Any man can be a father...

"Any man can be a father, it takes someone special to be a dad!" - author unknown

Without going into personal details I will simply say that one of the important qualities I knew I needed in a husband was that of a man who would become an amazing dad. I didn't care if it meant he himself had an amazing father as an example or he was bound & determined to be an amazing father despite his poor example. It didn't matter the road that was taken as long as the end result was the same, & I can safely say that Jeff exceeds my expectations of fatherhood. He had a great example growing up & being the hard worker that he is, I feel he took it a step further & not just being a great dad... he is an AMAZING dad! And though he has been great from the start, he has only improved in the last 2 1/2 years. Thank you Jeff for being "someone special" & being the amazing dad that you are!

A father and a dad are not the same

Since Hannah is still in the middle of a nasty case of the stomach flu, I am a little too tired to think clearly. So I am taking the easy road on today's daddy post.... (So sorry, it doesn't mean I don't think you're great!)

A father and a dad are not the same:
One can be a dad and not a father,
Or one can be a father and not bother
To earn through love the more endearing name.
Some find fatherhood a bit too tame,
Leaving all the details to the mother,
Or dumping the sweet burden on another
Man with just a passing twinge of shame.
You have been a dad a few years
You've become the landscape that is home,
The mountain that we look to from afar.
No matter where we go we're not alone,
For you remain within to still our fears
And be the word that tells us who we are.

By Dimitri Shostakovich

Daddy to the Rescue

I don't know how single parents survive the illness of a child!! Perhaps I'm a wimp, but having Hannah so sick & needy really pays a toll on me. I can't wait for Jeff to walk through the door & give me a break from playing nurse. And of course when he does walk through the door I am so thrilled & quickly hand Hannah over.

Last night he was kind enough to take the first shift with Hannah, & these "shifts" basically involve sleeping in her bed so you aren't having to run in there very time to cries. It's easier to be there with a large bowl in hand to avoid having to clean up any large mess & change the sheets. I know he doesn't sleep any better in her bed than I do, but I'm so grateful that he is so willing to help out so we both can get 1/2 a decent nights sleep.

Today Jeff called me and asked what I wanted for lunch, I was so thrilled that he was going to not only bring me lunch, but to sit & eat it with me. It's only Tuesday, but being stuck in the house for the last two days has me feeling very out of touch with the world. So a nice lunch of fried chicken with all the yummy sides we a nice bonus to some adult conversations.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

The "REAL" best dad ever!

You know I've seen & heard lots about these great husband/fathers out there. And even though I'm sure they are amazing men, I just don't know if they are the BEST... I mean, how could they be the best when I married the best? Well to give all the amazing dad's out there credit, I will simply say: Aren't there a lot of very fortunate wives...

But I must say that Jeff is THE best EVER! In addition to work & school he seems to balance husbandry & fatherhood into his crazy days beautifully. I seem to have a hard time balancing motherhood & wife most of the time. But he seems to give plenty of time and attention to all. (See, you DO have good organizational skills.. hehe.) He is such a great help around the house, trying to help out in ways that will make m days a little easier. And why is it that sometimes the most simple things are the things that mean the most. Such as emptying the dishwasher, or taking out the trash. I am going to try to spend the week focusing & probably blogging on the great help that he is & the many ways that make him the best dad & husband ever!

Hannah got sick yesterday afternoon & puked all over me & the big red chair we were lounging in. And by the time I had both of us out of our soaked clothing & her in the bath Jeff was in the middle of the real nasty task of cleaning the chair. I know that there are times I feel like these forms of help should be expected, & sadly I do expect a lot out of him. But that is only because he has always been such a hands-on helpful dad that he has set the bar for himself rather high. I know plenty of men who would sit back & finish watching their television program knowing that the mess wasn't going anywhere & the little wife could get around to it later. I'm sure Jeff was trying his hardest not to add to the mess, for some reason I seem to deal with the stench of vomit a little better than he does. But he did it, & come to think of it, I don't know I even told him thanks! So, Thanks Jeff!! You ARE the best!

Overdue for an update

Yes, I know I am overdue for an update on us. And I promise I will get to that, so you'll have to check back later, because we have been busy!

I am one for organization & I like things to be in date order, especially my blog since it is basically my family journal. So thus the reason that I am going to give my update down here...

I last posted on the 29th of May & the few days following that post were spent splitting my time between cleaning my house in preparation for guests & preparing for our quarterly primary activity. (That is my calling, Quarterly Primary Activities... yes, it is the best calling!) Looking back & knowing that I survived them both, it's hard to remember how stressed out I was feeling for a couple of days. But Saturday the 2nd came & despite the fact it was a very busy morning where I was on my feet running about all day, the activity was a hit. I managed to get home in time to do some last minute cleaning & run a few errands before Jeff had to go pick his parents up from the airport that afternoon.

