The Road

If he is not the word of God God never spoke.Becca, Katy, and anyone else- Can we really handle watching it!? After a YEAR of waiting, The Road is finally a movie. Parts of me ache to see it, parts of me feel a bit hesitant. This book moved me like seldom few have. So...The question is: Do I dare? It looks so hauntingly beautiful.
And the dreams so rich in color. How else would death call you? Waking in the cold dawn it all turned to ash instantly. Like certain frescoes entombed for centuries suddenly exposed to the day.

Cormac McCarthy wouldn't approve if I put his words within quotation marks.

Is There Love After Baby?

For Nathan's Human Development class, he was asked to read the article "Is There Love After Baby?" over the Thanksgiving break. After hearing about the assignment, I suggested that we read the article together. Overall, I wasn't too surprised by what the authors of the article discovered while researching the effects of a new baby on the marital relationship.

One section I found particularly insightful was entitled: "Ideology vs. Reality." Ideologically speaking, household chores, various daily tasks, and taking care of the child should be mutually and equally shouldered by the husband and the wife. Researchers discovered that in relationships where the man was an equal partner in cleaning the house and taking care of the baby, the wife was less stressed and therefore, more capable of love and more likely to pay attention to her husband and the needs of the marriage. Umm....is that only obvious to me? Because my initial reaction was: "duh."

However, this is called "ideology" because research proved this rarely happened. The reality was most couples assumed stereotypical gender roles, where the wife found herself overburdened and the husband found himself lonely and distanced from his spouse because of he stress and then resentment. The child placed a definite strain on the relationship because of this situation, and oftentimes, the wife felt like a failure for her inability to be the perfect mother and wife simultaneously. Essentially, in order to be the best wife and mother (perfect is a word I am afraid of), one must have a supportive and present husband, a help-meet even after a long day's of work. The article was very informative, and I suggest you read it if you have the time.

Regarding Nathan's and my situation, I truly have been blessed. Reading this article has only reaffirmed that truth for me. Having a baby who constantly cries is stressful. Emotionally, it has been tremendously difficult. With my case of the baby blues, I have found myself incapable of completing all of the household chores and taking care of Eliza like the "perfect" housewife. It just hasn't turned out the way I imagined. I am grateful for a husband who has been a silent helper, doing whatever he can to ease my stress. He changes all the diapers, he stays up most of the nights with Eliza, he helps with dinners, and he is learning to do the little things ( like taking out the trash and walking Toby) without me having to ask! Last week, he even made me breakfast in bed :)

The other day, he jokingly remarked: "It's like Eliza has two moms." And you know what, I wouldn't have it any other way. I know it might not always be like this (where he has all the time and energy to help), but I am appreciative of this time.So thanks, Nathan. I know you will NEVER read this, so I'll just have to tell you myself :)

How to Keep Your Baby Awake

Although colic still lingers in our home, Eliza has been sleeping more. By more, I mean 7 hours a day. And when I say day, I mean day. She literally cries until seven in the morning and then sleeps until three or four. While Nathan and I are grateful for some sleep, we recognize that sleeping when Baby sleeps has completely thrown off our normal schedule. So today, we decided to keep the baby awake, hoping it would result in a night of rest. Due to the fact it is 3:15 AM, you might assume (correctly) that we failed.

We tried rubbing her little face, patting her feet, unwrapping her from her warm blankets, talking to her, bouncing her....ANYTHING. Finally, Nathan discovered the one thing Eliza likes enough to not fall asleep: dancing. Specifically, Nathan dancing around the room for her. Whenever I tried to give Nathan a little break, Eliza got all grumpy and bored looking. As long as Nathan danced, she was seemingly mesmerized into staying awake. The only catch: one can only dance for so long. Additionally, it was ridiculously funny. I don't think Nathan enjoyed me laughing at him. I filmed a solid minute of Nathan doing his "Eliza dance," but I was strictly forbidden from posting it on the Internet. These two pictures will have to do. But trust me- it was funny stuff.And lastly, just check out Eliza's face throughout this little performance:Intrigued? Confused? Content?....Or embarrassed?

How Thanksgiving Forever Ruined Gummy Bears and Jell-O

It's 4:30 AM, and I am still awake. Perfect time to blog.

