2 Years

Yesterday was Ontario's and my two year anniversary. I really wanted to surprise him with a getaway while Gabe can stay home with a babysitter and before a new (nursing) baby arrives. It was a pretty small window of opportunity and I wanted to take advantage of it. Sadly, things were looking pretty tight and I didn't think we were going to be able to afford it. My sister told me to pray and ask for help, and if you read our last post you know that Heavenly Father ended up really blessing us. Even more than I wrote then...we ended up with double what we were expecting.

So, I sneakily took some of the money (that Ontario had not found out about), made a reservation at the Hines Mansion Bed and Breakfast, and bought a gift certificate to Chef's Table, the fanciest restaurant in Orem. We have been wanting to try it out forever. I also made sure we would have a babysitter, and everything was set up for a fun anniversary surprise. I made the reservations for January, since that the timing that worked out for babysitters, hotel, etc.





This is a picture of the room I chose, called "Whispering Willow". There was another one I actually liked better, but this one had a shower, while most of them only had the hot tubs. I figured Ontario would like both.

Imagine my surprise Christmas morning when I opened my stocking and found that my sweet husband had decided to surprise me with a nights stay at the "Whispering Willow" room at the Hines Mansion B & B, dinner at Chefs Table, and a play at Hale Center Theater. When he went in to make reservations, he found that I had already made them, so he just moved it to our actual anniversary (Dec. 29). The funniest part is that he chose the exact same room I did, for the same reason, only he thought I would like a shower. He didn't know until he had already picked it that it was the one I liked. It worked out really well, since I really liked getting surprises, and he really likes figuring out his presents ahead of time. So it turned out nicely. Plus there is no doubt we are united!

The other side note to this is that I really wanted to get him the "Amelie" soundtrack (AMAZING!) on iTunes, since the copy we had was not legal and also scratched up and not working. I was waiting until Christmas morning to buy it so he wouldn't know ahead of time. Oh the irony when I opened my email Christmas Eve and he had gotten it for me first. Nothing harder than shopping for the person who can read your mind. :)

Last night we went out for our getaway and it was a lot of fun. We checked into our room, then headed off to the Chefs Table. It was really good (and also it was really good we had TWO gift certificates, since it wasn't cheap either). The best things we had were the bacon wrapped sea scallops (YUM!) and the cream of mushroom soup. The entrees were good, but they overcooked my pasta. As my friend Heidi would say, I am a pasta snob, and I really can't bear to eat it if it's not al dente. The sauce was very tasty though, and I was mostly full by that time so it was fine.

After that we went and watched the show "Room Service" at the Hale Center Theater. It's a 1930's comedy about a producer trying to get his show on Broadway while trying to not get kicked out of his hotel. It was fun, and well done. We haven't ever been to a play together, so that was also fun.

Then we headed back for a romantic evening at the bed and breakfast. At least, that was the plan. I soaked in the hot tub for a little while and drank my complimentary sparkling cider, and then I got super nauseous and had to lay on the bathroom floor for awhile trying to decide if I was going to be okay or if I was going to puke. I finally decided to brush my teeth to decide the point one way or another, and I threw up all of that lovely meal. My poor husband. Afterwards I felt really tired and quivery, so we just laid in bed and cuddled. Not exactly what I was picturing, but thankfully I'm married to Ontario and he was wonderful about it.

The breakfast this morning was tasty whole wheat pecan pancakes and homemade yogurt. We also found out that friends from our old ward, Scott and Abby Rey had stayed there last night for their anniversary. It was fun saying hi and catching up with them. After breakfast we checked out, picked up some Brazilian treats for Evan who had been watching Gabe, and headed home.

Gabe didn't seem overly excited to see us again-happy, but not over the top, until Ontario tried to leave for work. Every time his daddy tried to leave again he would get so sad, and stand there saying please and asking to go with him. It was too cute, and I think it made it extra hard for Tari to leave. Still, it's nice to know you were missed.

