Anne's Favorite Place To Be

So no matter the time of day or what other person may be occupying this space... Anne loves to hang out here.  Since the bathroom door doesn't really shut unless you push it shut, Anne makes frequent visits the the bathrooms guests.

My goal is to make sure the toilet stays clean enough that when she licks it I don't gag.  What a cutie.

Most recent accomplishments besides toilet hugging are as fallows; Saying Uh-Oh for no apparent reason, pretending to talk on the phone and prank calling whoever I have on speed dial (sorry family), referring to everything as baby (she knows what she is talking about but I don't), oh and if she needs something from Andrew or I it is always a whinny "MAMAMAMA". 

Drum Roll Please

It’s a boy!  I knew it would be... just ask Andrew.  Many of you may not even know but I am currently 18 weeks pregnant with a healthy baby boy.  We had our high risk ultrasound today and the Dr said everything was perfectly normal and he was even a few days bigger than my due date!  They paid special attention to his brain considering everything that happened with Anne.  His brain was all there.  He has ten fingers and ten toes and a cute little face.  He kept wiggling around and they had a hard time measuring a few things.  His head was shoved into the bottom of the womb and into my bladder... that explains a lot.  I keep telling Andrew it just feels like I don't have room for my body in my own body.  Well that is because Jr sticks his head in inconvenient places.  This was so different from ultrasounds with Anne.  They couldn't get her to move or react.  I started feeling this kiddo move around 15 or 16 weeks and this week could actually feel and see movements from the outside.  We are very excited and expecting this little one the first week of May!  Congrats to us.

O Tannenbaum

So Andrew and I have decided to really celebrate Christmas this year.  I say really because our first Christmas we spent the night at his parents’ house Christmas Eve and our only decorations in our apartment were lights we duck taped inside our basement windows... that kept falling down in the middle of the night.  Our second Christmas we lived at Andrew's parents house.  We had a tiny Christmas tree and kind of decorated our bedroom where we opened our own presents with Anne before going upstairs to join in with everyone else.  So this year we are really doing it for real.  I have been bugging Andrew to go to Christmas tree lots to find the biggest fattest most beautiful tree we could fit into our apartment.  Andrew being the sane responsible one (most of the time) in our relationship made sure we got the one that we could afford.  We found a lot with responsibly priced trees and found a tree that we could both live with for a month.  They even cut the bottom so it would suck up water and live longer. Cutting the tree ended Anne's fun for the night.  The chainsaw sent her into a tizzy.  So we packed up Anne tears and all and hauled our tree home (as in shoved it in our trunk).  We put Anne to bed so we could figure out how to get the tree to stand up in our living room.  That's when we discovered it was too skinny and our tree stand was too lopsided.  I could see the steam coming out of Andrews’s ears and we tried and tried and tried to screw the stupid stand into the stupid tree.  We tried it with my Grandmothers handmade tree skirt on... we tried it with it off... we screwed and unscrewed... we tried to keep it straight... it just wasn't working.  Andrew, good man that he is decided it was a puzzle rather than a stupid tree.  The steam stopped and he took off leaving me to hold up the itchy tree.  He came back with "shims" or broken pieces of fence from our side yard and started shoving them into the base to stabilize our sad lopsided tiny tree.  It worked!  So our tree stands proudly propped with shims and broken fence. It didn’t even fall over in the middle of the night.  So we have our Charlie Brown Christmas tree that I'm pretty sure is not farm grown.  It has two tops and the trunk was to skinny to fit into our lopsided 30 year old Christmas stand. It is lighted with one and a half Christmas light strands (half didn't work) and covered with as many decorations I could fit on. Surprisingly Anne hasn't attacked or stolen any ornaments yet...That my friends is how you really do Christmas!

HALLOWEEN!!!

Thank you to my dear Stradley sister-in-law we had an easy costume for Anne this Halloween.  That got me thinking.... matching always works right?

 So Andrew and I found foam board and pipe cleaners and red poms and ribbon and duct tape

Halloween grand costume total.... less than $6!!!  Memories... priceless.  

We visited grandma and grandpa to show off and then we went to our ward party.  The Trunk or treat became an indoor activity due to rain, but the costumes and food were fun.  Little Anne became a tired little bug.  She was so cute and sweet.  Sometimes... well all the time... I think I'm not crafty, but I'm pretty proud of our costumes.  Anne must not be so proud... she has already torn all the dots off our wings and is eating them. 