One thing I was NOT thankful for this Thanksgiving was a certain discovery Nathan made. After dinner, we had to clean out our fridge to make room for all of the leftovers. We decided to put the rest of a ham I had cooked the night before into a Ziploc bag in order to free up some space. As we took out the glass cooking dish the ham was in, we discovered an inch of some gelatinous substance coating the surface of the pan. The ham had cooked in an inch of water and had somehow transformed into jelly overnight.

Nathan, who was assigned the joyous task of putting away the ham, remarked: "I bet this is how they make Jell-O. They soak a ham bone in water overnight and voila!" To this, I said: "Disgusting." And of course thought: impossible.

Twenty minutes later, I was finishing the last dish when Nathan began reading a Wikipedia article for gelatin. It was absolutely shocking:
Gelatin is a translucent, colorless, odorless, brittle, nearly tasteless solid substance, derived from the collagen inside animals' skin and bones...Gelatin is a protein produced by partial hydrolysis of collagen extracted from the bones, connective tissues, organs and some intestines of animals such as domesticated cattle, pigs, and horses. The natural molecular bonds between individual collagen strands are broken down into a form that rearranges more easily...Gelatin is derived mainly from pork skins, pork and cattle bones, or split cattle hides.

AND THE KICKER:

Gelatin can also be prepared at home. Boiling certain cartilaginous cuts of meat or bones will result in gelatin being dissolved into the water. Depending on the concentration, the resulting broth, when cooled, will naturally form a jelly or gel.

So yes, Jell-O IS made out of ground up animal bones, and we DID inadvertently make Jell-O from our honey baked ham. DISGUSTING, right? Now I am certainly no vegetarian, but that is pretty sickening regardless of who you are and what you eat.

I will never look at this food items the same:

The delicious topping for beloved smores:My morning breakfast: Jam- why is it SO GOOD!?Even trifles aren't safe:Even though I HATE this Easter treat, I know a whole bunch of people who absolutely love 'em:However, all of these things pale in comparison to the loss of my most severe pregnancy craving. No lie, when I was pregnant, I wanted these ALL the time. I couldn't get enough. It truly was my only real craving:I guess this means I really was just craving animal bones. And collagen. Sick. Au revoir, Gummy Bears. It was good while it lasted. I will never think of you the same. Ever.

The horror. The horror!

First Family Thanksgiving

On our first Thanksgiving as a family, Nathan was scheduled to work from 2:30 to 11:00 PM. Although he didn't expect me to cook a huge Thanksgiving feast, I decided I wanted to. We closed on our house (FINALLY) on Wednesday, so I thought a nice dinner would be a proper celebration. Also, I derive some strange sense of satisfaction from feeding people. I love to cook. Lots of food. Unnecessary amounts of food, actually, which might be considered wasteful.

I woke up at 7 AM to start making the perfect meal. Eliza had fallen asleep at four that morning, so I knew I had a few hours to get it all together. The menu list included:

1) Turkey
2) Green Bean Casserole
3) Rice
4) Potato Salad
5) Deviled Eggs (Gross, but I had extra eggs)
6) Croissants
7) Gravy
8) Pumpkin Pie
9) Chocolate Pie
10) Cherry Cream Cheese Pie
p.s. the pies are Paula Deen recipes so get ready to gain some weight, but eat some good food :)

Five hours and a trip to the grocery store later, I was done!I'm so proud of this turkey! It weighed more than Eliza. That's a large bird...and kind of weird to think about.
Nathan and Brandon woke up around noon and were pleasantly surprised that I had been busy cooking.
The meal was great, even though it only lasted for about 10 minutes. We ate a little too fast and got a little too full. We now have leftovers for a week!

And...the chocolate pie was my favorite. Of course.After dinner, Nathan went to work, and I had the privilege of going to Becca's house and introducing Eliza to the rest of the Anderson Family. We had a wonderful time and overall, it was an amazing day.

I really am grateful for so many things this year. I'm grateful for forgiveness, for the Atonement, for the support from my friends and family. I am appreciative of all of my many blessings, and I am eternally thankful for Nathan and Eliza. Having a family is the greatest gift.

Eliza's Two Month Check-up

Eliza is a chunker! Her two month check-up was this week (even though she is almost three months) and she has nearly DOUBLED her birth weight. That is a lot of nursing, I tell you. I knew she was hungrier than most babies. However, it's definitely a good thing. At nearly 11 pounds, she has caught up with most babies her age. At her first appointment, she was in the 5th percentile for height/weight. Now, she is in the 50th! The added weight makes her a bit more difficult to hold for prolonged amounts of time. Here, you can you see Nathan struggling to hold our hefty baby...what a man :)

Robert Cecil is Here!

