Our Blind Dog

A Woman's Place is Her Choice

2012-02-17T08:53:00.000-08:00

I have friends who are anti-Mormon, anti-marriage, anti-motherhood, or a combination of the three. One of my mantras in life is "A woman's place is her choice." I say this all the time in response to questions about my faith and about my decisions to become a wife and mother. These were my choices and I am not ashamed of them. I don't regret them at all.

That is not to say that I don't sometimes have a crisis of self. Just last night I was telling Chris how boring I am. I'm home with two boys all day and I feel like that gives me a lot less to talk about. That I'm less interesting to a great majority of people. And Chris said the exact words that I needed to hear, "But it's important."

It is very important that my boys have me at their disposal 24 hours a day. It's important that they know that Chris and I love them. It's important that they get as much of my attention as they need. What I do is important.

And it's my choice.

Bargain Hunting at Target

2012-02-09T14:59:00.000-08:00

Dutch has a pair of green frog boots (see above) that he loves more than anything. Given the choice between boots and shoes he always chooses his boots. He has already gone through two pairs of these in less than a year. Today I went to Target to buy him a new pair. To my immense pleasure I found that his favorite boots were on clearance for less than $4 a pair! Not even kidding! I bought him 2 pairs and then the minute I got home I wondered if I should have bought more. That's a ridiculously good deal, but there were too many what-if's. What if he doesn't like them for much longer? What if he grows out of them too fast (even though I bought them too big on purpose)? What if we put them somewhere and forget and don't find them until he's 15?

Also, for Dutch's birthday last year my sister Heather gave him a Super Dutchie outfit. There's a mask, a cape,and two arm-bands. This morning he put it on wearing nothing but his underwear. When we got dressed for the day he still wanted to wear it so I let him put his arm-bands and cape over his sweater. Then we went out in public with him dressed like that. I'm not sure if that makes me the world's most awesome mom or the world's worst!

Dane's 9-Month Stats

2012-02-02T09:11:00.000-08:00

Age: 9 months
Weight: 17 lbs 3 oz (putting him in the 5th percentile)
Height: 27 in (putting him in the 10th percentile)
Head circumference: 43.5 cm (putting him in the 6th percentile)
Percentile for Weight/Length: 25th (meaning that for his weight his height is normal)
Number of teeth: 1 (on the upper right-hand side; I thought babies got bottom teeth first!)
First word: Dada (which was also Dutch's first word, quickly followed by Bobo)
Number of misshaped heads: ZERO! We thought we might have to put a helmet on him to even out his head, but he did it all on his own. Hooray!
Number of different crawls he has: About 5
Attempts at walking: 2 so far
Overall personality: Happy and mellow

And just to put Dane in perspective, Dutch at this same age was 24 lbs and 30 inches tall! It's so amazing how different they are and how much I love them both!

A List for Tuesday

2012-01-31T14:42:00.000-08:00

I like fairy tales, this you know. Out of support for the genre I watch Once Upon a Time and Grimm. I have issues with both of these shows. Since I have nowhere else to vent, you're getting it here!

10 Things That Bug Me About Once Upon A Time
1. The whole premise is suppose to be that in the real world there are no happy endings. So why at the end of almost every episode do the people live happily ever after?
2. Prince Charming and Snow White are having in affair. I'm not okay with that.
3. Regina/Evil Queen is SO one-dimensional. Is she just pure evil? Because that's boring.
4. Could we put Emma in some pants that don't look like they were painted on?
5. They killed off the only good-looking guy in the whole town.
6. Why does everything have to be such a big mystery? I know it's from the same guys who did Lost, but it annoys me to have to guess about nearly everything important.
7. Emma has very little personality.
8. The kid who plays Henry can't act.
9. The pictures in the story book are ugly! There was a great opportunity to do something amazing and they just little it slip by.
10. The scenes in the fairy tale world are almost always super-cheesy.

10 Things That Bug Me About Grimm
1. Monroe is the only character I like.
2. They need to add a female lead who isn't a whiny wet blanket like Juliet.
3. There's no character development at all.
4. Could we kill Juliet already? She serves no purpose I can see.
5. There are countless fairy tales out there and halfway through the first season they inexplicably based an episode off of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. What?
6. Nick needs to have more than one emotion.
7. More Monroe!
8. Seriously, ADD MORE WOMEN!
9. A little less blood and gore, please.
10. The writing is good, but it needs to take it up a notch if they want anyone to watch after this season.

People at ABC and NBC please address these concerns immediately or I might have to quit watching. Grimm especially is on the way off my watch list if stuff doesn't change soon.

My Little Kewpie

2012-01-28T21:44:00.000-08:00

Today is Dane's 9-month birthday! To mark the occasion I decided to do a post about him. I'll give you all his stats after his pediatrician appointment on Tuesday, but this will be all about him as a little person.

A few weeks ago my mom-in-law pointed out how much Dane looks like a Kewpie Doll. It is absolutely true! Not only does he have that little smile and look at you sideways, but his hair sticks up on top and at the sides too. I have taken to thinking of him as my little kewpie.

I try not to compare Dutch and Dane to each other, but in some ways they are so opposite that I can't help it. Dutch didn't walk until he was almost 18 months. He had absolutely no interest in it at all. Dane, however, has decided that he wants nothing more in this world than to walk. The other day he let go of the couch and took two steps backwards before he fell on his rump. I scolded him and told him that he can't walk yet! I'm not ready for him to grow up that fast! If anyone knows how to make him stop (without causing physical or psychological harm) I would love to know.

He is such a good eater. In fact, if you are eating something and you don't share with him he gets pretty upset about it. He loves to sit in his highchair at the dinner table and eat with all of us. This leads to him needing a bath every night before bed, which he also loves. At his Aunt Cari's house over Christmas he had his first bath in a real tub and he hasn't looked back since!

Mellow is still the best word to describe him. He's just so easy-going and happy. I love watching him watch the world around him and taking it all in. He's a looker, that's for sure. Uncle Zaque finds this very creepy, since most of the time Dane is looking at him.

He likes to "talk" a lot now. He sort of gurgles and mumbles, but every once in a while he'll say da-da and just keep repeating it. He'll also do this little moan/whine noise that lasts until he runs out of air, then he takes a breath and starts all over again. This is funny or annoying, depending on how tired I am.

His enormous blue eyes are by far my favorite of his features. They are round and crystally blue with silver lines all through them. I love when he looks at me and smiles - his whole face lights up and it makes me just want to squish him.

Now I don't want to complain about him, but I do want to acknowledge that he's not entirely perfect (though to me he is). The one trouble I've been having with him is napping. He doesn't want to do it. The problem is that he still needs them and if he doesn't get one he melts into this very sensitive little ball of tears. When he's tired everything is incredibly upsetting and he just wants to be held, but the minute he starts to fall asleep in my arms he jolts himself up and demands to be put down. Silly baby. Of course I wouldn't want to sleep either if this is how I slept:

How uncomfortable does that look?

Yes, he really was asleep when I took this!

New Pictures of the House

2012-01-25T09:11:00.000-08:00

If you look at this blog post: http://ourblinddog.blogspot.com/2011/09/because-my-sister-is-loser.html then you will see the "before" pictures of our house. As in, before we moved in. Today I walked around the house and took pictures. I didn't clean the house beforehand which will, no doubt, horrify Chris, but I wanted to post these pictures. And I'm lazy. Also Dane gave himself a fat lip and has needed a lot of extra love this morning. Anyway, here they are!

The boys' room.

(See Heidi, they're on the wall!)

Our bedroom.

Notice my side of the bed is messy and Chris's is spotless.

Living Room

I need to do something about the picture wall.

When Bo bumps into the wall it skews the pictures

so they're in a constant state of crooked.

Chris's desk in the Living Room

and pretty much all of my Valentine's decorations

(I can't find any of my others!)

Kitchen

Other side of the kitchen

Play-room/Guest Bedroom

This is a wall of the Play-room that will someday be an

Under the Stairs Nook!

New couch in the Family Room!

Office/Workshop

My birthday present from Heather sitting on top of my typewriter.

Family Room

And Dutch isn't wearing pants.

As always.

Sorry the pictures aren't better, but my camera really sucks. Unfortunately I have more important things to spend money on - like saving it for writing retreats this summer!

A List for Tuesday

2012-01-24T20:28:00.000-08:00

Random Things:

Dane is trying to walk. I would like this to stop. I am not ready for my baby to walk.
Dane says "Da-da" all the time now. He's really quite chatty.
Dutch is doing really great with his potty training. We're almost there!
Dutch's new favorite thing is Legos. He's no longer a Duplo guy, he's Legos or nothing!
Chris turned 31 on Sunday.
I turned 29 a week ago.
I want to learn more about cartography.
Mike Rowe is pretty good looking for an older man.
I like days when I can be a good friend.
I'm going to be teaching Fairy Tales for Writers at Seton Hill University's Writing Retreat in June.
2012 is going to be the Year of the Writer!
I love Valentine's Day and I'm always excited to make valentine's for family and friends.
I really love the TV show Once Upon a Time.
I adore Monroe on the TV show Grimm, although if the don't add a real female character soon I might have to stop watching.
We got a new couch!
Life is good.