Seeing Spots!

So it has been an interesting month for little Anne.  She turned 1 year old September 10th!  Then she quit eating.  This went on for about two weeks until Similac announced their recall!!!  Yes Anne's main source of nutrition had mulched beetle.  YUCK!  It bothered Anne's poor digestion and so she got smart and refused to eat very much and threw up often.  Once we figured that out and got her on beetle free formula all was right with the world again... Or so I thought. 

Little miss developed an attitude!!!  Noooooooo!  She was such a sweet easy baby!  Well okay to be fair I mean easy like I could sit and watch movies and do nothing all day and she would just roll around not minding being ignored.  Heaven forbid that now she wants a little attention.  She has become a bit of a fuss and very clingy.  Why this sudden change?  Is it just because she is one?  Nope... it is teeth!  Anne has cut her first two teeth on the bottom.  It took a bit but they finally broke through her gums.  Thank goodness.  I don't know how I am ever going to survive through the rest of her teeth coming in! 

Well while cutting teeth we went to see Marlo run a marathon.  Great Stradley family tradition!  While on our little vacation Anne breaks out in spots head to toe!!!  We ran to the closest insta care only to find out Medicaid doesn't cover our entire state... at least not the kind we had.  Stupid.  I seriously think someone should look in to that.  We coughed up the cash because we love Anne more than money.  All the Doc said was keep her hydrated and keep her temperature down!  DUH!!!  He didn't know what it was and had a few guesses.  She did have her MMR shot 7 days before said outbreak.  Bad reaction?  Or true virus.  We will never now.  Anyway... she survived and luckily so did Andrew and I.  Anne... what a drama queen.  Always throwing in some medical wrench to be the center of attention.  We love her.  Here are pictures of her sad spots.  Tell me if you can diagnose her!

A picture is worth a thousand posts!

So when we first got back into town it seemed fitting to hike a great local attraction and look over the valley!  I barely survived, Andrew barely survived me not surviving, Anne loved it even though she doesn't look like it in this picture.

Isn't she just the cutest with all her hair bows? 

She really loves to wear her Dad's hat.  She is a big Cougar fan!

We had the opportunity to go visit my Grandmother Pipkin before she passed away.  It turned out to be a really neat experience.  Andrew was able to assist in giving her a priesthood blessing and he also got to know more about the Pipkin side of the family.  I even learned a few stories I didn't know.

Anne really liked Uncle Mike's dog Jellyroll.  The dog was scared of Anne however. 

Andrew and Anne enjoying the local wildlife.

I'm still here I promise!

As I sit here in the No-Shhh zone Andrew is looking up Internet service for us.  Yeah!  That means I will be back to blogging soon with pictures and all I promise.  I have missed it and you so much.  For now though you will just have to wait a few more days.  Sorry.  In other news... I deleted my facebook!  *GASP* I'm sure you will all survive without me.  Before you argue, yes I knew about changing my privacy settings and I changed them forever ago!  Doesn't matter.  I wasn't using it.  It was a waste of time.  I have a blog.  I still love you all.  I still have a phone.  Its not like I died!  We can still be friends without being facebook friends. 

Barnyard Fun!

A local fun place had a sweet free day for anyone who wanted to come and enjoy free ice cream and fun.  I tried rounding up all my sisters-in-law and going but that fell through.  So my friend Hannah and I planned on going.  Last minute Andrew decided to go too because he heard Grant and Kristen where going to be there... well mostly Grant.  Sorry Hannah if you felt at all like 3rd wheel.  It was fun!  So we saw farm animals and took pictures and ate ice cream and it was grand.  Here is proof!

The little sheep where trying to keep warm... or maybe hide from the little boys who where chasing them through the barn yard?

Anne looking at the horses.  There where pony rides but well... as much as I would've duct taped her on... I would have probably been turned in for child abuse and animal cruelty.

Hannah got to bottle feed the baby sheep!

Anne grabbed this little sheep's nose and then the sheep tried to eat her feet. 

Update-o-rama!