I'm an aunt again! Marian had a baby Sunday morning after several hard years of praying for a little one. He's a blessing to our family. Congratulations, Marian. I love you. Thanks for being a wonderful sister. I'm so happy we were pregnant together and now are moms together. It's going to be the best Christmas! We're excited for Eliza to have another cousin.

p.s. Thanks for naming him after me. You really shouldn't have :)

Additional Information:

Note: KEEP THIS MEDICINE out of the reach of children.

So why would I give it to my two-month old then!? This is Eliza's prescription bottle for Zantac, a drug adults take for acid reflux. I did some research and SO many articles say Zantac causes vertigo, dizziness, and even insomnia in babies. Great.

Nathan and I agreed to give Eliza Zantac just long enough to repair the damage to her esophagus caused by her horrible case of acid reflux. I spent four or five hours looking for alternative solutions for Eliza's oversupply syndrome and the acid reflux. Finally, I stumbled upon a gem of an article entitled "Infantile Colic: Does Every Baby Have It" And after some further research, Nathan and I decided to have Eliza adjusted by an infant chiropractor. I called my old chiropractor in Orem and asked if he adjusted babies. Miraculously, he did. And he had an opening in an hour. And he accepted our insurance. Thank you, thank you!

Dr. Makin examined Eliza and found that she had a hiatal hernia, which I had suspected after countless hours on Google. The pediatrician and the chiropractor said this condition often occurred in babies with "colic." Dr. Makin adjusted her back (not like you think, though. I held her while he gently pushed his fingers) and discovered her spine was completely twisted. Additionally, he corrected the hernia. She was screaming and then all of a sudden she was completely quiet. She stilled. She looked around. And then she started smiling. She was so happy! Nathan and I both cried with relief. Although she has cried the past two nights, it has not been NEARLY as bad. Last night, she slept from 5:00 AM to noon! SEVEN HOURS, my friends!! That has NEVER happened. I just hope things get better. We're seeing the chiropractor tomorrow to make sure the reflux hasn't caused her stomach to go back up into her esophagus, which sometimes happens. Hopefully, everything will be great.

Lesson learned: Babies never just "cry" for twelve hours at a time for no reason. So many people kept telling me: "babies cry -that's what they do." CORRECTION: babies fuss - that is what they do. Her screams obviously were telling us she was in pain.

Sorry it took so long, Baby. We feel awfully bad. But I think we've found a solution...FINALLY!

Why Am I Blogging Now?

Because I'm not watching this:with the rest of women everywhere.

Oh well. I still haven't seen the first one.
(Don't tell anyone though).

Free Food?! I'm totally there.

Last night, Ashley, Michelle, and Katy helped Nathan and me celebrate my birthday. They came by with a cake and even sang "Happy Birthday" to me.Eliza was a happy little girl during the celebrating, thankfully. Last night AFTER the party is a different story. The cake was delicious and Katy's homemade frosting was beyond delightful.We really enjoyed ourselves, I must say.And then tonight, Brandon, Nathan, Eliza and I went to the In-N-Out sneak preview, which included free food! When someone says "free food," people always turn up in droves. There were tons of people, but we didn't mind because we got to eat great food.Lots of it.As much as you wanted. So we ate....and kept on eating until we felt a little sick and were reminded what the deadly sin "gluttony" actually was.Eliza slept and acted like she was a good baby. Faker.So you might be wondering, how did we get to be part of the lucky few selected to eat at the ever-so-popular In-N-Out? Who do we know? What connections do we have?....ME!

I know, I know. You're thinking: "But you graduated from college." Yes. Yes I did. But you know what, I can't work full-time and nurse my baby full-time. And let me tell ya, keeping my baby fed is a full-time job. Besides, In-N-Out has super flexible hours, pays really well for part-time, AND has business ethics! What a novel idea.

I'm pretty excited. We open tomorrow. You should come by and see me. I'll be wearing this and probably looking this busy:Jealous?....Or just hungry?

Just When I Thought Things Couldn't Get Any Better

I found my missing 30 dollars!

AND...I had an Outback steak.... AND amazing birthday cake in addition to MORE PRESENTS from Caitlin!

The little princess is currently sleeping. Pray I get my birthday wish.

