something is better than nothing

If I've learned one thing this year, it is that something is better than nothing.

For years it has bothered me if I can't do something 100% (or at least close to it). For example, when I clean, I always feel the need to do a really thorough job, when I run or exercise it needs to be at least 4 miles or an hour in length, when I design or write something it needs to be exact and uniform, when I blog the photos and content need to be edited and scripted well, when I read the scriptures it needs to be for a significant amount of time, etc.

Having a baby has loosened me up a bit. I have had to make adjustments. It's the law of becoming a mother I suppose. I just don't have the same amount of time I used to have.

I tend to be perfectionistic yet indecisive by nature so I'm learning a huge lesson. I'm not saying I'm going to start doing things halfway, but I have realized that sometimes it is better to do what I can rather than not do anything at all. So I didn't have time to run 4 miles, but I was able to do the 2.7 mile loop with Win in his jogger stroller. I couldn't declutter the entire house in one day, but I did manage to clean out one of Win's drawers. I didn't make that labor intensive dish from Sunset magazine, but I did get spaghetti on the table. Case in point: Something is better than nothing.

Along those same lines, I found this quote on Pinterest that helps keep things in perspective for me. It says, "You can do anything, but you can't do everything."

The list in my mind makes me want to do everything...at the same time. I want to sew a skirt, make a wreath, hang some pictures, bake banana bread, take a photography class, juice some pomegranates, read more books, finish a personal history project. You name it and I probably want to do it.

This is not a bad thing. Wanting to do and learn things is healthy. Being motivated keeps life interesting. I run into problems because I want to do many things at once so my projects are left unfinished. A few illustrations: I have a box of two year old pinecones sitting in my mom's shed waiting to be made into a wreath, fabric in my closet for skirt I wanted to make over a year ago, three wall hangings for Win's room that should have been hung before he was born and a slew of thank you cards that should have been written a year ago from my baby showers. The thank you cards are a big regret. I'm admittedly bad at sending them. Once again, I can trace this to my perfectionistic tendencies and lack of narrowing down projects. Something would have been better than nothing and if I would have focused on that one thing I could have completed an important task.

I know some characteristic traits are impossible to change, whether they be learned or inherent, but I can continuously learn and grow. I can't help but think of these scriptures:

Isaiah 28:10 "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little."

and

Mosiah 4:27 "And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order."

So for 2012, I will always try to do my best, but something is going to be better than nothing (for the little things) and I really can do anything, but I can't do everything...at one time.

A big thank you to this little guy for teaching me some important lessons in 2011.

jolly

Win's first Christmas tree is a little "Charlie Brown" table topper. We didn't want to get a full size tree this year because1) We didn't want Win to get into the breakable ornaments 2) We didn't want the tree to fall over on him if he decided to use it as a climbing device and 3) We frankly don't have a lot of room for a tree. The table topper suits our family just great this year.

breaking (it) dawn...I mean down

The other day I was ripping on Twilight to Kent. At the time I felt justified in doing so because it IS a cheesy love story and the characters ARE sort of pathetic. (I didn't go gaga over Edward like everyone else and I thought Bella was kind of boring.) Truth be told, it took me two years to finish the first book. I couldn't get into it. I read the first 100 pages like one always should before discarding a book, then put it down and didn't pick it up for another two years. Peer pressure made me feel like I needed to give it another chance. Am I happy I did? I guess. At least I understand Twilight references and who's who, but I didn't catch the craze. Just tell me the end already.

Here's the thing I realized though, although I don't love Twilight and I am constantly amazed at how into it people get, I am in no position to judge. Have I written a novel? No. A highly successful one at that? Not even close. Do people want my stories so they can make movies out if them? Nope. I don't even have stories to give even if they asked. Suffice it to say, I am impressed with Stephanie Meyer. Twilight fans are cuckoo for this vampire saga just like I was crazy about Harry Potter and the Hunger Games. (By the way, have you seen the trailer for the Hunger Games movie? Kent showed it to me the other day and it left me emotional. Check it out for yourself.)

In conclusion, I want to say that Twilight is all right. I've come to grips with the fact that it is a teenage love story that exploded onto the adult scene. It took control over women's hearts (maybe men's too) young and old. So, who cares if I didn't love Twilight. Mrs. Meyer did something original and I have to commend her for taking the vampire-loving world by storm.