Andrew has gone camping with his Dad and brothers this weekend.  He hasn't been gone twenty minutes and I already don't know what to do with myself.  I already ate a handful of chocolate chips and cheezy jalapeno cheese puffs.  That didn't make me feel better about sleeping alone tonight.  It just made me feel fat.  So now I am seeking comfort in reminding you all that I exist and am still awesome even if I smell like cheese.  Here are some pictures and random updates.

Anne is sitting up on her own now and doesn't get mad when she falls over and hits her head.  She rolls when it strikes her fancy.  She loves to steal Andrew's glasses and suck on them.  She loves to suck on everything.  She just learned she can swish around the spit in her mouth and make gross sounds. 

I got a hair cut for my birthday.  I also got some blonde highlights.  Not sure yet how I feel about it... Andrew assures me I look great.  The cut is longer in the front then the back so if it get all blown around and out of place I have these crazy long pieces hanging out and it looks like the beautician missed a spot.  Motivation for me to do my hair more often?  Sometimes. 

I made a cool shag quilt and donated it to the hospital in the city.  I was pretty proud of how it turned out.  I with much help from Sandra altered a dress my sister in law gave me.  It isn't perfect and I'm not sure if I really want to wear it in public but hey it is like the third or fourth thing I have really sewn.  So I'm making progress.

Shabby Apple Queensland Swimsuit Giveaway

Shabby Apple Queensland Swimsuit Giveaway

Um, hello? Modest swimsuit giveaway? Sign me up!

Thanks Mom For Birthing Me!

So today is my 23rd birthday.  My Mother-in-law told me that that means now I am old.  I just want to take a moment to thank my Mom for giving me a birthday and raising me and loving me.  She truely is the greatest example of sacrifice and motherhood to me.  I love you mom.  Oh and Happy Birthday to ME!

Make That 23 Followers!

My Life Is Now Complete!

So there really is only one person in existence that I have always wanted to grow up and be like. She truly is my hero. However, being like here isn't enough. I must be better. Mission accomplished Amber my dear sister. I have 22 followers and you have, sadly, only 21. I can die a happy woman. Now please don't look too closely at my followers because I'm sure they aren't all active accounts and whatnot... but hey it is the internet and what it tells me must be true. So I have 22 followers (Thank you Emily Eaton). To those of you cool people who have more than that... I don't care. Never said I wanted to be better than you. Also, while living and a fancy free college student I danced a lot. Like every free dance party in town I was there. I always went with the same group of friends and I always danced my heart out. This group of friends decided they had the skills and know how to start their own dance parties and so they did. Well, two or so years later those friends of mine throw the best dance parties around. They still always invite me to come and I still always say no sorry I'm married to a man who has different loves and interests than dancing and also my baby wouldn't appreciate me leaving her all night. Well... they dedicated their most recent dance party to my birthday! Now I have to go! I don't even know most of the people who go to these dance parties anymore! What is worse...? I don't know if I remember how to dance... I mean I've birthed a child since the last time I danced... I might look like a fool... or worse, a Mom who is trying to still be cool! I'm going anyway. I'm dragging Andrew with me. He has sworn he will not dance and there is nothing I or anyone else can do about it... but he will go because it is my birthday and he loves me a lot. The dance starts at 9:30 pm... We are generally asleep by that time! This will be interesting. I think mostly it will remind me that I am old and I can't dance or stay up late anymore. It does make me feel cool and remembered and loved that they would throw a dance party in my honor. I do miss those guys and it will be great to see them. Now that my life is complete with being awesome and dance parties in my honor…what shall I do with myself?

Wonderful Experience

So I woke up in a bad mood and had a bad morning and didn't want to do anything... especially going to the care center for the elderly in our stake and teaching a lesson I really hadn't prepared as much as I should have. I wanted to stay home and cuddle Anne and pity myself. I didn't and that is good. I decided to teach a lesson on Elder Bednar's talk about Tender Mercy go here to read it... worth the time I promise. I used my own stories and experiences but the bones of his talk got me through. So I wasn't happy and I didn't want to go... got up earlier than normal and showered and dressed up did my hair..... I got there and as I was walking in there was a beautiful peacock by the front door! Seriously. That made me smile. Going in it looks almost like you are entering a Chinese restaurant because there are huge bulbous fish tanks built into the wall. That made me smile too. Then the ladies assigned from the stake to be in the relief society presidency stopped and talked to me. Some of them had connections to Missouri and they were so nice. That also made me smile. Someone I knew and could talk to showed up so I didn't feel so alone. That made me smile. Pretty soon I wasn't so upset and I was noticing all the happy little things going on around me. All the ladies had their nails painted nice. One lady called everyone dear and was so nice... she was singing the words from "Put your shoulder to the wheel" to the wrong song but all in tune. The Relief Society president greeted every lady and made sure to make contact say their name and make them smile. She was really an inspiration. I shared my lesson and it went really well and reminded me of all the blessings I have had this last year and how much my Father in Heaven loves me. I also learned that serving others helps me to forget myself and feel my Savior's love. So that is my feel good story.... also Anne has rolled over twice on her own!!!

