Grabbing Those Toes

Who knew toes.......could be so tasty?
**(Disclaimer: Nathan let her do this. He said: "I would rather her suck on her skin than gross footie pajamas." People have agreed).**

The Best 40 Dollars Ever Spent on KSL

After hearing about the wonders of the Jumperoo from several of our friends, Nathan and I were finally convinced to buy Eliza one. We had a gift certificate to Walmart, but saw the Jumperoo was $85.00 there. Yes. $85.00. On our budget, we simply couldn't justify that- even with a gift certificate.

A couple of nights later, I checked the classifieds on KSL....and voila! We found a brand new Jumperoo for less than half the price. Eliza has been a happy camper these days. So have Nathan and I.Eliza, who constantly needs some sort of stimulation, has finally met her match. In a few minutes, her needs for entertainment are satisfied and she is worn out. Mercifully.
However, there is one thing the Jumperoo DOESN'T have. Eliza examines the toys...And sees that they don't compare.......to her fists.Ahh! Sweet relief!Best part of all- it's free!

Crazy Utah Weather

A couple of day ago, I drove to Springville to visit Becca and Kyle. Little did I know that a wind storm of massive proportions was on its way. While there, we could hear the wind howling and remarked several times: "That is SO loud! It must be pretty bad out there."

On the way back to Provo, the wind was incredibly strong. I was concentrating on keeping the car on the road and in the correct lane when all of a sudden, the plastic bumper on the car in front of me blew off, causing him (and subsequently me) to swerve. Disaster #1 averted.

Seconds later, Disaster #2 presented itself. A billboard (yes, a regular size HUGE billboard) flew across the middle of the street, immediately followed by Sonic sign. It was crazy weather. Eliza and I made it safely home, but as I took her out of her carseat, the wind began to pick up again. She startled and starting panicking, gasping for air. Of course, this caused me to panic. We made it inside, where I waited for the roof of our garage to fly off. It rattled all night, but somehow stayed in place. However, our neighbor's makeshift garage wasn't so lucky.

On the news last night, it said wind gusts in Springville and Provo peaked at 74 mph. That's category 1 hurricane force winds! While reading about the weather phenomenon, I stumbled across this:I'm glad I didn't hit that sign...and that it didn't hit me.

All In A Day's Work

I survived. I worked a full day, came home and made dinner, cleaned and it's only 7:30!

How did my mother do it?

Jeopardy, Bible stories, and then bed. Just like mom used to do.

Feisty

An Award?

My sister-in-law and friend, Jenny, has extended the Lemonade Award to my blog. I'm not exactly sure what this means, but it made me feel loved. Thanks, Jenny! Now, I suppose it's my turn to list the blogs I enjoy reading. So, this will be all of the ones in my sidebar that are recently updated. Haha.

Oh Gosh
How Could You Not?!
Embarrassment
Tim & Cait
Miss Frazzled
The Moncurs
The Tanners
The Hendricks
Reasonably Swanky
The Harvills
The Reese Family
The Stells
In the details
Seagull
Brittany and Josh

I'm not sure what the rules are for this, so I mostly wanted to say: Thank you, kind blogging friends, for being so awesome. You have given me great support, advice, and encouragement. Futhermore, many of you have been a source of inspiration, showing me I can survive some of life's greatest challenges. I especially appreciate all of the many posts that have brought a smile to my face.

Blogging has been quite different than what I expected. It's pleasantly surprising to feel so interconnected with my fellow man (or woman). Mix and mingle. Become friends (if you already aren't). I'm sure you'd get along.

Gainfully Employed- Again

I got a job! THE JOB. The job I saw and thought: "I could work. I could support this family while Nathan finishes his degree."

After an 8 step hiring process, a personality and aptitude test, and four interviews- I got it! Nathan and I have been praying Heavenly Father would work things out for us and gratefully, He did. It feels so strange to have a career-oriented job, a 401K, insurance and all of these other adult things.

My job title is "Billing Maintenance Coordinator." Primarily, I will be responsible for the billing and accounting for SirsiDynix, a company that provides online library software to state governments, public libraries, universities, and international businesses and libraries. After speaking with the Chief Financial Officer, I was informed the company would even pay for me to get my Masters in Accountancy. How about that!?