I just have to ask, is the baby a vampire?

davy

Our boy is Davy Crockett for Halloween. The inspiration? A coon hat we found on sale at Gymboree. The rest just sort of came to us after looking at Davy Crockett pictures online. My mom sewed the fringe onto the onesie and I made his pouch which happens to be the perfect size for his pacifier. He also has a "bear skin" belt on with a claw - so tough. The shoes were given to me at shower and they made perfect moccasinesque footwear.

Kent and I joined in on the frontier theme, but Win was the star.

He's not feeling well tonight, but we got to show him off at the Trunk or Treat on Saturday.

Happy Halloween!

7 months

He's actually 8 months now so he has changed since I first began this post a few weeks ago, but month 7 was a big one.

Here are his 7 month stats:

Weight: 17 lbs. 1 oz.
Height: 26 3/4 inches
He cried when he got his 4 shots, but he calmed down and took a little snooze on the way home. Win is a trooper.



Highlights:

Win is mobile, and I mean mobile. He is crawling on all fours now and rarely reverts to the army crawl.




He pulls himself up on everything: dresser drawers, coffee tables, chairs, chests, laundry baskets, his crib railing, etc.



Food has become his new best friend although I think he still loves the food mommy provides. He has tried all sorts of baby food including bananas (mashed and in the jar), peas, squash, carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes, pears, peaches (mashed), avocado (mashed), prunes and I think that’s it as far as fruits and vegetables go. He has also had a few bites of watermelon and some orange as well. He also eats rice cereal, Mum-mum rice crackers and Cheerios.



He loves it all. He also really enjoys drinking water out of his sippy cup. He can’t quite manage it by himself, but he really tries.



He just seems smarter these days as well. Win has always sort of understood things, but he is a smart boy. He laughs at things I do now like pretending to eat his food and saying “mmm…” and he is starting to understand what his toys do. He is also starting to drop things and seeing where they land. As they say, he is “testing the law of gravity”. Especially at meal time.

Win learned how to sleep through the night which was a miracle. We let him “cry it out” which was rough, but it felt like right timing. At 7 months old he didn't need me to feed him every 3 hours. He had two crying periods that lasted about an hour each. One from 11:30 pm – 12:30 am (maybe a little less, maybe 50 minutes) and another one from 3:40 am – 4:30 am. Those are estimates, but you get the idea. The next night we didn’t hear a peep until the early morning. I think he found his pacifier and fell back to sleep until 7:30 am. From that point on he slept through the night religiously until we went on a trip to Utah where he decided to cut his first tooth!

That's right. Win gained his first tooth on his lower left gum. He was so fussy at night while we were away. I blamed it on traveling, but I felt his gum one morning and lo and behold, there was a bit of a tooth popping through. Poor little guy. I feel bad we didn't put any teething gel on it or anything. We just didn't really know why he was acting so uncomfortable.

I wish I would have written more down from month 7. I'm just amazed at his accomplishments and how grown up he is getting. More to come in month 8.

my thoughts on marathoning

Back when I was pregnant with Win, or soon after I had him, I thought it would be a good idea to do a marathon. It would give me something to work for and help me regain my waistline. I had completed a marathon before and actually enjoyed it so I thought training would be kind of fun.

In real life it has been hard. After completing my Saturday long runs, I constantly ask myself (and Kent) why I'm doing this. Last time I ran a marathon, I had some vengeance brewing in my soul. I was going through a break up and had recently almost died (not literally) on mile 15 in the Great Wall Marathon so I had something to prove to myself.

This time, I have my reasons, but they aren't as clearly defined. Yes, I want to be back at my pre-pregnancy weight and shape, but is it worth these (see below) and some other aches and pains?

(My second toenail(s) turns purple and falls off when I run a lot.
Weird and sort of gross.)

Deep inside I am excited. I even looked up how fast I have to do the marathon in order to qualify for Boston. If you're curious, it is 3 hrs 35 min for women ages 18-34. That's fast and my training speed isn't even close to that, but I might as well shoot for something. My running schedule has been sort of on and off, but I have done what I can do with a baby in tow. I have also had a really supportive husband who doesn't understand my love of running yet gets that I like it and will help me accomplish my goal.