New Couch

2012-01-20T08:23:00.000-08:00

We bought a sectional for our downstairs TV room and it arrived today! They were set to come between 8 and 12 so I hopped in the shower just before 8, thinking there was no way they would be on time. A few minutes later they knocked on the door! The delivery guys were both very nice and did a great job getting it downstairs and putting it together for me. One of them could not get enough of Bo and that made me like him even more.

This weekend I will take pictures throughout the house and show you the progress we've made in each room and the plans we have for the future. Today, however, I am going to sit on our new couch with Dutch and Dane and watch a movie!

Christmas 2011 Final Installment

2012-01-14T17:13:00.000-08:00

This is the last post I'm going to do about Christmas because it's the middle of January and it's time to move on.

Zaque is a little creeped out by Dane's staring.

He ALWAYS stares at Zaque!

Dane playing in the chaos of Christmas morning.

Bah and Dutch with Dutch's favorite gift:

a Schwinn trike!

In Texas my nephews Noah and Nathanael always included Dutch.

They gave him a controller while they played the Wii

(even though it didn't work, he still loved it)!

Dane enjoying delicious mini blueberry muffins

for my niece Carlye's birthday.

Christmas 2011 Part Three

2012-01-09T16:22:00.000-08:00

Here is Christmas from Dutch's point of view. Brace yourself for another installment of Pictures By Dutch: Christmas Edition.

Grandma Honey

Self-portrait

Aunt Dawn and Baby Xander

Uncle Zaque and Aunt Amy holding Dane-Dane

Bah

Daddy and Mama

Mama again

Not bad for a 3 1/2 year old, right?

Christmas 2011 Part Two

2012-01-06T11:29:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more pictures for your viewing pleasure:

Bah with Xander and Dane a few days before Christmas.

Dane following in his brother's footsteps
and eating a cuties orange.

Josh taking a picture of me taking a picture of him.

A few of the "gingerbread" houses we made for the Davis family gingerbread party

Dutch playing under the table.

Christmas 2011 Part One

2012-01-05T12:18:00.000-08:00

It was pointed out to me by my very mean sister (Heather) that I hadn't posted anything on my blog about Christmas. This was for a number of reasons, but the biggest one was that Indy had chewed through my computer power cord and my laptop was dead. Since my father-in-law Greg is a genius he was able to fix it and now I can post all the pictures I haven't been able to yet.

My sister Heidi made both of the boys wooden letters
of their names. Dutch had fun putting them on the tree
before we gave them a more permanent home
on the wall of their room.

Dane loved Grandma Honey's Christmas tree.

Doesn't the one below just make your back hurt?

I found Dane like this more than once.

He would contort himself in any number of ways to get

to the lights decorating our window.

Making the Hard Decisions

2012-01-04T20:20:00.000-08:00

There are times when I hate being a responsible adult. Especially when I have to make hard decisions.

Last night Dutch came and got into bed with me. It scared Indy. He scratched and bit at Dutch. Today we had to give him the opportunity to find a new home where he would be more comfortable. A home without kids.

I'm sad, but it's for the best.

A List for Tuesday

2012-01-03T11:26:00.000-08:00

My New Year's Resolutions for 2012
(in no particular order)

Read all the books on my shelves that I own but have never read.
Go to every temple in Utah.
Send The Stone Flower (Adelaide and Eagan's book) to potential agents/editors.
Receive 20 rejections for the above book this year. (It might seem pessimistic to count rejections, but one of my former teachers told me that every rejection brings you closer to the acceptance. And to get rejected you have to actually be sending everything out, so it's not as pessimistic as it sounds.)
Lose some weight (actual poundage I'll keep to myself).
Finish another book.
Get more organized.

What are your resolutions?

A List for Tuesday

2011-12-20T11:38:00.000-08:00

5 Things I'm Excited For

(in no particular order)

1. Christmas Eve: watching movies and sitting in front of the fire and spending time with family.

2. Christmas Eve: after Dutch goes to sleep and we get to set the stage for Christmas morning.

3. Christmas morning: the excitement, the wrapping paper everywhere, the squeals of delight, the abelskievers.

4. A few days after Christmas: when we arrive in Texas to celebrate After Christmas with my mom and dad, my sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephews.

5. My niece Carlye's birthday: because my gift for her totally rocks!

What are you excited for?

Yuck

2011-12-19T11:03:00.000-08:00

I have been feeling under the weather for a while now. I haven't had the energy to blog even though there have been lots of wonderful things going on. Hopefully I will start feeling better soon. I have some pictures to post, but that would involve getting up, getting my camera, getting the cord,... I've already lost interest.

Flashback Photo Friday

2011-12-09T12:51:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2008

Dutch seeing the Christmas tree lights for the first time.

Random Pictures

2011-12-07T12:29:00.000-08:00

I haven't been very good about posting pictures. Here are some that I've taken in the last few weeks that I wanted to share. I hope they make up for not having more pictures on my every day posts.

Dane decided to do a little light reading.

You're never too young for Shakespeare, right?

Bah (Greg) with Xander and Dane.

Grandma Honey and Bah had a pajama party for the boys.

This isn't the best picture, but I loved Dutch's face!

Dutch helped Bah turn the wheel for Thanksgiving bingo.

Dane loves his Aunt Amy!

(Isn't he so cute in his little sweater vest?)

My handsome husband.

Dane loves the lights on Grandma Honey's tree.

A List for Tuesday

2011-12-06T09:29:00.000-08:00

Baby Dane is:

7 months old
the sweetest little boy in the world
crawling around everywhere
chatting up a storm
doing the worm to get places
my little sunflower, always turning his face towards the light
small for his age
completely enamored with his brother
intrigued by Bo
always laughing at Indy
a mama's boy
sleeping through the night consistently
hardly ever crying
a joy to have in our lives
called Baby Dane by everyone, rarely just Dane
definitely not a Jack or a Redford
pale with big blue eyes
our little sweetheart

"We named the dog Indiana"

2011-11-30T18:33:00.000-08:00

This is Indy

This is Indy and Bo.

This last weekend we expanded our brood. We adopted another dog! He's a black lab named Indy (that wasn't his original name, but the one we gave him). Chris had been watching "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and he loves that part when Sean Connery says, "We named the dog Indiana." So Indy is his name-o.

You might be thinking to yourself, "Pam adopted another dog. Hmm, what's wrong with him?" I'm SO glad you asked! Indy was rescued from a hoarding case in Texas. He had been living outside, exposed to the elements and subsisting on a rock diet. He'd chewed his front teeth down to the pulp, exposing the nerves to fourteen of his teeth. Needless to say, he was completely malnourished and he'd contracted a (non-contagious) mange. On top of all that, he was abused and is therefore terrified of men (although he's warming up to Chris).

Even with all those problems he is one of the sweetest dogs ever! He follows me around like a little shadow and won't go anywhere without me. He's VERY protective of Baby Dane and terrified of Dutch. Bo is pretending that Indy doesn't exist (and he's ignoring me), but Indy wants to be Bo's best friends, so I'm sure, much like Coco, they will soon be the best of friends. He had to have those fourteen teeth pulled, but he still has all of his back teeth so eating isn't really an issue. All he wants to do is play and be petted and loved on. He also sleeps with his tongue sticking out, which is awesome!

We're working through his issues and he needs some training, but we're very happy with our new addition!

A List for Tuesday

2011-11-29T15:14:00.000-08:00

10 Things I Love About This Time of Year
(in no particular order)

1. Wearing coats, scarves, hats, gloves, and boots. I love accessorizing!
2. Peppermint flavored ice cream! (Chik-fil-a has a peppermint chocolate chip shake and I could seriously eat one for every meal of the day.)
3. All the lights making winter seem less ugly
4. Christmas music!
5. That smell of cold mixed with lit fireplaces. It's just magical.
6. Picking out the perfect gift for someone
7. Opening presents! (Who doesn't love that little thrill of surprise?)
8. Advent
9. Apple cider
10. That glowy feeling you get when you're celebrating the true meaning of Christmas.

What's your favorite thing about this time of year?

And tune in tomorrow when I'll introduce the newest member of the Davis family. (Hint: He has four legs and is covered in fur!)

A List for Tuesday

2011-11-22T11:17:00.000-08:00

5 Things I'm Tired of People Assuming I Can't Do: Even if I'm not very good, I can still do them
(in no particular order)

1. Cook
2. Parent
3. Anything involving hand-eye coordination
4. Organization
5. Punctuality

What can you do?

Bo Goes on Walkabout

2011-11-18T13:32:00.000-08:00

Last night Bo decided that life was boring and he wanted to make it more exciting. So he went on a walkabout. Here's what happened:

We let Bo out to go to the bathroom. I thought Chris had let him back in; Chris thought I had let him back in and we assumed he was hanging out with the other one in the other room. When it was time for bed we realized our mistake. Frantic searching ensued. I drove around looking for him while Chris searched our yard. It got to the point where I couldn't see well enough to drive because I was crying so much. So Chris took over driving around. I called Zaque and Greg (in tears) and asked if they would be willing to help us look. They were both sweet enough to go out into the cold at 11pm and drive the streets looking for our wayward pup.