Birthday, Birthday

Is it just me, or are people freakishly nice on your birthday? My hormones are all sorts of crazy these days, but I logged onto Facebook a few minutes ago and was inundated with SO many kind posts and messages. I felt my eyes begin to sting a little bit...and then of course I started crying.

I was feeling all sorts of sorry for myself today too. Eliza was up until 7 this morning (her birthday present to me), and I slept until noon when I had to leave for work. And on top of that...Nathan didn't wish me "happy birthday." No surprise. No nothing. So yes, I said I didn't want/need anything, but of COURSE I DO! I just say that because I feel awkward saying: "Yes, get me things."

On the way home from work, I was kind of feeling sorry for myself. My own mother hasn't even called, and I realized I had lost thirty dollars somewhere last night. Lame. But then, I got a text from Becca and a couple of other of friends sending their love. Katy and Ashley are even making me a cake! How nice. And Michelle offered to babysit Eliza (scary thought) so Nathan and I can go to dinner.

The world loves me today...it just had to let me suffer a moment so I could REALLY appreciate all the good things.

However, the cherry on the cake was waiting for me when I arrived home. I have been saying for the past couple of weeks that I want a desk and a desktop computer with a bigger screen than my Mac. My Mac has been a bit slow lately and it's hard to hold the baby on my lap AND the computer (I have my priorities straight, though. I always choose the baby...most of the time). Anyway, I walked in the living room and Nathan had found me a desk, put a nice computer on it, AND wrote a message to me saying "Happy Birthday, Clem!" Yeah, he calls me that. And to make things funny, he had logged onto the Facebook game Farmville (my not so secret addiction) and planted crops in the shape of a heart for me. How romantic!? Haha. My hero.So thanks everyone for making me feel loved. You lifted my spirits extraordinarily. I really needed this. Thanks for being grand. I love you all.

And in particular, thanks Brittany for your post. You know I love you as much as any Muppet.

Rub a dub dub

Eliza really enjoys water. When we're up late battling colic, warm water sometimes instantly soothes her.  I was giving her a bath the other day and she kept staring at me with this smug little face. I couldn't stop laughing at her. Take a look at the lovely lady.

Notice the bags under her eyes. Poor thing. She's tired too.
Umm...She is adorable.

Typical

Last night, a fellow blogger and friend of mine posted an interesting website on Facebook. Essentially, it mocks those couples who profess their undying love for each other in quite an obnoxious way. After reading a couple of the examples, I started to worry that Nathan and I might fall into this "mushiness" category. So, I checked our wall-to-wall history on Facebook. It was pretty safe, I must say (in my purely unbiased opinion, of course).

However, I did find a gem of a conversation...one that really sums up our relationship and humor with one another:

Remove

Cecilia Robbins Are you sure you don't want to watch Fire in the Sky? I mean, it's either that or Jurassic Park. Aliens or dinosaurs. You choose.

March 5 at 5:38pm · Comment · Like

Remove

Nathan Robbins Oh, if those are the options, I'll take a hot poker in the eye. By that I mean the alien one.

March 5 at 5:43pm · Comment · Like

Maybe this isn't funny to you, but it certainly brought a smile to my face. I'm glad my husband is sarcastic and sometimes seemingly rude to the unsuspecting eye...how romantic.

By the way, we watched Jurassic Park. Like I've said repeatedly before, it's always Jurassic Park...or Jaws.

I'm A Winner

That's just a fact. I like to win. I am annoyingly competitive to the point where it sometimes threatens to ruin relationships during board games and sporting events. I don't know where the "nice Celia" goes during these times, but yeah- she's gone.

Throughout high school, I was well-known for receiving various red and yellow cards during soccer games. My junior year, a six foot Amazon of a woman kicked a ball right in my face, giving me a small bump on my nose that I will have for the rest of my life. The following year, I (kind of illegally) slide-tackled my arch nemesis...breaking her leg. Oops!! Tit for tat. I was being aggressive!!

Well, I sometimes forget who I am competing with- especially when it comes to Nathan. He is just the sweetest guy when we play games, while I can transform into some sort of crazy person. So last night, when we were playing this game:...my competitiveness reared it's ugly head.

Let me just say: I absolutely love Scrabble. My best memories of my grandmother involve this board game. My cousins and I would always play when we visited her house. At 7 years old, my much older cousin Jason blew me out of the water when he spelled the word "lingerie," doing the impossible and using all of his seven letter tiles. I remember thinking, "Ling-er-ie?" OH!! Lahn-zhuh-rey! And that's when I learned how to spell that word even though I had NO idea what it meant.