Once again, I am excited for the race coming up in a couple of weeks and gradually gearing up mentally. Like the experts say, much of the race turns into a mental battle and I am slowly but surely finding my fire and reasons for competing. Just to "lose weight" isn't going to carry me through 26.2 miles.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. And, I also think I don't need to do this again after baby #2. Maybe a half marathon or sprint triathlon would suffice? We shall see.

up and up

Some one is 7 months old today and is acting like a big boy...

He seems too young to be pulling himself up on things, but I caught this kid in action last night. He isn't the most stable on his feet, but I'm sure he'll get the hang of it before we know it. Time to get serious about baby proofing.

friday night fun

Last Friday, our night consisted of:

Five Guys Burgers and Fries (really delicious as far as "fast food" goes and only a brief walk from our house)

Petco



and

A sunset stroll along the Marina














It felt pretty perfect considering we've all been sick and I didn't want cook dinner, but wanted to get out of the house.

I love our little family of three and the stage of life we're at. Friday nights might be different with a baby, but they are just as enjoyable.

one is bad enough

I don't care if Justin Bieber has both ears pierced, it will never be an attractive style for males. Maybe the occasional tribesman looks all right with an exotic piercing or two, but that's it. We went to the U.S. Open in Huntington Beach a couple of weekends ago and for whatever reason, I couldn't stop noticing the amount of young boys, tweeners and teenagers alike, that were sporting this look. Kent informed that it is fashionable amongst skaters, hip hoppers, thugs, celebs, teenagers and adults alike. Personally, I can't stand it. I honestly wanted to put my thumb and finger up to those kids' earlobes and pull them out. I wouldn't want to hurt the guys, but eek, please remove those earrings - they make one look like a punk.

Am I being too critical? Do most people think men look good with earrings? Does it make me a hypocrite because I think it's normal and fine for women to have both ears pierced, but not men? Maybe I'm just conditioned to thinking it looks fine on women, but not on men. Or maybe it's just the fact that bejeweled men aren't my cup of tea. Although, I do think it's kind of hot when Kent pulls out his massive gold chain necklace (I wish it had a clock on the end like Flavor Flav) and struts around the house. Okay, that doesn't happen. Kent does have a thing for rap and baseball though, two things that encourage necklaces in males.

Anyway, this is apparently a "style", but the mom in me just can't support it. Sorry, Win, no piercings for you.

6 months

Our boy is 6 months old. I'm not sure how that happened, but it did and we love our blond-haired, blue-eyed baby.

Day 1

Month 6

I don't have his stats because I made his 6 month appointment a little late and they don't have an opening until August 30th. They'll be more like 7 month stats.

Win's Favorites:

-Win loves my water bottle and pretends he knows what to do with it.

-Breast milk is the liquid of choice for our boy. I had a hair appointment the other day and wasn't going to be around for the feeding so Kent was just going to use some formula. Apparently, when Kent put the bottle in Win's mouth Win just let it dribble down the sides of his chin. Eventually, he started pushing it away and I really can't blame him. I suppose it's like powdered milk versus real milk - is there even a comparison? Powdered milk is nasty. Anyway, I had one last bag of frozen breast milk so Kent used it up and everyone was happy.

-He loves the bedtime routine, especially being naked, or at least with diaper only. He chats it up, squeals, screams, rolls around and tries to get up on his hands and knees. He resists putting jammies on though. Not fun for Mr. Win (or Mom and Dad).

-We don't dance around the room as much as we should, but when we do, he really enjoys it.

-He likes to make people laugh. Seriously. If he gets a reaction out of you and he knows he's being funny, he'll try it again. The makings of a comedian.

-Really loves sleeping on his side and still likes having a blanket over his face while falling asleep.

-Out of the songs I sing, Old MacDonald has to be his favorite.

Foods Win has tried:

-Lemon and lime wedges (mean parents), watermelon, carrots and celery. When I say try, I mean sucked on these various items. We have not moved into baby food yet. That will begin this month.