I finally had the presence of mind to call the animal control, but no one was there so I was forwarded to police dispatch. The amazing woman I spoke to had taken a call from an officer not long before that a blind chocolate lab was picked up just south of our house and taken to the Sandy animal shelter. I wouldn't be able to pick Bo up until 8:30 the next morning. My tears finally stopped and I called off the search and we all went to bed grateful to animal control and the police.

When Dutch woke up this morning he walked all over the house trying to find Bo. He yelled out both doors for him to come. He kept saying, "Bo, where are you?" (which sounds more like "Bo, wayaroo?"). I explained we had to go and pick up Bo, that he had gotten lost and some nice people were taking care of him until we could get there.

Dutch LOVED the shelter. I thought all the barking would overwhelm him, but no. He went from kennel to kennel saying hi to every single dog and explaining to them that we were here for Bo-Bo. Chris and I are now thinking of adopting another dog. We'll see what happens. We brought Bo home and he climbed up into my bed and fell asleep.

Thus ended Bo's walkabout.

A List for Tuesday

2011-11-15T12:05:00.000-08:00

5 Reasons I'm Thankful for My Popi (Whose Birthday Was Yesterday)
(in no particular order)

1. He hush-a-byed me when I was little and now every time I hush-a-by my boys I think of him.
2. When Chris and I were deciding whether or not to get married he helped us make the right decision.
3. On a road trip back from Texas he introduced me to Mozart's Die Zauberflote.
4. In the summer when we would go visit him I would wake up every morning to him practicing the organ.
5. He married Chris and me and it was perfect.

Why are you thankful for your grandfather?

Cold

2011-11-14T06:31:00.000-08:00

Saturday night I had a sore throat and runny nose when I was going to bed. I had a really hard time sleeping. It slowly got worse all day Sunday and by Sunday night I was feeling pretty crappy. I was so cold that the only thing that could warm me up was a bath, so I went and got in the tub.

I always lock the door when I take a bath or shower, not because it keeps Dutch out (it doesn't), but because it gives me about 5 more minutes of privacy before he picks the lock and gets in. Anyway, last night he came in when I was in the tub and this was our conversation (with translations for Dutch):

Dutch: Hi Daddy! Takin' shower? [Hello Mother! Are you taking a shower?]
Me: I'm taking a bath because I'm cold.
Dutch: Bath. Cold? [Oh, you're taking a bath. You're cold? That's awful!]

Then Dutch picked up my towel and wanted to wrap it around me because that's what I do when he's cold after a bath. I told him I couldn't wear my towel in the tub, so he put it down and gave me a big hug and kiss. Then he patted my head and told me "Get warm!"

There are days when Dutch drives me nuts, but I'm constantly amazed at his consideration for others. He really is one of the sweetest kids I've ever known.

A List for Tuesday

2011-11-08T10:54:00.000-08:00

5 Reasons I'm Thankful for my Daddy
(in no particular order)

1. He never gets tired of his cheesy puns and jokes.
2. When he sings it's really beautiful (I especially love sitting next to him in church because his singing brings the Spirit).
3. He's a very good PopPop to my two boys.
4. We have a lot in common, but one thing I know I got from my dad is my addiction for games. We both have to set limits so we don't spend all our time gaming!
5. He knows a lot about a lot, but he never stops learning.

Why are you thankful for your Daddy?

Happy Birthday Mo!

2011-11-07T10:31:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to my baby niece Mo!

I love this picture because you can see just how awesome
her hair is with it's sticky-uppyness.

Doesn't Play Well With Others

2011-11-04T13:37:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know Chris very well, here's something you need to know about him: He doesn't really like people. Other than his two brothers he has one or two friends. AND HE LIKES IT THIS WAY. That's something to keep in mind as I tell you about our first Parent/Teacher Conference for Dutch yesterday (and the blog title refers to Chris, not Dutch).

Dutch started pre-school a couple of months ago. It's part of the Early Intervention Program. Before he even started school we worked out some goals for him for the school year. Here are the goals and the progress he's made so far, in order of his success.

Dutch will match 7 shapes and 7 colors with 80% accuracy over 3 data probes. He has met this goal! He matches 8/8 shapes 87.5% of the time and 8/8 colors 100% of the time! His teacher, Gretchen, is going to continue to work with him on these, stepping up the difficulty so he can really master his shapes and colors.
Dutch will attend to small/large group activities for 5 minutes 4/5 opportunities over 3 data probes. This one he is making "sufficient progress" on. He'll pay attention 67% of the time in small group (with a 7% refusal) and pays attention 80% of the time in large group (with a 20% refusal). There's still room to improve, of course, but I'm just glad he's able to focus this much!
Dutch will follow classroom directions with no more than one prompt 4/5 opportunities over 3 data probes. Okay, so he's following directions 33% of the time, but he also refuses outright to do them 33% of the time, so that needs a lot more work. To be fair, this is something we struggle with at home so I'm sure he won't get it at school if he can't do it at home. Any suggestions to help with this?
Dutch will demonstrate cooperative play with a peer for 3 minutes 4/5 opportunities over 3 data probes. This is something I've been worried about for awhile now. They send home a little piece of paper to tell me what he did that day and who he did it with. I noticed that Dutch would play by himself or next to other kids, but never with them. I was really surprised, however, when she told me he's doing this 0% of the time. They can get him to parallel play with other kids, but he never plays WITH them. I feel pretty guilty about this because Dutch has play-dates about once a month, if that. So, to help my sweetheart make friends (so he doesn't end up like his dad), I am going to try to make some friends with kids his age so he can learn how to play with someone else. (And when Chris and I discussed this he emphasized that they should be MY friends and not OUR friends.)

He also had some goals for his speech, but those are pretty specific and I don't want to bore you more than I already have. So we survived our first Parent/Teacher Conference and I felt very proud when they told me Dutch is the most polite kid in the class and he's always concerned when other kids are crying or unhappy. That's my boy!

A List for Wednesday

2011-11-02T10:23:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was so hectic that the list got pushed to today. I hope you don't mind.

Dane at Six Months: A Getting-to-Know-You List
Name: Dane Neal Davis
Nick-Names: Baby Dane, Dane-Dane, Danger, Mr. Baby Dane, Sweet Baby Dane
Age: 6 months 5 days
Height: 25.5 inches (putting him in the 15th percentile)
Weight: 15 pounds 5 ounces (putting him in the 15th percentile)
Head circumference: 41.7 centimeters (putting him the 5th percentile)
Favorite song: Anything Mama sings
Favorite food: Formula, although he shared some of my soup last night and really liked it
Favorite toy: The moose Aunt Shelley gave him or the train Aunt Clarissa gave him
Favorite activities: Laughing at Dutch, laughing at Daddy, talking to Mama, staring at Bo trying to figure out what the heck he is
Diaper size: Kirkland brand 1-2's
Clothing size: Some 3-6 month, but mostly 6-9 month
Overall outlook on life: Mellow

Side-note: At 6 months Dutch was 19 lbs 1 oz and 29 inches long! Dane is the featherweight to Dutch's heavyweight!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T20:44:00.000-07:00

We have had a busy, awesome day! This morning Dane had his 6-month well-baby check-up (more about that tomorrow), then we went to Kellie's office to trick-or-treat. Dutch had a lot of fun going "trick-treat" with his Grandma Honey. Dawn and Xander were there the same time as us so that made it extra fun (Dawn was a doctor and Xander was a skeleton). After Kellie's office Dutch went to school. When he got home we had lunch and relaxed. Then when Chris got home we went out and trick-or-treated around our neighborhood AND Greg and Kellie's. Whoo. I am exhausted. Unfortunately there is no rest for the wicked because tomorrow is Zaque and Amy's wedding!

Here are pictures:

Chris and Dutch trick-or-treating.

The Big Bad Wolf

(isn't he ferocious?)

My gorgeous train conductor.

Little Red Riding Hood with the Big Bad Wolf

(Dane was laughing at Dutch, of course).

Brotherly Love

2011-10-29T13:07:00.000-07:00

The boys in matching dinosaur jammies.

You can't really tell, but Dane is laughing so hard!

Big News About Baby Dane!

2011-10-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

Several big things on the Baby Dane front! I will present them from least exciting to most exciting (although they are all super-exciting to me).

#1: On Friday Baby Dane will be 6 months old! Can you believe it? It feels crazy that he is already that old. I can honestly say that I am enjoying every minute with him and I don't want it to change!

#2: He is getting his first tooth! I can see the whiteness on his gums (lower-right, if you were wondering), but it hasn't broken through yet. He's been a little crankier, but even cranky he's the sweetest guy ever.

#3: For Halloween he is going to be the cutest Big Bad Wolf that ever lived (and I'll be Little Red Riding Hood). Pictures will be posted.

#4: Today, for the very first time, he ate cereal! I had tried previously to get him to eat it, but his tongue thrust was still too prominent. He ate the entire tablespoon I'd prepared for him and seemed to actually like it. Dutch, of course, wanted to help, but I knew that would only end in tears, so I promised him he could help in a little while when Baby Dane is a little more used to it.

