all things domino

and now for a brief update

2011-12-09T20:51:00.001-08:00

clara is no longer a baby (she reminds me of this constantly) gus is no longer an infant (he reminds me of this constantly)

we parents are sleep deprived (and reminded of it constantly)

we are all happy

pictures to come - maybe

i'll try, but really don't expect too much

but maybe do

but still not too much

remember i'm sleep deprived

but i'll try

15 days in the life of Gus

2011-08-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

Gus is now 15 days old and has having a hard time adjusting to life on the outside. He had a pretty mellow temperament, which has been nice considering everything he's had to go through in these few days.

First up he had to be on a bili light for a few days because of jaundice. It wasn't anything serious, and his levels went down quickly. It was an interesting few days though, his bassinet had this constant eerie glow coming from it.

Clara was very concerned for her little glow worm brother.

Next up Gus needed his feet fixed. When he was born his right foot was up by his head, and flat against his leg. His right foot was also squished up against his leg as well. It was hard to get a good picture of his feet, but they were pretty crazy looking.

Because they weren't straightening out very well he ended up having to get them casted. Now Gus has both of his entire legs wrapped up for the next two weeks. Then we go back to the orthopedist to see if his tendons have lengthened or if he needs to have the casts for two more weeks.

We are thankful that all of these things have just been minor issues with easy fixes, I am fully aware that things could be much worse, and am so happy to have two healthy and happy children.

What an adventurous beginning for my sweet little boy.

August Hyrum

2011-07-19T17:44:00.000-07:00

AUGUST

Origin: Latin

Meaning: Venerated

Pronunciation: (AW gust)

In the modern English speaking world, August is better known as the name of a month rather than a first name. It appeared with relative frequency in the Victorian era, but has since essentially disappeared from use. "August" is still used as an adjective in the English language, meaning "lordly" or "venerated."

HYRUM

Origin: Phornician

Meaning: My brother is exalted

Pronunciation: (HY rum)

A phonetic spelling of the name Hiram, Hiram I was the Phoenician king of Tyre according to the Bible. He reigned from 980 BC to 947 BC, succeeding his father, Abibaal.

We chose August for no other reason than we both actually liked it, and we can call him Gus. Hyrum has a little more special meaning to us - Hyrum Smith from church history is someone that we felt exemplified what it was to be a brother. He was fiercely loyal, and stood by his brother's side no matter the consequences, always putting his family first. Hyrum's example is one that we would love our son to emulate, and one that we would want him to be reminded of. Also the meaning of the name is pretty awesome too. Lucky for Steven and for Gus too, we went with Hyrum for the middle name instead of my choice - Ebenezer. (In my defense I had a beautiful argument for why Ebenezer should be the middle name, but after my family all said they would just call him Scrooge I got over it.)

we now interrupt the silence to bring you this picture

2010-08-24T18:07:00.001-07:00

you may now resume your regularly scheduled activities

big news!

2010-06-13T17:49:00.001-07:00

Clara just got invited to her very first primary activity!

My little eyes are tearing up a bit...

a yard full of dandelions = an afternoon of fun

2010-05-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

Clara really likes dandelions, and had a hard time deciding if she wanted to play with her ball or pick the flowers.

You can see which won out.

On another note: Am I the only person who didn't know that the yellow flower turns into that white puffy one? I thought they were two completely different plants that happened to grow by each other. Brittany broke the news to me last summer, and I still have a hard time accepting it.

naptime respite

2010-05-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

Clara has been a grumpy-pants today, and normally it wouldn't be that bad, but it's raining, so we can't go outside and play. The walls close in really fast when you have a little kid running around throwing her toys. She finally fell asleep for her nap (after much complaint from her), and I have been going through old pictures and videos of her, reminding myself of better days. This is one of them.

Her favorite thing to play on at the park is this bridge thingy. As you can see, she just goes back an forth. This video is only a few seconds, but she will spend a good half hour doing the same thing. Usually there are more (and bigger) kids on the bridge, who aren't so kind to little tykes who can't make it up the steep slope, but this day there were only a few kids, so she got to play to her little hearts content.

I'll just watch this video a few dozen more times before she wakes up (just to remind myself that she hasn't been grouchy forever), and hopefully this afternoon will be more successful.