My sophomore year of college, I remember one of the guys in my apartment complex asking: "So, Facebook says you're a Scrabble Champion. Is that true?" I said: "Thanks for stalking me so thoroughly and yes. Yes it is." And then he made me prove it. Embarrassing for him. Silly boy.

That was enough background so on to last night's story. I won the first game. Second round, Nathan won. I was done. I thought: "I'll be a supportive wife and let us end with a tie!" How juvenile, but hey- marriage takes sacrifices!!

However, Nathan demanded we continue. So continue we did. The game was close. My finals letters were Z, P, S, A. I looked for a place to place the precious ten point Z. And then I saw the elusive triple letter square beckoning. I weighed whether or not I should let Nathan win. I was kind of over the game, and I could tell he was excited that he might pull out the win. So I deliberated...

a few seconds or so....

before spelling Zips and completely obliterating his paltry remaining letters. Like I said: I'm a winner. Marriage takes sacrifices, but that doesn't mean I have to sacrifice my Scrabble genius.

But in all seriousness, I love my husband. I'm glad Nathan is ok with me sometimes being a pill when it comes to winning. He loves me and accepts it as part of my innate nature...which is a VERY good thing :)

Slight Resemblance

To put all doubts to rest. This is MY baby:

Not the Dog Walk I Had in Mind

Tonight, this fellow needed a walk:
I slipped on Nathan's jacket and my flip flops and headed outside. Yeah, I walk my dog at midnight. Is that a good idea? Well, I would say "no" after the adventures of tonight.

I walked down the normal block, as usual, going the route we always go. Toby is so familiar with our routine that he practically bounds down the sidewalk, pulling me along with him. So, everything was fine and then I noticed a car. A white Dodge Charger. It slowed down when it passed me, but continued on its way. Then it turned around at the end of the block and passed me again. I was immediately suspicious...perhaps because I was too much Law and Order: SVU and Criminal Minds. Nevertheless, I was alert. I was aware. And to be honest, I was scared. When the Charger turned around for the third time, I felt all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Toby, oblivious to my plight, merrily sniffed every piece of grass possible and jumped on every pile of leaves in sight. As before, the car went up a block, made a u-turn, and then came back towards me. I took out my phone to call Nathan, telling myself that maybe it was something suspicious after all, and realized I had BOTH of our phones...His was in the pocket of the jacket I was wearing.

Great, I thought. I'm going to be attacked or assaulted. Again, perhaps I have watched too many crime shows, but those are the thoughts that were racing in my mind.

Finally, the car turned at the stop sign instead of making a u-turn. I breathed a sigh of relief and was turning around the corner of the street when the Charger made another appearance. It had gone all the way around the block only to return. AGAIN...it made a u-turn...and passed me for the SIXTH time. A man wearing a black hoodie drove up in front of me- right in front of me. I ran. Practically choking Toby, stepping in puddles, and absolutely terrified, I hurried home, looking back to see the car had disappeared.

An ally is on that street- an alley that runs behind our house actually. I had this feeling the car had slipped down that road. I told Nathan what had happened and he informed me that one of his coworkers (who lives two houses down) has noticed a white car circling her house the past week. With that said, I called the police. Meanwhile, Nathan and Brandon got in a car and went to check the ally. The car was there. License plate B947BJ. Parked right in the middle of the alley, blocking traffic. Right behind our house.

I was freaked. I still am freaked. I thought I was going to throw up and my mind was automatically thinking of home invasion/stalker scenarios. Officer Harris was sent to check on the situation. He called us to let us know he was running a check on the car and would update us on what was happening.

A few minutes ago, he called. DUN DUN DUN. AND...

There were TWO people in the car (at least when he talked to them). A young girl and the man wearing the hoodie. The check on the car had shown the owner had a prior charge of drug possession: marijuana and cocaine. Additionally, he had had a DUI. The young girl lives near us. She also has similar charges. The cop wanted to a cite them for drunk driving or drug possession, but they never DROVE the car while he was there. Officer Harris informed me that they were both intoxicated and he could smell that they had "been smoking a joint." So no rape. No murder. Maybe I was the girl who cried wolf some, but HEY- I was scared.

Point of the story: Don't go out at midnight and walk your dog. Especially, don't walk your dog on the shady end of the block. And if you do HAVE to be out, make sure you aren't dressed ridiculously- in your flower print pajama pants, flip flops and an over-sized jacket. Because if you are, chances are a drunk/high couple will stop and laugh at you. Continually. Which is no fun.

