New Mexico Sun

From the time I was born, the days surrounding my birthday have been filled with hot air balloons. Each year, for two weeks in October, Albuquerque hosts the International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. Thousands of people and balloons come from all over the country (and world) to participate in the events. This year, some 500 balloons were present. They take off each morning at 7:00, weather permitting, and have some events in the evenings as well. The fiesta grounds are lined with tents, offering everything from food to souvenirs. It's like the fair at 6:30 in the freezing cold! Chadwick hasn't had the opportunity to experience any of this, so the four of us flew home for a visit with my family and friends in the Southwest.

Saturday morning, we loaded the sleepy kids up into the truck, grabbed some snacks, and waited in line (in the truck, luckily) for an hour for our place to park at the balloon grounds. The wind was blowing, the air chilly, and there wasn't a cloud in sight. Unfortunately, the wind was too much for many of the balloons to launch, but we were able to see several of them up close. In addition, we ate green chili breakfast burritos washed down with hot chocolate. A note about these burritos - I've been bragging about them since moving away to attend college. Their warmth, the scrambled eggs, bacon, and flavor of the green chili....heavenly. Turns out, they were better in memory. =) The girls had a good time, though Mallorie was mad that I wouldn't put her down to walk in the grass. I hadn't bothered to bring her shoes and had bundled her around fuzzy pjs.

As is typical, the following morning was pristine and hundreds of balloons were able to launch. Maybe we'll have better luck another year!

Looking pretty good for waking up at 4:30!

Walking towards the launching grounds

There's a baby in there somewhere...



 

A quick note about this last picture - as the crowds were leaving, we noted a mounted patrol at one end of the grounds. Horse person that I still am, I had to go check them out. This particular horse was a Clydesdale, a draft breed normally found pulling carts rather than being ridden, and under his girth was a small gondola containing two dolls. A horse balloon!! I thought it was hilarious. His rider is part of a search and rescue team of horsemen, and while his height was an advantage in a crowd, it gets tricky when riding through the woods in search of someone.

 

Chadwick stayed for a long weekend, then left the girls and I for the remainder of the 14-day trip. We went to the zoo (twice), the Natural History Museum, took a train for lunch in Santa Fe, saw fish at the aquarium, visited four great-grandparents, and caught up with my high-school basketball coach and wife. We played in the park, read stories, and laughed with grandparents. And none of us slept much, as little Mallorie was not impressed with the sleeping arrangements for reasons known only to herself. She refused to take naps, go down for bed, stay sleeping for more than a few hours once down....she spent many nights in bed with me to order to preserve peace. We made a trip to the urgent care to ensure that she didn't have an underlying ear infection! She didn't. I think she started sleeping well the last 4 nights we were there. Ugh.

 

For me, one of the highlights of the trip was a much-anticipated visit from a college friend, Hayley. She left her husband and three oldest girls to their own devices at their Arizona ranch and made the drive with her six-month-old to stay with my parents for a few nights. It was a wonderful reunion! We made it to the zoo but spent most of the trip talking. And then a bit more talking. And laughing, all the while providing much-needed relief from the stresses of life. I cherish the friendship I have with several wonderful women who get me through this adventure called life.

Though I dreaded the flight home with two busy girls by myself, the flights went smoothly and we had no trouble. I am still considering making a drive the next visit rather than deal with the stress of airports, flying, and motion sickness during landings....

 

My grandpa has asked several times if Mallorie has grown into her mouth full of teeth yet. She's getting close! And as a random side note, Chadwick informed me that he is annoyed by the fact that Albuquerque traffic lights are strung horizontally across the street, rather than vertically like most other lights. I can't say that I've ever noticed the orientation of traffic lights....

The Wheels are Turning

I started a Word document of phrases, sayings, and thoughts from Morgan - kids really do say the darndest things! My memory is terrible and I wanted to preserve some of the sweet and funny things she has said since learning to talk. A similar document will be shortly created for Mallorie.

Mid-October, Chadwick, the girls, and I made a trip home to Albuquerque (post on that to come soon) for the annual hot air balloon fiesta and a visit with my family. Several weeks after our return while driving in the car, Morgan said, "Mom? Are there two suns?" Mind you, we had not been talking about the sun, Grandma Cindy or traveling. "No, why do you ask?" I replied. She proceeded to think out loud and wonder why the sun could be seen from Boise and from Grandma Cindy's house in New Mexico. And at the same time! After recovering from the shock of what I deemed to be a rather big thought from my little person, I explained to the best of my ability the fact that the sun is so large and so far away that it can be seen in both places at the same time. I don't think she quite grasped the concept but I could tell by her face that she continued to ponder the thought for a few minutes after our exchange.