We spent a lot of time last night talking about the last two years, and what we want the next year to be like. I think the main thing we have noticed about our marriage is how great it is. I love being married to Ontario. We had so many people warn us that marriage is hard, and you have to work at it, but it's worth it. They always made it sound like a constant uphill battle with occasional bright spots. I have found that it's the opposite. We are happily helping each other up the mountain, and it's only occasionally that things seem to get overwhelming or hard. I love being with my husband, and wouldn't have chosen anyone else. I just think I'm terrifically lucky to be married to him.

Happy Anniversary sweetheart, I love you!

The men in my life

This post is dedicated to two of the most important men in my life: Heavenly Father and Ontario, my amazing husband. This week started out a little stressful as we were getting ready for the holidays. I realized whilst doing our budget that we would have almost no money for Christmas. I had kind of a little breakdown about it, which Ontario was very sweet and supportive of. The next day I felt much better. It was definitely a situation where I knew Heavenly Father would take care of us, I just didn't see how. Then on Friday we got our check which was quite a bit more than we were expecting. That was our first miracle, taking the crunch off Christmas and food and gas for two weeks! In addition to that though, Ontario had two business meetings this weekend where he helped his company land two large contracts. That means he gets a 10% finders fee, which is significant. We get the first payment on it on Monday, so instead of a lean Christmas, everything is looking up. I am so proud of my husband. He has worked really hard the last few weeks, and he did a lot to make things happen in time. I am also so grateful for Heavenly Father taking care of us. I know none of it would have happened without His help and guidance. He really does watch over and bless us always.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday season!

Hurray for a positive attitude!

I thought today was going to be stressful and chaotic. I didn't do my before bed routine last night, and I got to bed really late. Add to that waking up at 3:00am to take Krissie and Aaron to the airport, and then waking up to a sink of dirty dishes, I was sure that I would be too tired and stressed to deal with the day.

However...

My husband woke me up before he left for work so we could have family scriptures. I got dressed and decided that even if it started late, I could still have a good day. I did go back to bed for a little while, but I woke up when Gabe woke up and started talking to me. We have some very nice morning conversations. We went upstairs, had breakfast, I took all my supplements, and then we cleaned the kitchen. Gabe helped me with sweeping and dishes, which he thought was great. We need to get him a little broom so he can help me more often. I talked to my sister while I cleaned, so it was fun for me as well. Also, I feel good knowing that I didn't let the inauspicious beginning determine the tone for the day. I actually think it's going to be a great day!

Now I am going to write a to-do list and a shopping list, cycle the laundry, and make sure I am ready to run errands this afternoon when Ontario comes to get me. Then I might lay down and take a little nap until he gets here. I think I've earned it.

Random morning thoughts

It is currently 6:38 am, and I am sitting in my dark quiet living room enjoying the lights on the Christmas tree. I love this season. It makes me happy just thinking about all the wonderful things it brings. I like how everyone is focused on service and looking for ways to help others.

Our house is still a little crazy as we are trying to get Heidi settled in, but I think most of the major stuff should be taken care of today. I am mostly concerned about Evan getting his bed fixed so it is no longer in my kitchen. Once that happens I think the rest of the house will be able to come together. I can finish decorating, get all the laundry finished, and start my Christmas planning. I know it's a little late for that, things have just been so crazy and up in the air with Tari's work that I haven't known who/what/or how much I was planning for. Now that I have a budget it makes things much easier!

Yesterday in Primary one of the little boys got very excited during sharing time. He wanted everyone to know that he was reading the Book of Mormon, and he had gotten almost to the book of Helium. It was so funny. I love serving there. I always learn something new.

I am mostly sitting here hoping I will get sleepy enough that I can catch another hour of sleep before I need to get up. I had to take Tari to school this morning, which meant waking up at 5:40. That wouldn't have been too bad, if I had been able to get to sleep before 2. Gabe woke up right as I was drifting off around 1 and insisted on screaming and thrashing around for an hour before going back down. I think he must not be feeling well, because he usually has an easier time sleeping than that. It's just been somewhat of a crazy night.

