I'm terrible....

about updating. When we last saw the Johnsons things were crazy... well, not much has changed. The last month and a half has been one long whirlwind. From everyone being home for Halloween, then Eric's brother, Ben, and his wife, Hayley, came to visit us from Utah - which was a BLAST! Then everyone was back home for my dad to be released as Stake President (I've never seen the man so happy, j/k he enjoyed the past 10 years). Then it was Thanksgiving, and since then church has kept us pretty busy.

We did hit up the Black Friday sales and scored some pretty cool stuff. Christmas shopping was completed on that day and then some! Betsy has been sick since the Tuesday before Thanksgiving with a BAD runny nose. The poor kid sees a tissue and starts waving her arms automatically to block any wipes. I took her into the doctor for her 9 month check up and it turns out she has a left ear infection. Poor kid! She never complained much and takes her antibiotic like a champ. Her nose has cleared up immensely as well! And of course at the doctor's visit they measured and weighed her. We didn't get to see our usual person, and this guy didn't tell us the percentiles, but I came home and found a website to plug in her info. She weighs 18lbs 12oz and is 26 1/2 in long. According to the website that puts her in the 12th percentile for height (my family likes to tease us about our heights and just told us "duh" to this news) and the 42th percentile for weight. Other than the ear infection she is amazing! Back in November she started standing by herself and in December she added steps to her resume! She is pretty steady on her feet and will take 3 steps consecutively before deciding it's easier and faster to crawl.

She is a lot of fun right now. She is very interactive and loves to play. She can't wait for her daddy to get home at night and will try to jump into his arms (from mine) when he walks through the door. Unfortunately, Eric comes home filthy from head to toe and can't hold her until he showers and she gets a little upset at that. She also says "da da" now and at night when she is in her crib going to sleep I am grateful she can't say "ma ma" yet, because it absolutely breaks her daddy's heart to hear her calling his name from her crib... he's a softy.

Her first Christmas is around the corner and we are excited. Not that she knows what's going on, but it is a different dimension to our Christmas. I might as well say it now, because let's face it, I probably won't blog again before then, Merry Christmas!

If it's not one thing, it's another....

This week we've been keeping my brother's two youngest kids, Gavin (4) and Londyn (20 months). Today I was watching them while my mom went shopping. This morning they were pretty easy. Then I got both girls down for a nap and told Gavin I would make him Mac 'n cheese when I got out of the shower. Well, Betsy was awake when I got dressed, so I took her down to check on Gavin, who had fallen asleep. So I sat down to feed Betsy. A few minutes later Londyn woke up hungry. So I gave her a little bag of pretzels she had gotten at the fall festival at church last night to tide her over until I made the Macaroni. I finished feeding Betsy and gave her some fruit puff snacks to keep her busy while I made lunch. I started the water boiling and went to load the dishwasher. While doing that, Gavin woke up with a bloody nose and blood all over his arms, hands, and face. So I get him cleaned up and dump in the macaroni. I give Gavin a package of fruit snacks to hold him over. Then I go to check on Betsy. She has PUKED all over her tray and is PLAYING in it! SICK! It is ALL over her. So I start cleaning her up and find pretzels amid the puke.... now where would she have gotten pretzels... LONDYN! During all my trips back and forth to the sink to rinse out paper towels Gavin is following me telling me what each of his fruit snacks is. By this time I'm REALLY frustrated and say to myself, "If it's not one thing, it's another." To which Gavin inspects the fruit snack in his hand and says, "It's one thing."

Auction for Benson and Claire

My friend posted this on her blog and asked for us to spread the word. Her niece and nephew were born with a rare genetic disease called Primary Hyperoxaluria Type 1 (PH1). Their whole story can be found here. I know how lucky I am that we were blessed with a healthy baby girl and cannot imagine being in that situation. I can only imagine how much help they really need. My friend has put together an online auction to help raise money for them. I placed the link on the side of my blog. They have some REALLY neat stuff. Some of it is localized in Idaho, but a lot can be shipped to you. Just a thought with Christmas coming up, get gifts and help someone in need.

Wow, I'm a slacker!

So Betsy is 6 months old now and A LOT has happened since I last blogged (shame on me). We are back in Tupelo again and back to humdrum life. Eric is now working towards his bachelor's degree at Ole Miss. He's taking 15 hours this semester and works about 55 hours a week. He leaves for work at 4:30am and gets home around 3:30pm, with enough time to shower and get his books together for school from 6-9pm. This leaves Betsy and I with a lot of time to spend together! We miss him a lot during the day, but are really proud of him for working so hard for us!

