Blessings

I love this time of year - people remembering their blessings, eating too much food, baking and sharing treats with friends, getting together with family, snowmen, Christmas and all the fun that season brings.....today is house cleaning, tomorrow is decorating!!

My dad flew in from Albuquerque for a week to meet Mallorie and spend time with Morgan and the rest of us. He was gracious enough to sleep on the couch and claimed he slept well each night! I have been wanting to get Morgan a little play kitchen, and since my dad does best with a project and he's good with woodworking, he agreed to build her one for a Christmas present. We snagged the well-laid plans from Becky Graf's website and went to work! The final product turned out super cute; I just have to paint burners on the stove a throw a coat on the back. We got creative with the faucet, knobs, and handles. I'm really pleased with how it looks. Santa and family are helping with the accessories - food, dishes, and aprons. Whee!!

Abuelo, the carpenter

The faucet handles turn!

Morgan getting water to drink from the sink

It was cloudy and rainy all week so we didn't go out much, but there was dancing, book reading, and cuddling with the baby. A good visit overall. For Thanksgiving, we went to my in-law's house for a FEAST! And of course there was chaos with lots of little people running around. After the meal the adults headed out for the corral to have a shooting contest with bows - I'm sad to report that Chadwick and I came in last. James and Jolynn, who own the bows, beat the socks off everyone except Steve. Jolynn promised Nathan that his arm wouldn't get drilled by the arrow, but he still came out of the activity with a huge bruise on his forearm! We lost one arrow in the wood but otherwise it was a success.

Uh, where'd it go??

And here are a few random photos...

Grandpa Steve and MJ

Sleeping with Abuelo

My sweet little M's!

Catching Up on Cuteness

You know you've been texting too much when you wait for the mis-spelled or incomplete words to fix themselves when you hit the space bar.....and a good friend admitted to being on Facebook too long when he found himself looking for the "like" button on an email I'd sent him. Ha!

Halloween was a blur - I opted to nap rather than get us ready for the Trunk or Treat and we missed the social hour. The treating itself was a whirlwind of kids running through the parking lot and then everyone was gone! Morgan, Mallorie, and I were cats. Chadwick was a cowboy. One year soon the girls are going to care about costumes and candy.....

Mallorie is growing up so quickly! Last night I found her staring intently at her hands, slowly moving them around in front of her face with the cutest expression playing at her lips. She smiles readily at Morgan, will coo for me when she's hungry, and enjoys being propped up on the couch or chair to watch the action. And she's been sleeping like a champ at night! Morgan adores her.

And here are a few other random pictures. Morgan with her drawing of herself (the big one) and Mallorie (the smaller picture in the lower right corner). And she helped me make brownies one evening and had a ball licking the spoon. I joined the fun!

So Morgan likes to watch a PBS show entitled "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood." I find it annoying but she seems to get a kick out of it. And the moral of the stories are usually good. One of the episodes has Daniel and his friend upset about something in life not going well and they were mad. Daniel's mom sings this little song about taking a deep breath and counting to four to help calm yourself. Morgan likes this song and will have me sing it to her when she's upset with her blocks. Well, the other day I was upset about something. She asked if I was mad, and when I replied "yes" she sweetly informed me that I should take a deep breath and count to four. "Sing that song, Mom!" When I told Chadwick about the incident, he about fell off the couch laughing! I guess someone is going to help me with my temper....good deal!!

A Name and Blessing

Last Sunday we had the chance to bless Mallorie and were lucky to have Chadwick's Dad, Steve, and brother James with him in the circle. Our good friend Bishop Cox and the current Bishop Woolf completed the circle of priesthood holders around our little girl. Sister Cox and I served together in Young Women and she has become something of an adopted grandma to Morgan and now Mallorie. All of her grandkids are out of state and I think she enjoys having a little person running around the house. Both are amazing people and I love having them in our lives. Sadly for us, they are moving for the winter down to Arizona....snowbirds!