Two weeks ago while sitting at lunch, she asked if I knew where our names lived. "Names? Like Morgan or Mom?" I clarified. Uh, I have no idea and told her so. "Where do you think they live?" I asked in return. With a sweet smile on her face, she gently placed her hand over her heart.

Times like this teach me that when I take a moment to ask what she thinks, I learn a lesson. A sweet moment for me.

My First 13.1

The summer before Chadwick and I were married, I decided to train for and run a half marathon. I made it to 10 miles before the wedding...and the running never quite continued during the time before, during, and after the wedding, honeymoon, and second reception. In addition, good friends of ours were having their wedding reception the day of my chosen race. Given the fact that I dislike running long distances, it was an easy choice to make. No race for me that year!

The desire to remove the half marathon never quite made it off my bucket list, so I made a goal to run a half around the time Mallorie turned a year. Good excuse to run, good way to shed some of the post-baby weight and get myself out of the house. There were setbacks and colds, days of running when I didn't have the desire, days when running felt amazing. More days of foot and heel pain until I figured out that my running shoes were shot. The girls learned to spend large amounts of time without complaining in the stroller, Mallorie went from sleeping most of the run to squealing and talking alongside Morgan. Sweet Morgan would talk to me the whole run, then ask why I'd gone quiet during the last few miles. "Sweetie (panting), Mommy is tired and can't talk right now. Can you wait until we get to the car?"

February, starting to train

• Furthest distance run with the stroller - 7 miles
• Favorite training memory? -  Running with stroller and Darwin along the Greenbelt and having a woman walking the other direction give me mini-bows in an "I'm-not-worthy" style. =)
• Longest distance run by Darwin during training - 19 miles

Darwin was there through the entire process, often running two-a-days as Chadwick and I rotated running shifts in the morning before he went to work. Heaven forbid he should stay home while one of us went out. I did leave him home one morning (after he'd already been with Chadwick) and I could hear him barking and howling down for several blocks. 



On the bus!

We ran the Pocatello Half Marathon at the end of August. Nancy and Steve were kind enough to take the girls for a couple of days so we could have a little mini-vacation to ourselves. Dinner in Pocatello was with friends Friday night - pasta, of course - and the race started early Saturday morning outside town. A bus took us from the finish line to the starting point, where we met up with the marathon runners halfway through their course. The weather was perfect, chilly in the morning but warmer with the sunrise.

Finish time - 2:10 - exactly the time for which I had strived!!
Chadwick's finish time - 1:32 - slower than he wanted by two minutes, but he was able to win his age category anyway

We did it!

The rest of the day was spent resting, soaking in the hot tub, and eating a steak lunch. We went to Applebee's for dinner to watch part of the BSU game and wound up sitting at a table next to two men who'd started drinking as soon as their half marathon had finished. One was particularly drunk and inclined to argue, but we had a good time anyway. It was the first, and probably one of the last, times I've seen Chadwick sore from running!

People have said that once I ran a half, I'd have the itch for a full. Still waiting for that, and I think a 10K is my preferred distance....

12 Months and Counting

Twelve months ago, our sweet Mallorie came into our family. Baby snuggles have turned into quiet moments twice daily during bottles, the soft body is becoming firm with muscle tone, toothless smiles have been replaced by a smile filled with teeth (molars are almost in!), and her strong personality has continued to blossom. She has a huge amount of stranger danger but is happy to smile at friends unknown from a safe distance, I laugh watching her stuff her face with as many puffs as she can cram into her chubby hands, and her smile is contagious. A shrill "hiiiii!!" greets me after each nap or babysitting engagement. Darwin is tormented by her daily and Cleo remains in high places when possible to avoid having her whiskers grabbed. Morgan loves to hold her, bring her toys, and hold her hands while she learned to walk. On the other hand, Morgan does not love sharing her "favorite" toy of the day, having Mallorie try and play where she plays, and frequently covers her ears in the car, stating, "Mom, she's too loud!"

For several weeks, MJ (as we like to call her), has been cruising along the furniture, walking while holding to Morgan's hands, and taking a step or two before hitting her knees and crawling furiously toward her goal. That changed dramatically last Monday when, for whatever reason, she decided that walking would be the new mode of transportation. It's as if a switch was flipped and she went from mostly crawling to mostly walking in like 4 days. I LOVE to watch her diaper-shaped bottom waddle around the house, arms outstretched for balance, babbling softly to herself.