Eliza Looking All Cute And Being Rebellious

Oh, my baby. She is cute....even if she doesn't sleep :)

Overwhelmed...again?

Last night was rough. One of the roughest we've had since Eliza blessed our lives. I have to keep on reminding myself that the lack of sleep is somewhat temporary...hopefully.

The Amby Bed has been revolutionary in that she sleeps alone FINALLY. I can do errands during the day, and she doesn't constantly need to be held. The catch is...she ONLY sleeps during the day. We bounce her for a bit and she gradually falls asleep. However, nighttime is a very different story. I nurse, I rock, I sing, I bounce, I cry, I pray...and nothing; She is awake.

She literally slept all day yesterday. It was miraculous. At 1 AM though, she was awake. By 5 AM, I was so deliriously tired, I physically couldn't rock her anymore. I woke up Nathan who took over for the next hour or so while I watched helplessly. Nothing. At 11 AM, she went to sleep.

I woke up at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Gross. I cooked lunch and put dinner in the crock pot. That is seriously all I have the energy to do, which is NOT like me.

With this schedule, it is sometimes hard to eat enough. Goodness knows, I am trying though- for Eliza's sake at least. Although I have asked for suggestions, does anyone have any ideas what I might do to help Eliza? To help Nathan and myself? Zombie parenting really takes the joy out of most days, so I am deliberately trying to be more patient and understanding. I just really miss sleep and days when I showered consistently. Disgusting, right?

Survivor stories of sleepless nights with little ones would be appreciated. I think it would reassure me that people DO make it through rough spots of parenting. I'm just feeling a little deflated these days.

Does EVERYONE have Swine Flu!?

Ok. I am slightly freaking out. This weekend, we had a number of people visit our home and hang out with us (by number I mean 4 or 5, but that is A LOT when you are covered in baby drool and dead tired). Anyway, all of these people except for ONE have had SWINE FLU. Two of our friends rent out our basement and they each had serious cases. However, upstairs, we have been graciously spared. I am just so paranoid about one of us getting sick and then Eliza somehow getting sick. She is just so tiny. We haven't been able to get vaccinated either. WORRY, WORRY. PANIC, PANIC...Breathe...breathe.

Anyway, one of our friends who was over all night Friday and then Saturday has the Swine Flu. She didn't have any symptoms until yesterday though. I'm praying extra hard we use enough hand sanitizer in this home to ward off any evil germs. I certainly do hope no one in our family comes down with anything.

Man. I hate the flu. Stay away, please. And if you have Swine Flu- you stay away please too.

I just had deja vu. Weird. I have never written this before.

Confession

Nathan and I have become addicted to a Facebook application. How embarrassing, I know.  We have found entertainment in the monotony that is Farmville the past few days.  Sleep deprivation can lead to crazy things, I tell you. However, a realized how ridiculous this addiction is a few minutes ago when Nathan said in all seriousness: "You know, our avatars would make a cute couple!" Wow.

But if you want to be our friend on Farmville, we'd totally love it. Just kidding. But seriously.

Prayer Works!

Recently, I have been checking Craigslist and KSL several times throughout the day, searching for an Amby Bed. Last night, as I was doing dishes, I felt like I should check KSL again. I was pleasantly surprised! An ad had been posted two hours earlier for an Amby Bed!! Better yet...it was in Provo! I was beyond excited. I looked at the clock, but it was almost 11, so I did the safe thing and texted the seller. After five minutes (yes, I am impatient), I began to despair. "Maybe I should text AND email," I thought. I called Becca for advice and she confirmed that it was socially acceptable to do both. Nathan and I both prayed we would get the bed (it's ridiculous what you begin to pray for once you are a parent).

At 8:30 this morning, my phone rang. Good thing I emailed. Turns out, KSL had only posted her home phone number for some reason. She had already been called several times before calling me, but decided to give me first dibs because I emailed. I was ecstatic! Interestingly, she lives only seven blocks away and two houses down from the house I lived in for over a year. I used to walk by her house twice a day, and her children would run after Toby when I walked him.

So...thanks to Becca's amazing assembly skills and lots of prayers...
Eliza is sleeping! She loves the bed. It is a success! Thank you, Jessica! Great recommendation :) Thank you for all the kind posts and comments. It's much more peaceful in the Robbins' home tonight...