Bedtime

2010-05-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

Clara loves reading books, if you let her, she'll sit in your lap all day and just read (I mean she can't actually read, she's only 1, but she likes listening to the story being read while looking at the pictures. She's smart, but not that smart).

If Steven is home he reads Clara her bedtime stories. She would pick him over me any day, and Steven secretly likes it that way.

It looks like my husband is the lost member of the beatles - check out that mop top in the last picture!

muahahahaha

2010-05-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

I always thought the mad scientist in the family was Steven...

Guess I was wrong.

cousins

2010-05-21T12:09:00.001-07:00

clara = 16 months / calvin = 3 months

oh yea, we went to the zoo last week, if you want to see pictures, just look here or here

baby style

2010-05-07T10:19:00.000-07:00

This morning Clara brought me her pj pants, and, silly me, I thought she wanted them on her legs. When I started to put them on her, she got frustrated, pulled them off, and put her arms through them. She's been wearing them like this now for almost 4 hours. She even wore them during her nap. They don't seem to bother her, so I'll just let it be. At least until we leave the house.
She also loves wearing socks, and lots of them. She will bring us any socks she finds (she loves helping fold laundry!) and sticks out her foot for us to put it on. She likes wearing my socks a lot, but will settle for anything. In this picture she has on her little baby socks with one of my socks on her right foot, and two of my socks on the left. She also likes wearing socks on her hands.

Don't you like the little pose she's doing right here? That tiny leg sticking out...

i couldn't resist

2010-04-29T20:32:00.000-07:00

I came across this picture when clearing off my camera's SD card. That face is just so stinking cute, even covered in spaghetti sauce. And I love the piece of cheese stuck to her forehead.

dogs and pillows

2010-04-26T20:36:00.000-07:00

We went to the museum in Idaho Falls and the display they had going on was called Wolf to Woof. I'm not even kidding, that was what they called it. Clara loved it though. There were all these statues of different dogs everywhere, and Clara ran around like she was in heaven. She made sure that she hugged and kissed all of the dogs, and didn't want to leave.

And completely unrelated to the dog museum, Clara has discovered that she loves pillows. Any opportunity she gets she drags out pillows into the living room and rolls all over them.

If we had a dog she would probably drag it into the living room and sit on top of it too.

get ready to say "awwww"

2010-04-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

Clara and her Uncle Andy - the babies of the family.

hehehehe

2010-04-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

Clara thinks she is soooooooo funny.

And she is.

there are pictures - just not of Clara

2010-04-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

I have a hard time staying inside when the temperature is above 50, and this blog has directly suffered because of it. Not that the 3 people who read this are complaining (hi mom!). Anyway, here's the obligatory wrap up...

Brittany's sister-in-law and I threw a baby shower for Brit and Calvi. I had a surprisingly great time planning all the food and decorations. I felt like I was back in school, working toward a big deadline. I sort of (a lot) miss that excited little nervous feeling you get when you've worked so hard on something and you finally finish it and send it out into the world. Here's some pictures I took of my labors:

The water bottles - I folded every one of those neck and bow ties. If you ever want to learn, I think it has been forever imprinted on my brain.

The popcorn - I thought popcorn would be a fun snack for the party guests, and mom, Brit, and I made caramel and buttered popcorn, along with....

The popcorn balls! - I had this genius (to me) idea to plant some wheat grass in an old salad bowl (thank you DI) and put the popcorn balls on sticks in the dirt like flowers. It sorta worked like I hoped.

Here's a picture of the popcorn table. I have to say it didn't look half bad. On the left end were little pots of wheat grass Brittany planted, with a sign that says 'thank you.' Also the paper bags were to put the popcorn in, and the white circles you can see on them had the word for baby in different languages. I also made those Martha Stewart tissue paper balls (that's a mouthful) because, well, they look neat. Also that little garland of green circles hanging behind the table have pictures of the cutie-pie.

Oh and another thing - I discovered a new favorite font, Sketch Block. It's awesome, and I used it a lot for the shower (it's the font on the water bottles).

