Nelson Christmas Card

...coming soon to a mailbox near you!

Poor Baby

rhea's teeth are still wreaking havoc. we're up for another fun night!!

She drew blood!

So, I didn't blog yesterday. We had such a crazy day. My mom's flight was delayed, the weather was awful which caused our drive to be even longer and we found another tooth in Rhea's mouth. I was out the minute I hit the pillow.

However, that's not what I wanted to write about. What I wanted to tell you is that those teeth Rhea is growing are some serious chompers. Such serious chompers that when she bit me for the bajillionth time, I yelled, pulled her away and decided it was time to wean.

Rhea has bitten me before. The first real time, she drew blood. It hurt so bad that I screamed "NO!" and she just giggled. I didn't think anything of it until I went to nurse her again and oh.my. That pain was ridiculous and enough to make me grumpy the rest of the day. It took a week to heal. She's bitten me (dare I use the word nibble? I can't think of a better description) a few more times but today's hurt especially bad since she's up to 4 teeth and I just can't do it anymore, even though I'd planned to nurse until she was a year old

So, tonight while I was bringing dinner to the table, I heard my mom and Adam snicker. They were watching Rhea eat a little cheese puff snack. She was putting it into her mouth, grinding back and forth then violently yanking it back out. She reapeated this over and over again.

My mom said, "Oh Tara, that could've been you!" And with that I decided that although it's not something I planned, if I ever hope to nurse again, I must cut her off because she was looking to do some serious damage. If you ask me, Rhea's a wolf in sheeps clothing.

Wearing Thin

We're working on our another tooth and it's been a rough one. Boycotting naps, angry (extremely loud!) whines and irregular hunger makes for tired parents. Luckily tonight we were able to go out on our own for a little while but came back to an unhappy baby and that stubborn tooth.

So, I'm coping out on the blogging tonight because as I write this at 11:10pm, I have an overly awake baby laying next to me, acting as if it's perfectly okay to be up at this time of night.

Thanks goodness we have another set of Hail Mary's flying in tomorrow....

Get some sleep for me, will you?

Exploring

Rhea is learning and changing every day. She has developed a new habit of become extremely hyper in between bath and bedtime. We love the time with her even though it makes it harder for her to go to sleep. Her facial expressions crack me up- you can tell she is so proud of herself. Here's a video of her learning to stand by holding herself up:

Quality Time

We were very concious, after having Rhea, to make sure we made time for one another. During school we make sure to at least eat dinner together and go to bed at the same time. We prided ourselves on having a great relationship but it's the little things that sneak up on you and change your whole life. So today, in the middle of laundry Adam looked up at me. He gave me that look. That look. I was folding laundry and obviously not in the mindset. I looked up, he smiled and said:

"Hey. Wanna play Scramble? I bet I can beat you"

And just like that, we found yet another way to spend time together.

test post for touch app

Test post for blogme app. This app will let me blog photos I take on the run. Sound like fun? We'll see.

Like nobody's watchin'...

I have always loved music and prided myself on keeping up with the newest bands and songs. However, once I got married, my priorities (and budget!) changed, and along with it my concert attendance decreased significantly. So, when I found out we were having a little girl, I promised myself we would have a lot of dance parties so I could share with her my love of music.

One our favorite songs? Teenage Dream by Katy Perry and Love Drug by Ke$ha (I hate that money sign). Not the best songs to teach her but their so much fun to belt out. And guess what? My favorite show did one of them put their own spin on the arrangement. Go ahead, try and tell me you're not impressed:

Teenage Dream on Glee

So proud!

Adam had babysitter duty today while I worked on homework. I try really hard to not micro manage Adam while he watches Rhea. I usually want to correct little things he does here or there but she is always happy to be spending time with him and has yet to come back from running errands with him without all ten fingers. Adam also got a new toy (aka: early Christmas present), an Ipod touch and cannot do anything without it. So, here he is sharing his new toy with his sweet baby.