James, Chadwick, Steve, Bishop Cox

Sister Cox

Nana Manwaring and Grandma Fife

We went to the Hunts for a yummy dinner which completed the day. Morgan continues to adore her little sister - asking to hold her, help burp her after nursing, or singing songs when Mallorie is upset. Song of choice? "I Am a Child of God." It's precious and usually helps to calm the little one until I can get there.

Even though I have had more cranky days than not since Mallorie joined the family, I am grateful she is here and blessed to have a priesthood holder in the house who is capable and willing to give a blessing to our sweet girl. I love my little family!

Five Weeks!

As slowly as time seems to creep, I can't believe that Mallorie has been with us for over five weeks now. She really is such a mellow baby - we'll see if she stays that way or if she develops into a fiesty little thing like her older sister. =) I would like to enroll Morgan into some sort of tumbling or gymnastics program this winter/early spring to make use of all the athletic energy she holds. One of her new favorite games? Tackling dad on the couch! "Dad, I tackle you!" she squeals before pouncing, unrestrained, on his head/chest/legs. Darwin is usually in the mix as well...I should get it on video. The cat avoids the chaos at all costs.



Burping her puppy

Recently, Morgan has taken to nursing her dolls or animals while I am nursing Mallorie. She even asked for a burp cloth to place on her shoulder for post-nursing burping - what a good little mom! There is a constant hum of cooking, changing bottoms, putting animals to sleep, or going to school on her bus (backpack in place on her back) going on throughout the day. Her imagination has really taken off! The other day she created a family of kangaroos with her blocks - mom, dad, baby, grandma, and grandpa. The men are, naturally, taller than the women.

Morgan and her kangaroo family

My four little M's!

One of the veterinary assistants from Bench Animal Hospital, a great girl named Megan, brought over some goodies for the girls and I. Morgan received a tiny little doll which happens to be the mini-me version of the doll I bought her when Mallorie was born. Grandma Cindy helped to name the bigger doll Myrtle, so we now have Myrtle and Myrtle Jr. 

And here are some photos of Mallorie recently. She looks like her sister, no?

...and she says...

Several days ago, Morgan was climbing into her high chair for an afternoon snack. In one hand was some yogurt, the other was the spoon she had picked out from the drawer. "Mom," she tells me, "I love gogurt (yogurt)....it's pretty awesome."

She says things like that all the time! It cracks us up. One time she told me that the blocks she was playing with on the floor were not to eat (as they are often food for her animals) but for decoration. Such big words for a little person! And yesterday, she informed Mallorie that her wails were not an inside voice.

This is also a powerful reminder to me that I had better watch what, and how, I say things. They may come back to get me at some near point in the future!!

Welcome, Mallorie!

Wow, I didn't realize that I haven't updated this blog since July....

Since my last post, we have had several adventures! The first was the bi-annual Hunt family reunion, which was held at the Hunt-Campbell cabin in Crouch this year (north of Boise for those not familiar). There was an Olympic theme and Emily had made books for each family member to keep track of the events we each participated in and we got to rate our efforts with different colored stars. For example, there were equestrian activities, basketball, a hike, and markmenship. Despite the lack of hot water in the cabin, stuffy bedrooms upstairs due to the 90+ degree weather, and being over 8 months pregnant myself, we had a blast! I love to spend time with Chadwick's family and Morgan enjoyed playing with her cousins. Her favorite question that weekend? "What's your name?" Poor girl couldn't keep track of everyone!

I spent some time in other clinics at the beginning of August doing relief work and then finished my usual job at Bench Animal Hospital at the end of the month. The last two doctor appointments with my OB demonstrated that this little girl was heads down but apparently in no hurry to continue to drop and there were no signs of my going into labor earlier than my expected due date of Sept 7. My dear husband told me that he had a premonition that I wouldn't deliver until the 15th! The voice inside my head told him where to stick that thought, as I had no desire to go so much later than expected!!