It's crazy to think that we only have 5 more weeks before the baby gets here. I need to hurry up and get my house ready. I have been so focused on Christmas, and moving people around, and new callings that I haven't realized how little time I have left to finish preparing. I think that's nice in a way though...it helps the time go faster.

Since we decided not to find out the sex of the baby this time around, it's been a little trickier deciding on names. We pretty have a boys name agreed on (amazing, since I have the hardest time thinking of boys names I like. Maybe it's because there are so few of them that it narrows it down really quickly) and there are quite a few girls names we have talked about, but nothing definite in that area. It's so exciting thinking about meeting this person for the first time, and finding out just who they are. I can't wait. Also, this baby likes to kick and poke out a LOT, so I won't mind getting to cuddle it externally for a change.

Maryland

We are currently in Maryland visiting Ontario's family. We are actually leaving today to drive up to NY where his brother Ben lives and attend the blessing of Ben and Robins sweet new little girl Felicity. I am super excited.

1. I love being back in Maryland. This is the first time I have visited when it wasn't all cold and snowy since my mission. It smells SOO good. I realize it's November, but it's about 65 degrees, overcast, and humid. I love it. It's so pretty.

2. I haven't been to NYC since I was abotu 14. I have never been there with Ontario. It's going to be really awesome.

3. We get to see Johnny for the first time since his mission! Yay! This will be the first time I have seen Johnny in 3 1/2 years.

4. We also get to see Felicity for the first time. The pictures say she is a cutie, but I can't wait to give her some snuggles.

5. We also get to see all the rest of Ontario's family, whom I love. They are wonderful. They are so welcoming and loving everytime we come. I am just feeling very happy to be here.

6. Our flight yesterday was awesome. Actually, the whole trip went so smoothly it was almost disturbing. Gabe was cute and fun on the hour long first flight that was super cramped. During the really long wait to get off the plane, he started playing with the little boy sitting behind us and was laughing so hard that everyone had to turn around and look. It was pretty cute. The second flight was almost empty, so we got a whole row to ourselves. Gabe stretched out and slept for most of it, and then woke up and was happy the last hour. I was very nervous about how he would like being penned up for so long, but it ended up not being an issue. I felt very blessed the whole time.

On a less happy note, I didn't get to sleep until 3:30 last night, and then Gabe woke up every hour after that screaming. I am not sure what the problem was...I think he's teething again. It always seems to strike during the night. He will be fine in the day, and then sleeping becomes a huge painful ordeal. After the 2nd or 3rd time my wonderful husband (who hadn't got to sleep at all yet, since he was trying to get his homework finished) took him and I got to finally sleep. I love Ontario. I also love that Gabe is now sleeping peacefully and will hopefully be in a much better mood when he wakes up.

Stupid blog

I just tried to post a blog about labor and delivery, but it didn't work. I would re do it, but my baby just woke up, so I will try to post it again another time. Grr. 

Funnest Week So Far!

So, our computer is down and our neighbors moved away, taking their internet with them. That means that I stopped updating the blog really. However, we are someplace with internet, so I'm going to turn the keyboard over to my husband so he can give you all a quick update on our lives:

This has been the MFW, the Most-Fun-Week.  I entered a programming competition at school for a 3G iPod touch, and just missed it getting second place and a Mac programming book for the prize.  But I also won the suprise raffle at the end for another 3G iPd touch.  The next day I was layed off, so more time with Meggan and Gabriel!  We've been eating out a lot with the gift cards we've accumulated and running important errands together.  It's been so nice.  We jumped right onto job searching and I have found some good contracts that should be more lucritive that my last set up- so everything is good!  We feel bad for my old boss who feels like he failed the company when he had to let half of it go a week ago. 

We just feel very blessed. It's been a good learning experience, and also a nice reminder of how much we like spending time together as a family. It's hard to see getting layed off as a trial when everything that has come from it so far has been a real blessing. We are just really happy and enjoying whatever adventure this brings. Now we are off to Red Robin for lunch. Hurray for gift cards!

Ontario here...