#5: (and most exciting) Yesterday Dane got up on all fours and started rocking back and forth (see below). Crawling is coming fast and I'm not sure I'm ready for it!

(Do you notice the little stripe of dark hair right down the middle?

What is that about?)

A List for Tuesday

2011-10-25T11:58:00.001-07:00

I can't think of a list today. What's yours?

A Little This, A Dash of That

2011-10-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

I haven't really blogged outside of my Tuesday lists for a while. There are reasons. Here they are:

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARIANNE! You are my favorite twin-ish sister ever. I love you and hope you have a super-fantastic day.

Since Monday Dutch has not been feeling well. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights he threw up. In the middle of the night. In our bedroom. Every single night! On Wednesday Chris stayed home from work because he wasn't feeling well either. We've missed out on lots of fun things this week because we've had the icky sickies at our house. The only bright side is that Dane and I haven't come down with anything yet. I hope that remains the case.

I know that I don't blog about Dane very much and I feel bad about that. The truth of the matter is he is SO perfect! I can literally count on one hand the number of hard days/nights that we've had. He's so mellow and easy-going. He has such an easy smile and he thinks Dutch is the most hilarious person in the world. My little guy is getting a lot more mobile now. He'll be crawling soon and then all bets are off! I'm sure he's going to be just like his big brother and be curious about everything that he can get his hands on. Dane is also talking a lot more. He yells, squawks, la-las, or laughs all the time. Last night Chris brought Dane up to me because he said he was being too loud and he couldn't hear the TV over his yelling!

Dutch is doing really well (other than being sick right now). He rides the bus to pre-school two days a week and he loves it! He's talking a little more, being a great big brother, and tormenting the dog with his love every chance he gets. His newest thing is bossing Dane around. He LOVES to tell Dane what to do! And he doesn't seem to care that Dane, like Bo, never listens. One cute thing: he's obsessed with this clean-up song that he heard on the Disney Channel; he's always talking about cleaning up the mess. The other day Chris took him to Bah and Honey's house and Bah was cleaning out the garage. Dutch said something like, "Good job cleaning the mess, Bah!"

Chris is doing great. He comes home every day in a good mood and constantly tells me how much he loves his job. It's such a great change from a year ago! He enjoys the work, the people he works with, and the benefits and the pay are far superior.

I am still trying to find my feet as a stay-at-home mom. You think after doing it for 3 years I would have come up with some sort of system, but nope. I still have no idea what I'm doing. My writing is going really well. I meet with my friend Jenel once a week for a little writer's group where we critique each other's writing and talk about writing-related stuff. It's awesome! I also love our new ward and neighborhood. The house is great and the people are too!

Bo is getting old and crotchety. His face and paws are turning more gray every day and he won't put up with anyone's shenanigans anymore. I imagine him sitting on our front stoop yelling at the kids to get off our lawn! We still love and adore him, but we're thinking of getting another dog to bring out Bo's playfulness again.

So that's us. Anything else you want to know?

A List for Tuesday

2011-10-18T08:39:00.000-07:00

10 Things I Love About Chris
(in no particular order)

1. When he laughs really hard his nose scrunches up.
2. He made me French toast for dinner last night.
3. If I need time away from the boys he is the first one to suggest it.
4. He's the best dad ever!
5. Even after a full day of work and an hour on the train he comes home in a good mood.
6. He snores.
7. When he wears his glasses he looks so intellectual.
8. He has endless patience for my particular brand of crazy.
9. He enjoys reading the classics that most people plan on reading but never have.
10. When something bad happens he always remains calm. (Which is good, because I do not.)

I love you Chris!

Prayers for Grandpa

2011-10-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

Chris's Grandpa Morgan had a mild stroke. He can still talk, but one side of his mouth was affected and one arm. They are running tests to see the severity and all that. I don't really know all that much about strokes except that they scare me.

Please keep him in your prayers.

As a side note I am grateful for the friends and family who read this blog because I know you guys will actually pray for him. And that's awesome.

Control Your Children!

2011-10-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

Back when I was an expert on parenting (you know, before I had kids), I would see kids running wild and I always looked at the parents with disdain and thought to myself, "Why don't you control your children?" Now that I'm on the other side things look a little different. As my mom-in-law says, "With the pitter-patter of little feet come a thousand words to eat."

Lately Dutch has been really out of control when we're in public. There are days when I'm so exhausted by him that I let him run a little more wild than I should. I can see the looks from other people. The same looks I used to give. If only it were easy to control my child!

A List for Tuesday

2011-10-11T09:08:00.000-07:00

Random Thoughts

Sometimes when I see the commercials to become a massage therapist I think, "I should do that."
I'm very lonely for my sisters.
It sucks being a sister-in-law and not a sister.
There are days when I really don't like Dutch.
I'm not a morning person.
I don't like to be woken up and I will do pretty much anything to make you go away so I can sleep more.
I wish I was craftier.
There are days when doing even one thing exhausts me.
Dane is a good baby, but he wears me out sometimes.
I don't have nearly as many Halloween decorations as I used to.
I wish Dutch would stop tormenting Bo with his love.
Dutch always wants to snuggle when I'm not in the mood to be touched.
A lot of people wish for more time. I wish for more sleep.
Most of these sound complainy, but I don't mean them to be.
Cartoons were way better when I was a kid.
There are pictures where Dane and Dutch look the exact same except their eyes. Dane's are big round saucers and Dutch's are sideways tear-drops.
My to-do list seems to be getting longer instead of shorter even though I do stuff every day. How is that possible?
I love fall.

A List for Tuesday

2011-10-04T08:49:00.000-07:00

When Chris was in Venezuela serving an LDS mission he would sometimes send lists home. The list today is inspired by those lists.

OUR RELATIONSHIP IN NUMBERS:
Years married: 8
Kids: 2
Dogs we've owned: 3
Dogs we currently own: 1
Cities we've lived in: 4
Apartments we've lived in: 3
Houses we've lived in: 3
Houses we've owned: 1
Cars we own: 2
College degrees between the two of us: 5
Pieces of jewelry given: 7
Times Chris has raised his voice: 2
Times I've raised my voice: 2 million
"Real" honeymoons taken: 0
Trips to the ER: 2 (that's pretty good for 8 years, I think)
Total time spent apart: Less than 6 months
Amount of time enjoyed: Every second

I love you, Second Buddy.

This Year Love Came in a Blue Box With a White Ribbon

2011-10-03T08:07:00.000-07:00

Today our marriage turns 8 years old! For those of you who don't know, the 8 year anniversary is the bronze anniversary. That means if our marriage were an Olympian it would be in 3rd place. But at least it placed!

For our anniversary I gave Chris a new fleece jacket. "Gave" is a loosely used term in this case since Chris picked it out and bought it. But Chris won the husband of the year award when he gave me my gift. It came inside a blue bag, inside a blue box, inside a blue pouch - a Tiffany's ring! I've been wanting a wedding band for a long time and he gave me one this year. It's awesome! It has the New York Tiffany & Co address on it and it's just super-cool.

I can honestly say that 8 years seems like a really long time to me which is weird because 7 didn't seem long at all. Tomorrow I will be doing a special anniversary-inspired list. So stay tuned! (And make sure you don't miss the adorable baby Dane pictures below.)

Dane-Dane

2011-10-01T09:28:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday our beautiful baby turned 5 months! In honor of the occasion here are some pictures I've been meaning to post. Enjoy!

Playing with the play-bar on his bouncer.

He gets frustrated because he can't get the chick in his mouth.

With his "cousin" Thomas.

Holding hands with his cousin Xander J.

Grandma Honey rocking both boys to sleep.

Xander is in her arms, Dane is laying on the swing.

Sucking his thumb.

He only does this when he's especially mad at me.

In the adorable little golfer outfit his Grandma Honey bought him.

(Xander has a matching one, pictures will be taken soon.)

A List for Tuesday

2011-09-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

5 Things I Love About Autumn
(in no particular order)
1. Sweaters, scarves, boots; I prefer to cover the whiteness that summer and spring pressure me to uncover.
2. Being able to wear socks and shoes without sweating. I get SO hot if I wear socks in the summer.
3. The changing leaves look so beautiful, not only up close but far away. I love looking up at the mountains and seeing them spotted with red, orange, and yellow.
4. Having a nice cup of hot chocolate before bed; too hot to do that in the summer.
5. Chris and I were married in the fall, so the cooling weather brings back good memories.

4 Things I Hate About Autumn Because I Couldn't Think of 5
(in no particular order)
1. The weather changes so much that I can't set the thermostat. It's cold in the morning making me want to turn the heater on, but then it's hot at night so I want to put on all the fans.
2. It means we're just that much closer to winter. And I hate winter.
3. The cooling weather gives me a vague sense of panic because the year is almost over and what have I accomplished?
4. It's much too brief; especially in Utah.