Because children, from the beginning, have their own agenda, I started having contractions the night of the 1st - I was restless at the time I went to bed and awoke at 3 am feeling some back labor. Not sure if this was the "real" thing, I dusted the house, swept the living room and kitchen, wiped out the fridge, and finally woke Chadwick up at 4 am. After some debate, we made a call to his mom and made the journey to the hospital. The staff let us sit in the room stewing for a while and when they checked, I was only dilated to a 3. The nurse had me walk for an hour to see what progressed, and by 6 am I was at a 4! They finally took us seriously and admitted us. Let the baby come!! Or not. I continued to have contractions at regular intervals for the next, oh, 12 hours. Chadwick ordered lunch, then dinner, fed me some jello (the best I had ever tasted, might I add), juice, and tried to keep himself occupied by watching tv and playing chess on the laptop. Prior to the start of the contractions, I had made the decision to have this baby naturally and without an epidural. So I breathed, tried to relax, and find a comfortable position throughout the day. By 8 pm on Sunday, the doctor broke my water and we thought "Sweet! Now things will start moving a little faster!" Or not. The contractions became intense, and despite the urge to push, I had to wait until 1 am before getting the green light. Come to find out, she was mostly face up, which means she wasn't coming easily and I pushed hard for 2 hours before being rewarded with our beautiful little Mallorie!

Her stats: Mallorie Jackson Hunt. Born Sept 3 at 2:43 am. Weighing in at 6 pounds 13 ounces, measuring 20 inches.

Mallorie in her isolette

Tired, new parents!

She was wide awake at birth, but having increased effort while breathing and she sounded kind of wheezy, which didn't make the nurses happy. They took her to NICU for monitoring and a chest x-ray - she had some air outside her lungs on the left side which can be fairly common in these little newborns. Chadwick and I visited her briefly after they finished with me and then we got a few hours of sleep. We spoke with the doctor in NICU Monday morning and she wanted to keep her for observation for 24 hours. Um, okay. Fast forward 24 hours, and Mallorie still hadn't produced any urine despite an IV fluid bolus, so they hooked her up to a constant rate infusion via IV catheter and kept her another 24 hours. Mom and I spent the night at the hospital Monday night and I hung out Tuesday, going up to NICU every 3 hours to nurse my baby. I was discharged Tuesday, Mallorie finally came home Wednesday.

Side story - my mom and Mark drove up from NM and arrived in Boise Monday afternoon. Chadwick had to work Tuesday, so Morgan was with Grandma and Grandpa Graham. She was super cranky Tuesday morning (not surprising given that her schedule was all off) but she developed a fever later that afternoon. And continued to have a fever despite Tylenol. When I got home from the hospital that evening, she had an armpit temp of over 102. Chadwick and I turned right around and took her to the urgent care down the street 10 minutes before they closed. And I was starving, by the way, so Mark brought my hamburger and fries to the clinic....Morgan checked out clean and had a fever of unknown origin, but they recommended Advil over the Tylenol. Within 40 minutes of Advil, Morgan was cool, eating dinner, and acting like her old self. For the next three days, as long as she didn't miss a dose of Advil, she was fine. Miss a dose and the fever was back with a vengence. She wound up with an ear infection and since being placed on antibiotics has had no trouble.


Morgan and Mallorie

Life is full of unexpected challenges and surprises! We are so grateful to our parents for their support and hard work the whole first week after Mallorie's birth. There is no way I could have managed on my own without their help. We are blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives!!

Ponderosa State Park

At the end of June, we loaded the car with three people, one large dog, and more stuff than should have been able to squeeze into a Santa Fe and drove north to Ponderosa State Park, located outside McCall, ID. We'd been looking forward to doing some camping since the middle of spring and couldn't wait to get out of town for a long weekend. Morgan was especially excited since we'd gotten her all wound up about tents, camping, and s'mores. Darwin, of course, was just happy to be included in the activities. Much to her dismay, Cleo spent the weeekend at Chadwick's clinic hiding in her condo and yowling at anyone who came into the room. At the time, I was about 28-29 weeks pregnant and fighting a head cold...not a good combo. Turns out, the weather was perfect, the mosquitoes horrendous, and our air mattress leaked (shocking, right?). We had a blast!
Just for a little history, McCall is the area we spent several days on our honeymoon and one of the reasons we chose to head back was because the weekend was near our anniversary. Plus, it would be the last big trip before we had two children and would be forced to re-think our packing strategy. =)

Friday morning of our trip, we ate at the Pancake House, stuffed ourselves and put a dent in the world's largest cinnamon roll. I think it's gotten larger since 6 years ago!? We spent the rest of the morning with a vet school classmate who lives and works in the McCall area and her son. Friday afternoon was back at the campsite, trying to nap in the heat and relaxing.