Well that was long, fairly boring, and probably the first post since Clara was born that she hasn't made an appearance. Don't worry. She'll be back. Stay tuned.

yum yum

2010-03-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure that kids are supposed to learn how to eat olives off of their fingers before they go to nursery.

And as you can see, she's pretty serious about her olives (wondering where the other 3 olives are? They are all in her mouth... at the same time).

How we spend a sunny afternoon with a hint of spring...

2010-03-17T12:15:00.000-07:00

running as far away from the house as possible

if you don't like poetry you can skip this post

2010-03-10T20:00:00.000-08:00

I made a few allusions to the poem "in Just - " in the last post, and thought I
would share it.  It is one of my favorite poems about spring, I even have it
framed and hung up in my home.
I'm not a huge e.e. cummings fan, but I think this poem really captures the
excitement of spring.  (all they typos and spacing are there on purpose
- that's cummings)

in Just-
spring       when the world is mud-
luscious the little lame baloonman


whistles       far       and wee


and eddyandbill come
running from marbles and
piracies and it's
spring


when the world is puddle-wonderful


the queer
old baloonman whistles
far       and       wee
and bettyandisbel come dancing


from hop-scotch and jump-rope and


it's
spring
and
the
goat-footed


baloonMan       whistles
far
and
wee

in Just -

2010-03-08T18:24:00.000-08:00

The snow is slowly melting (at least the roads are now clear), and I am finally getting around to posting our snowy adventures. Actually I was just going through my pictures and thought these were too adorable to keep to myself.

Apologies for the obnoxious camera angle. Here we are delivering a plate of cookies to some friends.

And here's Clara snacking on snow on the way home

She tries to do this now, but the snow is half melted so it makes for some pretty disgusting eats (and mittens).

When the roads were snow-covered we went on our walks by sled (I like to think that's how the pioneers did it). But now we are trying to figure out what to do about this in-between stage where there isn't enough snow to go sledding, but the ground is muddy and, to quote e.e. cummings; puddle-wonderful. Our poor stroller.

let them eat cake

2010-01-22T20:00:00.000-08:00

(note the similar expressions in both pictures)

My baby turned one last Wednesday. I can't really call her a baby though, since she has been walking since about 10 months, so toddler is probably more appropriate. We had a little party for her on Saturday, nothing special, just family, sledding, and lots of cake.

I'm pretty proud of the cake, I didn't come up with the idea (I'm not that creative) but I'm pretty good at stealing other's ideas.

The cake did weird some people out (Steven and Dad) because it really does look like i made it out of playdough, but as my Dad said, "Once you get past the color, it's not that bad."

downward facing dog

2010-01-20T19:05:00.000-08:00

Clara's new thing is this. I'm not sure how to describe it, except that it is a perfect downward dog. Oh to be that flexible

namaste

i know you missed us

2010-01-18T20:46:00.000-08:00

we haven't done a thing since Wednesday, November 18, 2009.
just kidding. we celebrated thanksgiving, Steven's birthday, Hanukkah, Christmas, the pukies, 2010 (twenty-ten), Clara's birthday, and Martin Luther King Day.

whew.

apparently we were too busy to document any of this.

sorry.

but not really because we had a really fun time.
i'll try to do better. but no promises.
but really, i'll try.

for now though, i'm just going to take a page out of Clara's book and zzzzzz.

i especially like the little mohawk

clara vs. einstein

2009-11-18T20:00:00.000-08:00

one was a theoretical physicist, the other is 10 months old
one won the Nobel, the other recently learned how to clap
one developed the theory of relativity, the other likes to lick shoes
what do they have in common? it's all in the hair

it's always fun when grandma (and grandma great) comes

2009-11-16T13:13:00.001-08:00

Mom and Grandma came to visit a few weeks ago, and we had lots of fun. It was grandma's first time meeting Clara and they were fast friends.

Clara also appreciated having someone play peek-a-boo with her over and over and over and over.......

happy halloween from...

