Cancun!

Do any of you remember that one post, a long time ago, when I commented that my husband's work ethic was the thing I hated to love about him? If you don't, here's the lowdown...Josh travels a lot for work and occasionally works late during the week. I often refer to myself as a 'work widow', and with good cause. He misses some family gatherings and nights out with friends when he's on-call. He's the Senior FSE for this area, so even though there are two other guys to help out when necessary, Josh is the primary go-to guy. When a hospital has a problem, Josh is the first to hear about it. It usually isn't much of a problem, though, just an inconvenience. I have Grayson to keep me company now, and we always like the extra cash overtime and on-call brings in. But today we got word that Josh has earned the ultimate reward.

My husband is a member of the President's Club. And as such, Josh's job wants to send us to Cancun! On their dime! And Grayson can go, too!

This is totally new territory for us. We haven't taken any real vacations since we were engaged because we're constantly putting any extra money into the 'house downpayment fund' (which we hope to cash out later this year, if Cherlyn really decides to sell this house!). The trip is short, just May 22-May 25, but that's perfect for my summer school schedule (Mon-Wed). And we can add extra days if we want to, but I'm just not sure about international travel and vacation with a 3-month-old.

So, do we dare take Grayson with us to Cancun? I know I can leave him here with my brother's family and just pump in Cancun to keep up my milk supply. If we go, do we dare add a couple of extra days? If we take Grayson, will he need any special shots before or after the trip? How do I get there if my passport shows Paige H and not Paige G?

So much to consider, so short an attention span. A few things are certain, though: I want Josh to go. He deserves it. And I'm going, whether Josh or Grayson go or not. I also deserve it. Yay for us!

Springtime!

Oh my, I just love springtime! Josh said these last couple days of weather have made the move to Utah worth all that s-word ('snow' for you potty-mouths), but I'm going to need about 10-15 more degrees to be completely satisfied. But hey, I'll gladly take this semi-warmth in the meantime.

We're finally blessing Grayson this Sunday and have spent the last two Saturdays working on the yards to pretty them up before all of our family comes to visit. We just love how big the lawns are, but they sure needed a bit of work when we moved in. Josh took the time to put down winter fertilizer after we had it aerated last fall, and it really paid off. It's already nice and green! We haven't successfully killed off the few dandelions yet and we still need to treat it for spots of grubs and crabgrass, but it's definitely doable for an outside gathering this weekend.

The shrubbery and flower beds still need a bit of work, though. The owner planted several varieties of rose bushes around the house, but they hadn't been pruned the last couple of years and were becoming an eyesore. So Josh got some pruning shears from his parents' house and I started cutting away on Saturday. Our neighbors, Bill and Kit, came over to inspect my work and Bill asked if he could try it. Although we disagreed on how short to trim the bushes (the owner told me to trim the bushes down to about 3 feet, but Bill was dead-set on 13 inches), I gave him the pruning shears anyway. Over the next hour-and-a-half, Bill nearly obliterated four rose bushes in the front yard, all the while assuring me they weren't too short. I gave up protesting after the first bush, and Kit and I pulled weeds instead. While the rose bushes look much better now (you can see the front of the house!), I'm a little worried we won't get any actual flowers this summer.

Before Bill

After Bill

There were an awful lot of really long, thorny rose branches to dispose of afterward, so Josh had to cut them all up to fit in the trash can. What you see in this picture are the cuttings from only one rose bush!I don't think either of us realized how much we missed yard work until we came back to one after having a small patch of grass in Las Vegas. We even fight over who gets to mow the lawns (although Josh usually wins because my time's better spent in the laundry room). Oh, I can't wait to plant my garden this year!

Negative Nelly

I hate that my last post has spent so much time at the top of my blog, but I haven't had much to write about this week. I'm not usually that negative - I was just stressed out. I had just spent the entire week without Josh around to give me a Grayson break, and in the meantime I was studying for my nutrition final and preparing for my very first sharing time. Wouldn't you know my Primary partner went out of town last Saturday and she won't be back until May 10? So it was just me and the kiddos during Primary, and I have a couple that frequently misbehave. You can imagine how sharing time went, let alone our class lesson afterward. Top that off with home teachers that never showed up, Josh telling me about the boys in his Teachers class that don't know how to read, and a fellow ward member telling me that of all people, I should understand how hard it is to get back on your feet after having a baby. Excuse me? I had a baby on Saturday, came home Monday afternoon, and my husband went back to work full-time Wednesday morning. Don't tell *me* what I should understand. I didn't get coddled at all and definitely didn't need to be. Ugh! I just had to vent. And the worst part is it's pissing me off again just thinking about it.