Enjoying YouTube Baby Einstein videos

Once the fancy screen got old for the both of them, I asked Adam to run a few more errands. Naturally, he went in to change Rhea's diaper and get her dressed for the cold. And.... this is what she came out looking like:

Guys, I didn't say a thing! He was so proud of the outfit and I couldn't stomp on his proud papa happiness. So, out my child went, lookin' like a stylish hobo. I've never been more proud!

Clips of happiness

**If I had the money, I'd buy this car because it's such clever writing.

**I've had this song stuck in my head all day and it's what I picture when I text Rhea's picture to Grandparents

**I've missed him so.

**One of my favorite movies of all time. Always a good laugh.

What are your favorites?

Favorites

I realized I've never mentioned some of my favorites on my blog. Since I've promised to blog all month, I figured I'd stretch it out. So here are some of my favorite books:

The Secret Knowledge of Water by Craig Childs-- I recently read this book for a class, thinking I'd read it to fulfill the assignment. However, I really enjoyed it. It's his experience of hiking through the desert mapping water holes. It's a different but interesting read.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe-- my brother recommended this one to me and I loved it! It bounces back and forth between a Grad student in 1991 and the Salem Witch Trials in 1962. Its an easy read and a fun one at that.

C. S. Lewis Books: I have loved every single one of these. He's commonly quoted but his books in their entirety are even better. I've even given The Screwtape Letters as a gift..odd but true :)

Lastly, I have loved, loved, loved this children's books. My Dad has always been known for his twisted sense of humor and this book fits right into it. I love the smart writing and fantastic artwork. I couldn't find it on Amazon, but the same authors more recently wrote a clever book about the US Presidents. If you can find it, buy it.

Happy Reading!!!

Waving the White Flag

I found out I was pregnant one month before I started graduate school. We were thrilled and faced with a decision: do we both attempt Grad school with a little one or do I back out in order to stay at home with Rhea?

Needless to say, we both decided to start Grad school. My teachers were wonderful when I was pregnant- they would rearrange the syllabus, and work with me one on one. When I had Rhea, my classes congratulated me and helped cover the classes I missed. But that all ended when summer hit.

This semester has almost killed both Adam and I. The first month we patted ourselves on our backs for making it through without babysitters (other than Adam watching Rhea while I was in class), our baby was happy and healthy and we were still married. One point for us. THEN October hit and deadlines came crashing down faster than we could handle. I was quickly learning that my only time to work was nap time and bedtime, and nap time was never a guarantee.

During the last week in October, I was driving home late after class and a few meetings, and heading to pick up dinner when I callled Adam. I told him we needed help and wouldn't it be nice if my mom could come watch Rhea for us? She could watch Rhea all day, she'd know the importance of a schedule and the importance of school work. A win-win!! I hesitantly called my mom and left a voicemail, nothing short of begging her to come out and if she couldn't, I needed a serious pep talk.

The next day my Mom called and agreed to come out, but she couldn't come out for a few weeks. We told her we'd take anytime she'd give and could find a way to manage until then.

But guess what?? We had two lovely house guests arrive today: Adam's parents Annette and Gary. They swooped in, fed a hungry little baby, helped Adam weed and mow the lawn while I worked on homework. Gary made sure we all stayed up to date on the UofU vs TSU game, as well. Right now we're all lounging on the couch while Rhea is peacefully sleeping.

The best part? They're here until Monday night! I don't even know what to do with all that time. I mean.... I do know.... just think: I could have a quiet shower without wondering what Rhea will get into or uninterrupted cleaning!?

I'll understand if you're jealous. I've got myself one good pair of in-laws.

Remembering

Six years ago today was a day that I will always remember. Five years ago my close friend Josh died and it was my first real experience with loss. I vividly remember the evening when I found out: I was getting ready for a date with my boyfriend when my friend Dustin called and asked how I was doing. I remember calling downstairs to Mom with complete disbelief. I remember driving with my friend Paige over to his house. I remember hugging his parents and the utter heartbreak I felt when I heard his Dad tell me that just because Josh is gone, didn't mean I could be a stranger to them.

