Post Deprivation

My last post was in May. I visit my blog often for the links to other blogs I want to read. Each time, I feel this guilty twinge about not posting. I justifiably say, "I just don't have time to post. There is just way too much I have to catch up on. It is waaaayyy too overwhelming."

Ok, Ok, I know that this it is completely ridiculous.

The truth is, I do have some time, which I choose to use reading other people's blogs and a myriad of other things online. Basically, I waste my time much too often. I want to stop doing that, so I have kind of made it a goal of mine this year.

IT WILL BE DIFFICULT.

So, in an effort to keep myself accountable, I am promising the world out there in general that I will blog once a week. That is, until the arrival of my second child. It will get dicey again at that point, but I will do my best. I have no delusions of a large, loyal following of readers to this blog. If I have any followers, they have probably given up by now after months of post deprivation. So will pretend that you are there, and maybe a few of you will be.

The next question is, how on earth can I ever catch up on all that has happened since May? I have decided that is best for my sanity that I don't try. I will however abbreviate the two important thing in my continuing saga. (Can I say saga? Is my life that epic? Perhaps it can be once I stop wasting my time and start doing interesting things)

1. We moved to St. George!

What a great decision that was! I love it down here. We are enjoying wonderful weather, 50s, in January! We have a nice apartment for cheap, though with a few interesting neighbors. We have a great ward with a lot of friendly people in it. Part of enjoying the ward is that Ethan is in nursery now, which makes meeting and talking to people a lot easier. Marc is loving his internship. He even has some leads for jobs already! I have high hopes for us staying here.

2. We are having another baby! The due date is June 12th. I guess that is our favorite month in this family. Ethan's birthday is June 20th and our anniversary is June 28th. I told Marc that our next baby needs to be born in a different month, June is too full! Tomorrow is our ultrasound, so tune in for the news about the gender.

I think I will end with one last thing. I need to inform you all that I have the cutest son imaginable. It's official.

Even when he is naughty.

Milestones

Today I have a lot on my mind. There are so many milestones in my view right now. I thought I would share them with you. I love lists, so that is what you get.

#1: My parents are celebrating 28 years of marriage. I love them so much! I am so proud to call them my parents. They have been such a good example to me of what a happy marriage looks like. I have seen good and bad, but mostly good. They are loving and supportive of each other and do their best to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love you mom and dad!

#2: Marc and I's 2nd anniversary is approaching. We really have grown and changed so much in that time. there have been many hard times, but a lot of good times. I sometimes wonder how we ever got along without each other. We are a great team. I look forward to the future together.

#3: Ethan turns 1 on June 20th! I can hardly believe my baby is growing so fast! He is such a joy in our home, even when he is in mischief! He is so beautiful and smart. I don't see how I could ever think otherwise. I love being Ethan's mom!

#4: Marc graduates in a year. The end is coming fast. He has one semester left here in Logan, then another for his internship in St. George. It will be so nice to be done with school. I am counting down, seriously.

#5: My brother Willie graduated from high school this week. Congrats bro! I can't believe he is that old! It is so crazy. He is 7 years younger than me. He is the last child, so my parents are going to enter a new phase of life. After this summer they won't have any kids living at home, at least until next summer. ;) It is strange to think of them as empty-nesters. My dad will need a hobby, though I'm sure my mom has plenty to do. :)

Life moves so fast these days. Things really took off once I got married, and I am sure that they won't slow down for a long time. These milestones remind me that I need to find joy in each day, each moment, because everything is brief, but important.

Procrastination, again

I'm not sure many people read this blog anymore, since I hardly ever post. I keep finding excuses even when Ethan is sleeping. I will be completely honest. I have mostly used my blog to keep up with everyone else's. It is easy to just click the link on the side of my blog page to get there. At least I know what everyone else is doing, right? Not that it makes up for me not posting.

Ok, ok. So I suppose I should say what I have been doing. Here is a concise list for your convenience:

1. I have been pretty busy following after Ethan, who crawls everywhere, climbs stairs, and puts everything in his mouth.

2. We moved to a new apartment on April 1st, which we LOVE.

3. We have made two trips to Manti two weeks in a row, for family events.

4.We have bought plant starts for our garden, though we can't plant them outside until the weather makes up its mind that it is spring now.