Okay, time to change the subject...

Grayson will be graduating to his own room on his 3-month birthday this week! Well, that's only if I finish moving his clothes and other baby items out of our room into his on time, which should be no problem. And Josh has to spray for bugs before he moves in as well. The only thing worse than a spider in my room is one in my baby's room. And before you accuse me of being paranoid, here's a picture of the roommate I had to throw out of Grayson's room a mere nine days ago:
Ugh. I seriously loathe spiders. And those are the wall corners where the crib sits! The good news is that since there was no baby to harm with chemicals, I sprayed that sucker dead with my favorite spider-killer-spray:Yep, Hot Shot Spider Killer. This is the best spider-killer ever. This stuff plus OxiClean Baby make me a happy mommy.

I don't get people

I don't understand why people who can't take care of themselves decide to have kids. And I don't understand why some people do have kids and then don't invest in them. You need to give yourself to your kids. Spend time with them. Talk to them. Cook for them. Read to them. For heaven's sake, at least keep them bathed and in clean clothes. If you don't have the time or the money to raise your children, why are you having them? There is nothing wrong with waiting to be ready to have children. Why is that so difficult to recognize?

And I really don't understand some Mormons. I don't understand why they don't show up on time for home teaching visits, especially when they schedule it before dinnertime. And I don't understand why so many count on the church to teach their children what acceptable behavior is. Parents, you have an entire future to shape, for better or for worse. Please put a little effort into making it the former.

I *heart* OxiClean Baby

Here's proof that I have a testimony of its effectiveness. You definitely need to check it out!

And while you're over there, check out some other great tips on The Hip Homemaker's official website!

Hey Babe

Josh is training out in New Jersey all this week and told me he's been watching the last couple of Grayson videos over and over again every night because he misses him so much. So I'm posting this as his honorary second life.

My Mom wanted me to tell you "We saw your kid and you didn't, sucka!" when they drove up last-minute for the Jazz game Monday night.Of course, that's not 'exactly' what she said, but close enough. I'm sure she'll call me right away to protest when she reads that.

Nothing exciting happened yesterday, but today has been a riot. Occasionally when he eats, Grayson will fall off to take a breather - usually when he's concentrating on expelling gas. Well, during his first feeding today, he fell off as expected but what happened next was anything but ordinary. I heard something suspicious so checked him out, and oh my, lookit what I found!Yes, that is our baby's poop smeared out of the top of his diaper and up his back. Lucky for everyone reading, I didn't take any detailed pictures. This was his worst blowout to date, hands down. Somehow I managed to get Grayson's jammies off without creating too big of a mess and threw him in the bath. Unfortunately, he doesn't like to do anything but eat when he's hungry, so he did not have a good time getting cleaned up.Still feel like you're missing out?

Anyway, I got Grayson cleaned up, fed him and dressed him for the day. I purposefully put him in the blue outfit that you love because I knew I would write you your own blog entry tonight. After he was dressed, I asked Grayson if he wanted to take over your half of the bed while you're out of town. He thought that was a great idea and wasted no time settling in. Finally, I asked him if there was anything he wanted to tell you, darlin', and true to "H" form, he went on and on and on and... (Sorry if I ruined it by talking over him at times - I was just trying to encourage him!)

I know we just spoke on the phone, and I need to get this published so you can read it tonight before you go to bed, but I thought I'd let you know that I narrowly escaped rolling over the soybean that popped out of its shell while we were talking. Grayson is done eating, burped like a champ, and fell fast asleep on my chest. Just like it was yours.
I guess Grayson gets his double chin from me, eh? We love you and can't wait for you to come home!

Tax Day sucks

And I'll tell you why.

Yesterday, April 14, was like magic. I went to lunch with Lacie and we sat outside for a couple of hours, basking in the sunshine and 80-degree weather. The sun even turned my skin pink from too much exposure (just my hands/wrists, because I wore long sleeves and jeans, and had sunblock on my face), but don't worry, Grayson was in the shade the whole time.

Sun line in the closet

Contrast that with today, April 15. The temperature dropped more than 45 degrees and a bunch of white junk kept falling out of the sky onto the yards and streets outside.

It shouldn't be snowing in April, should it?

Finally, toss in the fact that we now pay state income tax, and I officially deem Tax Day one of the worst days ever. At least of 2008.