Labor day weekend we went to Arkansas to visit family and friends. We got to see Celeste (who was just 3 days shy of having her little girl), Katie (who's daughter, Brynlee, is a month younger than Betsy), and even Britney (who we never get to see), and her little boy Pierce who is 4 weeks younger than Betsy. It was a fun weekend for sure! We even got to take Betsy on her first boat ride and she even rode the TUBE!!!! Granted she fell asleep during the ride, but all in all I think she was pretty excited. We also got her 6 month pictures taken by my ever awesome cousin Valerie. We just got to look at a few last night and are SO excited to pick a few and order prints.

(This stunt was performed by professionals on a closed course and should not be tried at home)

We also went for 6 month shots and check up. Betsy was in the 60th percentile for head, height, AND weight! That was quite an interesting doctor's visit. The electricity went out after we had been there awhile and they started sending people home because they weren't allowed to open the fridge to get out vaccines. Luckily, they came and told us they had already taken ours out. Unfortunately, when the nurse came to give them, she informed us she hadn't gotten one of them out and we would have to come back the next day to get the last one! Poor Betsy had to go through the horrible ordeal TWICE, but she handled it like a champ each time and never let it bother her after it was over.

You would never know this little girl was ONLY in the 60th percentile for weight by the way she eats! She eats a full jar of fruit WITH cereal for lunch and then half a jar of veggies WITH cereal for dinner. She gets so impatient between bites waiting for the slowpoke who is feeding her to get with the program!

She has become quite content to sit and play by herself on the floor with toys. Sunday Eric had to travel to another unit in the stake to speak, so I had her all by myself this week at church. During Relief Society I have to take roll and do other secretary duties, so I set Betsy down on the floor next to my chair with a few toys and she sat their the whole hour perfectly happy! She has also started to get on all fours in the crawling position, so we know it is only a matter of time.

My next project is getting her to hold her bottle and feed herself, giving me extra time to get things done. Not that I don't absolutely love the time we have together during feedings, but for example, Sunday mornings would be a lot less stressful, if she could feed herself while I get ready since Eric is gone to meetings every Sunday morning. So we'll see how long it takes her. I'm pretty sure she knows how, but now it is a matter of breaking her will. She would much rather me hold her and do it for her, because she has on occasion done it for herself. She just won't be consistent.

proof that she DOES know how it do it and is just being stubborn!!! Wonder where she got that quality.

And our last note worthy of mention... she FINALLY has a TOOTH! Just yesterday I was showing mom how you could see her two bottom teeth right below the skin. This morning I rubbed my finger across there and the right one had popped right through! So the other one should be right behind!

That was an extremely long post and if you made it this far go get yourself a cookie with milk! That is what we have been up to the past two months. Lots of stuff has happened, small stuff in the grand scheme of things, but exciting to us! Oh yeah, AND I've gotten pretty good at exercising regularly (which is HUGE if you know me) and I made drapes for our apartment!!! Eric was VERY excited about that. Have a good day!

Visitors and the end of summer

My cousin Valerie and her husband stopped in for a day or two earlier this week on their way home from their cross country vacation where they saw everything the United States of America has to offer (well at least the western half, they did the eastern half the past two summers). The day after they left Eric's sister flew in for a week visit and is with us until Tuesday. This weekend we are driving to Arkansas with a carload of stuff to meet my parents and trade for their suburban to be able to get all packed up next week. Betsy will stay with Heidi while we make the quick trip over so she doesn't have to endure too many long car rides back to back. It will be the first time we spend the night away from her and I'm a little nervous. I know everyone will do great, but still, I don't like the idea of leaving her, but it's in her interest. Eric last day of work is the 19th, then we finish packing and get home some time that weekend, and school starts for him on the 24th! I try not to think about it all or I get a little overwhelmed, but I am definitely excited to be back home and have a room and a crib for Betsy and get on a normal schedule. If I can just make it through these next two weeks I think everything will be ok...

5 months...

Betsy is a 5 month old now! Time is flying! She has mastered rolling from her back to her belly, which took her awhile. We were getting a little worried. She also sits up by herself now. She still tumbles to the side eventually, but can last for quite awhile. She's still as happy as ever and sleeps great. We're just wondering when those teeth are finally going to pop through, since she's been showing all the signs for about 2 months now. She chews on EVERYTHING like crazy and is a drool factory. She's funny to watch when she's just playing by herself with her toys, her tongue is always going crazy in her mouth rubbing her gums. So any day we expect to wake up to find a shiny white tooth poking through!

