June 2014- In like a lion, out like a lamb

June came in like a lion and went out like a lamb... sort of. Let me explain. At the beginning of the month, when Teddy was only five weeks old, Ben left on a business trip for five days. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that I almost lost my mind while he was gone. Teddy was super fussy day and night and I had no one to hand him off to. He was waking up every 1.5 to 2 hours consistently during the night and it made me a zombie. A cranky, crazy, zombie.

However, a few things saved me. First, my friend Dennine let me borrow an infant swing. I was very anti-swing before, however it helped ease his crying and gave me a break when I needed it. I will no longer judge mothers who use swings. Then, Heavenly Father was watching over me. On Saturday I felt so alone and depressed so I prayed, "Heavenly Father, I can get through this weekend if someone will just invite me to their house for dinner tomorrow" (unfortunately I was too proud to ask someone for help). Anyway, the next day at church my friend Jana approached me. She knew Ben was out of town and asked how I was doing. I was such a mess- I couldn't even smile and lie. In the middle of the hallway I burst into tears. She quickly told me that I was invited to her house to dinner and that she would take Teddy third hour so I could have a break.

Jana didn't get the chance to take Teddy third hour because our dear friend Art Park saw me crying and came to take Teddy. Teddy fell right asleep and Art rocked him in the hallway the whole third hour. He was my hero that day.

Jana was also my hero- she didn't have any plans for dinner but invited me anyway. When I arrived at her house, she took the crying Teddy and rocked him to sleep while I ate. Then as he slept Nayeli played with her kids. I loved our ward before this experience but this specific Sunday I fell in love. It is so full of good people willing to serve and help others. I feel so taken care of and loved here. I will be so sad if we ever have to leave.

But then Ben arrived home Monday night and was, of course, so sorry he had been gone. And then everything got better. Teddy started crying less, I had someone to switch off with me when I couldn't take it anymore, and my best friend was once again by my side.

My growing boy. He weighed 14 pounds at his two month appointment.

My treasures

 

Nayeli found the whipped cream tupperware and the rest is history.

Ready for Sunday, complete with a bowtie

 

I am a human jungle gym

And just for a little extra enjoyment, here's a clip taken while Ben was out of town. (note: I misuse the word pontificate in here. I meant punctuate... but it was 5pm and I had just woken up from a nap. Just sayin').



As June settled down we had two visits from Ben's mom Jane. We had a great time while she and others were here and even went out to the coast at the end of the month (post to follow soon). And the best way to end any month is to go to the coast. A wonderful end to a crazy beginning.

The Goose Was Getting Fat...

I was supposed to post this video weeks ago but, in the rush of the season, I didn't get around to it. It's a little long, but hopefully you can enjoy the first minute of Nayeli's cuteness and get a feeling for how fun it was to prep her for Christmas.

This year she was really into the songs Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bells, the Little Drummer Boy, and Rudolph. The video shows a little bit of her "enthusiasm" for two of the songs.

Character

As Nayeli grows, I am amazed at the personality she has. She is such a character. The things she says and does... I have to wonder sometimes, where does she come up with this stuff? Sometimes she does things that I feel she didn't learn here on earth- instincts that I feel were part of her spirit before she came here. And then some things... well it's obvious she didn't learn those in heaven :)

Her new thing is to say, "Uh... go" meaning "I wanna go". She says this to me when she's bored (i.e. sacrament meeting today) and sometimes even adds an exclamation point to her statement by banging on the front door or bringing me her shoes.

She also has a great sense of humor. The other day I was so excited to finally get a bow into her slowly growing hair.  I had to get a picture. I asked her to smile and this is the first face I got (complete with a growl):

Then this:

Where in the world did she learn to sass like that? I was busting my gut. My daughter is 1 going on 13...

Look how cute! I finally have a daughter who'll let me put things on her head again.