I remember calling my sister at 1am after crying all night asking her to bring me home something to eat. She brought me Wendy's chicken nuggets and I just picked at them, still unable to process what had happened. I remember going to church and truly questioning what I believed. I remember going to school and hearing kids talk about it and wanting to scream. They had no idea what had gone on, who was to or not to blame, and what the pain felt like. I remember writing about it in my column in the school newspaper and for the first time realizing what a great release writing could be.

His mom called me this morning, like she has been for the last five years, to check up on me and say hi. We casually talk about how things are going and then express just how much we miss Josh. Most years I would break down after the phone call, not sure why it still affected me so much. However, this morning after I hung up, I continued on with my day. Adam had to head off to class, I had errands to run, and it wasn't until tonight while going through the nightly routine with Rhea that it hit me. Josh died and the hurt I felt and still feel will never surmount to the pain his parents feel. I cannot imagine losing Rhea.

So tonight I'm remembering Josh. In a way, Josh helped me remember how amazing it is to be a parent and what a privilege it is. I'm not grateful he passed away but I am grateful that every year, on November 5th, I'll remember Josh by spending time with Rhea, making sure she understands just how grateful we are to have her in our little family.

Picture Message

Rhea and I accompanied Grandma Annette to Gardner Village, as is our yearly tradition, when the men are off listening to priesthood conference. We had such a fun time and Rhea loved all the colors, sounds and things to grab at in the impossibly tiny little shops. You can't tell in the picture but she blended in well with her purple and green striped leggings... she was matching all the witches!

The Plague

Our house has been hit by colds. Last week Adam moped around the house feeling sick and unmotivated it do much. I have to admit, I was a little putout. I figured he could at least help here and there...now, I'm eating my words.

I woke up this morning with the scratchy throat, throbbing head and achey body. I had a happy baby who needed my attention and a husband in classes all day. I had to man the house alone. Luckily, Rhea is a content little girl and a pretty fun companion for when I'm not feeling well. We played a lot on the couch, watched quite a few baby Einsteins videos and took naps.

So, with my house a disaster, the kitchen still needing to be cleaned, and my bed calling my name... I'm leaving you with a video. Rhea has recently been boycotting bedtime. Our usual routine is dinner, bath time then bedtime. More recently, she has been sneaking in some playtime between the bath and bedtime which makes for an overly tired and hyper baby. Enjoy! (...ok it's taking forever to load. SO, I'll post this to count for today and upload the video tomorrow. Goodnight!!)

A Hoot

In August my Mom came out to take my brother, Alex, who was also visiting, up to BYU-I for school. There isn't a whole lot to do in Logan and we were scrounging to find something to entertain them and entice them to come back. Luckily, every Saturday our little town has a Gardner's Market with homemade items, garden veggies and art. My mom and I fell in love with a certain booth with crocheted beanies.

Fast forward to October when we had to find a costume for Rhea. We remembered the beanie and figured it would be an excellent solution. October is cold (read:SNOW) and a warm costume was needed. So, the week of Halloween I ventured into a fabric store (all by myself!) and purchased a few cuts of felt. I had one idea of how to fashion the costume and Adam had another.

Thursday night Adam sat down with the scissors and began cutting. Cutting without measuring or thinking. Minutes later, he holds up a winged outfit. A few wing tips, back feathers, and a pair of homemade pants later, we had ourselves one dang cute Owl:


And the costume without a wiggly baby inside:





I'm thinking Adam will now be the designated costumer for all our kids costumes...

Nablopomo

So... I guess its something like national blogging month and I have decided to participate.
That's right, I'm back.
I took a slight hiatus from this bloggity blog. I had a baby, finished another year of school and thoroughly enjoyed my summer. What didn't I do? Oh yeah... document my baby's first months of life. I'm still kicking myself for that one. I have a ton of pictures and videos only grandparents would love and I just.need.to.blog.

So, here it goes. The official kick in the butt to get me going again. November will be a miserable month with final papers and presentations and endless research but HEY. My baby deserves a spot on this blog and she'll get it (I might even include some posts about how the talented Adam created a Halloween costume outta nothin' but is there anyone here who doubts his creativity?... I didn't think so.)

Get excited. I've got some good stories packed away and if I encounter a writing block, I might just pull them out of my reserve.