Hi all- my first entry on my blog.  I also had a lot of fun on Saturday.  If Gabe is awake, he's always fun.  I've been thinking about this Saturday coming up too, and General Conference.  And I've been forming an opinion lately about living the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and being your best in general.  It's based on a favorite scripture:

 

O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe.
...

arise from the dust, my sons, and be men, and be determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things, that ye may not come down into captivity;

...

Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which ye are bound...

 

I think the prophet Lehi is warning about the kind of apathy that can creep over us slowly until it puts us to sleep.  So which of the following is worse, and please chime in below as you please:

1. Wanting to do what's right and doing it.  (I pick this as best.)

2. Wanting to do what's right and failing.

3. Wanting to do what's wrong and succeeding.

4. Not caring anymore about either.

Farmers Market

Ontario finally had a free Saturday, so we decided to clean out the car (which had been smelling like moldy orange and getting progressively dirtier) and then hit up the Provo Farmers Market.

After a yummy late breakfast of bacon, eggs and pancakes, we set out.

We had a fun time working as a family getting the car cleaned out, and it smells and looks much better now! Luckily the moldy orange was in a garbage bag we thought we had thrown out, but hadn't. It made cleanup a lot easier than if it was ground into the carpet. :)

The Farmers Market was awesome. It's pretty small, but we ended up going on the day they had a bunch of stuff sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club. It was just cool to see all the booths, and there was a fun carnival atmosphere. 

It was Tari's first time going, so it was fun showing him some of my favorite booths, and then deciding together what we wanted to get. We ended up with some earrings and a ring for me (thanks Babe!) and a cookie and homemade soap for him. Plus some pears and yummy fresh squeezed strawberry lemonade for everyone. 

After we had wandered around the booths for awhile, we took Gabe over to the park. He loved swinging with his dad, and grinned big enough that we could really see his teeth, which is hard to do usually. Then his daddy took him to play on the jungle gym, where Gabe proceeded to CLIMB THE SLIDE. This kid isn't even a year old, and he is already a monkey! He did it without any help. Luckily it was the small slide, so I didn't get totally freaked out. Then he climbed the ladder portion of the jungle gym to get to the tallest slide, and slid down that with no fear. This kid loves adventure.

All in all, it has been a great Saturday so far. I still get to finish my talk, do some laundry, and then go to the General Relief Society Broadcast. I'm pretty excited. 

Yay for Packages!

I just got a package, and it inspired me to write this blog as a shout out to flylady. Who is flylady, some of you are asking? She is my sanity and the person who keeps my household running smoothly. Her real name is Marla Cilley. Check out her website at www.flylady.net. Basically, it's a home organization system for people whose minds work like mine, but it is also much more then that. I truly believe that she is an inspired woman, who is helping thousands of people. My package had my calendar and my dryer cleaning kit, and I am super excited to use both. I guess that shows that I am a nerdy mom type person now, when I get really excited about household tools. I do though! I love having good tools! Anyway, this post is dedicated with gratitude to the wonderful flylady. I'm off to calendar now.

Weaning time

So, the time has come at last to wean Gabriel. We started about a week ago and things are going pretty well. I think it's obvious my body was done, since I haven't had any engorgement at all, even though we have cut him down pretty drastically from nursing whenever to maybe once a day. I guess the pregnancy hormones have pretty much shut down milk production. Luckily, he has taken well to a bottle (Raw goats milk, rice bran syrup, and molasses. Glad it's not me drinking it) and hasn't been too upset when we have had to say no to nursing. He slept through the night two nights ago, but last night was up and down quite a bit. It never mattered before because I didn't have to wake up to feed him, but now I am grateful for every time he settles back down without a bottle!

In baby news, we found out that our insurance WOULD pay for it, although with many warnings about it being out of network, a non provider, and probably horribly dangerous. Also many warnings that the deductible would be $3000, as opposed to $1500. That wasn't ever really an issue though, since we won't even hit the lesser deductible, with all costs included. Still....it's nice to know that it's taken care of, and we can use our other money for a new computer, since ours died and I have to use Tari's school laptop that has to be returned soon. 