The other day I had her in her swing while I went to shower really quick and when I got out she was sitting forward in the swing playing with the buckle, like she was trying to figure out how to unsnap it! I'm not so worried about her unsnapping the buckle, but any father forward and she would have toppled out! So she's pretty much outgrown the swing and can only use it with adult supervision!

Meet the Johnsons

Earlier in the summer, the owner of the company told us to choose a week and he would come work for us so we could take a vacation. So we decided to take him up on that last week. We were supposed to go to THE Sherwood Family Reunion in Arizona, but decided it would probably be better for Betsy to get to meet Eric's family. So last Wednesday we flew out to Utah. Our flight left at 6:30am and we didn't get off work until 12am, so we decided it would just be easier to pull an all-nighter. (Easier meaning we weren't exactly packed, had loads of laundry to do, and were going to TRY to clean the apt (that didn't happen)). So after packing all night and getting showered/bathing Betsy at 4am so we wouldn't be stinky when we got there, we drove to my brother's hotel where he woke up early to drop us off at the airport. (Big thanks to Josh!)

Getting through the airport on the way to Utah wasn't too bad. We packed all three of us in one suitcase and one carry on (plus diaper bag, laptop bag, and carseat). So we got rid of the suitcase at check-in, which didn't take too long and we got to take a shortcut through security. Our itinerary showed only one layover in Phoenix, so we thought flying shouldn't be too bad. What we didn't know is that Southwest will make stops in between and as long as you don't have to deplane, it doesn't show on your itinerary. (We call these "not-layovers".) So we had a "not-layover" in El Paso on the way to Phoenix. She did REALLY well between Dallas and El Paso, but I fed her right before we landed in El Paso and after sitting in the same spot for so long and was tired she was quite fussy after take off. The flight attendant asked if we could give her a bottle or paci, but since I had just fed her and she won't take a paci the answer was no. So the solution to the problem.... the flight attendant took her! After about 10 min she was returned to us and I was able to finally get her to fall asleep in my arms. From Phoenix to SLC she was pretty good, just whimpering.

Eric's dad had gotten back from a business trip earlier in the morning and had decided to wait the extra hours so he could meet us at the gate! He immediately removed Betsy from our arms and we made our way to baggage claim. On the way there, I hear "Sarah?". I turn around and see my aunt and uncle from Arkansas getting off their airplane... talk about a small world. Eric's sister met us down at the baggage claim while his mom drove around the airport waiting for us. Our first stop in Utah was at Wal-Mart to buy the essentials we didn't see much point in packing (diapers, baby food, etc.). Then on to the house where Eric's other sister and her husband were waiting for us.

The trip was exactly what we needed. Eric and I were SO burnt out from our schedule and definitely needed a break. His parent's house is so low key and relaxed. Betsy went down for a nap almost as soon as we got there and slept 5 hours, which allowed Eric and I to get a much needed nap. The rest of the trip was spent doing very minimal. Friday we did a little shopping with Eric's brother and his wife. Saturday we went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple tour. Sunday we went to Eric's parents' ward. Conversation on the way there was about where Betsy would spend 3rd hour: Relief Society, Elder's Quorum, or High Priest Group. Sunday night Eric's parents invited anyone who wanted to come over and see their grandbaby. It was fun to see so many people again and meet some new people. Monday was spent packing and enjoying our last day of freedom before our flight back at 6:30am Tuesday. We were trying to pull another all-nighter to get everything ready. We went through a lot of our stuff that is still in Utah and were able to pack two extra bags to bring home with us. (Big thanks to Southwest for still allowing 2 bags per person FREE!) With everything basically packed at 2:30am, I was not feeling well at all, Eric and I both hit a wall and decided to lay down for a couple hours. We woke up a couple minutes late and between waking Betsy up, feeding, and getting her ready and the last minute things it was 5:20am before we left the house. It takes 45 min to get to the airport and our flight LEFT at 6:30am and THIS time we had 3 suitcases, carry on, carseat, laptop bag and diaper bag. Thank goodness for curbside check-in and family line at security. We hurried to the gate and were able to make it!

