Vegas

At the very beginning of this month, from October 1st until the 10th, we drove to Utah for General Conference, stayed in Salt Lake for the weekend, left Sunday and drove all the way down to VEGAS!  It was a fabulously good time and we CRAMMED as many sights as possible into the four days we were there.

Grant was very well behaved on the drive down, although by the end of the first day when we checked into a hotel in Idaho Falls, he was ready to get out of the carseat!  Fortunately he was able to sleep at the hotel in his Pack 'N Play in spite of sleeping most of the day in the car.

Here he is in the hotel room in Idaho:

Then, here we are going to the Saturday Afternoon Session of General Conference!  The great couple we were staying with, Eli and April Jones, who Trevor knows from his mission in France, offered to take care of Grant so that we could attend our session!

Here is a view of the Salt Lake temple:

We made a stop in St. George to take some pictures of the beautiful St. George temple on our way to Vegas:

Finally....

VEGAS!!!!

We arrived Sunday night, and Monday we hit up the Luxor, Excalibur, and Mandalay Bay, as well as shopping at Town Square, where we bought Grant's halloween costume at Old Navy.

If you've ever seen Criss Angel, he has a show at the Luxor, and we've seen the episode where he's casually out among the crowd at the hotel, has a random girl sign this card as her own, then he throws the entire deck at the door and the autographed card gets stuck between the two pieces of glass that make up the door.  This is still a mystery to us how he did it, and Grant actually got very upset that he couldn't touch the card from either side!

At the Excalibur, Trevor got to meet his favorite cartoon (after He-Man, of course)

Here is a view of the inside of Excalibur

And here we are at Mandalay Bay.  We shot a funny video of me throwing Grant up in the air and catching him, which you can watch in High Def here.

Tuesday we spent most of the day in a timeshare presentation, waiting to get our free meal vouchers and tickets to Shark Reef and the Bodies exhibit.  Then we headed over the far north end of the Strip and had lunch in the Stratosphere!

After that, I needed to relax by my aunt and uncle's pool.  We stayed at their house for the week and it was great!  They fed us VERY well and we loved their company.  We need to visit again soon!

And, of course, they got to meet Grant!  Here is Uncle Mark hanging out with Grant at breakfast.

Wednesday we spent all day going to the Hoover Dam.  It was amazing, and at least as impressive is the huge bridge they are building way up high above the dam.  It's incredible.

Thursday was our last day there!  We wanted to fit in as much as possible.  We went to the Bellagio, where they have a great indoor atrium, extremely elaborate check-in desk, and beautiful casino.

Quick drive-by of Paris:

Quick stop in Rome for me:

And Grant:

Amazing French cafe in Caesars Palace, where we ate a Croque-Monsieur (yum!):

The pool view of Caesars Palace!  We weren't actually supposed to be out there, but we didn't know where the doors we were going out of led...

Finally, after many hours of searching, found Elvis!  He was shopping in the mall at Caesars Palace.

Thursday continued:  Shark Reef!

Trevor petting a sting ray

Lionfish:

Great pictures that I took of the jelly fish.  See now why we bought the camera?  Once I took these pictures, I realized it was worth every penny.

Thursday evening, we went to the buffet at the MGM Grand with Megan, Mark, and their houseguest Mike, and ate ALL we could.  It was very good.  Then Trevor, Grant and I raced off to see the Bodies exhibit back at the Luxor.  I LOVED it.  We couldn't take pictures, but it was absolutely fascinating, and extremely well done and respectful, as the lighting was done just right, there was nothing flashy, and I'm sure that everyone who leaves that exhibit can't help but marvel at the wonder of the human body!

Hopefully we'll be back before too long!

Thanks again Meg and Mark!  We miss you already!

Nine

My little Grant is NINE MONTHS OLD!  Nine months sounds like such a big age to me, and since he was born it has seemed like he would be SO BIG when he got there - but now that he's nine months, he's not so big. He's not crawling yet or pulling himself up, which is okay with me!  It also makes him seem younger than nine months to me, so I can imagine that he's still only six months.  Except that he can roll all over the living room, pull himself forward on his tummy using a stationery object to get towards a toy he wants, feed himself anything in front of him including tiny things, eat almost all the same things I'm eating, hold his own sippy cup and (almost) drink water from it and not just air, express his needs a little better (he whines when something gets taken away that he wants, when he needs help, and when he wants to do it himself), understand the word "drink", the signs "milk", "eat", "jump", and he's really getting the hang of helping me dress him.  He's so sweet all the time.  He makes funny sounds with his mouth, blowing air, using all kinds of consonant and vowel sounds, examining objects, picking through a bin of toys until he finds the one he's looking for - all kinds of things.  He is such a good little guy.  He is still breastfeeding, 2 or 3 times a day, but I'd like to wean him right at the year mark.  He has already had his first few tries of cow's milk and he thought it was fine, although I think it confused him that I sign "milk" to him before each sip and then it's cold instead of warm, and from his sippy cup, which has always been water before!  It's a mad mad mad mad world, I tell you.