Going back to instinct:  Like many girls, she was born with a nurturing instinct. She recently found a doll and has adopted it as her "baby". This came after no prompting from me. It's like she just knew what to do with it. Here she is pushing "the baby" around the house in the stroller, complete with two "doggies" in the basket beneath the seat.

The rest of the pictures have nothing to do with instinct but I thought I'd throw them in here since they show her personality and she's just so cute!

 She loves anything dairy: sour cream, ranch dressing, etc. Here she is licking the cream cheese from the bagel I had just given her.

A "doggie" and a balloon. I think Old Navy is her new happy place.

 Talking on the phone to Grandma Jane. She will put anything and everything up to her ear and say "hi".

Last but not least, this video was taken while we were talking to Ben's little brother Sam one night. When we lived in Provo, Sam made up a silly song with Nayeli in Spanish about snuggling with him and it stuck. In fact, she asks for it every time we talk to him. This last time I had to get her on camera while listening to it and she did not disappoint.

Sammy, this one is for you.

Bring On Halloween

Fall in Oregon

This fall has been so beautiful here in Oregon. The weather is just perfect; crisp weather that only requires a long sleeve shirt or, at most, a jacket. We've been trying to get out as much as possible since we know the rainy season is just around the corner. Here are some of our latest (or not so recent) adventures.

 What is it about a child that loves to push something around? 

I found this stroller at a yard sale for $2 and it is Nayeli's favorite toy.

We have a playground by our house that has a gigantic volcano slide. One evening at the end of the summer I got this great picture of Ben and Nayeli at the top. They are best buds.

I am guilty of bribing my child with Cheetos so as to enjoy a trip to Target without any interruptions or tantrums. It worked like a charm and it's become my secret weapon when my sanity requires it.

Nayeli loves books. I can often find her alone in her room "reading" to herself. It makes my book-loving heart happy.

Another day when she put on her pumpkin hat and wore it around the house.

I love my girl

On my entry table I had a beautiful white pitcher with flowers in it as well as a porcelain fall pumpkin. The flowers sang the siren song to Nayeli and before I knew it they were in a pile of glass on my floor. I just try to think of what my mom said when I broke things as a child; "I love you more than I love my... (fill in the blank)". Wise words.

Ben and Nayeli after dinner. One of her favorite things is watching videos of herself on our phones. Yes, we're raising a narcissist, but can you blame her? 

Her latest obsession is dogs. Our sweet neighbor, who adores Nayeli, gave her a stuffed Chihuahua. She carried it around for days.

General Conference this year was wonderful. With a toddler, it's its own challenge but I think we did okay. Besides trashing the house to keep her entertained. But that probably would have happened anyway. Here she is leading the music (notice her blurry hand).

There are lots of pumpkin patches in our area with free animal petting zoos. A friend and I took our kids to see the baby goats at this one. Nayeli loved to see them but refused to feed them.

She also refused to look at the camera. Oh well.

She loves swings, or "wee", as she calls them. This tire swing was no exception. She held on for dear life while giggling excitedly. She's got such a life in her that I love.

As of late I've become mildly addicted to Pinterest. I found a tutorial for a pompom garland but you had to make your own pompoms. Since I have no patience for that, I bought a package of pre-made pompoms at the dollar store, used some twine I had on hand, and voila! I love how it turned out! I think I'm going to make one for every holiday. Can't get enough of a good thing right?

Last but not least, this is video of Nayeli saying her favorite word. She will walk around the house saying it over and over. Despite excessive coaxing she only says it once in the video. Notice her tone. That's how she says it every time.

No More Monkeys

Since we've moved away from essentially all of our family, I've decided to post more videos so that those who are interested (aka grandparents) can see how Nayeli is changing and growing.

Lately she's begun to mimic our actions. This is her version of "No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed".

Daddy's Girl

Last night Ben put Nayeli in new pajamas. Since she awoke this morning, she's been walking around the house pointing to her pajamas and saying "Da-da" over and over. Although I couldn't get her impromptu performance on camera, I think this video clip gives you an idea of how cute she is.