The Taylor's arrived that afternoon & spent a week here with us. Hannah was so thrilled to have people come to her house & she loved showing off her room along with every single toy she owns. We had great weather & a good portion of the week was spent outside, which Hannah also loved.

Jeff & his dad spent most of the week raising & repairing our sinking patio. (I must dig through photos to see if I can find a before picture to post along with an after.) It was a long project, but it turned out great! We still need to paint, but we have had rain a good portion of the time since they left along with way too much humidity. So perhaps when we have some better painting weather we will rent a spraying & go paint the patio along with the shed. (I picked out a nice barn red to paint to give our dull shed a charming little barn look.)

As the week long visit drew to a close I was very tired. I hadn't felt my best all week & had to spend Friday working (I watch my friend's 2 children on Fridays.) Thursday Jeff's parents rented a large SUV so we could take a trip up to Tulsa to go to the aquarium. Before leaving town we went & picked up the mattress to Hannah's "Big Girl Bed" that was purchased earlier in the week. The aquarium was fun, Hannah loved seeing all the different forms of ocean life, & we enjoyed seeing the joy in her face. Friday Hannah spent the morning at home with Jeff & his parents, and when they headed to the airport Jeff brought her up & dropped her off with me.

This was a nice way to kick off our summer, I thought since Hannah enjoyed this visit so much we would count down to when we would be going to Utah to see her other 2 sets of grandparents. I made up a calendar so she could cross off the days, but that is still 35 days away. So we will have to plan a few other activities between now & then that we can count down to as well.

21 Weeks

For some reason now that I am starting my 22nd week I am feeling good. The fact that the weeks start on Sunday & that's the day I spend the most time getting ready, of course I'd feel good, right? I love that I can start counting down.. (18 weeks to go) and the numbers will get smaller. I hae noticed a slight increase in energy & I pretty much decided that I'm not actually more tired with this pregnancy, it's just a different exhaustion (chasing Hannah versus sitting at a desk all day) and my days don't end as early as they did with Hannah. I worked until 3:30 every day & now I am working until Hannah goes to bed around 7:30. The work doesn't really end there either, well it shouldn't, but some days I am out of energy so it does.

I am thinking of going to buy one of those bella bands... anyone have any experience with them? I still fit into my pre-pregnancy pants, but can't button them & it's better if I only zip them 1/2 way (as I explain that, I'm thinking... I guess I don't fit into them.... hehe but my thighs & butt fit, so that's what I mean.) I guess the bella band you wear over your pants to cover the fact that they aren't buttoned or zipped tot he top. The run between $20 & $30, and I thought if I could get by using all the shorts & capris I have spending that would be cheaper than buying more maternity wear.

I cut my hair a couple weeks ago, & I'm not really wild about it. It ended up being shorter than I had planned, & the girl who cut it didn't do a very goo job... so I had to go back & have it evened out, which resulted in more taken off the length. But I'll survive, it's hair... it grows back! The thing I do love is how quick I can do it & that there is no hair on my neck, so it's much cooler in the warm humid weather. So I'll choose to focus on those 2 things & deal with it from there. When I go home in July I will probably have a little trim & have a lot of color put into it, that always makes a girl feel good, right?

Still no luck on the baby name situation. But I'm not that worried... in my mind I am more worried about the list of things I need for the baby... carseat, boy bedding, a double stroller, etc. I mean he can be Baby Boy T for awhile right?

6 Years Ago..

Today is our 6th wedding anniversary! I can't believe it's been that long, but then looking back we have filled those years... between Black September, move to student housing, wisdom teeth removal, a new job , tonsillectomy, a new job, bicycle accident, Winter Olympics, a new job, face surgery from bicycle accident, another tonsillectomy, the summer of the mysterious heart condition, a new job, LSAT prep, move to mortuary, our lovely Hannah baby, our unforgettably wet trip to Hawaii, move to Oklahoma, our first house, and now the waiting for another baby. (Yeah, I know there are a lot of other things in the last 6 years, that was a fast re-cap.) It's been an amazing 6 years & I can't wait to see what else is in store for us.


Jeff took the day off & I also was able to take the day off. A friend of ours watched Hannah for the day, so Jeff & I could go out. We went for an early afternoon session at the temple, followed by a yummy lunch at Jason's Deli. After that we went home to change & see if there was a movie we wanted to see. We then headed to the theater to see Spiderman 3. Following the movie we were pretty tired & had way too much popcorn to even consider going out to dinner. It was almost 7:00, so we decided to go pick Hannah up. It was nice & refreshing to spend the day together, & even though we did enjoy our break from Hannah we really do feel more whole when the whole family is together.