2009-11-02T08:27:00.000-08:00

well, you get it

because i'm bored and my mom told me i should

2009-10-25T18:56:00.000-07:00

Steven is catching up with an old mission companion, and I can only catch a few words of his speedy Spanish, so instead of trying to eavsdrop I decided it was time to post a quick Clara update:

Not only has Clara become the happiest baby, she has been trying her hardest to walk. She is just crusing along furniture and walls right now, but the past month or so the only reason she would crawl is to get to something to pull herself up on. It doesn't matter what it is either, a stuffed animal, a person's leg, or even another crawling baby.

Here is just one of the many pictures we have of our favorite baby.

p.s. if you know my sister brittany you should go over to her blog (flint fam) and pester her to update, because she definately has something to write about!

baby faces

2009-09-27T20:00:00.000-07:00

2009-09-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

Since it is now Autumn, of course we are preparing for winter. I think the first snow last year was sometime in October.

clara and the zucchini

2009-09-23T19:02:00.001-07:00

no other description needed

as an addendum to the previous post for all those concerned: Clara's crib mattress has since been moved down, so there is no risk of her toppling over the rail

somebody

2009-09-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

has learned how to stand up

Splish Splash

2009-08-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we introduced Clara to the splash park. She was hesitant at first and didn't even want to touch the water.

Notice that worried look on her face. She hung onto us like a little koala bear.
She slowly began to warm up to it though.

After a little bit she was splashing and even trying to crawl into the water spout. (like the itsy bitsy spider)

She had so much fun that she completely wore herself out, and by the time we got home she was asleep

Mammoth Lakes, CA

2009-08-24T19:39:00.000-07:00

Just a few highlights from our trip to Cali.

Mikey, Steven, Clara, me, and Natalie hiking in the Ansel Adams Wilderness on our way to Rainbow Falls

The fellas golfing (I took this picture from the balcony of Steven's mom's home: pretty amazing view if you ask me)

The creepy wall hanging in one of the restaurants we went to

Clara on her first boat trip

Clara driving her first boat

A boy getting mauled by a bear at an outdoor mall (Just kidding, the bear is a fake, and the boy is okay)

At the Mammoth Lakes Village Fest Rib Festival (that's a mouthful of a title)
The rib festival was amazing, we tried ribs from a bunch of different restaurants - and for the record - Angel's was the best.

Enjoying a little breakfast

After a busy and very fun week, this is how we recuperated

clara takes to the sky

2009-08-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

Clara had her first plane ride last week when we went to visit family in California.

She was so good that one lady on the flight offered to give her a Hershey bar.

ode to rexburg

2009-08-14T22:21:00.001-07:00

Rexburg doesn't have much going for it, but it does have a fun dance festival every year. Who knew that a dozen countries from around the world would flock here to show off their dance moves? We certainly enjoyed it, at least the parade.

Brittany and Clara waiting for the parade to start
(notice the ominous sky - it started raining about 10 minutes after the parade ended)

we weren't sure if this guy was wearing highwaters or capris - we still aren't sure

the German dancers - those girls are definetly airborne

Mexico - certainly the draftiest of all the costumes in the parade

Korea - this was my favorite; the dresses were so beautiful, and their dance was awesome, even if the girls did look like they were nine

I love living here this time of the year because most of the college students have gone home for the break, and things are much quiter. I don't have to wait 10 minutes at a four way stop, and the lines in Walmart are significantly shorter. The park isn't over run by FHE groups and couples making out, and we are able to enjoy all of the fun Rexburg has to offer.

more summer fun

2009-08-04T20:00:00.000-07:00

we've been enjoying our yard and this beautiful weather by...

playing games

and eating hats

just one reason why i like being a mom

2009-08-02T20:40:00.000-07:00

she smiles so big that i can see her toothless gums

lazy summer days

2009-08-02T20:31:00.001-07:00

Now that Steven has a break from school for a few months, we have more time to spend with him! We celebrated one beautiful evening by going on a little walk.

I think I was the only one excited about it though.

missed us?