Another goal this month? Torture Rhea by photographing her like this. Who's with me??

ps. check out Adam's post below-- I didn't think it was fair to make his dress compete with pictures of Rhea for comments!

... And the Winner Is....

What do you get when you mix interior design materials, interior designers, and a bunch of people who cant seam to get rid of cysts that grown on their internal organs (PC? probably not)? -Fashion Remix
As Darrin Brooks, our valiant team leader said it:
"IIDA's Fashion Remix, is an interior design charity fashion show to benefit cystic fibrosis. 23 architectural and interior design firms created dresses out of interior materials such as carpet, tile, wallcovering and other building products. The teams drew a vendor out of a hat in April and then we spent a lot of time creating our dresses.
Here is our dress made out of office chair fabric ( like a trampoline fabric) a chair back, mouse & electrical cording and 12 desk lights. We had a great team!!! Dream team."
As the winners for the night were announced we became increasingly excited. We knew we had the very best dress, and we were not going to get stuck with some lame award like "best use of hard materials". When the awards had almost been all given out they announced the "Peoples Choice Award".
...And the winner of the "Peoples Choice Award" is- drum role please (you, the reader, can find some solid object to tap on before reading this)- Utah State University! We were all invited up on stage to take pictures with our model and show off our amazing crew to the crowd. As we left the stage the announcer asked us to stay and take a couple more picture BECAUSE (drum roll) we were also "Best of Show" (First Place). The crowd went crazy! The whole experience was amazing!
If you hadn't already guessed it I was the technical systems designer. My job on the team was to find a way to take parts of a task chair and create a dress frame, drilling, tapping, welding, whatever it took. When finished with that I needed to outfit the frame with 12 LED desk lamps. Since the lamps retailed at $450 a pop, yes, $450 a pop, I had to figure out a way to incorporate and power them without altering them. this meant a bunch of radio shack junk, 20 hours of soldering and TWENTY-FOUR 9volt batteries to power them all.

I was also the photographer for the night, and yes, that first amazing photagraph of our dress was taken by me! Here are a couple of the other dresses from the night.

Laddling (not Ladling) at Lake Powell

Do you know what a Laddle is? Well, let me tell you. It’s kind of like a ladle but it’s made out of plywood and has an extra "D". Another key differentiation is that it is not used for scooping gravy out of a gravy boat (we'll get back to gravy boating in a little bit), but for scooping your body up out of the water when being pulled behind a jetski. A Laddle is a skim board (remember river boarding?). Jesse and I spent 45 min the night before we left, hand crafting this one-of-a-kind nautical piece of genius. And if you were wondering, yes, its 6 ply oak veneer with spray lacquer finish complete with pink sharpie marker graphic and anti-skid tread tape- only the best will do.

What do you get when you sit on a Laddle? A Gravy Boat. And that’s just what I did! Unfortunately this picture below is that last picture taken of the Laddle being riden. As I was Gravy Boating down the lake, the front of the Laddle caught the water and broke the board in two. After a few kind words in a ceremonious cremation celebration we burned the Laddle… and some sagebrush.

So why “Laddle” instead of “Ladle”? what does the extra "D" stand for? -Disfunctional Spellers (dysfunctional?). When Jesse and I made the board, and put the graphic on the bottom, we spelled ladle wrong. We have learned to embrace such mistakes. I mean seriously, who wants to ride a ladle?

Laughing, Trucks and Blowing Bubbles

Rhea loves watching Oliver play

Last Saturday was truck day at the elementary around the corner. We took Rhea and gave her a proper introduction to some of the worlds greatest trucks. Tara and Rhea were especially intrigued by the Mercedes unimog.
Rhea's newest talent is blowing bubbles at us.

The end of an era… oh wait, Nope, I’m a genius.