Whatever You're On Up the Dosage

2011-09-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

I have felt worse in the last week than I have in the entire year put together (and keep in mind I gave birth this year). Last Monday night I started feeling a little weird. My stomach hurt and I wasn't very hungry. For the next 24 hours I had to stay really close to the bathroom; even go up or down the stairs about did me in! It was awful! Still not sure if it was a bug or food poisoning. Either way, it sucked. I felt okay on Wednesday, but then Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and today I've either had a full-blown migraine or been fighting one. There's only been a few hours of reprieve where I haven't felt sick. On top of all this I've been exhausted lately, but unable to sleep (and not only because Dutch and Dane take turns getting up at night).

Anyway, I went to the doctor and... nothing is wrong. Seriously? He gave me a couple of prescriptions and said if things haven't improved in 2 weeks to go back in. I think I'm one of the only people in the world who hates being handed a pill to fix what's wrong. I especially hate getting prescriptions if there's no diagnosis.

Anyway, I just wanted to complain for a minute.

On a happier note I was awakened this morning by the sweetest toothless grin you've ever seen and Dutch slept in until 8. So the day started out in the best way possible!

A Great Weekend

2011-09-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

This was a really great weekend. On Saturday Aunt Marianne, Julianna and Thomas came up and got to see our new house. Then we all drove up to Ogden for Athena's 2nd birthday party. It was really fun. Dutch loved playing with his "cousins" and I always love seeing family. That night I went to the General Relief Society meeting and really enjoyed it.

Today was our nephew Xander's baby blessing. Afterward there was a luncheon at the Hardcastle's house and we all had a great time. We got to spend time with family and friends and had great food and lots of fun. Definitely a great weekend.

A List for Tuesday

2011-09-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

A List of Reasons I Like Lists

Since having kids my brain holds less information. Without lists I would forget pretty much everything.
I love having what I need to do/want to read/want to buy all in one place for easy access.
Lists bring order to my universe.
I feel like a member of an exclusive club (with members the likes of Benjamin Franklin). I'm a Lister. Now I just need to make up a secret handshake.
They are a brief way to get information across.
When I come across an old list it sometimes brings back amazing memories.
Lists aren't confining; they're freeing!
A list is like a snapshot of someone's day/week/month/year.
The minute you write something down it becomes more real.

I know that my "A List for Tuesday" is a favorite among my blog readers. Why do you like lists?

Because My Sister is a Loser...

2011-09-19T07:36:00.000-07:00

...and refuses to join Facebook, she has not seen the pictures of our house. I will post them here. Now you should know that these are the pictures that the previous owners took. The house isn't "together" enough yet for us to take pictures and post them. So consider these the "before" shots and stay tuned for the "after."

This is the front of the house, obviously.

We've done a lot of work in the yard and it is starting to look REALLY good.

This is the boys' room.

I love all the natural wood.

This is our back door and the stairs down to the basement.

We have our "Casablanca" poster hanging where that big poster is.

Our backyard.

See that bush right in the middle?

Yeah, Chris mangled it pretty badly when he pruned it.

It might be dead.

This is the basement bathroom.

This is where Chris likes to shower and get ready.

Our family room.

The walls are a matte dark green.

I want to do some stencils over it in glossy paint to add a little something special.

I also want to paint the ceiling pink.

Chris says no, but he's at work all day...

This is the other side of the family room.

We got to keep the TV.

I know, awesome, right?

The kitchen.

The kitchen looking into the dining room.

The dining room.

The living room.

We have our bookshelves lining that wall.

The other side of the living room.

Upstairs bathroom.

Master bedroom.

Okay, so this is the only room we painted.

It's now a light gray.

Also, their bed was HUGE and the room is not as small as it seems.

Okay, these are a few cursory pictures of the house. What do you think?

A Little Behind

2011-09-18T12:33:00.000-07:00

So after we moved into our fabulous new house we were without internet for roughly two weeks. A lot happened in those two weeks, but frankly I am too overwhelmed to even know where to begin! I now understand why people who don't blog regularly don't blog regularly. If you get even a little behind it feels like an insurmountable task to get caught up.

So I'm not gonna even try.

Tune in tomorrow for your regularly scheduled blog (but don't expect a "Previously on Our Blind Dog...").

Our House, Our House, Our Fancy House!

2011-09-04T18:41:00.001-07:00

(Imagine that being sung to the tune of "Fancy Dress" from The Drowsy Chaperone)

On Tuesday we signed the papers (the millions and millions of papers) to buy our house! We were so excited to close and to get our very first dream house. On Saturday we moved in with the help of Julie, Greg, Kellie, Josh, and Dawn. Julie even stayed to help me put the primer on our bedroom walls!

Our internet won't be set up until the 14th so I may be a little hard to reach for a while. You'll actually have to pick up the phone and call me! ;) I fully intend on taking pictures of our house to show everyone when we're all set up and ready to go.

In the meantime I will leave you with this picture of Dane and his cousin Xander.

They weren't too happy,

but look at those matching outfits!

The Many Accents of Dutch

2011-09-01T11:57:00.000-07:00

If you've read this blog for any amount of time then you know that Dutch doesn't talk a whole lot. Sometimes when he does hilarity ensues! Here are a few samples of Dutch's many accents:

Southern
Dutch says: "Bo, hush!"
Sounds like: "Bo, hoosh!"

French
Dutch says: "My paper!"
Sounds like: "My pay-pear!"

Spanish
Dutch says: "What they heck?"
Sounds like: "Whatha hayk?"

And this last one isn't an accent, but hilarious nonetheless
Dutch says: "Bye-bye, Oscar!"
Sounds like: "Buh-bye, Sucker!"

A List for Tuesday

2011-08-30T15:56:00.000-07:00

Woke up right as I took the picture.

He was seriously sleeping like this!

Rolling over.

Like always!

Baby Dane at 4 Months: A List

Age: 4 months 2 days
Weight: 13 pounds 7 ounces (25th percentile)
Length: 27 inches (15th percentile)
Head circumference: 39.8 centimeters (5th percentile)
Rolls over from back to front, but seems to have forgotten how to go from front to back
Fallen off the bed: once
Smiles: all the time!
Chews on: anything that comes near his mouth
Teeth: zero
Head-shape: awkward; if we can't get it to round out he might have to wear a goofy helmet
Sleeps through the night almost every night. I usually get about 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep!
Feet: fascinating
Funniest person in the world: Daddy
Completely intrigued by: Dutch
Doesn't know quite what to do with: Bo
Reaches for: everything
Eats: breast milk; formula every once in a while; no solid food yet, maybe after we move
Overall personality: mellow

In conclusion we have the sweetest, smallest baby boy in the whole world!

Dutch's First Day of School

2011-08-29T13:25:00.000-07:00

I told him to look at me and this is what he did.

He was trying to pull Bo into the picture.

Today was Dutch's first day of pre-school. He is in Ms. Gretchen's class on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:30 to 1:45. On Saturday we took him to pick out a backpack (the only school supply he needed). He surprised no one by picking a Toy Story one with Buzz and Woody on it.

This morning he decided he wanted to wear his Percy (the train from Thomas and Friends) underwear instead of a diaper. I was wary, but said yes. He did great this morning and didn't have any accidents, so I told him he could go to school in them too. I warned one of his paraeducators, Barbara (a friend of my mom-in-laws) that he was not 100% potty trained.

When I went to pick him up I saw he was still in his same outfit. Hooray! But it turns out they were taking him inside to change him. They weren't sure if he'd had an accident because they'd been playing in water, but they changed him just to be sure. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say it was just water! ;)

They said that he did great and was a sweetheart! Then in the car on the way home I asked him what he did at school today and he said, just as clear as can be, "I played with toys." I started crying! It was the first time he'd referred to himself as "I" and the first time he'd used a full sentence like that without prompting. It was a little miracle that made the day perfect.

By the way, when I dropped him off I did not cry OR jump for joy, although I was sure I would end up doing one or the other. I think this is going to be a great school year!

Pictures of Dane

2011-08-25T20:56:00.000-07:00

I promised my nieces Bella and Evie that I would put up pictures of Dane. They say I haven't been good enough about giving them pictures. So, because I want to remain the favorite aunt, I am doing what they say.

Asleep on the bed.

Dane with his Auntie Clarissa.

(taken by Dutch and/or Cambria)

Dane eating.

(Taken by Dutch and/or Cambria)

Dane

(Taken by Dutch and/or Cambria)

Dane crying.

(Taken by Dutch and/or Cambria)

Extreme close-up of Dane

(Taken by Dutch and/or Cambria)

Dane asleep on Mama.

(Taken by Dutch)

A List for Tuesday

2011-08-23T07:11:00.000-07:00

I've decided to make a "30 Before 30" list of things to do, but I think I'll need some suggestions. Keep in mind that it's only about a year and a half before I turn 30 and that I have two kids, so pretty much anything abroad is not an option. Here's what I have so far:

1. Get one of my books published.
2. Go to Disneyland.
3. Own a piece of jewelry from Tiffany & Co.
4. Learn how to knit something other than a scarf.
5. Take a class on letter pressing.
6. Take a road trip.
7. Go horseback riding.
8. Finally get a honeymoon with Chris.
9. Plant a vegetable garden.
10. Learn how to salsa dance.

Okay, so I only have ten. I need some suggestions! And...GO!