Here are the stats from his appointment last Tuesday:

18 lbs. 2.5 oz.  (15th percentile)

29 inches (67th percentile)

Head is 17.8 inches (41st percentile)

He is doing fine, just being long and skinny like always.  He outgrows lots of pants and not so many shirts.  I got him a very cute tuque with matching mittens at Superstore this week that is dark blue with little ears on it.  It is VERY cute.  He has already gotten used to it, thank goodness.  I don't want his head to get cold when we're out.

He was getting up at night while we were on vacation and prior to that, but luckily we were able to let him cry himself back to sleep since we've been back from vacation (since our neighbors downstairs can't hear him) and within a couple nights he was back to sleeping through as he knew the crying wasn't going to get him picked up and nursed back to sleep.  Last night he woke up and was especially distressed, and once in a while his diaper leaks in the night and he needs to get changed, but he mostly sleeps through the night.  He's very easy to take places and tons of fun.  He loves to stand and will stand as long as someone will help him balance.  He loves to feed himself and try to use his sippy cup all by himself.  We are trying to get him to clap and wave good bye, as well as use the signs he knows, but he would rather just flail his arms up and down, I guess.  He's silly.  I really want him to start signing!  Oh well...

Now this one is pretty blurry, but way too cute to delete.  He's so happy - all the time!!!

Big mess eating his first Farber cookie!

Arrrrmmmmmm!

Who's there?

Oh hello there!

Weekends

I just found out that Trevor will be gone from Monday morning to Friday evening for the next THREE weeks starting this coming Monday!  I think I might go absolutely crazy alone with Grant the ENTIRE week, not to mention Trevor is going to be stuck in Medicine Hat bored out of his MIND.  Wow.  I guess I get a taste of what some women are used to.  It's going to be a looo-oong three weeks - my to do list is already empty and this week I mostly haven't been dressed before noon, never mind when Trevor is completely gone all day for five days.  Help?  Guess maybe you'll see a lot more blog posts, although I really won't have anything to blog about.  Also, this is my "big" chance to take out all the seasons of Gilmore Girls that I haven't seen and watch them, and I was wondering when I was going to be able to do that anyway.  Hmmm...

Busy

I have been keeping VERY busy lately.  Since we have been home from our trip, I have continued working like mad on my bookkeeping course - I must finish it before November and I'm so close.  I've also determined to become an acceptable seamstress, so I began an extremely cute turtle sleeping bag for when Grant gets a little older with the help of a lady from Sheran Park Ward who made the pattern herself.  This weekend, with Sheran Park Ward's Super Saturday (an annual Christmas crafts day that each ward traditionally does in the church, our ward's is in three weeks, check out what we're making here and you may spot one of your Christmas presents), I had an extremely busy six hours making as many crafts as I could and spending all our Christmas money.  I made a small nativity set, for us since we don't have any nativities, and let me tell you, they are RIDICULOUSLY cute.  They are wooden, and only two pieces - a Mary and baby with a Joseph and sheep.  I'll post pictures of our Christmas and you'll have to try and spot it.  I also made a wooden plaque for the wall that says Curtis Family Home Evening, and has hanging tags for Mom, Dad, and Grant underneath the various Family Home Evening assignments:  Song, Prayer, Lesson, Activity, Treat, Scripture.  Every Monday is Family Home Evening, and unless we are joined with our other-young-couples group, we get together in the living room, don't answer the phone, sing, pray, have a lesson, play a game or have another activity, and a treat.  It's intended to ensure that families set aside at least one evening a week to be together as a family.  I also made another wooden plaque that I will post a picture of soon, which follows a verse of scripture - this one.  It's lovely.  And I got a bit of a start on the turtle sleeping bag.  I also had a few minutes to eat the free lunch.  It was a hectic day!  The most time consuming was the nativity - sanding, painting, scoring, staining, using antiquing gel, and assembling the bits.  I am SO happy with the end results.