Anne begins her real food journey!

So today is Sunday and Sunday is a special day. We wash our face and eat our food so we don't have to do it until Monday! Okay that isn't how the song goes... but Andrew was home and Anne was awake so we decided to experiment with rice cereal! The box tells you to make it super runny so I'm not surprised she liked it. It tasted just like milk. We add formula to her milk to help her gain weight and that formula has rice starch in it to help her not throw it up... so really this was nothing new except it came on a spoon and she sat in a chair. It was fun anyway. We love this girl. However her newly developed fear of all strangers and even some family is kinda obnoxious... we shall have to nip that in the bud or we will run out of babysitters who think she is cute enough to watch for very long... Sorry Jared and Tiffany. Anyway we got the cereal mania on film so enjoy.

Also some pictures

General life updates are as follows:

Andrew finishes this semester officially on Wednesday! He will work on campus until the summer painting job starts. I'm working on sewing a brown wrap around shirt with Sandra.  Andrew and I took a Family and Friends CPR class together and it was kinda fun. We got to play with fake babies and give each other the Heimlich. Anne's Neurologist (one of two) feels Anne is doing wonderfully and doesn't think her Dandy Walker will slow her down in any way. In his words she isn't a true Dandy Walker. Great news! I will probably forever be paranoid and worry about her huge head. She hates hates hates rolling over and will get off her stomach as soon as possible. Sitting is sometimes interesting but she has a hard time realizing her head isn't supposed to be where she puts all her weight to balance her... that is what bums are for. She loves to stand and will stand all the daylong if you let her.

New Sounds!

So Anne started making this new sound the other day and it is driving me CRAZY!  It is this strange gagging screaming death sound that makes her cough and gag sometimes but she just keeps doing it!  Just take a listen for yourself... my child is strange.  Enjoy.

Just some recent pictures.

I know I know... we are in love with her too and no you can't have her... go get your own.

Laundry Day!

We live in our parent's basement and so laundry day can get a little hectic.  There are three other people here besides us and we all create a ton of laundry.  So I launder my dirty duds early in the week and Sandra launders hers mid to end of the week.  So today is laundry day.  Anne is becoming ever more active and awake and willing to help.  So I let her help.  I really needed someone to hold down the laundry basket and she obliged.  What a sweetheart.

I just love this girl.  She is coming out of her timid new baby shell and is just delightful.  She smiles and laughs and plays and is cute as can be.  Laundry day is suddenly more fun!

I ran/walked/jogged/almost died a 5K! Go me!

Okay so go to this link for the 5k results and do Ctrl F (it is a neat trick you can thank me later for teaching it to you) then a little window pops up in the top right corner and type in Stradley and hit enter. First you will find Matthew who came in 19 then Andrew then me. Mom and Dad Stradley where out of town and I thought it would be neat to get Andrew and Matthew to come run a 5K with me. Andrew ran it last year with his good buddy Ryan. Hannah, Ryan's wife, and I had to sit out due to being due in May and October. This year Hannah and I got together and planned a breakfast and run for all of us. Andrew picked up our gear the day before and with the bang of George Q. the cannon we where off. I walked jogged maybe ran a little and man it was hard. The plan for Hannah and I was to take our kiddos so we would have an excuse for going slow... we didn't bring them and we were still slow. However, we beat the pregnant lady,  well at least one of them.  That made me feel better about myself. Anyway... I ran and I am awesome. I keep telling myself... next year I want to run a marathon. I think it would be awesome. I have plenty of experts here who could help me train and run it with me. Well at least I know I can survive a new exercise routine... I guess if I didn't really die even though I felt like it for a second or two... I can maybe start working out in the morning with my mother-in-law and her ladies. Maybe...5:30 is so early... Andrew would laugh at me for that. He wakes up every morning at that time. Go me.