Approximately 7 hours and 23 mins ago a virus violently attacked my computer. I quickly contained the bite biting fiend and called the USU help desk for backup. Upon some deliberation the conclusion was made that I should bring my computer to them for some help. After about 30 mins of intense mouse clicking and hole digging my undergraduate comrade threw in the towel. We had only made things worse. Nothing was left except wiping my hard drive clean- so he said. I went home disheartened, but not defeated. I called a few other computer repair places. They knew the virus, and all concluded that my computer had already given up the ghost; it was time for me to move on. BUT I WOULD NOT! My computer had never let me down and I sure as hell wasn’t going to let him down. Visual note: you should be picturing the quintessential dead man on the stretcher when the hero does his double fisted chest smack to restore an unstable but fluttering heartbeat. I coaxed him (my computer) into a previously unavailable safe-mode. After a few more calls, exclaiming my wonderful progress, they left me with little to no hope. Despite their recommendations I continued slowly restoring the most important parts, and in an anti-climactic for you, the reader, but extremely climatic for me, the owner, ending my computer booted up, after 7 hours, as though nothing had ever happened.

So in the end I guess my 4 year old work horse of a computer still has a few years left in him. What did end was the no-anti-virus-software-era. I can afford to share some processing power with my little buddy to help take care of him. I said “buddy, you know you need to take care of yourself.” So we installed the software together. I think being a dad has really opened my eyes to what’s important in my life.

Rhea's 6 months old, and you know what? She loves Peaches!

Today we went to Rhea's 6 month appointment and as hard as we try the girl just wants to be skinny. I'm in the process of trying to give her a skinny complex, so she desires nothing more than to be the plumpest baby on the block.
Here's the stats:
she weighs 13lbs 6 oz. (10th percentile)
and she is 25 1/2 inches tall (50th percentile)

In our conquest of ripening up our child we have tried to sneak some snacks between meals. Today we gave rhea some of a peach, and by the look of things, I think she has no clue we're tricking her into eating it.

Highlights from the best day ever!

I must warn you in advance. Tara told me this post was kind of boring, so if that doesn’t get you all excited to read it- I don’t know what will.

Yesterday was quite the doozy. I torqued my back while working on my car Tuesday night. After a quick call to the insurance company to see how much it would cost to go into the ER they convinced me to not go to the ER for the absolute worst pain I have ever felt in my life (once upon a time I broke two ribs off my sternum. When I would sneeze I could feel them pop in-and-out of place. It felt like that every time I moved).

After finding out that all the back specialist in cache valley were booked two weeks out I decided to call the insurance company and see what other back specialists were available. At first they tried to send me to a chiropractor- which I had already told them I could not see. I needed a real doctor. After telling him a second time what kind of doctor I needed he told me I would need to go down to Ogden. He gave me some names and luckily the first person I called told me if I left right then I could make it to an open appointment. Insert happy ending here- NOT.

After bouncing around in the car for an hour (remember worst pain ever) I pulled up to find out that I am at a chiropractor's office. WHAT! So I called back and told them now that I was wrongfully in Ogden and they needed to find me a real doctor. I was furious. The lady on the phone took, no joke, 10 minutes to clarify the type of doctor I needed.

A snippet of my phone call follows:
"sir let me understand this correctly- you don’t not want to see a chiropractor?" "NO!"
"let me just clarify, we are looking for a doctor in Ogden, not Logan?" Yes!"
"and sir if I understand this correctly you don't want a family practitioner?" "NO! I need a back or spine specialist"
"sir would a neurologist work?" "I don’t know? I thought they worked more on brains, do they also specialize in spines?"
"I'm not sure sir" “If you’re not sure than lets count them out, maybe we should look for orthopedic doctor?"
"let me just clarify, we are looking for a doctor in Ogden, not Logan?" YES!!!"
“do you spell that O-G-D-E-N?” “seriously? –yes”
"Sir what about an interalist?" "NO! Let’s stick with orthopedic doctors that specialize in backs or spines- is that possible?" "sure thing sir. Would you prefer a doctor that can also do surgery in the event that you needed it?" "Finally, YES! That sounds great. An orthopedic surgeon that specializes in spines"
"Alright sir I have some phone numbers for you, do you have a pen..."

The representative proceeded to give me two phone numbers. The first number was disconnected, and the second was the number of a hand surgeon. At this point in time we decided that we were better off without crappy crappy United Healthcare, and in the end we looked up our own doctor at McKay-Dee hospital, and got me my much needed MRI.