Speaking Dutch

2011-08-17T19:26:00.000-07:00

I try to encourage Dutch to talk at every chance I get. The other day we passed one of his favorite things: a back-hoe. He instantly shouted, "Truck!" and I said, "That's a back-hoe. Can you say back-hoe?" He looks at me, nods his head and says, "Uh-huh." I say: "Will you say it for me? Will you say back-hoe." Dutch: "No."

Can't say I didn't try.

A List for Tuesday

2011-08-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

5 Things I'm Looking Forward To:

1. Closing on our house
2. Painting the master bedroom in our new house
3. Painting the back door in our new house
4. Dutch starting pre-school
5. Finishing my next draft of Adelaide and Eagan

A Couple of Pictures of Dane-Dane

2011-08-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

Playing with his IKEA play-thing

Sleeping in his bouncer.

Isn't he so cute?

A List for Tuesday

2011-08-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

5 of my favorite pictures Dutch has taken with my camera:

Daddy

Self-portrait

Train tracks

Mama in the hospital after Dane-Dane was born

(Dutch has just started calling him that)

Saggy Mo

2011-08-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

July 2011

My dad changed my niece Mo's diaper.

He couldn't find one of hers,

so he thought Dutch's might work just as well.

Below are the hilarious results!

A List for Tuesday

2011-08-02T08:47:00.000-07:00

In our apartment complex there are a lot of people with dogs. I have a dog, but I'm not dog-crazy (emphasis on the crazy) like some of the people here.

5 Things About Dog Owners That Bug Me
1. They address all conversation to you through their dog. As in, "Can you say good morning? Can you say that we went to the pool today?" No, they can't.
2. A responsible pet owner cleans up after their pet. It's disgusting, however, to hold the bag under them and catch the poop as it comes out. You really can't just pick it up off the ground like a normal person? Gross!
3. There's a dirty old man here who has trained his dog to stop whenever a pretty girl goes by. I'm not sure how he did that, but every time I see him he is leering at a chick and using his dog as the excuse.
4. If the sign says to keep your dog on a leash then KEEP YOUR DOG ON A LEASH. It's not rocket science.
5. Before we had a baby Bo the Wonder Dog was our baby. There are people who take this too far, however. If you're taking your dog for a walk in a stroller then you're weird. And possibly crazy.

Farm Country

2011-08-01T10:44:00.000-07:00

Here are a ton of pictures from when my mom and dad were visiting a few weeks ago. We took Dutch and Dane to Farm Country at Thanksgiving Point. Dutch had a blast!

Mom, Dad, Chris, Dutch looking at the animals.

An albino peacock - how awesome is that!

Dutch and Chris petting a horse.

Dutch yelling at the horse to let him pet it.

My dad helping Dutch pet the big one. You can't see it in this picture, but he was pretty scared of him.

Feeding the ducks.

Mama sitting with Baby Dane.

Dutch in sea monkey jail.

(Inside joke.)

Dutch and Chris in jail.

I'm not really sure what the jail has to do with the farm, but that might be just me.

Dad playing in the tunnel with Dutch.

Dutch in the tunnel.

Riding the red tractor.

Chris, Dutch, and I on the wagon ride.

Dutch sitting on the (slightly creepy) cow bench and laughing at Grandpa Bailey.

I'm An Aunt Again!

2011-07-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

Dawn and Josh with Xander

Xander J Davis was born on 7-22-11

6 lbs 13 oz

20 1/2 inches

Baby Xander evens things out for me.
I now have 5 nieces and 5 nephews!

Morning Ritual

2011-07-27T08:23:00.001-07:00

Every morning I greet Dutch with: "Good morning, Dutchie. How did you sleep? Did you have good dreams?"

This morning Dutch woke me up with: "Mornin', Daddy. How sleep? Good dreams?"

Pretty cute. [And yes, Dutch calls me, his Mama, Daddy.]

A List for Tuesday

2011-07-26T06:55:00.000-07:00

5 Things You Might Not Know About Sweet Baby Dane
1. He smiles all the time and has the sweetest smile in the world!
2. When I turn on the light or open the curtain he turns his face toward it. He's like a little sunflower.
3. I can count on one hand the number of hard days or nights that we've had.
4. He gets the hiccups. A lot.
5. His little body is in almost constant motion. Sometimes it wears me out seeing how much he moves!

5 Things You Might Not Know About Dutchie
1. His favorite color is orange (but it might be because it's one of the only colors he can say).
2. Every morning he brings out his train tracks and sets up an elaborate course to play on for the day.
3. He's talking so much more! I can still only understand about 20% of what he says, but at least he's talking.
4. If there are peaches in the house he won't eat any other fruit.
5. When we watch a show he always likes to have a blanket on him, not to keep him warm, but just to snuggle with.

5 Things You Might Not Know About Bo
1. His muzzle and paws are turning gray.
2. He's getting crotchety in his "old" age. His tolerance for shenanigans is much lower than it used to be and he gets annoyed a lot easier.
3. In addition to being blind he is now going deaf. He barks at just about anything, real or not.
4. He prefers people food to dog food.
5. Instead of sleeping at the foot of my side of the bed he now prefers to sleep on the couch (which makes me sad).

My Mama's Super Power

2011-07-21T17:31:00.000-07:00

Did you know that my mom has a super power? She has the power to make babies go to sleep. This may not seem like a great gift, but if you've ever had a fussy baby you know that my mom can magically get them to calm down and relax. The picture below is Dane lounging on her, helping her demonstrate her super power.

My Pink Blankie

2011-07-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

A long long time ago, I'm not sure how many years, my grandmother made me a pink silky blankie. And I love it. Unfortunately for me, someone else loves it too:

These are just a few examples of the blanket theft that I have to endure on a daily basis. Do you know the last time I got to sleep with my pink blankie? Me neither!

So, coming to the point, who would like to make Dutch his own adult-sized silky blankie? Don't all line up at once now!

Zoo Buddies

2011-07-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the zoo day that we took when my sister Heidi was visiting. We had so much fun!

Dutch and Anneke on the wooden horses.

Lukers on the carousel.

I love this one because Anneke loved watching her reflection in the mirrors! You can also see Sara and Dutch on the left-hand side.

This is Heidi standing next to Luke. This picture makes me laugh because it took me like 20 tries to get a good picture of anyone. Most of them ended up like this!

Marcus on his elephant.

Sara and Dutch.

Sara has become my "zoo nanny."
I don't ever go to the zoo without her!

My dad and Mo on the bald eagle. I just want to squish her!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2011-07-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

Today my dad became an old old man. He's 60! I love you Daddy!

(P.S. I chose this picture because it shows what an awesome grandpa my dad is and it is also photographic proof of just how crazy my niece Mo's hair is!)

Pictures of the Boys!

2011-07-14T17:45:00.000-07:00

Here are my 6 favorite pictures of the boys that were taken last week. Hope you enjoy!

I like this one because of his scrumptious double-chin!

Look at that face!

Isn't he so handsome?

I love his smile.

Wearing their "Big Brother" and "Little Brother" shirts that Aunt Cari bought them.

A List for Tuesday

2011-07-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

5 Things I Need to Blog About

1. Fourth of July
2. Visit to Farm Country at Thanksgiving Point
3. Hogle Zoo
4. Heidi & Co's visit
5. Mama and Daddy's visit

All of these things have happened in the last couple of weeks and I'm WAY behind! I'm glad that I blogged about the baby blessing when I did or I might have forgotten it all!

Dane's 2-Month Well-Baby Visit; Dutch's 3-Year Doctor Appointment

2011-07-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

We have a little guy on our hands! Here are a few statistics about our Sweet Baby Dane:

Weight: 11 lbs 3 oz; this puts him in the 50%
Length: 22 inches; this puts him in the 10%
Head circumference: 38 cm; this puts him in the 10%
He weighs more than Dutch did at this age, but has gained less weight, if that makes sense
He is shorter than Dutch was at this age too, but his head is the exact same size (Dutch has always had a small head)
Poor Dane had to get lots of vaccines yesterday. Luckily Chris was with me so I was able to leave the room. I can't handle getting shots and I hate for my boys too, but I know that vaccines are important and don't get me started on the idiots who don't vaccinate.

Now for our Dutch-Boy; my big three year old!

Weight: 44 lbs 4 oz; this puts him off-the-chart for his age-group
Height: 42 inches (we had to guess because he wouldn't let the nurse measure him); this puts him off-the-charts for his age-group
Basically our guy is the size of a 4- or 5-year-old
He, luckily, did not have to get any vaccines or shots today; which made me very happy
Dr Lash tentatively diagnosed him with something called Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS); it just basically encompasses Dutch's speech difficulties and recognizes he has a few autism symptoms (lack of eye contact, awkward social behavior, etc.)

All in all our boys are doing really well and we feel lucky and blessed. The last few days have been a whirlwind of family fun and I will try to blog about it soon. For now I am going to sleep and recover! ;)

Dane's Baby Blessing

2011-07-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

This is how Dane spent most of the day today.

My little fellow is so mellow!

Today was Dane's baby blessing. Chris and I chose to do it today for a couple of reasons: It's a long weekend, and Dutch's birthday is tomorrow. Why not kill two birds with one stone? So a HUGE chunk of family and friends descended on the Singles Ward where my father-in-law is in the Bishopric.