I've been feeling incredibly pregnant lately, and am starting to waddle. Also, I am hungry all the time while feeling very full. Our kids always seem to sit right up inside, snuggled in amongst my internal organs. Not very comfortable. This one isn't too big yet though, so it isn't really bad. They are still in the acrobatic flipping around and practicing kickboxing moves stage. I actually love this part of pregnancy. It's so amazing feeling someone growing inside of you!

Gabe is doing great, apart from the weaning. He has anywhere from 3-5 teeth. He won't ever let me look to get an accurate count, and it's hard to guess from feeling (which he also hates). He is going to be a jack-o-lantern though, since none of them are in the usual first teeth places. He has two for sure on the bottom, on the left side. Then he has one, possibly two canines on the top. I can't wait till they get a little bigger and you can really see them when he smiles. 

In other news, Tari and I have to give talks on Sunday about preparing for General Conference. Any suggestions on what your favorite way to get ready is?  

Playing at the Park

This morning Gabe and I walked to North Park, about 6 blocks from our house. I had to stop halfway there for a little rest break. I'm obviously super out of shape, pregnant and have a gammy leg. However, I'm very glad we went because the weather is gorgeous and Gabe loved it. 

It's funny watching him at the park. He has no fear, and hasn't figured out things like gravity. He really likes trying to catch up to the other kids, and climbing the jungle gym. He has only really started walking this last week, but he doesn't let that stop him. He also snacked on some wood chips, but I tried to keep that to a minimum. 

Right now I'm waiting for the lasagna from last night to heat up for lunch. It was super tasty. I always get kind of nervous about my cooking, but I usually end up loving it. Is it stuck up of me that I really like my own cooking a lot? I really enjoy anything that is tasty, and I love trying new recipes. I've actually been considering going to culinary school. It's the only thing I can think of that I would really enjoy studying.  

1. Add a comment on my blog, leave one memory (or many, I don't mind!)that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

It's been too long!

So, I realized it's been almost 2 months since I updated. Most of that is because we have been in the process of moving to our new house, having family visit, and going on about three different vacations. The time of travel is now done, and I am safely back in the bosom of my family. As much as I enjoy travel, I am very glad to be done for awhile. It's nice to finish settling in.

This week has been a lot of fun as all the students have been returning. Our house turned into the landing zone, and we have had many visitors in the form of Krissie Ostlund, her friend Jenna, Aaron (not sleeping, but hanging out) and tonight we will get Joe Clark, not to mention my brother Evan who is living with us. They are all young folk trying to figure out jobs and housing in the Provo world, but we have just enjoyed having them around. Hopefully they will all be able to find apartments, since Provo is undergoing a major housing crisis right now.

I am really enjoying my new house, and I am get very excited about the fall and decorating for the holidays. I dont know why I can't have normal cravings when I am pregnant. I have been dying for Autumn, which isn't something you can just run down to the store and pick up. Instead I have been blessed with beautiful 90+ degree weather. Oh the irony of it all.

I am also getting very excited for the arrival of our newest addition. At my last prenatal appointment the midwife gave me the list of birth supplies I needed to get ready for the birth, and when I read the part about "baby clothes" and "baby hat" I got so excited. I can't wait to have another beautiful little tiny member of our family. Woo!

Moving

So, haven't really had time to update this week. We have been moving from our tiny 1 bed, 1bath apartment to our glorious, spacious, fabulous 3 bed, 2 1/2 bath duplex. I can't even begin to say how great our new house is. It has everything we wanted, plus some. Washer/Dryer, yard, TONS of storage, lots of rooms, plenty of space for a growing family, and it's partially in the basement, which means it is so nice and cool.

Here is the stinky part of moving: I have had a headcold, and I am still having first trimester queasiness and exhaustion. That means I have had almost no energy for cleaning, packing, or organizing, all key elements to moving. Plus my nose has been running for the last 3 days. It is finally stopping, and changing to the thick goop in my lungs. Hurray.