This time I planned her bottles around take-offs and landings and got her to at least chew on the paci during the in-betweens. The flights went pretty smoothly. We had another "not-layover" in Amarillo, but Betsy did really well. We landed at 12:05pm, made it back to the apt around 1pm and Betsy and I layed down for a nap and Eric got ready and went to work (sucks to be him). Betsy took a 5 hour nap waking up at 7pm. Stayed awake until 8:30ish when she started acting tired so I put her back down. I planned on waking her up around 10pm so she would sleep through the night for me, but Eric got home around 10pm so we decided to finish a movie we had started before our trip. We fell asleep during the movie and crawled in bed around midnight. First I got a bottle ready because I was SURE I was in for an early morning. After getting up several times between 6am and 8am to check on her, Betsy finally decided to crack her eyes open at 10 min to 10am! (I REALLY love that kid.) Then at 11am she does her tired signs, so I lay her down and at this moment it is after 2pm and she is STILL asleep. You would think I've gotten a lot done with all this alone time, but I've just enjoyed sitting on my couch, watching TV, and getting showered/dressed for the day. But alas, laundry calls.

Lessons of Motherhood : Lesson 1

"Any bath is null and void if given before baby food."

exhibit A:

(yes that is green beans on her forehead, up the left nostril, and by her eye.)

I wake up this morning, give Betsy a bath, feed her a bottle and put her down for a nap. She woke up hungry, so I pull out the Green Beans she loves. I undress her before feeding because green beans and peas do not come out of clothes easily (which I guess would make this Lesson 2.) By the end of the bowl, this is what I have sitting in front of me. So now I have learned, do not bathe before eating; it is useless. You end up with a kid that looks like this and smells like green beans NOT Baby Magic.

Baby steps

Betsy turned 4 months old on the 4th of July! We started her on baby food, but she is still learning how a spoon is supposed to work. She still has yet to roll over, but Mom and Dad brought over a toy kind of like a walker, but with a bottom that is attached to the legs by rubber straps and whenver she pushes down it makes "boing" sounds. She loves it. She almost refuses to be in any position other than standing up and sitting straight up. She will not lean back in your lap, she strains and strains to be in the up-right position. She does like to lay down but not for extended periods of time like sitting up and standing up. Eric has been working with Betsy for a bit on walking... yeah, I know. She's 4 months old, but has been able to stand up in front of him holding his fingers and step forward with her right foot. Her left leg gave a little resistance in bending at the knee, which we were a little concerned with, but Eric has successfully gotten her taking steps with both feet. She had been doing it for awhile before I got the phone out to record her (we can't get video off our video camera onto the computer, so our phones are our only way to share such things.) So she was a little tired when I first started recording, at about 20 sec she starts doing it again... and I don't know how to flip the video... sorry, if anyone does please share.

Family Fun

My parents and my brother Josh and his family came to visit 4th of July weekend. Mom and Dad got here Thursday with Taryn and Edyn in tow. They were super excited to see Betsy, but Betsy had other feelings. For some reason anytime they would touch her she would scream at the top of her lungs until Eric or I came and got her. It was a little ridiculous! I was really worried about how she would react when 4 more people showed up the next day. But Friday she woke up in a better mood and even when the additional 4 faces appeared (making a total of 11 people in our 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment) she was not phased at all. The rest of the weekend she was her usual happy self.

We took the kids to Going Bonkers a huge play place that is any kid's dream come true. Saturday we went to The Stockyards in Fort Worth. It's like stepping back in time to the 1800s. They have a cattle drive and everything. The kids loved it, but it was unbearably hot! We forgot our camera, but snapped a couple on Amberly's but forgot to get them before they left. Hopefully I will get them soon and can post them.

Mom and Dad left Sunday morning, but Josh, Am, and kids hung out until Wednesday morning. Monday we took the kids swimming. The water was considerably warmer this time and Betsy seemed to enjoy it more. That night Am took Taryn, Edyn, and Gavin to Hannah Montana, while Josh, Eric and I hung out at the apartment with Londyn and Betsy.

Tuesday I took Am and the kids to Ikea for their first time. The kids had a blast playing with all the toys set out for them. Then that night Eric and I kept the kids so Josh and Am could go to the movies. It was really fun having them here to visit. It kept me and Betsy entertained. Now we are back to our usual boring lives and waiting for our week trip to Utah for Betsy to meet Eric's family later this month.

June update

Ok, I did it again... I went way too long without posting.