I have also been busy with other church activities.  Last Thursday was the first meet of a new group in our ward, Recipe Club.  I made my famous Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes, since it's the best thing I can cook, and there was an absolute feast waiting at the Hartleys.  It was a really fun night, and I was able to leave Grant at home.

Also, Book Club is meeting at my house this month and I'm still deciding what the treats and other eats are going to be for the women.  The book is a hilarious LDS book by Joni Hilton, As the Ward Turns - as I keep saying, it has just the right mix of giggle-out-loud comedy and sweet Families-Are-Forever sentiment.  There's a sequel called Stop the Ward, I Want to Get Off, which I also highly recommend.  Her books are easy reads and are SURE to make you laugh right out loud.

Finally, our friends have invited us to a Halloween party on the 31st and we have to bring a treat.  I really want to make these - I don't know if I'm up for it, but they are incredible endearing!  I think I'm going to have to give it a try.  They are wrapped in candy coating, not fondant, so maybe that will work in my favor?  They are just too cute to pass up, so wish me luck.  I've only taken a first glance at them tonight, so I'm going to have to read Bakerella's instructions a little more and figure out how much time they will take.  I have almost two weeks, so I should be fine...

Tomorrow morning is Grant's nine month checkup!  So watch for a post with his stats and a fresh update on my little guy!  Also, I posted some pictures of him to facebook and our other blog here and a gorgeous photo shoot I did yesterday for some friends here.

Whew - that's it for now!

Bloggeroo

I'm back! Let the bells ring out and the banners fly, I know it's too good to be true... but here I am!

I keep thinking that the next few weeks will be less busy, but I thought that September would slow down, and it was very busy, then I thought October would be dull, and it's already the 19th - not sure how that happened. Actually, I think it's because we spent October 1st to 11th in the states - we went to a mission reunion for Trevor, General Conference in Salt Lake City, and then drove down to Vegas and stayed with my wonderful aunt and uncle!!! It was an awesome family vacation. The driving was long and dull, but we managed to keep ourselves busy (and stay awake). And even now that we're back, I still have a lot going on, which is leaving me with little time to blog.

Here are a couple cute pictures of Grant from September 21st. Trip pictures and details to come.

Deeds

As Trevor learned on his mission. Fortunately, he was able to learn this particular one secondhand. One of Trevor's companions was out on the streets of France, trying to show the brotherly love, when he made the mistake of hugging a "sans domicile" - also known as a bum. Shortly after this incident, he found out he has fleas. They had to fumigate the whole apartment and have everything dry cleaned or steam cleaned, as well as have one of those "special" baths. You know, when your mom uses that word "special" and it's not a good thing.

Not only that, this Elder was too cheap to dryclean his suit jacket, so they went through this whole ordeal only to have the fleas live on in the suit jacket.

But he lived to tell the tale. Moral of the story: Hug a bum, get fleas.

Mush

What do you get when you let your husband make your baby's food, and he decides to...


... you mix sweet potatoes and chicken, with veggies and pasta? Well, as Trevor discovered the day before yesterday while feeding Grant and thinking that mixing everything would be a great idea...

You get something that tastes an awful lot like cat food.

Rollin'

Yesterday, Grant discovered that he can get around by rolling! He rolled all over the living room, exploring the bottom of the couch, the curtains, etc. He is also fascinated with light switches and outlets, naturally. Anything dangerous is the most entertaining. I expect he'll be crawling any day now! Which is exciting, sad, and worrisome all at the same time.

Life will never be the same.

Pains

While I try to be very positive on the blog, this post is not positive. Be warned. Only Trevor knows the full extent of what I live with day by day, until this post.

Since I was a teenager, I have had frequent headaches, which have never reacted very well to medication, but have been tolerable. Lots of people have headaches, right? Well, when we got married and moved to Vancouver, they started becoming worse and worse, and, to top it off, the headacheS has become headache, singular - I have had one headache for a couple years now, nonstop, the tension kind. I have also begun experiencing frequent migraines on top of the tension headache. Since moving back to Lethbridge, the intensity of the tension headache has increased, and I feel as though I could take migraine medication at least once a day. I currently have a prescription for the migraines that are the kind that dissolve on your tongue, which cost $16/pill (fortunately, we have 80% coverage, but they are still expensive). Those take the edge off of the migraines when they are really bad. Taking 1200mg of ibuprofen takes the edge off, some days, too. Nothing else - not Tylenol 3, not regular Tylenol, not Diclofenac, but that's all I've tried. Some days I feel quite hopeless about it.