Saturday we rented a truck and Tari and our friends the Smith moved TWO households...Smiths to Spanish Fork, and us to further west in Provo. They were superheros. They were hauling stuff up and down stairs and loading trucks for almost 7 hours. Luckily we got some help for the last couple of hours. I am so grateful for our awesome neighbors who were willing to lose their saturday to help us move.

Now I am at the old house (where we still have internet...we need to get that hooked up in our new place) and I am supposed to be finishing the packing and cleaning. Some sisters are coming at 4 to help clean (bless their hearts) but I would like to get the packing finished before they get here. If I can only muster the energy...

Vacation

So, we have been in Crawford, CO for the last week enjoying a week of vacation with Ontario's family. We are staying at the family ranch which is AWESOME, to put it mildly. When I say family ranch, I mean extended family, not immediate family. But family nonetheless!
This is the house. The window on the far upper left is our bedroom window.

Our bedroom, with the awesome built in window bed



The view from our bedroom.

So, as you might imagine it's been a pretty awesome vacation. There have been lots of activities, like whitewater rafting, horseback riding, four-wheeling, hiking, goldmine spelunking, fishing, jeep tours, pony rides, etc. Unfortunately, I only got to participate in one or two of these activities because of my delicate condition. That was the same thing that happened last year. I have got to come sometime when I am not pregnant.

It's been a lot of fun, but also very tiring. I haven't been sleeping as much as usual, and neither has Gabe. Poor Tari has to put up with a cranky wife and son. But he also gets to do all the fun stuff I don't, so I don't feel too bad. :) It's been fun being with family and getting to know various cousins better.

One of the most exciting things that has happened so far has been our friendly neighborhood bear that keeps coming to visit. It's a pretty young bear that obviously hasn't been taught to be afraid of humans, because it tried to come in the house. It's just on the prowl for food, but it's pretty exciting when you are eating dinner and there is a bear 5 feet outside the window. I will post pictures of that as soon as I get them on the computer.

I need to go pack, since we head home tomorrow. I am tired, but happy.

Guess what?

In other news....we are expecting another baby in January.

Free Babysitting

I just talked to my brother Evan, and he told me that plans are moving forward, and he will be coming out in July. He is going to be moving in with us for an unspecified period of time. I guess we all know what that means: Live in free babysitting! Just kidding, although I don't think Evan even reads my blog. No, seriously I'm excited to have him come out. I haven't really gotten to hang out with him for a few years, what with overlapping missions, and then living across country from each other. It's going to be a party!

In other news, I took my friend Heidi up to SLC yesterday. She went to the chiropracter, and I went on a lovely walk around Temple Square with Gabe. It was a really fun excursion. We also had a nice picnic lunch that my wonderful husband made me. Spinach, tomato, and provolone sandwiches. Yum. We also got some neat pictures, which I will post once I get my camera back from Heidi.

My son is crawling around in his diaper, eating my cellphone. He has one of those gimpy crawls, where it seems as if only one legs works for actually crawling. I want to get a video of it, cause it's so darn cute and funny. Speaking of Gabriel, he is exhausted and it looks like naptime has come again. Later, ya'll.

Yesterday was our first day starting church at 1:20pm, as opposed to 8:00am, as it has been. It was kind of nice, having a relaxing morning, getting in some last minute lesson prep, and then heading off to church. We had a wonderful sacrament, with some really powerful testimonies born. I got a little sad thinking it would be my last fast sunday in this ward. I have really liked being here.

We also had a great evening. Gabe's mouth was really hurting him, so we went on a walk to distract him. We followed the same general path we went on when I was in labor with him, so it was somewhat of a stroll down memory lane. It was also the first time we had gone on a family walk since that day. Sad, but true. I think that is something I want to do more this summer. Maybe we will make it part of our evening routine to take a walk after dinner. It was so nice being outside, spending time together.

Gabe reminds me of a young James Dean today. He is sporting a tight white onesie, some dark wash jeans, rolled up, and a of course a very cool hairdo. He couldn't be more 50's if he tried! He wants so much to be walking, it's sometimes distressing for him. He is making great progress though.