Although I am excited, the job is somewhat bittersweet. Although it is a relief to have a stable, reliable income and the possibility of a rewarding future at this company, I feel sadness at the thought of being away from Eliza for eight hours a day. It's going to be hard. Thankfully, Nathan is around. He is going to be a full-time Mr. Mom. And to help him before classes (and for a sanity break), my dear friend Becca will watch Eliza a couple of hours a day when our schedules overlap. I love Becca. I trust her. So really, I'm not worried about Eliza. Mostly just me. Selfish, huh?

My mother worked full time when I was a little girl. I always missed her. I always wanted her. I remember standing on chairs in order to look out the window and watch for her car pulling into our driveway. Hopefully, that will never happen. The company told me if I ever wanted to go part-time, I could. Once Nathan finishes his undergrad at BYU, I am sure things will change. But in the meantime, I feel immensely blessed.

Somber Party

Nathan's band is featured this month in Provo's Acoustic Sessions. Each month, one band is filmed performing a song in various Provo locations. The video is amazing! Somber Party plays on the roof of a downtown building, performing their song "Eliza Eden." This song came together in about twenty minutes the week after Nathan and I were married. Truly, it was an amazing and beautiful experience to watch these friends of mine write such a lovely song. I think you'll like it. Enjoy!

Every 90 Minutes...Easy Peasy!

Last Sunday, our friend Mark told us about the book "The 90-Minute Baby Sleep Program: Follow Your Child's Natural Sleep Rhythms for Better Nights and Naps." The basic premise of the book says this: your baby needs to sleep for 90 minutes and then be awake for 90 minutes throughout the day. Mark's nephew has been on this routine since he was a week old and is now a happy three-month-old who seldom cries. Nathan and I decided to implement this plan into our nonexistent baby schedule, and it has been revolutionary! Who would have thought something so seemingly simple would have such amazing results.

Although this has not solved the problem of Eliza's acid reflux and possibly milk allergy, she nevertheless is sleeping more. Every time she fusses, it is almost 90 minutes precisely since her last nap. We swing her for a few minutes and she is out! That NEVER happened before. We'd rock and swing for hours (literally) and nothing. After she has slept the allotted time, we wake her up and feed her. Sometimes, she still wants to sleep and is adorably groggy, but eventually she becomes alert. And then, the timer starts again.

The past few days have been much more peaceful. I highly recommend this program. Check out this article if you're interested.

So That's Weird

Apparently, Eliza may be suffering from a rare allergy to my breastmilk. Does anyone else think this is strange? Breastfeeding is supposed to be the healthiest, most natural thing in the world- not the cause of months of colic. Although Nathan and I have somewhat conquered Eliza's case of colic, meaning we don't completely shut down if she cries all day and have actually found a way to get her to sleep at night (those precious 5 to 6 hours are amazing), we know something is still not right. We've taken her to the pediatrician five times in the last two months, but our doctor is never available...meaning we see a doctor who doesn't really care to help us. I'm sure he thinks I am crazy.

I explain: "She screamed for eight hours straight today."

His response: "Well I checked her ears and she's fine. No fever, either. You've got a healthy baby here."

It has been frustrating to say the least. After immense pressure to at least try formula, Nathan and I caved. We were told that if she was having a reaction to my diet or milk itself, we would know if we gave her formula for a solid two days. However, two feedings into the experiment, I had massive guilt about giving her formula and ended that trial. I know- lots of mothers use formula and have healthy babies, but Eliza was so fussy that I convinced myself the formula was aggravating the problem.

After our appointment with the pediatrician, though, he again recommended formula. He speculates Eliza is allergic to ALL forms of milk, including my breastmilk and most formulas. The only formula babies with this condition can drink is called Similac Alimentium (which I want to add is ridiculously expensive...figures).

However, I am not convinced this is the solution. How can breastmilk be bad? Surely, it must be something else. My brother apparently had the same problem as a baby, so maybe's it's a genetic thing. I'm not throwing in the towel just yet, though. Perhaps, the internet gods (AKA fellow mothers and bloggers) hold the answer.