Both Thursday and Friday night Chadwick had to blow up the air mattress at least twice, I swallowed my pride and used Morgan's froggy training toilet for my twice-a-night bathroom "break-" the restrooms were too far for a 2 am excursion! - and my family was able to sleep pretty well through my coughing. I don't know if sleeping in a tent was everything Morgan hoped for, but she slept well enough and talked about it for a week after.

Saturday, Chadwick wanted to spend the day hiking around the lakes we hiked on our honeymoon, Boulder Lake and Boulder Reservoir. The lower lake was completely packed with people when we arrived, so we chose Plan B and decided to hike up to Lake Louie, a place neither of us had been. With the GPS guiding the way and Morgan riding on Chadwick's back in her pack, we set off. Unfortunately, the GPS didn't have the most current trail on board so we spent a good deal of time bush-wacking through an old trail, losing the dog once, and eventually finding the super nice new trail. Once we hit the old road that led to the lake, Morgan and I sent Chadwick and Darwin ahead for some fishing and we lolly-gagged behind. It took forever. At one point, I wasn't even sure we were on the right trail, but several people hiking down were able to reassure me that a lake did, in fact, exist at the top of the trail. Yes, the top. The last part of the trail was super steep and rocky....Morgan was a rock star and when she got tired, I played rock star by carrying her on my shoulders. We were somewhat well-known by the time we got to the lake as Chadwick has passed several people on the way who made comments about his empty child-pack. "My wife and daughter are coming behind me," he would laugh in reply. When we finally arrived to the lake, those same people said, "You must be the wife....and you're pregnant!" The fishing wasn't great, but we ate lunch, threw rocks into the water, and made some new friends. The hike home was uneventful and I didn't walk right for the next three days due to the soreness of my out-of-shape calves.

Sunday we packed up and drove home - stinky, tired, and glad for the adventure.

Overlooking Payette Lake

Campsite #49

Boulder Lake

Lake Louie

Wishing I could be IN the tent...

Look, Mom! A pinecone!

Just Like New!

I find it amazing how much a home can change with a new coat of paint, couch covers, or new flooring. It's like a whole new house without the hassle of actually packing, moving, and unpacking! Earlier last month, we had the opportunity to update our side of the duplex with a new kitchen floor, countertops, and new flooring in the main part of the house. A huge thanks needs to go to my parents and step-grandparents for their monetary contributiont that allowed us to do so much in so little time!! And another big thanks to James, who basically installed our laminate for us in a few days....

We love the outcome, and Morgan keeps talking about "our new floors." I can't say that I miss the marigold countertops that lived in the kitchen. If I get nostalgic for the look, all I have to do is take a trip to the bathroom and I can get my "fix." The only one not thrilled with the change is Darwin, who can't get a good footing when he wants to spin out and go crazy running through the house. =) I haven't decided if laminate is more or less work than carpet; it sure doesn't hide the hair and dirt as nicely! But a friend noted that our living space seemed bigger to her, which is a bonus in a house our size. Ha!

Now it's like you all have been here to visit....

And still going strong...

"When I said I do I meant that I will, til the end of all time
Be faithful and true, devoted to you
That's what I had in mind, when I said 'Ido.'"  ~Clint Black in our wedding song

Happy 6th anniversary to my better half!! I can't believe it's been that long....looking back it's been a wild ride!

• Two years of veterinary school, studying and learning how to be married
• A move to Boise
• New jobs and lessons to be learned from each
• One cat with multiple toes
• Expansion of our little family with the birth of Morgan Marie
• Purchase of a house
• Further expansion of the family by four big, yellow paws
• Learning to be parents and balance that with our partnership
• Purchase of Canine Blood Heroes, Boise and running a canine blood bank
• Looking forward to the birth of our second sweet girl in September
• And we're still learning and loving!!