Lucy! You got some splainen to do!

So my blog wigged out on me... I posted and reposted posts and messed with html changed backrounds and got rid of my backround uploaded videos deleted videos.... frustrating.  So I deleted a good post and lots of comments and I am sorry.  Feel free to recomment if you feel so inclined.  It was the only thing that I could think of to do. RIP my "I love my artistic friends" post.  You will be missed.  Sorry to Naomi and Ashley where were the stars of that post.  I still love you.

Watch First Video First

So I have the same problem... freezer full of milk.  I have actually joked about this for sometime.  I told Andrew I wanted to make butter or something.  I often picture these Aborigineal women providing nourishment for their whole family or something.  i dunno if they actually did but I think it would be at least interesting to try making something just to entertain myself.  I started researching on the internet and found one woman who made one of those never ending waffle mixes that you make one out of the last batch and it just keeps going.  So her children would always have some of mothers love.  It is exceptionally hard to donate breast milk to a milk bank.  They want blood samplese and health histories and shipping to Colorado... no time sorry.  I tried giving it to two different women and it fell through... now what.  I am too lazy to thaw it and give it to Anne and rotate and keep track of and label and keep everything from going bad and making sure it thaws on time when I can just giver her fresh stuff.  Throwing it out I just can't bring myself to do.  It IS liquid gold.  andrew thinks I am disgusting.  He showed me this video thinking it was funny (because of my previous butter threats).  Ha well he better watch out any time I cook withmilk products... what kinda milk is it really?  I even asked Matthew (little brother) what he thought about it.  He considered it and decided maybe his wifes milk but not mine.  He is braver than Andrew.  Seriously I could make like a cheese cake or something.  Anybody wanna try?  No requests?  I promise I am cleaner than a cow.  I'm well treated, free range, no rBST hormones, I won't be butchered when I'm out of good milk... the benefits are endless and incredibly humane (he he).  As for it being cannibalism... then all babies would grow up to be Hannibal LEctor.  So now that I have posted twice and thoroughly grossed you out with snot and breast milk here is a nice video to help you forget....

Demanding

So there have been demands made... This last week we survived our first family flu!  Go us for not killing each other on accident or on purpose!  First I came down with it two sundays ago and didn't go to church.  Then Anne started getting a little snotty and eating less and coughing.  So I took her to the pediatrician where they sucked her snot and tested for bugs.  The next day we got the call... yes it is RSV!!!! EEEEEK.  That meant I had it too probably.  Then Andrew came down with it and we where just one happy RSV family.  Mom and Dad Stradley have been in Hawaii this hwole time.  So it is just me at home with sick Anne and sick me... then sick Andrew... then one day of kinda sick Matthew.  Andrew asked me if I would survive taking care of two babies... I almost didn't.  Poor Anne was puking a ton!  I learned that babies don't know how to hawk a loogie so they cough and gag and swallow their snot and spit which gives them upset stomachs so gagging leads to throwing up.  It was a long week..  We where all just so pitiful.  We did learn about a sweet service our local hospital offers where they will put a tube down Anne's throat and suck the snot out of her lungs so it doesn't stay there and impede her breathing or turn into bronchitis.  So we took her several times.  She hated it!!!  She is particularly touchy about her nose. She had a feeding tube down it for the first 2 months of her life so ya... don't touch it.  So I had to hold her down while the nurse tortured her an dscreamed and gave me sad hateful looks.  Good thing she doesn't hold a grudge.  She still has a bit of a cough but eating much much better an dlaughing and smiling again.  We are all not 100% over it but much better.  I seem to have a lingering stuffy nose and congestion that just won't let up.  We have been trying to get Anne to sleep in her crib in her own room, but it seems every time we try she gets sick or starts throwing up or something makes me too nervous to have her not close so I can hear her breath.  I'm a bit uptight I guess but it make me so nervous to have her in the other room.  So last night we tried again and she survived and so did I so I guess we will try again tonight so there you go... That is our contagious update.  Her are some cute naked baby bath time pictures.

Anne Update!