For some reason I feel like a blog entry doesn't count if I don't include a picture. So here is a cute shot of Gabe and Ethan napping together the day before the Pauls moved. It makes me realize just how big Gabe is getting!

Packing

So, I had somewhat of an epiphany yesterday. We have had a lot of people in the ward offer to babysit Gabe (one of the benefits of having a cute baby in a ward full of baby hungry newly married people) but I usually don't take them up on it. We are always busy, or we just take him with us. However, I am having a really hard time getting everything ready I need to in preparation for moving. Yesterday I realized I could take them up on that, and just go back home and clean! I got my fridge cleaned out, and Gabe's clothes sorted. It was wonderful. Yeah for babysitters!

This is how Gabe helps me with packing: eating the phonebook

Unforeseen Side Effects

So, this week we have realized one of the side effects of Gabe getting a concussion. The doctors didn't warn us, but maybe they didn't know. Ever since he sustained a serious head injury, our baby has perfected the art of the insincere courtesy smile. I don't know if he is just humoring us now, or what brought it on. But he is always giving us this sickly fake smile. I am including photographic proof. It's one of the funniest things I have ever seen.

Concussions

We had our first medical adventure with Gabe this week. Monday night he was sitting on the bed crawling around. He sat up a little too close to the edge and tipped off backward, landing on the exercise bike (which usually lives in the living room). He was crying and acting weird and disoriented for about an hour, so we called some family and friends, who agreed that we should take him in. Ontario gave him priesthood blessing, and then we took him to the hospital.

We got to sit around the ER for a few hours while various nurses and doctors would come in and check him out every once in a while. Our good friends had kindly come with us, and during the wait times they regaled us with stories of their visits to the ER. It all ended with Gabe getting a CT scan (which he held very still for, despite being awake) and everything checking out. He did have a definite concussion, but it didn't seem to have caused any internal bleeding. They said we could take him home, and just to keep an eye out for losing consciousness or vomiting.

During the night he would wake up occasionally, and the only thing that would calm him down was having his daddy carry him around and sing to him. Once he was calm enough, he would bring him to me to nurse and we would all sleep for a few more hours. It made me very grateful for Ontario, and that he is such a good dad to Gabe and such a supportive husband to me.

The next day Tari worked from home to help out. Gabe was sad and clingy all morning, just wanting cuddles. Then around noon he projectile vomited (NOT what we wanted to see) so we took him back to the doctor. They checked him again and said everything else was okay, and to give him some tylenol and keep him under observation. The rest of the day was spent cuddling sad sick baby.

Everything seemed to be going well until the next day (Wednesday) when he projectile vomited AGAIN, 4 times. We headed back to the doctor (Gabe can recognize the pediatricians office now) and they did another check. All of his other symptoms were fine, so they said we could take him home, but if he vomited again that he would need another CT scan. Luckily, that was the last of the vomiting. He has been getting back to normal, and seems to be doing just fine today. It was a sad and scary couple of days though.

We're moving!

Ontario and I finally decided to jump on the bandwagon and get a blog. What can I say...basically everything that google does is awesome. I wanted a quick and easy place to post photos and updates of Gabe, and to keep our families in the loop. Hopefully some of them read it! :)

I started this blog about a month ago, but this is the first time I have actually posted something . :s Oh well. Better late then never, right? Our big news currently is that we are going to be moving next month! Due to an unfortunate series of events (i.e., they raised our rent a ridiculous amount) we have been looking for something around June or July. We finally found the perfect place in Provo. It's 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, with a front and backyard and a washer and dryer included. I am SO excited to be moving somewhere I have space AND I don't have to carry the clothes down three flights of stairs to the coin-op laundry! Plus, it's a partial basement apartment, which will be so nice and cool in the summer. I couldn't be happier with it. Heavenly Father really blessed us to find the right place.

















Gabe is officially crawling. He likes to follow me around the house, and I think he is enjoying his new mobility. Except that I am still faster than he is, so he gets mad if he crawls all the way over to me and then I walk away. H is also pulling himself up on things and inching along the edges. I predict he will be walking in the next few months.