Viva la IHC!

This morning my doctor called me and told me I have a bulging disc and a little arthritis in my lower spinal joints. This would not appear to be good news, but it is. Neither of these things requires surgery, and in the event that the steroids they gave me don’t help with pain I can get a shot in my back that will take care of any pain for at least 6 months. No matter what there is relief in sight.

… and they lived happily ever after. The End.

There might be somehting wrong with Rhea

Its just an observation but we think that the nerves that control Rhea's vocal chords might be cross wired and are partially controlling her arms and legs.

A Happy and Healthy Baby

Today Rhea had her first real meal.

rice cereal+butternut squash+a dash of booby juice=happy messy baby

Rhea saw the pediatrician today and she is a whopping 11 lbs. 13 oz. We had hoped she would be a tad heavier, but the doctor said she is moving closer to the average and away from being statistically small for her age. whatever her size we're just thrilled shes happy and healthy.

Test drive - successful

I did it!!! I drove it for the very first time! its not done, but it sure feels good to take it down the road. Free rides on me!

Was it foolsih to think I could build a car from scratch?

When I got the buggy many years ago, I would’ve told you that it was going to be “manageable” and would be one of my “quicker projects”, BUT as I reflect upon what I’ve done to the car I’ve had to reevaluate the depth of this project.

Soon the glorious day will arrive when I will triumphantly pilot my mona lisa to the- ahhh- nearest safety inspection site. Honestly, after I replace, retrofit, or rebuild every component of the car, I start to second guess my work and wonder “hmmm… did I really remember everything?” and “should I actually drive it on public roads / at all?” or “maybe I consider it a triumphant journey, crack the ceremonial bottle of Champaign over the hood, and haul it to the nearest dump?” I know what you’re thinking -and- don’t worry about the hood, it’s Rhino Lined.
But seriously I’m getting closer. I got the seat motor wiring harness installed this Saturday (a task I have been avoiding for quite some time) and got half the seat mounting brackets built. It’s fair to say that from the driver seat back the buggy is finished, The wiring in the engine compartment is a work of art (they make the land rover harness they originated from look like black dog poo), The brakes work perfectly (at least the 4 foot push test rendered them to be in tip top shape), and the engine is mostly new and in a semi-reliable state (nothing I have done can validate this statement, but as far as I can tell it won’t explode).

All joking aside the car is going to be very safe. I would put its safety rating somewhere between a brand new civic and a pinto.

Blessing Day

I've noticed recently that I have a serious lack of motivation to blog. Let's blame it on the baby, shall we?

We were able to bless Rhea this past weekend and (amazingly!) both families were in town. Adam did an amazing job and I began to realize just how much our lil' Rhea is loved. Since Rhea was born early, she has always been small-- and because of this, she didn't fit into my blessing gown. My mom offered to make another one and it was beautiful. It's made with Dotted Swiss fabric and smocked in front with tiny little pearls. Rhea behaved perfectly and even showed her blue beauties for the camera.

Proud Papa

L to R: Jesse, Gramps, Gary, Adam, Stan, Grandpa, Matt, Mikey and Kyle

three generations

Mmm... love those lips!

... Love Dan

I know its not a picture of Rhea but I was looking through some old pics this morning. I found this one from a trip when I went and visited my older brother Eric a couple years back. We went hiking and we saw many things but none as hilarious as this.

Easter Weekend

A few weekends ago Annette (Adam's mom) and I scoured Salt Lake for a sweet newborn dress for Rhea. It seemed that no one made dresses small enough for my little girl. That is, until we hit the jackpot at the Carter's outlet and found what may be the cutest dress I've ever seen. And Annette, being the thoughtful grandma, found the perfect matching headband.

My parents and brother, Alex, came in town for General Conference this weekend and my Dad and Alex also met Rhea for the first time. It was a surreal moment when my Dad met Rhea, that is until he started laughing because Rhea's pouty face was the mirror image of the one he's seen me make over the years.

Lastly, Adam asked me to inclue this picture because he's a proud papa of his girl's ability to pose for the camera: