A Happier Easter

Last Easter Jon and I had moved into the second most awful apartment in the world (little did we know that the very next place we would move to would be even worse), I was lonely, eight months pregnant, starting to get uncomfortable, and miserable. We made ham and potato salad, and the ham was burnt to a withered crisp. So this year, with everything about our lives a million times better we decided to do it up right. The Easter Bunny came bearing a few simple gifts for each of us, Netty had a new dress (thus the following photo shoot), and we finished the day with Church, a picnic in the park, and a fun movie with our friend Tyler. We made ham again (this time it came out just right), potato salad (Mama's recipe), Jell-O eggs, and deviled eggs, and Tyler made carrot salad and the most divine cheesecake/graham cracker/raspberry yumminess. I had a hard time choosing which pictures to post, so enjoy the whole spread.

'Twas the Night Before Easter....

Did you know that the day before Easter is the worst day to go to Dollar Tree? I don't know that for a fact, but after going today, I'm pretty sure it's true. Netty and I braved the storm together. And really, I was grateful for the company since she was in such a good mood. Her smiles made the crowded aisles worth it.

Knock knock. Who's there? Eether. Eether who? Eether Bunny!

When we got home we ate dinner and then dyed Easter eggs. Netty was very excited when she saw all the colored water. Too bad it didn't taste as good as it looked.

We had to take this picture because I realized after I took the first one that she didn't have a bow in her hair, and she wasn't even wearing clothes to show that she's a girl. So, being the mother that I am, I had to put a bow on her head, and Jon had to roll his eyes at me.

Netty was really fascinated by the eggs and the dye.

What do we do with it now?

Try to fit the entire thing in my mouth of course!

While Jon and I finished up with the rest of the eggs, we gave Netty a plastic egg and a cup of water. She dunked the egg in the water just like Jon and I were doing with the hard-boiled eggs. And when the water spilled all over the tray, she played it in.

Netty also had her first Peep tonight. She ate the ears, but then the rest of it was slimy from her wet fingers, and the rest of the Peep ended up on the floor.

Here are the eggs we dyed. Tomorrow they will be potato salad and deviled eggs.

Here's a close-up of the ones with our names on them. I was a little disappointed that Netty's purple egg looks so gray in this picture. Maybe I need to put a bow on it and take another picture...

After dyeing eggs, Jon went to Broulim's while I bathed and jammied Netty. While we were cleaning up the table, I picked up the camera and said, "Smile, Netty!" And she actually did!

 Every Easter when I was little we had Jell-O eggs, so I decided that since I was brave enough to dye eggs with a baby, I wanted to make Jell-O eggs. Once upon a time I had egg molds for this very thing, but somewhere along the line I got rid of them because I never used them. So I made them with regular plastic eggs. And now I'm afraid my fingers will never be the same.

Never a Dull Moment

Netty hit 11 months this past week, and she is proving to be a true character. At every turn she has started to do something new, which either makes me laugh, roll my eyes, or both. Life at the Phelps home is anything but dull.

Netty loves pizza. Most people know that every Thursday at our house is Pizza Thursday, and you can imagine that means we eat pizza for dinner.

We finally got a new car about two weeks ago. My dad was able to find us a great deal on a 2003 Caravan. All of us were anxious to try out our new wheels.

Here's the full side view of the van with Netty in the front seat. She was banging on the windows and giggling, though you can't tell in the picture.

This was Netty's first ride in our new car. I don't know how much different a minivan feels to an 11-month-old, but she seems to be much happier when we take trips in this car as opposed to our last one. Perhaps it's that at last her legs have a little room, or maybe that she can actually see out the window.

Occasionally we visit Daddy at work at the Reading Center. Netty has found her favorite hideout underneath the table in the waiting area. You can't see it here, but there's a basket under there that she plays with. She'll disappear completely when she gets all the way underneath.