It was an amazing day! There were so many people I loved there and it was a truly overwhelming experience to see so many people who cared about us all in one place. Chris did a beautiful job on the blessing (his mother, who was taking it down in short-hand, scolded him for talking so quickly and using so many big words).

After the blessing our HUGE group of people descended on my in-laws home where we had lunch and cake and celebrated both of my boys. Dutch got to open presents and had so much fun! He also decided, before everyone had even gotten there, that pants were for suckers and took his off. Luckily he got a pair of swim shorts for his birthday that he wanted to put on or he would have been part-naked all day!

Here is a (probably incomplete) list of people who were at the blessing today:

Chris, Pam, Dutch, Dane

Mama (Beckie), Daddy (Clyde)

Mom (Kellie), Dad (Greg)

Grandma Davis, Grandpa Davis

Grandpa Morgan

Popi, Doreen

Heidi, Marcus, Anneke, Luke, Mallory

Josh, Dawn

Zaque

Machelle, Amy

Aunt Pat

Aunt Cathy, Libby

Matt, Holly, Ashlyn, Savannah

Aunt Marianne

Julianna, Jared, Thomas

Sara, Dallin

Christina

Katherine, Mitchell, Joseph, Annabelle

Samantha, Athena

Hayden, Harper

Clarissa, Cambria

Cat

Julie (who is the only non-family member to be at both Dutch's and Dane's baby blessings)

I was worried we wouldn't have enough food, but I don't think anyone went away hungry! Here are a few more pictures from the day. I'm so sad for those of you who couldn't be here, and so grateful to those that were!

Popi's and Heidi's shoulders, Jared, Julianna, Daddy

An awesome shot of Heidi!

Hayden, Harper (4 days younger than Dane), Josh, Dawn, Grandpa Morgan

Cat, Julie

Anneke, Thomas (1 week older than Dane), Lukers

Athena and Samantha

Savannah

Ashlyn

Christina and Dallin, both caught unawares

Amy, Zaque (making that face on purpose), Dane

Dane being held by Uncle Josh

Mama, Heidi

Marcus, Dane, Joseph

Dutch opening a present, back of Luke's head

Most awesome picture of the day:

Zaque helping Dane pick his nose

Pictures By Dutch

2011-07-01T10:20:00.000-07:00

One of Dutch's favorite things to do is to take my camera and photograph the world around him. Lots of these shots are of hands and fingers, of course, but every once in a while he'll take some "good" pictures. The following are from our Davis family vacation to Bear Lake and all were taken by Dutch.

Not bad, huh?

A List for Tuesday

2011-06-28T12:04:00.000-07:00

5 of Dane's Nick-Names

1. Sweet Baby Dane (sung to the tune of "Sweet Caroline")
2. Danger
3. Dane-eriffic (given to him by his Aunt Cari)
4. Apple Danish
5. Baby (which is what Dutch calls him)

Picture taken today to appease Auntie Heidi
P.S. It's fuzzy because a little monkey put his fingers all over the lens and I didn't realize it

Bubbles

2011-06-25T16:40:00.001-07:00

The hilarious moment of the day:

Dane was passing quite a bit of gas and had a particular long, burbley one. Dutch started to laugh and said, "Bubbles!"

Dane's Baby Blessing Information

2011-06-25T09:58:00.000-07:00

What: Dane's baby blessing
When: Sunday July 3, 2011 at 1pm
Where: The Young Single Adults Ward at 11530 South 1000 East

Afterward we will go to Greg and Kellie's house (836 Larkspur Drive) for a light lunch. We will be celebrating both Dane's blessing and Dutch's birthday. No gifts necessary. Hope you can come!

Excess Crazy

2011-06-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I have a little excess crazy. Not hide-the-scissors crazy; more like making-you-laugh-until-you-pee-your-pants crazy. Like when you feel really goofy and everything is funny.

The thing is Chris doesn't find me funny AT ALL so sometimes I don't know what to do with all this excess crazy energy. But it definitely needs an outlet.

Baby Vomit

2011-06-23T20:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Dane spit-up on Dutch. Then Dutch looked down at his arm, at Dane, up at me, and then down at his arm again. I could see him deciding how to react. Then he wiped it on my blanket and said, "Funny baby."

A List for Tuesday

2011-06-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

Today was Dutch's last day with his Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) Miss Abby. When he turns 3 he'll go into a different portion of the program and won't get to have her come anymore. We are very sad. So this week's list is in honor of her.

5 Reasons We're Going to Miss Miss Abby
1. She got Dutch to call me Mama again, even though he inevitably went back to calling me Daddy.
2. A year ago I was frustrated with Dutch's lack of speech, but she gave me the skills I needed to help get him talking.
3. She never judged us.
4. Dutch was absolutely in love with her (he has a thing for brunettes, you know).
5. No matter what problem we had she always had a plan of action to help us fix it.

We're really going to miss seeing her every month.

Dutch is Going to Pre-School

2011-06-20T14:19:00.000-07:00

Today I met with a few of the people at Dutch's school to talk about him going to pres-school in August. He was tested last month and they were meeting with me today to let me know the results and explain everything to me.

Turns out Dutch was in the bottom 4% or less for everything they tested him for (centered around his speech mostly). I had known his language was behind, but I didn't realize how far behind he actually was. It's been a very hard realization to deal with.

In better news, Dutch will start pre-school on the last Monday in August. He'll get to ride the bus, which I think he'll love. He'll start out going two days a week for 2 hours and 15 minutes each day (I think it's a really weird amount of time, but that's just me). That means Dane and I will get 4 and a half hours each week just the two of us. I think this will be really great.

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

I'm lucky enough to have 3 amazing father's in my life!

My Baby's A Genius Part 2

2011-06-18T13:55:00.001-07:00

Dane rolled over from back to front today! That's right suckas, he's a genius!

A List for Tuesday

2011-06-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

5 Goals I Want to Accomplish Before the End of the Year
(in no particular order)

1. Lose weight (I have a specific number of pounds, but I will keep that to myself)
2. Potty train Dutch
3. Finish at least one of the books I'm working on
4. Move into a bigger place, hopefully a house
5. Take a vacation just Chris and me; even one day with just the two of us would be great!

Get Me a Glass...

2011-06-08T17:27:00.000-07:00

...because Dutch is one tall drink of water.

Grandma Davis found out that when Greg was Dutch's age he was 41 1/2 inches tall, so she's been really curious as to how tall Dutch is. His Uncle Joshy measured him yesterday and our "little" boy is 42 inches tall!

They say if you double a kid's height at 3 years old then that's how tall he'll be when he's full-grown. That means Dutch will be 84 inches tall and if you know your 12 times tables you know that means he'll be 7 feet tall! However, Greg is "only" 6'5 so maybe Dutch will come up a little short of doubling his height, like his Bah did.

A List for Tuesday

2011-06-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

Random Thoughts I've Had Lately

I want someone to make a Sherlock Holmes re-make with Dr.Watson played by a woman.
James McAvoy is very attractive, especially in the movie Penelope.
I want to run away and be by myself, but I'd have to take my kids with me which would defeat the purpose.
I'm a better mom to a baby than I am to a toddler.
Swimsuits are disturbingly over-priced.
There is no such thing as a quick errand when you have two kids.
Everything delicious has dairy in it.
Laundry is the bane of my existence.
Naps are something you don't want until you can't have them anymore.
Dutch grows too fast.

A Little Help

2011-06-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

Dane and I had our first rough night last night. This is amazing because he's over a month old. Not amazing because I'm super-tired and he's still fussy.

The reason he was up last night is because he was grunting and groaning. I think he had an upset tummy. I'm wondering if it was something I ate.

So here's my questions: How do I know if it's something I ate? and, If it was, how do I figure out what I need to not eat again?

Mark Your Calendars

2011-06-02T13:21:00.000-07:00

On Sunday July 3rd we're going to bless Dane here in Sandy. We'll have food and whatnot afterwards. We'll also be celebrating Dutch's birthday because he'll turn 3 the next day!

More details coming soon, but I wanted to let you all know now so you can plan ahead!

A List for Tuesday

2011-05-31T09:13:00.000-07:00

Five Reasons I Don't Like Being a Mom
(in no particular order)
1. The pay stinks
2. Whine, whine, whine!
3. It never ends; even in the middle of the night I still have to be a mom
4. Having to repeat myself over and over and over again
5. The guilt; I always feel like I'm not enough

Five Reasons I Like Being a Mom
(in no particular order)
1. The snuggles!
2. All the laughter
3. Baby smell (the good kind, not the yuck kind)
4. I'm constantly surprised
5. The daily reminder to enjoy every moment

What's on your lists?

A List for Tuesday

2011-05-24T09:36:00.000-07:00

Five Things I Love About Sweet Baby Dane
(in no particular order)

1. His skin is so soft
2. He smells good
3. He's so mellow; even his cry is quiet!
4. Since he's still trying to focus a lot of the time he look at me with crossed eyes and it's so funny
5. He has a whole menagerie of noises and they all make me laugh

My Baby's A Genius

2011-05-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

My sweet little 3-week old monkey has rolled over every time he's had tummy time in the past few days!

