vacation days traveling thanks to broken planes, weather, flat tires, and lost keys)!
1) Fry Sauce! We've tried all the traditional (ketchup) and non-traditional (ranch dressing, tarter sauce, Wendy's Frosty) substitutes for fry sauce; and nothing really compares to Utah's own fry sauce (not even the homemade kind). Thanks to our favorite little North Ogden drive-in (Kirt's), we were able to get our fill of fry sauce for the next year.
2) Mexican Food! Nat claims he had plenty of Mexican food during our trip to the West. I, however, can always eat more Mexican food. Unfortunately we were only in Provo on a Sunday and so we weren't able to enjoy our favorite Provo Taco Joint: Diego's Tacos. Yum!
3) Temples Everywhere! It was nice to not have to drive four hours to the nearest temple. It was also nice to have free babysitting. Thanks Mom!
4) Family and Friends! We were happy to see so many of our loved ones while we were in Utah; and we were sad that we weren't able to see everyone. We love and miss you all!
Here's the recent picture of the growing Berrett clan. We have added two new members to my family since our last family photo (Nat and Grant) . . . and this one will be out of date in approximately 3 1/2 months!Although we had a blast during our long vacation, it sure is nice to be home. We were already starting to miss some of our Pennsylvania favorites: pizza, Backyard Burgers, hills, trees, great football (if we block out the January 1st game), and new friends. It's great to be home. Hooray for no more traveling (we spent 8 of our 23 vacation days traveling thanks to broken planes, weather, flat tires, and lost keys)!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
We're having a GIRL!!!
Grant was very obliging during his ultrasound. He gave us a clear picture of his manhood and a beautiful profile of him sucking his thumb; and he has been working the camera ever since. Click here to see Grant's ultrasound pictures.
"Sadie", on the other hand, was not as obliging. She was rather modest and stubbornly refused to uncross her legs for quite a while. And instead of a beautiful profile picture, she gave us this shot.
In case you can't tell, it's a picture of her face. Good luck making out the eyes, nose, and mouth in the Rorschach.
Here's a picture of Tenille 21 weeks into this pregnancy.
"Sadie", on the other hand, was not as obliging. She was rather modest and stubbornly refused to uncross her legs for quite a while. And instead of a beautiful profile picture, she gave us this shot.
In case you can't tell, it's a picture of her face. Good luck making out the eyes, nose, and mouth in the Rorschach. Here's a picture of Tenille 21 weeks into this pregnancy.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
If at first you don't succeed . . .
I have learned more about life, love, and the Gospel from my son in the last year than I did in the twenty-six years that preceded his birth. Today's lesson: PERSISTENCE. Grant spent an hour learning how to stand, take a step, fall gracefully, and do it all again. Before I knew it, he was walking across the room. He is such a great example!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
I Offer This as Proof
Some days I really do think that I have the best baby in the world. While this is really more of an example than a rigorous proof, it illustrates a typical bedtime with Grant.
Seriously, this is how happy Grant is most nights: he lunges into the crib, grabs for Fox, and kicks and giggles as we put the blankets on him (he needs several because it is freezing in Pennsylvania). We turn off the lights and close the door and don't hear from him again until early morning (usually between 5 and 6). If only nap time were this pleasant . . .
Seriously, this is how happy Grant is most nights: he lunges into the crib, grabs for Fox, and kicks and giggles as we put the blankets on him (he needs several because it is freezing in Pennsylvania). We turn off the lights and close the door and don't hear from him again until early morning (usually between 5 and 6). If only nap time were this pleasant . . .
Still Enjoying Thanksgiving Leftovers
I let Nathaniel be in charge of the stuffing this year. If I allow Nat to prepare more than one dish, we end up with way too much food. Unfortunately, I did not do a very good job of limiting myself and we still ended up with too much food. We're still enjoying Thanksgiving leftovers thanks to:14 pounds of turkey
20 cups of the most delicious stuffing ever
6 cups of mashed potatoes
3 pies (my apple pie was amazing)
3 1/2 eaters (Tenille, Nat, Candace, and Grant)
Grant wasn't much help around the kitchen, but Candace did an excellent job keeping him from climbing in the drawers by distracting him with the camera. Here's Grant in what we affectionately call his Charlie Brown Sweater.
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