Achievements:

-Mobility: He can move around really well these days. Rolling is no biggie and he can turn himself to face different directions. I think crawling will happen sooner than we know it because he's starting to get up on all fours. He even got himself in the plank position the other day.

-He is also sitting. He occasionally falls back or to his sides, but for the most part he is stable. I still put pillows behind him if I'm not next to him.

-Win can put his pacifier back into his mouth all by himself! It's amazing.

Places visited:

-Both grandmas' houses
-The beach
-A movie theater (only 1x...that was enough)
-Grocery stores
-A mall or two
-Target
-A few restaurants
-Church
-Swimming pools
-Doctor's office
-Pet store
-Houses of friends and family
-Hospital (to visit a cousin)
-The park
-Downtown Disney (really brief)
-Daddy's soccer games
-Two Angels games

There are probably more places, but that's all I can think of for now.

Extra:

Something that cracks me up at the moment is his mad voice. I can't describe it, but he lets us know when he is upset or about to get that way.

It has been half a year of happiness with baby Winston and we're excited to see what the next half will bring.

cousins

Meet Win's cousin, Brigham.

(eye poke)

Brigs: "Here, let me show you how to spin this crazy thing."

Although Brigs stole Win's medicine dropper and poked him in the eye, I think they'll get along just great. 9 1/2 months between these two, but when they get older that won't seem very far. Brigham is all Win has on the West side (agewise) so let's hope they like each other.

sisters' week

Where is the time going? I wish I could freeze it for a few minutes and let things just be. Sisters' week is over-I'm already looking forward to next summer-and my little Win is growing like a weed (an adorable weed, if there is such a thing). Monday was my first day back to "real life" and it was productive, but I can't say it beat being at my mom and dad's house with my sisters. We have such a marvelous time together.

This year we baked whole wheat bread, cinnamon rolls, apple and berry pies, and peach crisp. We also made strawberry jam, apricot leather and homemade granola bars. Throw in a recipe exchange, swimming and water games with the kids, aerobics and running, strolls or "evening constitutionals" after dinner, games at night (I'm addicted to Ticket to Ride), shopping at the dollar store, Thrifty's ice cream and a lot of fun conversation and you have sisters' week. We wanted to do some sewing projects, but there wasn't time. Maybe next summer.

During those two weeks, Mr. Win became a new baby. New meaning he has turned a leaf and is acting like a grown up baby. He jabbers away and rolls around the floor. He is definitely developing into his own little person. He can put himself to sleep and is sleeping longer stretches at night which is heavenly, but sometimes he gets himself stuck (see photo below).

We're back at home loving the memories we made at Grandma's house, gearing up for the next reunion and looking forward to a fun-filled Fall.

romanticized farm life

Children of the 80s, do you remember this book?

We had it in my house growing up.

(I'm fairly certain it was a product of a Scholastic book order circa 1983.)

I haven't been to many farms, but I've always thought it would be fun to live on one. I wonder if this is the book that put that thought into my mind.

Anyway, I can't recall the storyline or if it even had one, but I do remember loving it. For that reason alone, I am determined to buy it for Win. Hopefully, my four or five year old self had good taste in books and it will be a worthwhile purchase.

4 months

I can't believe Win is closer to five months than four. I had every intention of blogging about his fourth month, but somehow between helping plan my mom's 75th surprise party, trying to run and starting work again, the intention got lost. How could I let my documentation slide? It's important. Better late than never I guess.

First off, I have loved Win's fourth month of life. I didn't know I could love my baby more, but I do. He is a joy. Waking up every three or so hours at night to feed him isn't even that bad because he reaches out for my neck now and nuzzles in. It's like a mini hug. We feed and he goes right back to sleep. One of these days I'll try sleep training, but we're not quite there yet.

He does sleep in his crib in the other room now though. I was worried the first couple of nights because he had a cold and I'm always worried about him breathing okay (are all moms and dads freaks about that?), but not only was his bassinet crowding our bedroom, it was crowding poor Win as well. He would reach out his arms and hit the sides. He enjoyed playing with the sides, brushing the fabric with his fingers, but I think it kept him awake. So yes, he is in another room which is one step towards sleep independence. Weaning the night feedings is the next step.