I think this is my favorite stage of development.

Local family plus my out-of-town dad (who decided two weeks prior to the big day that he wanted to be a part of the activities) came to our house for the celebration. We lucked out with the weather - it started raining after dessert - so the 20 of us we were able to eat outside on tables furnished by Nancy and Steve. Chadwick put on the chef hat and made steak rolls for the main dish, hot dogs for the little people, along with the usual, delicious sides. The décor theme? Ladybugs! With Chadwick's help, I was able to design and decorate a ladybug and flower cake. It turned out well, though wasn't quite as fancy as the "Tangled" castle cake a friend made her daughter..... =)

Unlike Morgan, Mallorie attached her chocolate cupcake with relish. She wasn't sure what to do initially, but once she figured out this was something to eat, it was all over. I have a great slideshow of the whole studying, eating, and smearing of chocolate. Nancy and I dunked her in the tub after to get her clean...she was not impressed. After a cuddle and time with a baseball bat and piñata, her good spirits were restored.




On your mark, get set, GO!

The final result

Meltdown in the tub

 

 



Nana watching the chaos

Presents were opened in parts - here is Morgan playing in the bag from Round 1 of opening.

 

Time has flown, yet not, this first year. It's certainly been a time of change for me! I love these sweet girls and the things they teach me each day.

Oh, Those Girls

Now that Mallorie is crawling at lightening speed, walking along the furniture and holding hands, the only quiet moments I have with her are first thing in the morning and last thing at night while she's drinking her bottle of milk. (Someone graduated from formula to whole milk, and is going through over a gallon a week by herself!) Several weeks ago, she was feeling sleepy after her diaper change and bottle so I gathered her into my arms and got a good snuggle. The little dear fell asleep! Such a sweet moment that happens too infrequently these days.

Our youngest daughter is also obsessed with the yellow bus. We bought it for Morgan's first Christmas to ride around the house - it sings short, obnoxious songs by Abby and Elmo from Sesame Street and talks about the letters "A" and "E." Mallorie has stolen rights over this toy and loves to push it around the house, walker style, running over anything in her path. Her favorite game? Chase the dog. Poor Darwin spends most of Mallorie's waking hours on my heels or avoiding being enthusiastically run over. After a bath one night, I let her loose on the house to find Chadwick eating dinner, still in her birthday suit. She found the bus and was walking around the living room...I was laughing so hard at the sight of her cute naked bottom and legs speeding around that I couldn't hold the camera still well enough to get a good shot. Here's the gist, and I'm giggling right now at the memory!

And Cleo is still....Cleo. Sleeping on the only four pieces of paper on the whole queen size bed, staying out all night, is at her friendliest twice a day at mealtimes....and aloof. I love this cat!

Morgan loves all things girly, enjoys dressing up as a princess, though she's also been a frog, baby dinosaur, and dog these last few weeks. Sometimes she won't answer to "Morgan," so I have to stay on my toes to figure out who, or what, I am dealing with.  My favorite story? A mock conversation we had in the car. M: "Hi, Mom. I need someone to watch my childs tomorrow." Me: "Sure! I can do that! What time?" She replies somewhere around 10:30. "What are you doing tomorrow?" I ask. "Oh, just a blood draw," was her answer. When asked how many draws, I was told five. Since the "childs" were going to be with me for several hours, I asked if it would be ok to feed them lunch. Affirmative. What can they have? "Oh, some mac and cheese, applesauce, and yogurt will be fine," she says. And we say our goodbyes. Hysterical! And scary because these types of conversations are what she overhears as she is playing....they are always listening. =) I've heard her play out several of these conversations. Dad goes to work, Mom does blood draws. (Our blood bank is doing well, just for those who are curious.)

Goofing off with my phone camera

Poor quality pic, but here is my sweet girl to the T.

 Sickness hit our house last week, and I caught Morgan passed out during a rare naptime.

Fun at the Western Idaho Fair with our neighbors. Shown here with Max and Deagan, eagerly waiting for their turn at the car ride. They had a ball! Rides, a monkey show, petting zoo, and funnel cakes. Even better, the weather was perfect!

One final photo of the little miss.....

Look who's big enough to climb into the dishwasher?



And this was Morgan about the same age...must be genetic. Ha!

A Whole New Head

After just two months of wearing her helmet for 23 hours a day, our Mallorie "graduated!" I am glad that we made the decision to place a helmet, despite the numerous headbutts to my face, sore collar bones, and inconvenience during a clothes change. I am grateful for her sweet temperament and tolerance of the apparatus during those months; she was a trooper! She made it out of the helmet just as the temperatures in Boise were soaring to the 104s. Whew!