In case you didn't know, this makes him a genius.

Kissy Fishy Face

2011-05-19T17:48:00.000-07:00

Possibly Too Much Information

2011-05-18T12:59:00.001-07:00

But I don't care.

Dutch peed AND pooped on the potty today!

That is all.

A List for Tuesday

2011-05-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

Five Reasons I'm Looking Forward to Getting Dutch Potty-Trained
(in no particular order)

1. I would love to have only one kid in diapers (though none would be better)
2. Hes so big it's getting to the point where we'll have to buy him adult Depends if he doesn't get potty-trained soon
3. Again, because he's so big he's beginning to look a little silly in diapers
4. It will be another way for him to "prove" he's a big boy
5. It's time

Dane's 2-Week Doctor Visit

2011-05-11T19:36:00.000-07:00

Today we went in for Dane's 2-week well-baby visit. Chris was at work (his first day back since the baby was born) and Dutch has had a cough so I didn't feel good about asking anyone else to watch him. I didn't want my outbreak monkey to infect anyone else's kids. So Dutch, Dane, and I all made the trek to the doctor's office. Besides having to wait for the first time since we started seeing this pediatrician, the visit went really well. Dane's weight is up and he's doing great. He has a very sad diaper rash, but the doctor prescribed something to help with it. The doctor also said that Dane has the strongest rooting reflex that he's ever seen! It made me laugh because it's so true. No matter who is holding him he roots around to see if there's any food to be had. Cute little piggy.

When Dutch was a baby he made little growly noises like a dog, so we called him Puppy. Dane purrs when he's eating (seriously, he does) and mews when he's upset, so he's like a kitty. The one thing he has in common with his big brother though is his complete mellowness. Dutch was a really mellow baby until he hit 18 months. I'm hoping Dane stays mellow too (though I wouldn't complain if he waited until he was a little older to become wild).

A List for Tuesday

2011-05-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

I feel...

incredibly happy
sore
tired
worried
excited

How Redford Became Dane

2011-05-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day yesterday to my mom, my mom-in-law, my grandmas, my sisters, my cousins, and my friends. I am twice-blessed this Mother's Day with two of the cutest boys ever. One who is wild and rambunctious and the other who is mellow and sweet, but I wouldn't trade either of them for all the tea in China.

Some of you have been asking how we got from a name like Redford to the name Dane. Here is the story, as I remember it (Chris might have a different point of view, but he can post a rebuttal if I get too far off the mark).

Friday April 29, 2011; 3am
My amazing nurse Jessica brings the baby in for a feeding. He's just gotten a bath and he's all clean, pink, and perfect. I'm just waking up and as I look at him I almost start to cry. He looks to me just like his Daddy's baby pictures. The name Chris had shown the most partiality to was Redford, a name I thought sounded like a furniture company. But he looked so much like Chris that I wanted to give him Chris's favorite name.

"His name's Redford." I told Jessica. "Will you make up a little sign for him?"

I was so excited to tell Chris that he "won" and the baby would have his name. When he got there the next morning I showed him the name tag on the baby's hospital bed. I then proceeded to call or text every person I knew to tell them the baby's name was going to be Redford Neal Davis and his nickname would be Little Red.

Chris wasn't as excited as I wanted him to be. He kept staring at the baby and saying the name over and over again. "Red! Redford!" Finally, at 7pm he told me that it wasn't the baby's name. Well at this point we'd gone through over a dozen names and I was spent.

"Fine. I'm tired of coming up with names. YOU name him." I said to Chris.

The next morning he came in with several names. I refused to get attached to any of them until he had picked the one he was serious about. Dane was the winner as the day went on, but I still didn't want to get my hopes up that we had ACTUALLY named this guy. Saturday night, as I was about to be discharged, I had to fill out the paperwork for Dane's birth certificate, etc. It was about 10 or 10:30pm and I called Chris.

"Dane is his name? Are you SURE?"

He said he was. So I put ink to paper and there was no backing out of it! So there you have it. That's how Redford became Dane. Although I still plan on calling him Little Red.

P.S. Here are some pictures of Dane and Dutch at my mom's blog and my cousin Sara's blog.

Favorite Picture Friday

2011-05-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

I bet you wish you looked this good in a cowboy hat.

One Week Old

2011-05-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

Today our little bundle of love is one week old. A lot has happened in a week! He lost his umbilical cord (which Chris was excited about because he thinks they're gross); he had his first pediatrician visit, and he had his first play-date with his cousin Thomas.

I'm sure a lot of you are wondering how Dutch is handling the new baby. The answer is: meh. He doesn't really care. Chris has had the week off and has been spending almost all his time with Dutch, so that might be why he doesn't care - he has Daddy all to himself! Every once in a while he'll want to hold the baby, but it usually lasts about 3 seconds. He likes to push Dane around in his stroller, but, then again, he just likes to push the stroller. Before he leaves or goes to bed he'll give the baby a kiss on the head, which is absolutely adorable.

Bo, on the other hand, is not handling the situation very well at all. He's begging for attention all the time and barking at nothing a little more often. Silly puppy is once again afraid that the introduction of a new baby will mean we love him less.

My mom has been here since Saturday and will be here until this Saturday. It's been really nice to have her around. I'll be sad to see her go. I wish, like I do every other day, that I had family living closer.

More pictures coming as soon as I find the cord to my camera. Until then you can go to my cousin Julianna's blog to look at the pictures of Dane and Thomas.

A List for Tuesday

2011-05-03T16:07:00.000-07:00

How to Name Your Child in 6 Easy Steps: The Davis Method

1. Think of a name
2. Tell it to your spouse
3. Your spouse will either a: reject it or b: accept it. If they answer a return to step one, if they answer b continue to step 4.
4. Tell everyone you know the baby's name.
5. Have your spouse decide that he does not like it after all and wants to change it.
6. Repeat.

How Dane Came Into the World

2011-05-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

After blogging on Thursday my contractions continued to get worse. I walked around the house getting things ready: packing my hospital bag, getting an overnight bag for Dutch to stay with Bah and Honey, and making sure Bo could go too. I called my sisters and mom (but could only get a hold of Heidi). I just wanted to keep moving so I could encourage the contractions.

At about 6:30 Chris still wasn't home from work and hadn't answered any of my texts. I was having contractions about 7 minutes apart and figured we might want to go to the hospital soon. I was still in the first stage of labor, so there wasn't any rush - yet. Chris was in surgery so I called the hospital and got patched through to the Operating Room. I told the woman who answered that I'd like to talk to Dr. Warner's PA Chris Davis. "Have you tried paging him?" she asked. "I'm his wife and I'm in labor. Could you just get him for me?" She laughed and said of course. Luckily the surgery was finished so Chris was able to leave right then.

When Chris got home he didn't believe that I was in labor! He said I wasn't being mean enough.

Anyway, we dropped Dutch and Bo off at Greg and Kellie's house and drove up to Alta View Hospital. They watched me for an hour and I had progressed so they let me stay instead of sending me home. (Side note: I was really not very happy with my delivery nurse. Just know that going in.)

My contractions didn't get too much worse, so Dr. Walker (who is AWESOME!) decided to "break my bag of waters." She came in and did that at about 10:45. And can I just say that the plastic hook they used to break my water was TERRIFYING! THAT THING IS HUGE!

Almost immediately my contractions jumped from being manageable to being completely horrific. I had to lay on my side so they could monitor the baby's heartbeat, which had dropped when my water broke. The pain was so horrible (and I couldn't really move to a more comfortable position) that I called and asked for some pain meds. FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER the dumb nurse came in to give them to me. At this point I knew the baby was coming and that I needed to push. I told her to check me immediately, but she decided to give me the pain meds first. Not good.

The baby was crowning and ready to come out. So basically the pain meds would do nothing to help me and the baby would get the full effect. Not very fair. At 11:37, after the most pain I've ever felt in my life, the baby was here. 6 lbs 6 oz and 18 1/2 inches long. Thanks to the drugs he was VERY lethargic and almost had to be intubated. Because of that it took them a while to bring him to me. I was able to call my mom and all of my sisters to tell him he was born before I'd even held him! Don't worry too much, he turned out to be fine and dandy.

At this point he still didn't have a name. Stay tuned tomorrow when I'll tell you all about how he FINALLY got a name!

Shopping

2011-05-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

Dane and I returned from the hospital today. Tomorrow I will regale you with the whole tale of labor and delivery. Today, however, I have a funny story to tell you.

I needed my prescriptions filled - badly. I was in a lot of pain. So Chris and Dutch went to Walgreens today to fill them. While Chris was talking to the pharmacist (who, in Chris's words, looked to be 13 and possibly high) Dutch decided he needed a few things.

He went to the front, got a cart, went down the candy and toy aisle, and picked a few things out. He then proceeded to the check-out line, where two people got in line behind him! Luckily Chris intervened before Dutch got to the counter (I'm not sure how Dutch planned on paying).

Two things: Dutch is too smart for his own good, and what kind of person gets in line behind a two year old?