 Netty has dubbed our coffee table her own. She comes up to it and takes everything off and then pats it. She's even been known to put her head down on it and say, "Ahhhh," just like she does with her favorite blanket.

We have developed a morning routine where Jon gets Netty out of bed and changes her diaper while I make a bottle, and then I feed it to her. The other morning I was a little slow getting out of bed, and when I got up to make the bottle, this is what I found.

Netty loves Daddy. Every day he takes her to get the mail, and sometimes they go for walks to Broulim's together. Netty has learned now that the front door leads out, and that this is where Daddy goes when he's gone all day. So now she spends a lot of time standing at the door and pounding on it while hollering at the top of her lungs.

 Last Saturday we went to Idaho Falls for the afternoon and ended with dinner at Red Robin. We agreed to take a booth with a booster seat as opposed to a table with a high chair so we could be seated sooner. Big mistake. Netty was climbing out of the seat every ten seconds. They also gave us a kids menu and crayons. I thought that was pretty funny. I mean, I know I have a smart baby, but really? Instead of coloring with the crayons, this is how Netty passed the time.

 The other day I was in the bedroom when I heard the crinkling of paper from the living room. For a second it sounded like scripture paper. I panicked and ran in to find Netty going through my wallet and pulling out old receipts. Such a relief.

When Infants Become Toddlers and Sedans Become Minivans

Jonathan registered for Spring Semester classes yesterday. While I was on the computer and the phone with Jon trying to figure out his schedule, Netty also wanted my attention. I was trying to play with her as well, but apparently I wasn't doing a very good job at it. Netty screamed at me once, and then crawled away. I thought perhaps she had just decided to go play by herself. Nope. She pulled out the three laundry baskets that I keep under the bed to serve as drawers for my clean clothes that I don't hang up. She proceeded to stare at me with a scowl on her face while she pulled each and every item of clothing out of those baskets and throw them. For a minute I was in disbelief. Here was my sweet baby girl being . . . a toddler.

So this morning while Netty was sitting on the floor, holding her own bottle, and mimicking the noises on her Baby Einstein movie, I started to panic a little. Next month Netty will be a year old. Atticus is en route. And we're getting a minivan. Suddenly I longed for those days when Jon and I would picnic at Porter Park until 11:50 p.m. when I'd drop him off at his apartment and go back to mine, or when Jon and I would move the TV into our bedroom stay up all night watching movie after movie simply because the next day was Saturday and we had no reason to get up before noon, or when we'd sit on the couch and feel Netty kick and imagine what it would be like to be parents. Now we're in the midst of parenthood, but unlike many of my siblings, there's not an end in sight. There's no, "Oh, it'll be so much easier in three years when they're all in school." It's all, "Well, maybe you'll be done having babies in fifty-seven years. Good luck with that, and try not to go insane in the process. And if you're going to die, try not to break your fall on one of the children."

While typing I am looking at a picture of Netty at two months old that sits in a frame next to the computer monitor, and my heart just melts. Of course my massive, hyperbolic overreaction is fueled by hypochondria and pregnancy fatigue. Having spent a few days away from Netty last month, I realize that I am a total wreck without her, and I wouldn't trade my life for anything in the world.

Here's to looking forward, not back . . . .

Sometimes When the Car Dies....

....Papa has to save you.

When Papa's in Washington, you have to improvise.

Our car finally died one last time. Jonathan was on his way to Spanish Fork for the weekend to spend some time with his family before meeting Netty and me in Syracuse after our Washington trip, and the car died just south of Pocatello near a town called Inkom. The good news was he was close enough to walk to get help. The bad news was his cell phone battery doesn't hold a charge for more than a few hours, and when it died, he was on his own to make decisions regarding what to do with the car. He towed it back to Rexburg and had to wait a few extra days before HoneyGram could drive Netty and me home.

In the meantime, Netty busied herself around HoneyGram's house.

 Apparently, three inches makes a huge difference in your ability to reach what you want.