I have been regularly seeing Trevor's uncle, a chiropractor, since we moved back to Lethbridge, and I only need to see him once a week right now, so all is as best as it can be with my head and neck. They have been messed up since a few car accidents a couple years ago. I also began seeing a massage therapist, with very disappointing results. He expected to be able to get rid of my headaches, with very little success. In fact, he was discouraged in himself and told me he usually gets much better results. The last time I saw him was three weeks ago, on September 2, and just after the massage I felt better, and then as I was paying I realized I felt exactly the same as when I had walked in. So I abandoned that whole track.

This same evening, I developed terrible chills as I was going to bed and couldn't stop shaking for two hours, during which I drifted in and out of sleep. The disturbing thing was that I didn't have a fever. My head hurt with a vengeance, And I was miserable, nauseous, lying in bed, crying, hating life, wishing for a big axe to swing down from the heavens and cut my head off, the Second Coming, a plane crash in our bedroom - anything to stop the pain. When I started to feel numbness in my fingertips, I called the health line, and they, of course, told me to go in to the ER. I drove myself.

Once there, I didn't have to wait too long and was skipped ahead of three or four people who were there before me. The doctor talked to me, and I told him my quality of life was very poor due to the headaches, told him the history, symptoms, blah blah blah. They gave me Gravol for the nausea, and two other meds, one of them started with C. By this time I was happy for anything. One of the meds they gave me made me tired, and I was already half asleep as it was 3am by the time I got the meds. I slept a little, and the nurse asked me if I wanted morphine. I said no, since it makes me very ill. I got home at 6am and crawled back into bed.

The next day, I was tired, but otherwise, the meds kept the pain at bay. It was back by dinnertime.

The ER doctor sent me for a CT scan the following Thursday, and my doctor's office called me last week to tell me all was normal on the scan. Big help. I'm going back, again, to see my doctor on Monday.

I feel as though I need to get this solved to move on with life - having chronic pain is something that cannot be understood until it is experienced. I had little sympathy for those who complained of chronic pain before this experience. Relentless pain like this is absolutely exhausting. Pain takes a shocking amount of energy and it frequently leaves me feeling drained physically and mentally. I understand Dr. House better, that's for sure.

Aside from the desire I have to be able to accomplish more in a day once I have the energy back that the pain is sucking up now, I also need to resolve this pain before I have another baby, so that I can get through the pregnancy, and because I won't be able to take anything for the pain during the pregnancy.

Could it be that all these things are to give me experience, like the scriptures say? To teach me something - empathy, what suffering is, how to endure? To liken my experience to the Savior's, when he felt more pain that anyone on earth will ever feel? The scriptures say "The Son of Man hath descended below them all - art thou greater than He?" Certainly I'm not greater than Him, and if the Lord sees fit to allow the suffering, then I look to His example - hoping that this cup will pass from me, soon, but if not... let my will be turned to the Father's will for me.

How grateful I am that my husband, Trevor, holds the same priesthood that was held anciently by Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, and the Savior, and that he can administer blessings to me by that priesthood. I know that the Lord can heal me, and that I will look back on this as something which helped me to grow - but I eagerly wait for the trial to end, just the same.

Interruptions...

Poor Taylor Swift.  Now I know how she feels.

Some people need to learn some manners - especially when on TV.

That is all.

Eight

My little boy is getting so big.  He was eight months old on Tuesday, so I guess I'm two days late on posting this entry, but my blogging is sporadic at best.  Since he didn't need to see the doctor or get shots this month, I don't know exactly how much he weighs right now... wait, we bought a bathroom scale.  Let me go weigh him.


Okay, he weighs 18 lbs.  That puts him in the 25th percentile.  I'm so glad he's just a small guy.  He's not crawling or scooting around yet, which is great by me since we'll have to get a gate once he starts motoring, and he'll be making messes left, right and center.  He definitely wants to crawl - when he's on his tummy he's trying hard to figure out how to get somewhere and getting frustrated.  But I'm happy to have him stationary!

He's also mastering the pincer grip - picking up cheerios, cooked veggies, bits of cheese, etc., between his fingers and thumb.  I absolutely love watching him pick the food up between his index finger and thumb and try to get it in his mouth - I could just about burst with pride when he gets it in.  He gets better every day.  It's unbelievable to think of how he has grown from a helpless newborn into this wonderful little boy who can already feed himself (a little).