June was a good month. My cousin Valerie came to visit for a few days. It was fun to have her here. While she was here, we took Betsy swimming for the first time. The water was rather cold that day... it took all of us quite some time to lower ourselves into the water. Betsy was a trooper though. She never once cried. After 30 min I decided that was enough time in the sun for her... I'm afraid she has my skin and will burn easily and don't really want to deal with a little baby miserable from sunburn... so I put her in her carseat under the porch and she napped while we swam some more. Valerie also took more pictures for us. A few family pictures and of course a lot of Betsy pictures. We love Valerie. She is so awesome! The rest of June was pretty ordinary. Work, work, work. Here are a few pictures Val took:

This is probably my favorite picture of all time!

Family picture
Eric with Betsy
Me and Betsy
Just plain ol' Betsy

12 weeks!! (updated)

YAY!!! We finally got internet at our apartment yesterday AND they found a new office lady!!!! So we are at home, Betsy is napping and I should be cleaning, but decided to do this first. Betsy is 12 weeks old today... Holy Cow! She is so awesome... We went to Wal-mart Monday night to get groceries and we literally got stopped by at least 20 people to ask how old she is, tell us how cute she is, ask where we found her hair bow.... it was fun. Seriously, I thought it was awesome, friends and family have to tell you your baby is cute, but for strangers to stop you in Wal-Mart is pretty flattering. She is growing so much and reaching little milestones... she hasn't rolled all the way over yet, but tries really hard, so it is only a matter of time. She really doesn't like being laid back anymore, she strains really hard to sit up... It's really cute to watch. She laughed for the first time last Friday. That was AWESOME! It is so exciting watching her get personality... sometimes she has too much personality... but at nighttime she is a perfect angel. I was reading this blog of things pregnant women get tired of hearing and one of the most agreed upon lines
(in different variations) was, "Enjoy your sleep now, because as soon as the baby is born you won't sleep for 18 years." The first week or so that was true, but since about 2 weeks she would only wake up once in the night and at about 7 weeks she started sleeping through the night (about 6 hours) and since about 8 weeks she has slept at least 8 hours a night. So to all those who told me I would never sleep again... I stick my tongue out to you... Eric and I are definitely grateful and have just decided Heavenly Father must have known we wouldn't be able to handle it any other way... We need our sleep. haha... She also coos all the time which is so cute... We've tried getting video of it, but every time we pull out the video camera, she stops and stares at it, trying to figure out "What the heck is this thing they keep pointing at me and shoving in my face?"

Since 8 weeks we've tried to take a picture of her every week to track her changes... we missed last week and the 8 week ones are on the card in our car (which Eric is gone in) and I have yet to bathe her today and get her dressed (since she woke up at 9:30am took a bottle and went back to sleep) So here are 9 and 10 weeks and I will post 8 and 12 once I get them... Oh yeah and she no longer fits into 0-3 month clothes... that was the official sign that my baby is growing up...

8 weeks, she's very pensive

9 weeks old, she's tired

10 weeks old, "solid"

12 weeks, she's very happy

Dallas

Sorry it's been so long since I blogged, we don't have Internet at our apartment in Dallas yet. I have access at the office, but every time I think about it I'm like "No, I have pictures I want to post. I'll wait until I can post them." But that has proven to take longer than we thought, so I'm giving a quick update and as soon as we get the Internet I will post pictures.
So we've been in Dallas for two weeks now and LOVE it, well love Dallas the city, the experience has left some to be desired... Three days after we got here, they fired one of the office girls and asked if I would fill in until they found a replacement, so I'm like, "Sure, no problem." Because the owner did specifically tell me "Betsy comes first." So I think, extra money is always good and a few days shouldn't be too bad... well, they finally started interviewing people Friday, which is about three days after I was put on suicide watch.... so they can't find someone quick enough for me... I'm ready to be Betsy's mom again and not have to leave her in the swing for hours at a time, and to be able to stay home with her and just chill. But she is needing to be fed now, so I will leave it at that, hopefully I will have more time on my hands soon and Internet at home and we can get some pictures posted.

Chub, Chub

So Friday we took Betsy for a check-up. She was 7 weeks old and weighs 10lbs and is 22in long! She is getting so BIG! We can't believe how fast time is going by. I was looking at her hospital pictures today and noticing the huge difference! She is definitely getting more personality and smiling more. She has lately been having a problem spitting up, so they switched her to lactose free milk and she has eczema, so we can no longer use scented lotion on her, which makes me really sad because I LOVE how babies smell after a bath and lotion!!! Now I have to use expensive non-smelling lotion. So this past week came with some adjustments, but we are still totally loving our little girl!!!

What do we do all day??

Since Betsy was born, it seems like everything has been nonstop!!! Eric was in the middle of Midterms when she finally decided to grace us with her presence. After that it was getting used to having a baby, then Eric's parents came for a visit, then it was Finals, and now we are packing to move... with all that, someone asked me the other day, "What do you do all day?" and I was speechless because I couldn't hardly think of anything "productive" that I did in my 24 hours each day... I do know that in Betsy's 7 1/2 weeks of life, I've only gotten to take a nap 3 of those days... and it just flabbergasts me when I can't think of WHY I didn't get to nap more!!!!

Every weekend it seems there has been something going on, when Eric's parents were in town my mom's family had a reunion Easter weekend, so we headed over for that so we could show off our beautiful baby, the next weekend my awesome cousin Valerie threw me an amazing shower (due to the fact that we just couldn't get a convenient date before she was born). Then his past weekend we actually got to stay home, but my brother's 4 kids came over for the weekend since he and his wife were in Hawaii, and my other brother and his wife and 2 kids came over. Their little girl Lauren is 3 1/2 weeks older than Betsy and had to spend half her little life in the hospital, so we were so excited to get to see them before we move THIS WEEKEND!!! Johanna (mother of said Lauren) bought the girls matching dresses, so we put them in them yesterday for church and couldn't resist pictures...

This one is my favorite for obvious reasons... my kid is the one smiling... (not that Lauren's not happy, it was just hard to get one of them smiling together, so obviously I choose the one of Betsy smiling)

So Eric is taking his last final right now and then the rest of this week will be spent PACKING!!! YAY!!! My favorite thing to do in the whole world is pack all my belongings, sort out the necessary ones to take with us and leave the rest behind and move yet again!!!! (please note sarcasm of previous statement). No, I am excited about the move. I love getting to be different places and experience different things. We're both SO EXCITED about Eric being employed again!!! Well let me clarify, he's been employed at H&R Block, but due to slow times hasn't gotten any hours since February, so we're both excited about income again!!! So we will be packing this week and take off for Dallas Friday!!!

Blessing Betsy

Ok, so this post is a little late, but that's the story of our lives...
Eric's parents came to visit for a week in the beginning of April, while Betsy is the 19th grandchild on my side of the family, she is #1 on his side, so his parents were SUPER excited to come see her. Since they live in Utah they won't get to visit often and had to make the most of it while they were here... I don't think she was put down the whole week!!! Which was good for them, but after they left it was a bit of a nightmare for us...
While they were here, we got to bless Betsy so both her grandpa's could be there.

You can't tell he's overly proud at all....

We are so grateful for both our parents!!!

It's that time again!!!!

As most of you know, Eric and I have yet to live anywhere longer than 9 months, and that time is rapidly approaching, so... yes, it is time to pack up again and move.... as you can probably guess, we're doing the pest control thing again... (Who can turn down easy money in this economy??) so the big question you are wondering is.... WHERE will we be going????

Well let's recap, so far we've worked for them in Richmond, VA, Baltimore, MD, Orlando, FL, and West Palm Beach, FL... not enough variety for you??? Alright, we'll switch things up... this summer we will explore the thriving metropolis of Dallas, TX! I've been to Dallas a few times, but Eric hasn't even been to Texas aside from driving through on the way to Utah, so we're really excited to spend time there this summer!!! However, for the first time, we will actually return to the same place after the summer is over. Eric has been accepted to the Ole Miss accounting program and has promised no more transferring schools until he at least has his Bachelor's degree... and I totally plan on holding him to it, we are tired of school and ready for graduation!!! Just 2 years to Bachelor, another year after that for Master, then HELLO WORKING WORLD!!! ok, enough of living in the future, back to the present and Dallas for the summer! All visitors are welcome!!

Hungry, Hungry Hippo

So my life lately has consisted of little other than feeding Betsy, burping Betsy, and changing Betsy... but mostly feeding Betsy! That little girl can eat!! At her two week doctor appointment she weighed 8lb 4oz... she weighed 7lb 3oz when we left the hospital... in two weeks she gained over a pound!!! The doctor asked us how much she eats a day and when we figured it up he questioned us on it and then told us to try and cut her back... of course that's easy for him to say, he doesn't have to listen to a hungry baby that's screaming!!! Plus, chubby babies are cuter anyways... He also told us her height and weight are in the 50 percentile, but her head is in the 25 percentile... haha, she's my little peanut head, maybe that is why labor wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting!
On another note, she was getting kinda high maintenance for awhile. She cried unless she was being held, being fed, or asleep. So I told Eric we needed a swing for her, to which he replied, "We don't NEED a swing, it would just be nice to have one." (For those of you who don't know... Eric's a little on the cheap side.) Well her high maintenanceness continued so I called my sister-in-law to see if we could borrow her swing for awhile. The night we got it, I put her in it and she started her crying routine, but only for a few seconds and suddenly she was calm! To this Eric replied, "How much do these cost?? $700? LET'S BUY TWO!!!" He's so funny, but this thing has literally been a lifesaver!!!