5. Ethan had pneumonia and is just getting back to himself.

6. Marc is finishing up the semester and gearing up for working full time during the summer.

So I will try, try, again to keep up. REALLY.

Loooooong time

Well folks, it has been a long time since I posted last. Besides all that has been happening, Ethan is getting more active and I have been feeling tired. I have also been intimidated every time I think of posting because it has been so long. Ironic, no?

One thing that has been really difficult for me lately has been my energy level. I have been so tired, and now we know why. I have an extreme hypo thyroid. I kind of knew this already, since I was slightly so through my pregnancy, enough that I had been on a low dose of medication for it. After I had Ethan Medicaid ended and I couldn't afford to go to a doctor to continue with medication. I had thought that it was no big deal since I was on the lowest dose possible for this particular medication. Yet over time my thyroid has been getting worse without me realizing it. Lately my symptoms have worsened: I have been tired, yet unable to sleep well, experiencing mood swings, had very dry skin, been very sensitive to cold, and even gained some weight. Combine this with winter weather and yucky inversion air that keeps me indoors and I have been really down. I have struggled doing anything outside of keeping the three of us fed, in clean clothes and in a clean apartment. I sometimes even struggled with that.

Marc has been very patient with me through this, but has been getting more and more concerned about my moods. He finally convinced me to go to a doctor and have my blood tested. I am now taking 100 milligrams of synthroid instead of the 25 I was taking before. A BIG difference! I have only been taking it for a little more than a week, but I am already seeing results. The haze is beginning to lift and I feel like I'm becoming myself again.

This means so many things. I will be able to accomplish more and feel happier. I may even be able to keep up with this blog, but only time will tell.

Recent Shenangigans of Ethan and His First Christmas

Ethan, being the great son that he his, took it upon himself to personally inspect each and every light bulb for mommy's Christmas tree!

He says, "hmm....I'm not sure what to think about this spoon-feeding thing..."

Looks like he really likes it!

This is Ethan really enjoying his new bathtub ducky!

Here is Ethan with his cousin, Fallyn Fuentes, on Thanksgiving at grandpa and grandma Fuentes' home in Manti. So cute!

Cute Ethan and Halloween Ideas

Ethan is a cutie, with no choice but to wear what we put on him. Yet I think he was kind of having fun in this Hawaiian shirt. My dad added the ukulele because it fit the theme, but Marc also plays ukulele so it was that much cuter.

In this one, he even looks like he's singing. :)

I have been trying hard to come up with something for the three of us for the ward Halloween party, and it is hard! I have been thinking that maybe this Hawaiian thing can double as a Halloween costume idea. The three of us could be tourists with Hawaiian shirts and a camera. I'm not totally sold on it though. Another idea I had was to come as M&M's. We would all wear a solid color and stick M&M's on ourselves. My sister is going with her husband and child as bank robbers, with the baby either being the loot or a policeman.

If you have any grand ideas, please let me know!

Ethan's top 10

Hello all! In the world of blogging, I am definitely a top-notch procrastinator! I love reading everyone's blogs, but I don't post myself.

To catch everyone up, I will do my best to give a good picture of life the past nearly 4 months. I wake up in the morning and feed Ethan. I eat breakfast. I play with Ethan. I feed Ethan. I put Ethan down for a nap. I do housework while he is sleeping. I make dinner for Marc when Ethan has his second nap. I try to squeeze in time with Marc before I go to bed when he is done with homework. I get up with Ethan in the night. I repeat this every day. I keep everyone fed, clothed, and cleaned. Don't get me wrong, I love my life, even when it is routine and a little boring. It just isn't much to blog about.


Ethan of course, is growing so fast! He is becoming so smart and handsome.
Here is a list of the top 10 things that he likes to do:

1. Smile. He does this best for Marc. He loves his Daddy!
2. Play with his toes. They are his favorite toy.
3. Suck on his fingers.
4. Laugh. He really thinks that plastic baggies being crumpled is funny.
5. Listen. He likes all kinds of sounds and stops what he is doing and cocks his head.
6. Babble and gurgle. He makes so many sounds without opening his mouth!
7. Be carried on walks outside. He is completely quiet as he takes everything in.
8. Put things in his mouth. Blankets, toys, my clothes, my hands, etc.
9. Blow Bubbles.
10. Turn on his side. No rolling over yet, but it is only a matter of time.