Something I am extremely grateful for is that I don't have to break him of a bottle.  How blessed I am that I was able to exclusively breastfeed him since he was born. We did leave him with sitters a couple times with some expressed milk in a bottle, and he drank it, but it never became habit to have the bottle.  I am SO fortunate that I have not had to work and that breastfeeding has been so wonderful.

And for the last couple months, since he started eating solids, I've been giving him water out of these cups.  The shape seems to work great for him, and they are cheap, so if I leave them behind somewhere it wouldn't be a big deal.  I do wish they had a lid though.

I'm just beginning to look around for the kind with the straw, which he should be able to get the hang of quickly now that he's eight months.  But I've only seen the fancy insulated kind, and I do not want to spend that kind of money on one cup.  Another reason I'm glad I chose the cheap ones is that I just recently found out that some kids who drink from the cups with the valve develop a tongue thrust when they use their tongues to stop the flow, and then have difficulty speaking.  Hooray for the cheap cups!

We also have a new rule.  Grant needs to eat at least one full jar of fruit before bed so that he doesn't get up to eat at 5 or 6am.  He ate lots of fruit last night before bed and then didn't get up until 9 today.  Thank goodness!

And he is getting his first two teeth!  The front two on the bottom, just as expected.  He was not feeling great when they were cutting through the gums, and had a very stuffed up nose for a few days, but he seems to be feeling much better the last couple days and especially this morning.  His little teeth are so cute!  I can't wait to get some pictures of him when they come all the way up!

It is SO wonderful being at home with Grant all the time.  I love him so very much.  He brings so much happiness to Trevor and me.  Now that he's here we just can't believe we ever lived without him.  Definitely, people should have children because they want them, but having always wanted them, I can't imagine never having him.  There are no words to express how much I love him.  We are SO glad he came to be in our family and that Heavenly Father sent him to us.

Thank heaven for little boys!

Cake

Trevor has been very busy learning all about cameras since last December, when we bought our first digital SLR, a Canon Rebel XS.  We LOVE it.  We've taken more than 10,000 pictures in under a year.  Now that we are both getting better at taking pictures, we are venturing out to take pictures of someone other than Grant.  We've done one family shoot and one maternity shoot, and since I've been busy honing my cake decorating skills at the same time, we introduce our latest blog, featuring the two things we hope to soon get actually paid to do.  My cake prices will be basically the materials cost for the next little while, if you're interested, and we haven't yet started charging for a photo shoot - so if you'd like us, let us know!  We're available weeknights and weekends, so get your name on the list!


Click here for the new blog: a sneak peek of our maternity shoot and a shot of my latest cake!


Edit [November 10, 2010]:  This link doesn't work anymore - sorry!  I don't make cakes, but I do take pictures.  Come find me here instead.

Learning

As my last post was a bit of a rant, I want to sum up the learning I am already doing. In reflecting on this, thanks to the wonderful Visiting Teaching message from the Church's magazine which caused me to do so, I realized how much continual learning I am immersing myself in from day to day:

1. Cake decorating classes: I took the first two Michael's cake decorating classes while in Vancouver, and since we have been back in Lethbridge I have made four different cakes to practice my skills. I also plan to take the third decorating class this fall.

2. I began (again) the Harry Potter series at the beginning of July while in California and have just finished the 6th book. Seventh book here I come! (Haha, is this learning?)

3. I read the book for the ward's Book Club each month and then meet with the other women at the end of the month to talk about the book and eat treats.

4. I also read two other books this month, both by James Patterson, just for fun.

5. I am currently working on my online bookkeeping course that I started in Vancouver and have a goal to work on it for at least three hours each week. At this rate, I should be done in just a week or two.

6. I practice photography with the tips and rules that Trevor has taught me and I'm sure I am getting better!

7. I regularly read Maclean's, Today's Parent, and the Ensign.

8. I am eagerly awaiting my mom's visit in September so she can bring with her the sewing machine she bought me (and because I love her) and have my name down to take sewing classes with my sister-in-law at Fabric Addict.

9. I read my scriptures each day, at least one chapter out of the Book of Mormon. I am currently here. I've read the Book of Mormon at least 10 times.

10. I look for cultural learning experiences. For example, Grant and I went to the International Festival in Lethbridge at the beginning of August and watched many kinds of dancing from around the world, including belly dancing and Phillipino.