Favorite Cousin

This weekend Andrew brought Lauren over to introduce her to the family. She is so cute!! She had such a rough start to life, but is healthy now and we are so grateful!!! Josh and Amberly and their kids came up and we haven't seen them since before Christmas. Amberly and kids are staying for the week since they are on spring break. But best of all, Valerie and David came over! Valerie has always been my favorite cousin... we're only 3 months apart, but when she came over this weekend she solidified her position. She did a photo shoot with Betsy and Lauren and did an AWESOME job!!! I am so excited to have pictures like this of my little girl!!! Here are a few of our favorites...

Just to give credit where credit is due... (and it is definitely due!) here is her website... www.valeriekeithphotography.com

She is ALWAYS sticking her tongue out... it was literally the first thing she did when she was born!!! So my family calls her Elizzardbeth...

She's HERE!!!

Tuesday, I was contracting all day. Around 5 o'clock they started becoming more regular, but weren't quite close enough, so we watched American Idol and continued timing them. Finally at 10:30pm I decided it was time to go. We got to the hospital and were put in the observation room. I was still only dilated 1cm, but she stretched me to 2cm. We sat in observation for about an hour and then I was at 3cm and they moved me to Labor and Delivery. At about 3am I got my epidural, after that it was smooth sailing. Around 6am they came in and I was 10cm and at 6:44am she was here!!!! She weighed 7lbs 6.8oz and is 18 1/2 in long. We got out of the hospital Friday afternoon and are loving being home together. Of course Eric and I think she is the most beautiful thing ever, but other people say she is pretty too, so maybe we aren't too far off.

Interesting....

Apparently when you go past your due date, the baby counter starts counting up! We learn something new everyday... So yes, I am still pregnant, just kinda sitting around waiting for the big event. The doctor said they won't let me go more than a week past my due date and I have an appointment this Thursday again, so I know we'll get to see her soon, just not sure if she'll come on her own or if she will have to be coaxed out into the world... I think she must be like her mom and not like change, and that is why she is refusing to come out. Eric keeps telling her to hurry so we can hold her and that it is not so bad out here, but she must not believe him. I am starting to feel quite a bit of pressure, so who knows how much longer she plans to stay in there. Today was technically her first due date, before they changed it at the 20 week ultrasound, so maybe we just didn't tell her that she was supposed to come yesterday, maybe she thinks she is still on time.... OR she is just more like her parents than we thought and she will be late to EVERYTHING! This is not a good habit to form this early in her life... Anyways, the point is, I am still pregnant and I'll be sure to let you know when that status changes.

This week in my pregnancy....

We went to the doctor again today. It was actually the fastest doctor visit ever!!! I was in and out in 20 minutes!!! So she checked me and I am still dilated one cm and 80% effaced, but she said she has dropped significantly, so things are still progressing I guess, just not as quickly as some would like.... I'm not talking about me, I'm fine with whenever she decides to come.... just call me chicken. Anyways, that's all that has really happened... exciting stuff, I know.

The Latest and Greatest

So I went to the doctor today.... DRUM ROLL PLEASE......... I am dialated 1cm and have started to thin... it's only a matter of time people... I'm a little nervous.

Random things to update about

So I am 37 weeks today, making me officially full term, which means she could come at anytime now. My ankles started swelling really bad this weekend and I've started cramping every now and then. I am SO FLIPPIN' HUGE at this point. I get tired really easily, but other than that things are going well. I go to the doctor this week (and I'm guessing every week after this) maybe I'll have some news to share, but maybe not, who knows. At this point I just assume she will come when she comes, and that will be the right time. I'm not particularly excited about labor, but I am excited to see her and hold her.

We also painted this weekend, which is a first for us, we've never painted anywhere we've lived. It's pretty exciting to me. I like putting "my touch" on things even though "my touch" is nowhere near as good as other people's I know. I actually picked out the paint color all by myself, and did it in less than 5 minutes... If you know me that is a HUGE thing, because I am the most indecisive person in the world. Once we got it on the walls, the color wasn't quite what I thought it would be, but everyone says it looks good, so we'll go with that.