Pears

Yesterday was Eliza's four month birthday! She is getting so big. Today, we took her to the pediatrician for her check up and she is in the 75th percentile for height and the 60th percentile for her weight. The doctor let us know she was "off the charts" for a premature baby. Having a healthy child feels so good!

To help celebrate the occasion of Eliza's birth, Nathan decided it was time to introduce pureed foods. He went to the store to get items and decided to pick up some baby food as well. Pears. He wanted her first "real" food to be pears. Cute. I hate pears, though. But whatever. I recognize they aren't disgusting, so I was ok with it :)

I was a bit wary of giving her anything other than breastmilk, but he was so excited that I couldn't disagree. She was crying (as usual) and refusing milk, so Nathan opened a can of food and we put a little bit of pureed pears on her tongue. Success! She LOVED it. She instantly stopped crying, looked up at us, and squealed with delight. Then, she continued to stick her tongue out repeatedly like a dog after he eats peanut butter. It was adorable.

I thought it was too soon for baby food, but the pediatrician agreed it was the perfect time to begin introducing new foods. It's pretty exciting. Becca told me all about making your own baby food, so I'm going to see if I can do that and save some money. Also, I'm going to make sure to feed her only the foods I like. Today, I ventured over to the baby food aisle and saw some foods that I would never eat...or feed Eliza. Peas? Sick. Prunes? Disgusting. Sweet potato? Never. I am going to stick with the safe stuff: applesauce and peaches. Delicious.

I know Nathan will probably feed her the sweet potatoes or other gross things (that are healthy and necessary), but I won't. Nope. I realize this is immature and probably ACTUALLY won't happen, but I like to think I won't make her eat things she doesn't like.

Thank You, Mr. Fortune Cookie

Truly, I couldn't have said it any better. Maybe he'll get the cosmic clue.

Not the Cuddler

Eliza really doesn't like to cuddle. She likes to be held, but doesn't like to cuddle next to me. But don't worry, I'm going to fix that. I didn't endure six months of morning sickness and two days of labor pains to have a baby who didn't want to snuggle.

Our Daughter, The Dress-up Doll

Because I love my mother, I allowed her to dress Eliza in various "adorable" outfits over the holidays. It was slightly out of control, but somewhat understandable. I mean, Eliza is the only granddaughter.

Even though she is my daughter, I think she is precious.
She hates me.
Happy again
Intense.
Oh, look at that glare. Isn't it cute?Precious.She wonders why we are torturing herAnd it was all worth it, just so we could have this picture.

Eliza's First Christmas

So I've finally recovered enough to blog about Eliza's first Christmas! It was exhausting to say the least, but it was worth the trip. Eliza was unexpectedly peaceful on our flights, which was an amazing blessing. She was finally able to meet some of her family and visit the great state of South Carolina. The few days we were there, it was an endless baby parade. Here are just a few of the lovely people she met:

Her Grandma White and cousin Robert
Her Aunt Marian
Her Grandpa White
Her Great-Grandma White
Her Uncle Hudson
My beloved high school friends, Ashley and Mary HollisOur wonderful cousin, Naomi
Her doting cousin, Sherry
More dear friends- Lindsey and LillyAnd the ever so lovely Haleigh and Tara!!Eliza was a hit! Basically, everyone loves a baby.

I really was amazed at the outpouring of love I felt over the holidays. The Christmas story of Mary, Joseph, and the birth of Christ became so much more meaningful because now I know with a certainty the love a mother has for her child. What love Mary must have felt for Christ. What love my mother has for me. The season truly has taken on a different meaning for me, and I am ever appreciative of the reminders I have that Heavenly Father loves me, just as I love Eliza.

Really. I love my family.My mom worked tirelessly to make sure the house was festively decorated (because she knows I LOVE Christmas decorations). She even cooked every meal I liked, including a honey baked ham and a chocolate pie. Moms are the greatest.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Much love from our family to yours
p.s. Nathan must really love me to wear these pajamas.