2009-07-15T19:57:00.001-07:00

We've been MIA lately. Sorry. I could give a whole string of excuses (our camera broke, we've been enjoying the sunshine, Clara is teething, Steven has been swamped with homework and work, I've been trying to be a good mother) but I'll just share this gem of a photo taken back in April when our camera worked.

enjoy

catch up - kind of

2009-06-04T19:15:00.000-07:00

we had clara's first barbecue on Memorial Day. yummy hamburgers and veggis.

here's clara in her sun hat and pajamas,helping us grill.

uncle mike and aunt natali gave clara this awesome outfit...perfect for summer

it's a popsicle if you couldn't tell

i'm not superstitious, just a little stitious

2009-05-14T10:07:00.000-07:00

clara turned 4 months yesterday, and to celebrate we went to the doctor to update her immunizations. each time we have gone to the doctor it has been on the 13th, is it a coincidence that she always gets her shots on the creepiest day of the month?

anyway, she is doing great, and now weighs 11 lb 8 oz, and has jumped from the 4th percentile to the 13th. once i figure out how to post videos i will put up some fun ones; she has been talking up a storm, and is figuring out what those wiggly things at the end of her arms are.

p.s. she also likes to sleep

well hello there

2009-05-11T13:56:00.001-07:00

we took some family pictures yesterday, here is a little sample of the cuteness that happened

clara's first book

2009-04-24T16:34:00.000-07:00

Clara and I just finished reading The Light Princess by George MacDonald. I forgot how much I love that little fairy tale. I can't wait until Clara is older, and understands what I am reading to her. I think that book is my favorite children's book, and it is a shame that it isn't more well known. Hurrah for princesses with no gravity, and princes who sacrifice themselves to save a lake!

2009-04-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while. You could say that we are at an obama fashion show, or stuck in a painting.

The weather here has been so nice and we have been taking full advantage of it. Saturday we went on three walks. That's right, three. We also went on a beautiful walk on sunday, and two more on monday. I can't get enough of being outside, and I think Clara is starting to accept that her mom will haul her out when there is any hint of nice weather.

Here's the obligatory Clara picture, because, lets be honest, the only reason anyone reads this is to see her.

She has also started to laugh, but I haven't been able to catch it on video yet. brittany found out that Clara thinks lunges are hilarious.

fun with the bug

2009-04-06T16:32:00.000-07:00

i'm not sure how it happened, but clara's nickname is bug. i think we might call her bug more than we call her clara. here is the bug helping make the bed, what a good little helper.

she also helps out when we make brownies

and helps entertain mom and aunt brittany when they guys are at the priesthood session of conference

because i can, and just in case

2009-03-26T13:28:00.000-07:00

why do i take so many pictures of my baby? because i can

here are some more pictures from clara's blessing day, and of her in her blessing dress

the new grandparents with their granddaughter

clara with her great grandparents

clara was more interested in eating her hand than posing for pictures

but i still got some good ones

and finally, just in case you forget what you are holding...

check the socks

oh yea, it's a baby

The BFB (big friendly baby)

2009-03-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

Clara went in for her 2 month checkup, and also got her immunizations yesterday. Lucky her. She is getting so big, she is now 8lb, 11oz. woo hoo Clara!

My attempts to catch her elusive smile.

warning: cuteness overload

2009-03-10T11:29:00.001-07:00

Just some examples of how we will make our future children feel unloved because we will never be able to take as many pictures...

aaanndddd touchdownwell hello there

just some monkey feet

so... sleepy...

aww

fancy seeing you here

no more pictures

lies and other falsities

2009-03-05T17:15:00.000-08:00

I just watched a commercial for a toy called my little pony newborn. I used to love My Little Pony, and am very disappointed in this newborn pony. Why? you ask...it talks. That is right. It says "I'm sleepy," "Will you rock me to sleep?" and "I love you!"

I don't know what those pony moms are doing to get their newborns to talk, all I know is that my newborn definitely does NOT politely ask me to rock her to sleep.

Maybe the toy developers decided that nobody would buy a newborn pony that screamed until you guessed what it wanted.

joie de vivre

2009-03-03T08:39:00.000-08:00

We just can't get enough of this girl! She started smiling this past week, and not just on accident. Her little grin can just melt your heart. I don't get as much done during the day because I'm always trying to coax a smile from her. Is it worth it? I submit that it most definitely is.

blessing day

2009-03-03T08:29:00.001-08:00

Clara was blessed on Sunday, and family came out in droves to see her. She was so popular that I wondered if everyone would fit in our house for dinner after (they did). She received a beautiful blessing from her daddy, and didn't even cry too much during the meeting, only when her aunt Jill held her.