Win is an active boy, his legs are in perpetual motion. Kent and I always say that when he learns how to move around, he is literally going to be everywhere. He has been able to roll from tummy to back since the day before his 12 week mark, but he doesn't roll frequently. I'm not sure why that is. We do tummy time and sometimes he rolls, sometimes he doesn't. He hasn't rolled from back to tummy yet, but he's getting close. He is amazingly content staring up at the ceiling or the bright flashing start atop his play gym, kicking his legs and moving his arms. My mom pointed out to me that he's probably just a content boy, and he is.

Here are some other 4 month snippets:

STATS
Weight: 14 lbs. 5 oz.
Height: 24 1/2 inches
Shots went much better. Only a brief episode of crying and he was fine the rest of the day.

Things he does and some of my favorites:

-Uses his legs and feet like a monkey; he grabs onto my arm with them every time I change him, he uses them to maneuver around the arcs of his play gym and he encircles my water bottle with them when I give it to him for a toy.
-Likes to gnaw on pretty much everything, my chin included.
-Still likes my hair (and dad's); likes to look at it and pull it, thus it is almost always back in a ponytail or bun. Plus, I'm losing tons of it so I don't like wearing it down.
-Still spits up frequently. Not sure when that will end, but we're getting used to it.
-Talks and smiles a lot. I had to take him out of Relief Society the other day because he was talking so loud. Not crying, talking. He's a very social boy.
-He squeals and screams now which makes me laugh.
-He likes to cuddle; when he wakes up in the morning we bring him into our bed and he snuggles right up and sleeps for another 30 minutes or so.
-He outgrew sink baths and now enjoys baths in the "bigger" boy tub (it's a normal baby bathtub). Thank you, Grandma, for finding that for us. -He likes to sit up now and standing is really fun (assisted, of course). I think he sees that the view of the world is more interesting from those vantage points.
-While nursing, he will pause and sit up to see what's going on or merely to complain. Sometimes, he'll just look up at me a smile. Melts me. He also moves his lips when it's time to eat and will play little on again, off again games that he thinks are funny, and they are, most of the time.
-Every time Win laughs a lot he gets hiccups. Funny/sad.
-We introduced him to watermelon and he liked it. Sucked on it for a bit and went in for a second, third, fourth, etc. lick.
-We also introduced him to ocean water at the beach and he acted as if nothing touched his feet. No reaction. Nada. Zilch.
-Favorite animal noises: Monkey and doggie
-The mullet remains, but will be gone in the next week or two. His fluffy, blond hair will be all that is left.
-He has peaches and cream skin with deep blue eyes and rosy lips. His little cheeks get flushed too. Such pretty coloring.

I've said it before and I will say it again, Win is a joy. We love him so much and are so grateful to have this fun, patient, content little boy in our lives.

point break buddies

Clippers vs. Lakers at the Staples Center
(Our only picture with the Petersons...I think I'm about 8 months pregnant here)

Our dear Seal Beach friends moved today, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t shed a tear or two. Ben and Alex are both fantastic people and we feel so blessed to have met them. They are off to Boston where Ben will be attending business school. I'm sure Alex will find an awesome job there as well. We plan on visiting them, but nothing compares to having good friends a few blocks away. We will miss our Sunday waffle nights and our last minute dinner plans. More than anything, we’ll miss their friendship. They are just all-around great people and we have loved getting to know them over the last year.

So, bon voyage to the Petersons. We will miss you, but are so happy for you and excited for your upcoming adventures (especially in the Maldives).

blowout city

This type of explosion doesn't happen to Win every time he poops, but almost, and the boy has a good system. We change at least two poopy diapers a day. Needless to say, OxiClean and bleach are becoming my best friends.

mullet man

To cut, or not to cut, that is the question.

Our little man has a full ring of dark newborn hair that basically brushes his shoulders. The top of his head is covered with light, feathery fluff, but the back constitutes a true mullet. I'm not going to touch it and I haven't been tempted, yet. The day will come, but I'm just not ready.

in brief

How do people blog with an infant? I feel like I hardly have time to eat lunch and straighten the house. I want to blog more. I need to blog more. I've always enjoyed writing and blogging is a great outlet. Plus, it's a journal of sorts. We'll see if I can't squeeze in a post a week.