July 2013

Her final head scan revealed an overall symmetry of 0.93...the goal is to get these little guys in the 0.9- range. She started the whole ordeal at 0.89; many babies are more in the 0.82 range when they begin their time in a cranial molding helmet. One study I read stated that since the 1992-93 decision by the pediatrician specialists to place babies on their backs to sleep (combined with the increasing busy-ness of parents and increased time in bouncy chairs and carseats) as many as 45% of babies have a noticeable head-shape abnormality. Wow!

This is the image that is created during the laser head scan - which, by the way, Mallorie did NOT tolerate well. The minute we placed her on her back in the scanner, the tears started to flow and the wailing commenced. We got the final scan by showing her a video on my phone of Morgan singing...luckily the scan only requires two seconds of absolute stillness. Turns out that can be hard to achieve in an unhappy infant!

The red line is from her first scan in April...the blue line where she ended in June. The orthotic technician was impressed with the speed with which her head changed. Most babies are in the helmet for 3-6 months or longer. The people at Sawtooth Orthotics were great!

From my point of view, the only downfall to not wearing the helmet in a busy little person learning to negotiate her environment is the lack of head protection when head meets underside of chair or table.

Where, Oh Where?

Where has the time gone??

I have a good idea - lost in the daily grind of keeping up with a three-year-old, caring for a blossoming and now-mobile nine-month-old, laundry, new church calling in the Primary Presidency (seriously, two hour meetings each week plus lesson prep), cleaning, reading books, pushing swings, running, cooking, sleeping, and did I mention cleaning? Oh, plus the occasional half day as a veterinarian and blood draws for our canine blood bank. =)

Since the last posting, here are some of the highlights and I'll add photos at the end for those of you who just want the visual re-cap since March:

• Re-started training for my half marathon. Turns out I can't build miles very quickly without getting either sick or injured....bonus that Mallorie is finally sleeping through the night!
• Mallorie and I met my mom in Phoenix for a few days while I attended a veterinary conference. Tons of fun for Mom and Mallorie and I got the chance to play student again and catch up with an old high school classmate. Wished we could have stayed longer!
• Easter fun! Morgan loved the egg hunt with her cousins, Mallorie did not enjoy her bite of mashed potato. For the dinner, we brought the biggest bowl of mashed potatoes I've ever beheld! And no, we did not consume them all.
• New adventure - Mallorie's cone shaped head (gift from the birthing process) was not resolving as quickly as we had hoped with conservative therapy. Thus the decision to place her in a cranial molding helmet. After the first two days, she doesn't mind at all! I, however, missing snuggling her little head and don't enjoy getting my collar bone grated every time she wants to bury into my shoulder. In a few weeks, they will check progress and see how much longer she needs to wear it. I should do a separate posting on things learned from this experience.
• Morgan started a tumbling class and loves it! Forward rolls, jumps on multiple tramps, balance beam walks, and bars. It's been neat to watch her confidence increase in her abilities to do things as well as be comfortable in a new environment with difference people.
• An awesome visit from my Mom and Mark! Hiking, book reading, playing, eating, and laughing. To end the visit, our huge willow tree in the back yard blew over and with the help of Mark and Steve, we got the yard cleared and tree off the house. Blessing - only one shingle was mildly displaced on the roof and now our yard appears to much bigger! Plus we have a space for the trampoline that my friend offered us. =)
• Finally, a Memorial weekend of moving 13,000 pounds of rock from the driveway to landscape the dirt under the remaining trees in the back. Chadwick designed, ordered, and hauled the rock to create a beautiful space! We also have a firepit for s'mores!! The weekend ended with a family bbq at our place. Love my in-laws!

There are, of course, funny anecdotes from daily life that I can't find time to document. Morgan is becoming quite stubborn, loves to show off her jumping/coloring/singing skills, and is so beautiful! She helps me to be a better mom. Mallorie is inch-worming her way all over the house and is rocking her older sister's world as she reaches into her toy baskets, chews coloring books, and steals stuffed animals. A very content little person, she is starting to pull up on the furniture. That girl has a set of lungs which she uses to express opinions and sing.

Chadwick started a new job with Intermountain Pet Hospital at the beginning of March and after the usual period of transition, has settled in and is loving his job. He has a fantastic team of people who help him complete his work and a clinic that is very well-run. We moved our blood bank there in April and has proved to be a good move for our little business.

 

And of course, Darwin continues to keep us entertained. No comment from Cleo. =)