There you have it - 10 ways I'm already following the Lord's counsel to seek learning. One of the Young Women's Program's value motto says: "I will continually seek opportunities for learning and growth" and I am working to expand my skills, enrich my knowledge, and develop my talents in order to receive the promises mentioned in the message this month:

“Lifelong learning is essential to the vitality of the human mind, body, and soul. It enhances self-worth and self-actuation. Lifelong learning is invigorating mentally and is a great defense against aging, depression, and self-doubt” (Elder Robert D. Hales, “The Journey of Lifelong Learning,” in Brigham Young University 2008–2009 Speeches [2009], 2, 8–9).

Directions

All my life I've wanted to be a mom. I've planned for it and prayed for it and just plain yearned for it. Always, always, always. I practiced on countless dolls, beanie babies, barbies, stuffed animals, pet hamsters, mice, a cat, and about a billion different fish - and finally I have my little boy!!!

I love him so much! But this post isn't about him - it's about me (like most of my posts). The mystery now to me is, after all the planning and wishing and hoping, why do I feel like I should have some kind of answer for the question "What did you do for school?" other than "I started my nursing degree.... and never finished it."

Even before Grant was born, I had found that the old saying is true - a woman's work is never done. I have plenty to keep me busy from day to day, between laundry, baby messes, the running of a household, cooking, cleaning, blogging, church responsibilities, bill paying.... you get the idea. It's not that I don't have enough to do! But here is the dilemma: Should I go back to school part-time? Full-time? Before I tell you the answer that will most likely win out, let me highlight the two different scenarios that are possible:

1. I could return to school full-time starting next September, for three years, and complete my nursing degree. It would be a lot of work and money, and we'd have to put off buying a house and having another baby.

2. I could do a program that is newly offered at the college, Emergency Medical Responder (the lowest-on-the-totem-pole version of a paramedic).

This is something I've wanted to do since I was very small. My mom used to tape the old show with William Shatner, Rescue 9-1-1, for me, since 9pm was way past my bedtime, and I loved to watch it. I didn't dream of being a nurse or doctor, but a paramedic.

The big appeal for this is that it is now at the college, as I said, which means it won't be such a crash course in comparison to the one offered at St. John's, and it is offered starting in January 2010, on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6-10pm! That would be ideal, as Trevor could take care of Grant, and he would no longer be nursing as he turns one year old in January. Even if Trevor were late coming home from work, I could most likely take Grant to his Grandma Curtis' house, which is not far from the college.

SO... I'm sure you can guess where I'm going with this.

I would LOVE to finish my nursing degree, but I feel strongly that my work is here, in my home, with my baby, and I very much cannot justify putting him in daycare, delaying buying a house, and putting off having another baby for it.

The EMR course seems like a happy middle ground for me. I would be done in three months and get those fancy letters at the end of my name - and the fancy piece of paper on the wall. Perhaps this is more an issue of me being happy with where I am. I do love being at home with Grant, and it is SO much better than working - I simply can't stress that enough. And I want to have another baby - many more, if I can. And we obviously want to buy a house as soon as possible.

So that will most likely be what I do. Right now I am just finishing up my bookkeeping course, and once I finish that (in the next few weeks) I will allow myself to (most likely) apply to the EMR program at the college. Hopefully the January session won't be full by then.

Wish me luck!

Note: Sometime in the future I would still love to finish my nursing degree and I am determined to - but it will wait. Being a mother in the most important work in the world.

The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.

No other success can compensate for failure in the home. ~President David O. McKay

Parties

Grant was able to go to his first little birthday party at a friend's house on August 1st! His friend Troy turned 2 on July 30th. Happy Birthday Troy!

One of Troy's presents was a bubble machine, so it had to be tried out!

Grant also tried out his little car while we were there.

And on August 6th, we went to my friend Crystal's birthday party - it was a dessert potluck, so I naturally had to demonstrate my -ahem - cake making skills. No, I'm definitely nowhere near as good as Bakerella, but I'm working on it. This was my first attempt at making these fun little Happy Meals. I used a white cake mix for the cupcakes:

My very own recipe for the brownie burgers, white icing colored with food coloring, and a sugar cookie recipe courtesy of Betty Crocker for the sugar cookie french fries.

Assemble them...

Bakerella graciously provided the template on her site for the boxes, as well as some blank fry holders, which I added text to in Photoshop (first time using it, too!). I also made my own paper for the lining of the boxes in Photoshop. I had it all printed at a local place - the fry holders on regular paper, the boxes on cardstock, and the lining paper on vellum, since they didn't have tissue or tracing paper. I think they came out great! Next time, I need to cut the cupcake buns smaller, and the brownie burgers shorter. Also, too much icing made the burger tops slide all over the place, but I was pretty happy overall!