 The dishwasher is a new and exciting concept to Netty since we do not have one in our apartment. She climbed in all by herself and thought it was pretty great.

 HoneyGram is teaching Netty to put her own dishes in the dishwasher. It's a little hard to see, but she's putting her bottle ring in there.

Netty also discovered that she can open cupboards. She started going through HoneyGram's cupboards.

The cupboard door wouldn't stay open on its own, and Netty found this very upsetting.

Because my ultrasound was on Tuesday, HoneyGram exchanged her day off for Tuesday instead of Wednesday. Since returning, Netty has not been able to get enough of Jonathan. While we were away, I don't think she realized that he wasn't with us. However, she did fall in love with my brother Justin who has a similar build and hair color to Jonathan, and sometimes Netty chose Justin over me. Now, though, Netty wants Jonathan all the time, and he's starting to remember how noisy and messy the apartment gets with a baby around.

Netty crawls a little, but she scoots everywhere. I think her philosophy is "Why should I crawl when I can army-crawl so much faster?"

This push toy came from HoneyGram and Papa for Christmas, though this is the first time she's been able to walk with it without help. I'm sure she'll be walking by her first birthday.

Our Long Adventure in Washington

On Tuesday Netty and I returned from a very extended trip to Utah and Washington. I'm sure it wouldn't have felt so long except that we'd never been way from Jonathan for more than a few days at a time. I'm not sure who missed who the most.

The trip was so fun, though. The last time I'd been to Washington was for our second wedding reception just after we got married, and many of my extended family members had not yet met Netty.

 Netty (10 months) and Oliver (2 years) - A frightening thought for me was when I realized that these would be the ages of my children in about a year. My only consolation when Oliver was mauling Netty was that Netty was a novelty to Oliver, who is still the baby in his family until October, and by the time Netty is two, Atticus won't be quite a novelty anymore.

 This is how Netty napped most days. She was such a trooper as we went from house to house visiting friends and family. She probably took three REAL naps the entire trip because we were on the go so much. We also bought her a new car seat just before the trip, and it wouldn't recline enough in HoneyGram's small Toyota Corolla. Netty improvised, though, by using her blanket at a pillow.

Netty and Great-Great-Auntie Blanche - Blanche is my maternal grandma's older sister. She is in her late eighties, though she doesn't look or act like it. Auntie Blanche spent much of my childhood trying to get me to talk to her by giving me presents and treats, and it didn't work. I was grateful that Netty was a lot more receptive to Auntie Blanche, who just loves little ones. 

This was a rare site on our trip: Netty playing without other kids taking away her toys or trying to pick her up. We were at Sarah's house and Sophie was kind enough to share her dishes with Netty. I think Netty's going to need some dishes of her own! 

 Papa wearing Braylin's "Seahawks" helmet - I know it's actually a BYU helmet, but as far as Braylin is concerned, the Seahawks are the only team that matters. The helmet said "One size fits all," so Papa had to test that theory.

 Netty, Ariadne, and the Neverland Pirates - While HoneyGram spent an afternoon at lunch with her best girlfriends, I spent the afternoon with my best girlfriend, Kathryn. It was just like old times, except that we are both mothers now and had to be responsible. Ariadne is only a couple days younger than Oliver, but she has a baby brother. She was much calmer around Netty. Maybe there is hope for me...

 Aunt Sarah was determined to become the favorite aunt, and despite her best efforts by feeding her Dum-Dums, Stephanie is still Netty's favorite person in the whole world. However, Netty thought the drum set in Sarah's new school was pretty great.

 Netty loved the stools in Grammy's kitchen...

...Until they tried to eat her.

POINT DEFIANCE ZOO

Justin and Sarah took a day off work, and Rochelle and LaMar played hookie from school so that we could go to Point Defiance Zoo. It was Netty's first zoo experience. These pictures are all from my phone, but my family has other pictures from that day. Maybe I'll post more zoo pictures when I get my hands on them.