Princess Undies: Part II

Since the start of potty training last week, Morgan has done GREAT! We've had no accidents to speak of (minus the slightly wet undies this morning when Chadwick forgot to have her go after the long night) and she's been mostly without diapers. I think she's got it!

Funny story - Thursday she told me that she needed to go potty so we sat there, and sat there, and sat some more. Sometimes she just doesn't have to go when I have her try, so I was all set to let her off the toilet to try again later. She kept insisting that she needed to go and I finally left her on the toilet alone for a few minutes (standing in the hallway). Not too long after, she mentioned something about a pinecone. "You want a pinecone?" I asked. "No," she responded. I walked back into the bathroom and found that she had successfully pooped in the toilet...and called it a pinecone! Two ecstatic M&Ms later, she was off for the rest of her afternoon activities. I told Chadwick about the incident and we laughed it off. However, the Marine and/or male in him started referring to the act as "dropping a pinecone." Sunday, she pooped once again in the toilet and when I asked if she had pooped a pinecone, she seriously responded, "No, I dropped one."

Thanks, honey. *note of sarcasm dripping from the keys*

She has also started having us not come into the bathroom with her. "Stay out mom" or "go on mom" is what I hear. Such an independent little spirit. She is turning into such a bright and beautiful little girl and I am so blessed to be her mom!

Princess Undies: Part I

For several months now, Morgan has been going to the bathroom in either her little froggy toilet, or more recently, on the big toilet. When asked if she needs/wants to go potty, she will sometimes say yes and run away to the bathroom, and sometimes say "no no no Mama!" And you can't change her mind. With my belly becoming more round by the week, I'd like to start pushing a little harder to see if she can grasp the whole potty-training thing before her little sister is born.
I bought some princess underwear several weeks ago, and yesterday I busted them out for the first time. She was super excited to be wearing them and refused pants for the entire morning so she could look and feel them. So funny! I loaded her up with juice and we had a morning of together time. Unfortunately, watching Sesame Street was too much of a distraction and she wet through Undies #1 of the morning. No biggie...on goes another pair, into the wash goes the wet undies and towel she was sitting on. We continued to play in the house and I sent her outside while I made lunch. Several minutes later, she was in "concentration mode" which we all recognize in our children immediately. She consented to pooping on the toilet.....but she had already gone in the undies. So much for Undies #2. And may I say that poopy undies are way worse than smeared, poopy diapers?? On go another pair.

She made it through her afternoon nap without a problem, but we didn't quite make it to the bathroom quickly enough after she woke up. Poor girl was mortified when she started urinating in her pants on the way to the toilet! Into the wash go Undies #3 and Pants #1. I also started a sticker chart and told her that when she got a whole row of stickers filled, we'd get her a treat. Off to the dollar store to pick out a puzzle. Made it home without a wet bottom until on the way to the bathroom again. This time she had a minor meltdown and wanted diapers put on instead of Undies #4 and Pants #3. Okay! It was a good start to the potty training sessions to follow. She didn't wet her diaper the rest of the evening and asked to go potty several times between dinner and bedtime.

This may be a long haul....

Past-Due Update

Morgan and I flew down to Albuquerque at the beginning of May to spend a week with my family - it was a good trip full of visits, laughs, walks, and too much eating. After I returned from the trip, I had a doctor appointment. My doctor walked into the room and said, "Wow - 6 pounds (in 4 weeks)! Where have you been?" Yeah....
The highlights included a trip to the Nature Center near the Rio Grande, shopping with Mom, lunch dates with Mark and Morgan, a train ride and tour through the Rio Grande Zoo, and good visits with Nana and Bop, Nell and Poppi, and Aunt Steph and Uncle John. Randomly, one of my vet school classmates works down there and I was able to have dessert with her and another classmate who was in town for the weekend to catch up for a few hours. Turns out, the last time I saw Darbie I was pregnant with Morgan!