There you have it!

Stats

Grant's checkup on July 20th revealed an interesting growth curve:

27" long = 75th percentile

16 lbs. 9.5 oz. = 37th percentile

44cm head circumference = 68th percentile

So while he has always been long and skinny, he is especially so now! He hasn't been below the 50th percentile for weight before, and now he is way below - the result being that cheap baby clothes (e.g. clothes from Walmart, the fat people store) that fit him in the length hang off of him since he's skinny. He's wearing 9 month sleepers now, 12 month Gerber onesies (since they fit small), and mostly 6 month other clothing. We sure love him!

Johns

Last Thursday Grant and I went out to Blairmore as friends of mine who live north of Calgary were there camping, the Johns family. It's been far too long since I've seen them - I saw them last summer briefly, when I was pregnant with Grant. I love this family - their names are Ryan and Dianne, and they have two very sweet boys named Karson and Braeden. I've lived with them for a few weeks of each summer during high school, babysitting their kids, camping with them, vacationing on Tie Lake. They are the sweetest family, and have always been so very generous towards me, especially when I was a goofy teenager (we all know how that feels!). They really are the best, and I was so happy for them to meet Grant!

Six

My little guy is already six months! And since I'm behind on posting his six months update, he's already six and a HALF months. I know the time will just keep slipping by, but I'm busy enjoying every stage of his growth as it comes along. He went for his six month shots on the 28th and did very well. He was very sleepy the rest of the day and ate hardly anything, just wanted to breastfeed, but no other side effects.

On that note, did you know breast milk can cure pink eye (just squirt it in, lol!) and is like a portable Polysporin (who needs Poly To Go when you make milk, eh? EH?)

Back to the baby. He's able to sit up by himself now, for a longer period each day. He can roll all the way over to his tummy and get both hands out from underneath (did it for the first time on Trevor's birthday, the 21st), still LOVES his Jolly Jumper, and can drink perfectly well out of a little sippy cup now. So no bottle for him, and I can now leave him (not that I want to) for long stretches of time if I leave enough milk.

Our days are a nice routine now. Grant and I play, watch TV, read books, nap, snack, and clean, while Trevor works as an engineer. He's really working on learning how to talk, and makes the most hilarious faces all the time (Grant, not Trevor)! He's also learned how to squeal when he's happy, which is nearly all the time! If he's not hungry, then you have one happy baby on our hands!

I wanted to make these for Trevor's birthday, but as I planned to make them a month ahead of time, when it came time I completely forgot. Fortunately, I was able to stop by Crazy Cakes and am now furthering my personal mission of telling the world how wonderful they are. And I didn't have to mess up my kitchen to celebrate Trevor's birthday. I'm pretty sure he's officially old now (compared to people my age) at the ripe ol' age of 27.

Grant eats baby cereal just once a day usually, for breakfast, since he doesn't like it very much. He eats veggies or fruit with chicken or beef for lunch and dinner. A larger version of the Shoppers that was in the strip mall by our house just opened, and I found some organic baby food on sale this week there, so I stocked up. Trevor and I feel as though it's worth the money to get him all organic stuff, at least while he's this small, since the nasty stuff really builds up in babies - like the pesticides used on the crops. Bad for babies!

On that note, we ordered this high chair and then had to wait for six weeks for it to be made, and it was very expensive, but definitely worth it. We think it will pay off in the long run, since we'll only have to buy one highchair for all our kids - and the plastic ones they have now are huge, bulky, and a massive eyesore in your kitchen.

We hope to someday have a big, made-by-Trevor dining room table to match. And, don't forget, if Trevor makes it, it will certainly be built to last through the Second Coming. Thunderstorms? Tornadoes? Hail and brimstone? No match for Curtis Family Dining Table To Come. We've already outgrown the dining room table we have now, but can't upgrade yet. Soon. We're trying to do all we can to save for a house, then we'll have some breathing room.

Pancakes

I've tried some good pancakes, some mediocre pancakes, and some baaaad pancakes. One year, during Stampede in Calgary, I attended five (yes, five) Stampede breakfasts on five consecutive days. Believe me, I did not EVER want to see another pancake. This recipe, published in Martha Stewart Living and brought to my attention by Bakerella in her Good Morning post, is AMAZING.