I'm almost done sewing a quilt I made for her crib. Actually, I'm done sewing, I just need to tie it. I spent forever trying to figure out what colors I wanted her stuff to be. I like the pink and brown look, but that's so common I didn't want to go with it, so I finally decided on purple, black, and white. Here's a picture. I took it with my cell phone so the quality isn't that great, but then again I made the thing, so the quality isn't that great...

A stolen Survey

I stole this from Britney....

About Eric

1. He's sitting in front of the tv. What's on the screen?
ummm.... Discovery channel, military channel, a movie, Seinfeld or Lost, but we haven't had a say about what's on tv lately...
2. You are out to eat. What dressing does he get on his salad?
It depends on his mood, he is always changing things up and trying new things... he likes everything, but I guess he gets ranch most of the time, because that's what I like, and he's a good sharer.
3. What's one food he doesn't like?
Even he couldn't come up with an answer to this one... I told you, he likes everything...
4. You go out to a bar. What does he drink first?
Strawberry Lemonade or thanks to the Brown influence Dr. Pepper
5. Where did he go to high school?
Bingham High School
6. If he were to collect anything, what would it be?
He has a coin collection, so I guess that answers that.
7. What shoe size does he wear?
8
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
Again, he eats anything and doesn't have favorites, it's just a matter of what he hasn't had in awhile.
9. What would he eat every day if he could?
See answer to #8
10. What would he never wear?
Camo and plaid shorts, but we're working on the plaid shorts...
11. What is his favorite sports team?
He doesn't really follow sports, (I know, I lucked out), but theoretically he likes BYU
12. What is something you do that he wishes you didn't do so much?
Ask him to do stuff... I have a really bad habit of asking him to do favors...
13. How many states has he lived in?
Utah, Mississippi, Virginia, Mississippi again, Maryland, Utah again, Florida, Mississippi again, Arkansas, Florida again, Mississippi again, yeah everything after Virginia is since we've been married... it's sick. but to answer the question 6 different states
14. What is his heritage?
European-American
15. You bake him a cake for his birthday.
again, he doesn't have a favorite, he'll eat anything and be happy... I really did luck out.
16. Did he play sports in high school?
Soccer
17. What could he spend hours doing?
Sleeping

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! (Warning: It's a long one)

Ok, so I'm finally updating about the holidays... A lot has happened and I can't really think of where to start. Eric finished his semester of school!!! Woo-hoo! Now just seven more to go... We flew out Christmas Eve to Eric's family in Salt Lake (a HUGE thank you to Lacey for dropping us off/picking us up at the airport!!)
So this was my first Christmas since being married away from my family. I'll be honest and admit I was a little hesitant about spending two weeks somewhere else for Christmas, (I'm a little set in my ways.) but I can also honestly say that we had a good time. Aside from a 3 day trip this summer for his sister's wedding, we hadn't seen Eric's family in almost two years. A lot has changed in that time, mainly the fact that I am hugely pregnant... It was fun to spend time with his family again. I could have done without the cold and all the snow, but some things take sacrifice... We didn't do anything huge, we just spent time with his family the whole time, it was actually very relaxing. We did get to drive down to Pleasant Grove and hang out with our friends Brent and Angela on New Years Day. It was fun to see them again.
Also, before we left, Eric enrolled in the H&R Block tax class and applied for a seasonal tax job. They told him they would get back with him after Christmas. Finally on New Year's Day, we get the phone call that he has the job... can I even express how excited that made me... we are finally employed!!
We also sorted through all our belongings which are still in Utah from when we lived there. We came to grips with the fact that most likely we will never get them back without spending WAY too much money, and they are crowding Eric's relatives' homes. So we donated QUITE A BIT of furniture to Deseret Industries and dejunked a lot of clothes and other belongings. It was sad to get rid of so much, but a relief to finally be done with it. We brought back as much as we could (50lbs) in our extra suitcase only to have the airline lose it... only we are that lucky. However, we did luck out that my sister-in-law was dropping my aunt off at the airport the next morning and they happened to find our luggage before then, so things did work out that we didn't have to drive ALL the way back to the airport to get it. We finally got home yesterday and Eric started work an hour later. We are so excited for the New Year and hope everyone had an awesome holiday season!!!
Last note: I am now 8 months pregnant and wonder if I will make it.... I probably will, but sometimes it doesn't feel like it.