This post is going to be random and unstructured, but that's how my mind functions as of late. Here are a few likes, goals, happenings, etc. of mine.

First off, things I currently really like (in no particular order):

1. Almonds. That includes almond milk, almond butter and plain old almonds.

Milk: I could drink almond milk at every meal, including snack time. I love it. The Reids' introduced it to us a while back and I'm hooked. Regular cow's milk still plays a role in my diet, but almond milk (vanilla is my favorite) is carving out a spot in my daily food consumption.

Butter: I don't own any almond butter yet, but I had it at my sister's house the other week and I want some. Any good brands you would like to recommend?

Nuts: And plain almonds, they are my go to snack. With skins, without skins, salted, seasoned, whatever. They are all good.

2. After the Baby's Birth...A Woman's Way to Wellness. Yes, it's a book. A book that I picked up at the local library a few weeks ago and I love it. The author lives on Maui on a farm with her man named Stevo and they have four kids. Sound kind of dreamy? I think so. Anyway, if you haven't guessed, she is very natural/earthy, but it's not overbearing. I wish I would have found the book before I had Winston because it explains postpartum "stuff" much better than other books I read. Plus, it has great after baby recipes (we've made a few...I'll have to post some), exercises and advice. I read it while I'm nursing and I'm going to purchase a used copy on Amazon. $3 is about right.

3. My baby. I love having a 3 month old baby. Win is a pleasure to be with all day. I loved the first couple of months, but this month has just been enjoyable. He is such a social boy. He laughs and makes high pitched squeals these days, especially when he is excited. It cracks me up. He is also getting big. The 0-3 month onesies are getting tight. I sorted out most of the newborn clothes the other day to make room for the 3-6 month sizes. I thought I would be sad, but most of me is excited. What is this little guy going to be like? I think strong, intelligent, kind, fun, insightful and incredibly good looking. Nothing like a mother's love.

4. Grape-Nuts. Think they're for old people? Think again. Dr. Oz seems to like them, so I eat them. If you go to his site, you can find all sorts of Grape-Nut recipes. I combine mine with granola, berries, almond and cow's milk for breakfast and it is delicious. I think one bowl satisfies my daily fiber requirement.

Secondly, a few goals:

1. Run the St. George Marathon. I submitted my name into the lottery and lo and behold, I made the cut. It might be too much too soon, but I want to do it. I have 4 1/2 months to train and we just purchased a jogging stroller so I should be able to manage. We'll see though. I ran it in 2007 and enjoyed it. Hopefully, I feel the same way this time around.

2. Eat fish once a week. Not much to this one other than I've read it's good for you. Kent and I rarely eat fish, so it's time to incorporate it into our diets. Any fish recipes you would like to recommend?

3. Become a minimalist. I know I'm not a minimalist by nature, but I'd like to become more that way. I read something about becoming a minimalist and it says to throw, sell or give one thing away each day. I tried to eBay a dress that has been sitting in my closet, tags still attached, for the past 3 years, but I ended up selling it to a buyer named "kentonkent" (aka: my husband) who tried to increase the bid for me. Ha. I'll try again. Minimalist inspiration: Watch "Hoarding: Buried Alive" to get inspired to clean house and "Human Planet" to realize you only need so much to live happily.

4. Go here for enlightenment (and to relive my college devotional days). One benefit to receiving the BYU Magazine is finding out about things like this. The quote in the magazine that moved me to check out the site: "You are good. But it is not enough just to be good. You must be good for something. You must contribute good to the world." That was said by President Gordon B. Hinckley in a 1996 devotional. Don't you want to be a better person now? I do. Here's the entire talk.

And finally, the happenings. Actually, not much here. Just learning how to be a mom and staying busy doing so. I'm trying to decide what to do about work. Should I go back part-time? I don't know. I'm also looking forward to the summer. We have a mud run coming up, my sisters from Arizona will be in town for a couple of weeks and then we have a family reunion to look forward to. Fun times ahead.

That's about it for now. Hopefully, I'll get a little more consistent.

bubbles and bumbos

I guess it's okay to blow bubbles in the house now and then. Win and Daddy were having so much fun and I couldn't take that away.