Yeay for family and the gospel!

p.s. isn't the dress my mom made Clara beautiful?

just a bit of sunshine

2009-02-27T05:22:00.000-08:00

If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,
And from thy slender store two loaves alone to thee are left,
Sell one, and with the dole
Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.
- Moslih Eddin Saadi

it is snowing

2009-02-26T12:01:00.000-08:00

this isn't the only grumpy girl here

When will spring come?

When I say "happy" you say "birthday"

2009-02-13T13:25:00.000-08:00

HAPPY!

Today is Clara's one month birthday. The time has gone by quicker than a baby can fall asleep. (That's pretty fast.) She has been so wonderful, and it is hard to remember what our lives were like before she was here. I vaguely remember being really fat and uncomfortable, but it seems like a dream... She has made our lives so exciting, and we are constantly learning more about her.

I'm just including this picture because her expression shows her personality so well. After we buckled her into her seat she just gave us this look, and I couldn't stop laughing.

I also couldn't stop laughing about this

Happy Birthday Clara!

Celebration

2009-02-10T09:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was national pizza day. I hope you all celebrated accordingly, I know we did

I don't know why more people haven't thought of this.

2009-02-04T09:54:00.000-08:00

Apparently People magazine paid Brad Pitt and Angelina Joile 14 million for pictures of their twins at three weeks old. Clara is three weeks, and is so much cuter. Who wouldn't want to see her on the cover of a magazine. I am willing to allow her adorable face to grace People's cover for a similar deal.

Okay, okay...since there is only one Clara I would settle for 7 million.

splandy

2009-02-02T18:08:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that andy is 18 today, I still think of him as the little guy that I could beat in a wrestling match. I remember when we were younger and dad would warn us girls that one day Andy would be bigger than us, and that has definitely happened. He's now bigger than us all, and unfortunately all of us girls have moved out.

Happy birthday bud!

so good

2009-02-02T10:44:00.001-08:00

While feeding Clara the other day I watched one of the best movies I have ever seen: The Shop Around the Corner. If you've seen You've Got Mail, you know the premise of the movie, in fact You've Got Mail is pretty much a yuppified version of the old classic. The Shop Around the Corner is so much better though. You can't go wrong with a Jimmy Stewart movie. And to make it even better, one of the main character's name is Clara.

The Mysterious Case of the Baby Grumps: The Clara Domino Story

2009-01-30T00:43:00.000-08:00

I again am holding a sleeping baby, but this time I am afraid to put her down. She's been pretty grumpy the past few hours, and I don't want her to wake up screaming again. Poor Steven got the worst of it. He let me catch up on a few hours of sleep while he watched Clara. I woke up five hours later to her very loud cries. My sweet and incredibly patient husband was doing everything he could to calm her down but she would have none of it. We traded off, and he's now asleep, as is Clara (finally) and that leaves me here, cautiously rocking my fickle daughter. Good thing we love her so much.

While this isn't Clara (we didn't even think of taking a picture while trying to calm her) it is a very good representation of what she looked like. Enough to break your heart, right?

2009-01-26T10:51:00.000-08:00

I'm typing this with one hand, so it will probably be short. I'm just cuddling with my sleepy baby, and I don't want to put her down. I think I will soon become the master of doing everything with one hand. Steven thinks I'm crazy because I should be catching up on those hours of sleep I've been missing out on, but sometimes I just can't bear to put my girl down.

Quick Clara update: we took her to the hospital on Saturday to get the last of her blood tests done. The doctor had to prick the bottom of her foot, and she was so sound asleep she didn't even notice. She also got weighed, and she now weighs 6lbs 4oz. This brings me to her next milestone...she has discovered spitting up (much to Aunt Brittany's dismay). My dad said that Clara probably heard us talking about how much weight she had gained and is trying to keep her girlish figure. Whatever the reason, we still love her, and are learning how to prevent a full outfit change after every meal.

I have to post this picture, I have so many, I just want to share the wealth.

p.s. thanks Lacey for the hat!

before and after

2009-01-21T12:48:00.000-08:00

I have received some requests to post pictures of me on this blog. Trust me, the pictures of me after Clara was born would scare even the bravest people. I will however show the picture we took right before we left for the hospital for the c-section, sort of a before and after thing. I promise more pictures of me with my gorgeous girl will come.