20 Weeks & finding a name

So I have been really terrible about updating on my pregnancy, but nothing really exciting or new has happened. Week 19 & 20 were more of the same.... not feeling horrible, but not feeling fabulous either. I've still been really tired, I think chasing a 2 year old is a big part of that. Still no real appetite to speak of, just trying to come up with some food that I think I can choke down.

Mother's Day weekend I could tell I was getting the cold that Jeff had started getting at the first of the week. Hannah also started getting it & by Sunday neither of us felt very good. The week was long with lots of coughing fits, & can I just tell you that having a heavy uterus push on your bladder is never a good thing when you are trying to cough up a lung? I think anyone who has been pregnant can understand what I went through. I still have the cough, but am starting to feel a little better.

I did have a doctor's appointment last on Wednesday, very routine. No real significant weight gain... if at all. I say this because they do a really strange job of weighing me. She is always a little lazy & just moves it to where it isn't hitting the bottom or the top, but it's not balanced, so there is a 3 -5 lb range. So according to my chart I think I lost 5 lbs, but as of my last appointment I had gained like 8 lbs in a month, neither of which was accurate. So I pretty much just go by my scale at home.

As for the name of the baby, we still have not decided on a name. We did narrow the list down a bit & there are some names we seem to be leaning more towards. We have yet to receive any real positive feedback on the choices, which is rather annoying. Not that I am wanting or needing validation from anyone, but I'd prefer to hear nothing. I mean I know plenty of people that have chose names for their kids that I haven't been wild about, but I've been kind enough to not say anything to their face, or to any mutual acquaintance about my opinion on the subject. Isn't that common courtesy? These comments don't change my opinion of the names I am considering, they change my opinion of the commenter & they make me want to keep our choice quiet until the little guy is here & legally named. So let's just make a new rule of don't comment on the names I am considering for my children & I will make sure to do the same with your children! Deal? Great!

No excuses...

(I wrote this post a week ago & must have hit save as draft rather than publish. OOPS!)


I have no excuse for my lack of blogging, other than I feel like we are just in a routine, & there isn't much exciting going on. Then when I do think of updating I remember I haven't taken any pictures & those are the best part of a blog, right? But really that is a silly thought process, we have had happenings in life.

On Sunday Jeff was officially released from Young Men's, (he found out about the release the week before) and even though he will enjoy having a little more spare time to put back into work or school I know he is going to miss the guys.

Tuesday morning was Jeff's first final, he has 5 total & he has been very busy studying for them. This morning was the last one for this week. So he will spend the rest of the week & the weekend preparing for week 2 of finals! Luckily he has one Monday & Tuesday morning & then he is finished! He decided to do summer school, but he is just taking one class. So that shouldn't be too bad. He will spend most of his summer working full-time. He took the Legal Licensed Intern exam in mid-April & passed that, so he will be able to legally practice law under another attorney. That should make for an exciting summer & lots of learning!

This afternoon we picked Jeff up after his final & went to grab some lunch. Hannah was very entertaining, as usual. She heard Jeff say that he was going to get a milkshake & she kept talking about it. When he want to refill her water she told him to get her a milkshake & after he walked away she told me that Dad was going to get her a milkshake. She didn't even care when he only returned with one milkshake (she knew that Dad's a sucker & she would get more than her share of the one!)

18 Weeks

This week I kicked up my workouts from whatever I ran in 20 minutes (which was usually just over 1.6 miles). Now I run for 25 minutes, & that put me at just over 2 miles. In my attempts to still try to take it easy I will usually kick up the speed for a minute or two just to get a nice rush going, but I bring it back down to keep my heart rate low. I never thought I'd miss a nice run, but having to take it easy makes me a little crazy at times.

I still have o real love or desire for food. I am just eating to live... (and if I wasn't pregnant & forcing myself to eat I probably wouldn't) I usually live to eat. Some people may think that is a blessing (I won't put on more than the basic minimum pounds if things don't change.) It's just hard to force yourself to find something you can choke down. It also makes for a real challenge in trying to be a good wife & mom, because I should be cooking dinner, but the thought of cooking things is pretty much as bad as the though of eating. I do manage to scrounge up some dull & disappointing meals. I'm sure my family longs for the the old me... the one who loves to cook.

I am feeling more movements of the baby, but he is still a very easy going bean. I do get these sharp kicks every now and then that catch me off guard, I'm not sure if they are kicks or some strange stretching. I can't wait to feel more regular movement & perhaps a case of the hiccups. All in all I am feeling pretty good.