We have about 350 pictures from the trip, but I'll spare you the details and post some of my favorites.

Binky, Bye Bye

There is a song on Sesame Street, sung by Baby Bear and his friends, as he transitions from a life with his binky to a life without. "Bye, bye binky! Binky, bye bye!" is the chorus, and I don't know the rest of the words. Much discussion has been had in our household the last few weeks about when to remove the binky from Morgan's life. Now, she has only had it during nap or bedtime for several months now (and occasionally during the day when she's super fussy and I need a break) and getting rid of it is the next logical step. A friend once said that she cut the tip off her child's binky, told her it was broken, and that was the end of it. I started telling Morgan several weeks ago that her binky was going to be broken soon. "Mommy, my binky broken" she would say. Not yet was the reply....until last Monday. I hid all but one of the binkies, cut the tip off the last one, and after a brief talk, handed her the broken binky. She popped it into her mouth, took a couple of test sucks, gave me a funny look, and took it out for closer examination. Although that afternoon nap went smoothly, she came out of her room after the nap with a scowl on her face. This is a child who wakes up happy, ready for the next adventure. Morgan, through her scowl, threw her binky onto the couch and promptly laid down with her blanket on the floor near my feet. Huh. That's happened several times.

I had major guilt all last weekend over the pending binky-breaking; Morgan LOVES her pacifier and is so calmed by having it! She has done really well this last week despite the change. It doesn't seem to bother her that the binky is broken - she carts it all over the house, gives it rides on her little bus, and even told me one afternoon that she loves her binky. In fact, she's become rather obscessed with it I think. Most nights, she wakes 3-4+ times, comes into the bedroom, and wants to be tucked into her blanket once again. She doesn't fall asleep as readily at night without it, and most nights neither her nor I sleep well. Unfortunately, she won't let Chadwick tuck her back into bed without a fight and many tears, so I usually end up dragging myself out of bed to just get it done. Turns out, making her "cozy" and tucking her under her blanket is majorly backfiring. Poor kid won't settle don't without me doing it for her! Even every two hours during the night....

I've now been discussing the possibility that the binky should be thrown into the trash. That will be the next step. Yes, I may use some form of bribe - a present of some sort from the dollar store, let's say. And I have been madly brainstorming of some way to tuck her under a cover so I don't have to do it for her multiple times per night....we'll see how this goes. Wish us luck!

Big Girl Bed

Happy belated Easter!

Last weekend was pretty calm for us as a family - I worked Saturday, vaccinated some horses for one of the techs, and had a "spa" night with some girls which was a blast. Chadwick was with Morgan and managed to stay busy. Sunday, the Easter bunny brought Morgan some goodies in her Easter basket and hid eggs in the backyard. Her favorite part? Opening the egg and eating some of the candy hidden inside. She was really onery at church that afternoon....looking back, it's probably due to the abnormally high sugar intake of the morning! Sweet girl still asks for eggs in the backyard and the Easter bunny. James, Jolynn, and their two kids came over for a yummy ham and potato dinner in the evening. Poor Gideon spent too much time spinning on the swing and missed dinner while sleeping off the queasiness. His color was much better after his nap!

The big adventure in our house (aside from the upcoming ultrasound to take a peek at Baby "Bo") - we upgraded Morgan's crib to a toddler bed! She was super excited about her "big girl bed" and hasn't really seemed to miss the safety of her crib. Her and Chadwick put it together a few weeks ago and she spent her first nap in the new bed conference weekend. She helps me pull a cover over the bed each morning and gets all excited to sleep in her big bed. There were no problems the first week...then she started having trouble going to sleep, wouldn't stay down, etc. Recently, she's been working through fears of sirens and the big dog barking next door, so between those noises and a new bed I think it was too much. The fear of sirens is better and we're working on the barking one. We now leave the door cracked a little and she has been doing great the last few nights. Morgan tells me, "Leave door a little open and I stay in bed" since I have been telling her to stay in bed when I lay her down. So sweet! The crib is out and we're on our way to bigger things!