 HoneyGram, Papa, and the Grandkids at the Point Defiance Zoo Entrance

 The kids all in the famous shark's mouth at the aquarium

Oliver loved all the fish

We went into the Discovery Center at the aquarium, where they let you touch some of the sealife from the Puget Sound. Some of the kids loved it. Others wanted nothing to do with them.

Netty and HoneyGram with the elephants

Although it was a long day, Netty was able to sleep a little in the stroller. By the time we got in the car to go back to Grammy's house, she was all smiles for about five minutes. And then she fell asleep again.

Atticus Dean

After too, too long......

1. Netty and I are finally home from our Utah/Washington trip. Pictures and more details of the trip to come.

2. We had our ultrasound. We are all so excited for Atticus Dean Phelps to join the clan! Everything looked great in the ultrasound. He is a very squirmy little boy, but then again, his sister is also very squirmy! Even now as I'm posting about him, he's kicking. He must know I'm talking about him! However, unlike with Netty, we were able to get a pretty good 3D shot of the little guy. The 3D shots look a little weird to me, but I'll post one anyway.

For Daddy

Learning to climb the stairs

 

Playing in the car on the way to Washington

Netty walking with Sophie

Back Again

A little-known fact about me--I am a kidney stone maker. I had my first stone about three years ago, and once a stone-maker, always a stone maker. I thought I was dying. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. It was one of those I'm-in-so-much-pain-that-I-just-want-my-mom experiences, but unfortunately I was living in an apartment in Rexburg at the time with roommates who had their own lives going and no emotional investment in me. Actually, once I felt a little better, I drove myself to Utah for the weekend to be with my mom.

Anyway, that experience is not what this post is about.

Did you know the pregnant women are more likely to get kidney stones than people who are not pregnant?

In other words, I already had two hits by the fact that I have a history of them and that I am pregnant.

So when I realized I had a kidney stone two Sundays ago, Jon took me to the Emergency Room at the seventh worst hospital in the United States--according to an article I read on the all-knowing Facebook--where I was poked, prodded, and stabbed in the hands and arms because by this point I was so dehydrated that the nurses couldn't find my veins. And Brian Regan wasn't kidding when he said that an "8" on the pain scale equals morphine. Because I was pregnant they couldn't do a CAT scan, which is how they determine the size and location of kidney stones. And when I couldn't stop vomiting after 3 1/2 hours, they admitted me to the hospital until the stone passed.

All I can say is Jon and I are blessed to have such great friends and family. Two of our friends helped tend Netty while Jon spent time with me at the hospital and packed some of Netty's things, and my brother and his wife met Jon in Blackfoot and took Netty off our hands for a few days. The stone passed late Sunday night, but between the stone, the drugs, and the pregnancy, I was exhausted. For three days I slept as late as I wanted. Jon and I saw a movie and went to the temple. It was wonderful. And it was dreadful.

The most I had ever been away from Netty was for a couple hours at a time, and suddenly she was taken away from me for 4 1/2 days. Jon and I had been planning to go to Utah this last weekend anyway, so we picked up Netty in Logan on our way to my parents' house. At first she screamed when she saw us. It was like suddenly she realized that we'd left her, and she was letting us know that she was mad at us. By the time we got to Syracuse, she was friends with us again. We came back from Utah last night, and Netty was so happy to be home. Just in a week she has changed so much. She stands a lot more (still with help), and she can now go from her belly to a sitting position. She also is a lot more talkative, which I love.

Here is a video of Netty last night after we'd gotten home. This shows how truly happy she was to be back.

There Was a Little Girl...

Who had a little curl...

I know it doesn't look like much, but here is proof that Netty's hair is growing. She has had about the same head to hair ratio since she was born. Every time her head grows, her hair compensates. So this is the first time we've really seen the growth.

The other picture showed the curl better, but this picture shows the actual hair a little better, and that it is red.