For Grandma Candy

Now that I know how much Josh's mom enjoys these little videos, I'll try and upload more for her to enjoy. We take a lot of footage with our actual video camera, but neither of us has ever taken the time to figure out how to take the videos off of it. So I'll try and take extra videos with our digital camera instead.

When I woke up this morning, I heard my baby babbling on and on. I peeked into the bassinet to see what was going on, and he was wide awake, talking to no one in particular. I told him "Good Morning, dear" and got one of the biggest smiles I've seen to date. Naturally, I tried to recreate the moment. It turned out well, but his face mostly registers the "I'm trying to let go of some gas" look toward the end.

Awww...

My husband is so sweet, that when there are just two slices of bread left in the loaf, he'll eat the heel and leave me the last remaining 'normal' slice, even though he eats breakfast first in the morning.

I sure do love him.

And here is a video of our little Chunky Monkey, taken just this morning:

Rejected

My pregnancy and Grayson's ensuing birth has turned my blog focus onto him instead of yours truly, but today I'm reclaiming it with some big news:

I got rejected by the dental hygiene program.

I got the letter last Thursday, March 27. I have to admit that I was surprised. Even though there are only 14 seats and about 60-70 applicants every year, I applied with a 4.0 GPA and high scores on the application exam and knew I had an excellent chance of getting in. So I was surprised, even though I had tried not to get my hopes up.

Well, surprise quickly wore off and sadness started creeping in. I started to cry. I cried lots and lots, more than I have in a very long time. I was so disappointed in myself. You see, Josh and I have a 10-year plan, but getting rejected was not part of the plan, and it had been going perfectly for the last 2.5 years. Why did I have to go and screw up the plan? I called Josh (he worked out of town Wed-Fri) and bawled to him. What are we going to do now? I felt completely lost and totally stupid. I felt so bad. I felt like a failure. Why did I think I could compete with all those girls 10+ years my junior?

Then I got mad. I got mad because if Josh hadn't dragged us back up to this God-forsaken state, I'd have gotten into the dental hygiene program in Vegas. I was done with those pre-reqs before we moved. I had taken their test. Their program takes twice as many students. There is no driving in snowstorms to get to campus. It was ideal in every way. But no, my husband had to screw it all up. I cried even harder, I was so angry. My emotions ran wild like that all day long.

Finally, at Grayson's 4am feeding, I let the relief I'd been quashing all day settle over me. I wouldn't have to leave my 6-month-old to go back to school full-time! We never knew what we were going to do with him - we'd figure that out once I knew my school schedule - but Josh's work schedule is so unpredictable, we were certainly going to have to find a sitter or daycare. Thankfully, that won't have to happen now.

As it turns out, I was rejected because my application was deemed 'ineligible.' The department called me on Monday and told me so. Seems the transfer credit office was mistaken when they told me Chem 121 would work to fulfill the Chem 1110 requirement, since it's a more advanced Chemistry. But nope. Not true. I have to take Chem 1110 this summer or fall to have it completed before I apply to next year's program. And the lady said I would have had an 'excellent chance' of being accepted if I had been eligible. Looks good for next year!

So we're sticking with the plan, but just delaying it one year. We're hoping it won't be so bad to start the program next year instead. Grayson will be one year older, and hopefully we will be permanently settled in our own home by then. Meanwhile, I'll take the infamous Chem class this summer, and probably Microbiology this fall, just to get it out of the way. The good news is I'm applying to SLCC right now so I can take the classes closer to home. And don't worry - I've already double-checked that the credits will transfer seamlessly this time.

2 months!

Over the last month, Grayson...

• Started 'talking' and smiling!
• Grew to 10lbs, 12oz, and 22.5 inches long
  
• Started stretching after every nap and feeding (I really need to upload a video - it's hilarious)
• Earned the nicknames 'Chunky Monkey' and 'Stretch Armstrong'
• Decided he prefers his bouncer to his swing (sorry Mom)
• Finally started fitting into some of his 0-3 month clothes
• Began hiccuping less frequently
• Fell in love with Daddy singing to him
• Manifested his lactose sensitivity
• Began wearing his cloth diapers!
• Started sleeping 5 hours straight during the night
• Attended sacrament meeting regularly
  
• Celebrated his first Easter!

My baby is huge now. He has a double chin, dimpled elbows, fat wrists, and rolled thighs. He has gained an average of 1/2 pound per week. I'm beginning to think he got Josh's family's genes, and not mine. I guess we'll have to wait and see how he turns out. I haven't taken any pictures of him since March 23 (the shame!) so I'll take one today and post it for all of you to marvel at his massive growth.