Before

After

Just a Couple of Kittens

2009-01-20T12:29:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday!!!

2009-01-20T12:10:00.000-08:00

Clara is one week old today! These past few days have just flown by. Steven and I have been adjusting to our new life, and loving it. It has been nice to spend the days getting to know our new family member. She has so much personality for someone who sleeps for the majority of her life.

I don't know what we would have done without the help of my mom. She came the day before Clara was born, and had to leave yesterday. She was there to encourage and support, as well as take care of not only Clara, but Steven and me as well. Our fridge has never been fuller, and our house has never been cleaner. Clara misses her Grandma, but luckily with the webcam we got for Christmas, she can still see her every day.

We have also been blessed with amazing family and friends, who have sent gifts, called, and visited. They have made sure that we have plenty to eat, and that we all have our needs taken care of.

Steven has also moved into his role as daddy seamlessly. He loves his little girl, and is always willing to do anything he can for baby of mommy. He even changed Clara's first diaper (as well as her second, third, fourth...) It was his first diaper he ever changed, and now he is an old pro.

drumroll please...

2009-01-20T11:41:00.000-08:00

Yes, baby does have a name, it was a long time coming, but we did finally settle on a name that suits her perfectly. Clara. No middle name, just Clara Domino. Beautiful.

Name: Clara
Meaning: clear; bright
Pronunciation: (KLARE ah)
Additional Info: Clara is a town in Offaly, in the middle of Ireland. Famous Claras include American nurse Clara Barton (born Clarissa Barton) who organized the American Red Cross, and German pianist Clara Schumann, wife of the Romantic composer Robert Schumann.

In the ballet 'The Nutcracker' by Tchaikovsky, Clara is a girl who helps the Nutcracker defeat the Mouse King.

Baby [Insert Name Here] Domino

2009-01-13T15:37:00.000-08:00

Here's baby!

All 5.14lb, 18.5'' of her

"when's the BABY due?"

2009-01-12T08:07:00.000-08:00

Baby is coming on the 13th, as in Tuesday, as in tomorrow. That's right, Baby will be here tomorrow! Since the silly girl still won't turn, we're having a c-section, instead of risking a breech delivery. I go to the hospital today just to make sure that she hasn't turned in the last few days, and if she is still in the same position, everything is a go for tomorrow! I'm trying to get the house semi-organized so that when we bring Baby home she won't think her mom is a complete slob.

My mom is coming up today to help out with everything, which is such a relief. I know I would be much more nervous if she wasn't going to be here. She's had four babies to deal with, (two at once even!) so I'll have lots of professional help!

Oh, and on a side note, our crib came in this morning! After our hospital visit I'm going to convince Steven to pick it up and put it together so that Baby's room will finally be complete. Woo hoo!

If you don't get where the title comes from watch this, the reference starts at around 2:30

Yeay Ebay!

2008-12-27T16:36:00.000-08:00

I am now an ebay expert. I placed my bids, and anxiously watched the time tick down on some cloth diapers. Granted the other people I was bidding against probably had about the same ebay experience as I did (I mean it was cloth diapers) I am pretty proud of myself for winning. It's kind of exciting, and addicting. The past few days I have been checking ebay several times a day, just to see how my stuff was doing. I don't need to worry about how to fill my time, I'll just spend it on ebay.

By the way, did you know you could get a potato chip with a ghost face on ebay? Kinda cool.

Adios Melaleuca

2008-12-27T14:36:00.000-08:00

I am unemployed. I quit Melaleuca on the 19th, and am now just waiting for Baby. I am not used to having any free time at all, so having entire days to myself is very unusual. I suddenly went from going to school and work every day from 8 am to 8 pm to nothing. I now have time to do all the projects I have been wanting to do, like start this blog! I am also frantically trying to get things ready for baby. I've got her room organized, although the only furniture in there right now is a rocking chair (thanks Mom and Dad!). Steven calls it the baby shrine because I've stuck most of the baby stuff we've gotten so far on it. It is covered in blankets, clothes, baby socks and various other pink things.