Aren't I clever... Anne Update as opposed to An Update. Anne is almost 6 months old!!! Wow! There where moments along the journey I didn't know she would make it this far or if she would be doing all the things she is doing. She continues to melt hearts and keep us all on our toes. She is jabbering a lot! Seriously she just goes and goes and goes. She distracts my young women during spiritual moments at church. She is also holding her self up on her arms and raising her head all on her own. Still a bit wobbly but doing great. She has rolled over a few times but not a frequent roller yet. If I had to guess her weight I would say 11ish lbs. She is starting to laugh which is the cutest thing. I've started making a huge fool of myself just for the privilege of hearing that cute little laugh. We are using special soaps and lotions because she has crazy sensitive skin (possibly eczema but we will ask the pediatrician first before I diagnose her). She is just my favorite little person.

Finished Product

It is done! Yes I finished my first major sewing project with help from Sandra. She did lots of pinning, ironing, question answering, and a little sewing. Now honestly its not quite runway quality but it is good. I have a problem with starting new hobbies in that I am a perfectionist. I make something look at it and say wow that is crap I must not be good at this. So i don't try anymore. I am pushing past that tendency in myself this time. So here you go pictures of my skirt. Ignore the wrinkles... I already ironed it once. Then I wore it... Enjoy.

Sorry way to many pictures of the skirt not on me. You will just have to imagine it since Anne can't hold the camera very well while I model.

Crafty Me!

So I have this amazingly talented mother-in-law and she has taken a kind interest in encouraging me in my domestic pursuits. This weeks project was inspired by a sweet presidents day sale on patterns and material. So we went shopping and found our favorites. I am first going to make...Pretty sweet skirt huh? I'm making the one the girl is wearing. Looks pretty difficult for a beginner considering I have only ever made pajama bottoms. This skirt even requires a zipper! Good thing I have my trusty mother-in-law here. For those of you who don't know of her awesomeness she made this...

Not me but the dress. She made the dress. She also made this...

Yup she is talented. So wish me luck. I am hoping to have it done with lots of help and intervention by Sunday so I can wear it!

p.s. ha Amber I do post... but I was just too busy being awesome.

Anne's First Outdoor Excursion....

.....ended in failure. So it was warmish outside and Andrew needed to go visit someone in the neighborhood. We thought it would be nice to take our first family walk. We bundled up Anne and tried to put her in a nice little baby carrier. She fussed so we decided to just carry her. Not twenty steps from the front door and she screamed bloody murder! Okay there was a slight breeze but seriously... that upset? So we took a few more steps to see if she would calm down... nope. Back to the house we went. Lets try the baby carrier again and see if it works but this time lets have Andrew try. He is skinnier than me and maybe it was just to tight for comfort with me. Out the door... nope. Well lets try another baby carrier! We have three. Nope. She is so funny. We are lucky in that she will only cry if there is some injustice being practiced upon her. Once the injustice is rectified there are no more tears and all is right with the world. So we were sure it was being outside that made her mad. Once inside all was fine and dandy and smiles and drool. What a stink! We sure like her though. Here is a picture not at all related to the story but still cute...

A New Calling

So I just got called to be the Mia Maid Personal Progress Coordinator. Not sure if that is the exact name of the calling but basically I help encourage the girls to do personal progress, teach a lesson in church once a month, go to activities, and be cool. I'm really intimidated by this calling. I'm sure it will be a neat experience. The being cool part won't be hard at least. Go me!

Also, I'm trying to go to aerobics in the mornings with my Mother-in-law... so far I have gotten up zero mornings to go. So that is a start. To accomplish this feat I need to wake up in time to feed and change Anne, pump, and get myself ready all before 6 AM. Why haven't I accomplished this yet... well Anne wakes up at different times every day. As of yet I haven't tried to wake her up to fit my schedule. Maybe I should try.

Another thing I am trying to accomplish is taking up more arts and crafts. Today I knitted and re knitted and unknitted and re knitted a scarf. Right now it us unknitted as in there is nothing on my needles. Also I want to finish Anne's NICU scrapbook. I have pictures printed off and I have been poking around the Internet for ideas and that is as far as that has gotten.

You see, maybe I need this calling to teach me how to start and finish things. Maybe I need a little more discipline. P.S. The proper name of my calling is Mia Maid Personal Progress Advisor.

Just more old pictures I "borrowed"