While I am glad to finally have time to get prepared, I think I will miss work. I really enjoyed the people I worked with, and my job (for the most part). Even taking supervisor calls and talking with grumpy people wasn't that bad. Melaleuca was very good to me. Maybe most of all I will miss the free products every month, since most everything in our bathroom, kitchen, and even living room came from Melaleuca. I've been stocking up on some of my favorite cleaning products the past few months, and I don't know what I'm going to do when I run out. I also can't complain about the tv and wii they gave us, as well as the knife set and fun Christmas parties.
While I will miss that job, I am excited for my new job coming up soon!

It's Christmastime in Idaho

2008-12-27T14:05:00.000-08:00

So Christmas came. That's what happens in December. It was very different this year. The Dr. red-lighted any traveling, so we were stuck in Rexburg. It was actually much better that I thought it would be. Christmas came to us, in the form of my family. They were planning on coming on Christmas day right after they got done skiing at Pomerelle. That didn't happen because of the crazy weather. The roads were closed and it snowed like a billion inches on Christmas day. Brittany and Tyler were here and saved the day though. We tied an inner tube to the back of their truck and cruised through the unplowed streets and church parking lots of Rexburg.
When I say we, I really mean they, because if I'm not allowed to sit in a car for a few hours, I'm pretty sure the Dr. would frown on sitting in an inner tube tied to the back of a vehicle. I rode in the back on a camping chair though, still probably not the safest thing, but I couldn't miss out on all the fun.
The next day the roads were open though not completely clear. My family braved them anyway, and came to visit. We ate pizza, played the Office game, opened presents, and just had a jolly time. Mom really picked a good family game, because even Andy and Dad enjoyed it, and usually they only like the farming game. Steven and I got spoiled this year, and got a video camera and a web camera so that Mom won't miss any bit of the baby's life. We are lucky to have such a wonderful family. We missed Steven's family, and if it weren't for the snow, we might have seen them today. Hopefully we can see them here in the next few days. Then our Christmas will be complete.

Bachelor Brooke

2008-12-27T13:48:00.000-08:00

By the way, I graduated. You could call me Bachelor Brooke now if you want. That's right, I have a BS in English, with an emphasis in professional writing. That doesn't mean that these posts will be well written though, in fact, the only fun or creative thing about them will probably be how I managed to incorrectly spell pencil four times in one post (hasn't happened yet, but it might, just wait). Here is a picture of Brittany and me all dressed and ready to go, I liked the robes that we had to wear because everybody looked like they were going to have a baby in a month, so I fit right in.

Brittany graduated with my college so that we could be together. You just can't separate us, together in birth, together in graduation. We had a card with our name on it that we absolutely COULD NOT forget, not sure why though, because we didn't use it. It was supposed to be for us to hand to whoever was announcing the names, but we just went to the microphone and said our own name, defeating the purpose of the name card. Maybe it was for the better though, because Dad convinced Brit and me to switch name cards so that we would walk for each other. It would have been a great story for the grandkids, but maybe not so much for all of my professors and classmates who would all be very confused.

yummy

2008-12-27T13:37:00.000-08:00

I have a new favorite food that I thought I would pay homage to. I don't know if oranges will stay my favorite, or if it is just the baby in my tummy that likes them so much. We'll see in three weeks! I also found this fun orange poem that I think appropriately describes how much I like this fruit.

The Orange
by Wendy Cope

At lunchtime I bought a huge orange

The size of it made us all laugh.

I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave—

They got quarters and I had a half.

And that orange it made me so happy,

As ordinary things often do

Just lately. The shopping. A walk in the park

This is peace and contentment. It’s new.

The rest of the day was quite easy.

I did all my jobs on my list

And enjoyed them and had some time over.

I love you. I’m glad I exist.

Oh Christmas tree...

2008-12-21T18:54:00.001-08:00

Here is a picture of Steven and me, after having hunted for nearly and hour, standing next to our very first wild Christmas tree!

The hunt was pretty exciting and the tree put up quite a fight but in the end it ended up on top of Big Red, and ultimately in our living room, where it is enjoying a new, lavish life.