Let's see... start with the Maple Orange butter. Trevor made this while I started on the pancake batter, and it lasted for three or four times that we made these pancakes. I think it needs more orange juice though, as I'm not sure it was worth the trouble since it didn't taste much different than normal butter. However:

You'll need:
1 stick softened butter
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon maple syrup

• Combine all three in a small bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Spoon the mixture on a piece of wax paper.
• Roll and re-shape back into a stick of butter.
• Twist the ends to secure the wax paper and refrigerate.

Then the pancakes!

You'll need:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar, plus two tsp for blueberries
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup milk
3 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1 egg lightly beaten
2 cups blueberries
Extra butter for coating griddle
Maple Syrup
(Makes about 16)

• Whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt and soda in a large bowl. Set aside.
• Whisk together buttermilk, milk, butter and egg in medium bowl.
• Add milk mixture to dry ingredients and whisk together just until combined.
• Toss blueberries in a small bowl with 2 tsp sugar.
• Heat a griddle over medium heat. Take extra butter and run over surface of griddle. Repeat as necessary throughout process.
• Pour batter on griddle 1/4 cup at a time.
• Add some of the sugared blueberries to each pancake.
• Cook for about 3-4 minutes.
• Flip and cook the other side for about 2 minutes.

Keep the finished ones on a cookie sheet in the oven at 200 degrees F to keep them warm.

You should also note that the first time I made these, I had taken care to be sure we had all the ingredients, but the second time we didn't have any buttermilk - so I instead added 1 3/4 cups milk and a little extra flour (I'd say 2-3 tablespoons) to thicken it.

We have a great cast iron pan that we use - a minute on the first side, a minute on the second side, and voila!

Add the Aunt Jemima's....

And dig in! These are seriously to die for. We use half the batter when we make them, then keep the other half in the fridge and have them the next day, with the two of us eating four pancakes each every time we make them. The cornmeal REALLY gives them a little Je-ne-sais-quoi, and the blueberries (we have used both fresh and frozen at different times, both are great) are incredible delicious. And I know pancakes.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living Magazine, June 2009. Online version here.

California!

Grant and I went to California from July 7 to 13, 2009, and had a fabulous time! I love California and miss it whenever I'm away. I used to spend time there nearly every summer growing up since my grandparents lived in Sierra Madre before they died, as well as aunts, uncles, and cousins. My mom lived there until, for some reason unknown to me, moved to the great white north. Now I'm stuck here. Luckily, little Grant and I got a bit of an escape in our week long holiday.

We stayed with my aunt and uncle, Alex and Bryant, and their son, Cader. Grant got to meet them, as well as my big sister Meg, who lives in Singapore. Cader even got to be the "big" cousin for once!

We had a very nice time bumming around, reading Harry Potter, shopping, eating out, and generally enjoying July in Southern California. I'm pretty sure one of the highlights of Grant's trip was our big purchase, a new stroller, second only to getting to meet Auntie Megan.

(Greatest umbrella stroller ever!!!)

She even bought him a new swimsuit with rash guard - cutest thing ever!

Thanks to Megan, Alex, and Bryant for the best week all year!

Stampedin'

This past Saturday we took Grant to his first ever Calgary Stampede - yeehaw! Calgary is my hometown and I've been to the stampede every year of my life, worked there two years in a row during high school, and still love it. I think my favorite thing right now is the chuckwagon races. We didn't go to those this year, but Grant did try out a cowboy hat.

Jumping

Here is another video Trevor took today of Grant having a fantastic time in his Jolly Jumper. He's really got it down now. This is my favorite baby age so far - he still doesn't need to be fed baby food, and he's SO much fun!!!

Skills

All the things Grant can do at his all-of-five-months! (My baby is growing up!)

1. Roll from tummy to back

2. Say "hiiiii"

3. Grab an object with both hands

4. Laugh!

5. Look around for the person he wants to see.

6. Grab stuff and immediately put it in his mouth.

7. Rip paper.

8. Bear some weight on his legs.

9. Get a good steady bouncing rhythm when jumping in the Jolly Jumper.

10. Look for a dropped object and want it back.

11. Smile spontaneously.

12. Sit in his Bumbo at home and watch patiently while I make dinner.

13. Wear sunglasses and not take them off.

14. Poop his pants.

15. Burp really big burps.

16. Throw up many, many times a day and not be bothered.

17. Sleep through the night (between 8 and 10pm until 7:30-10am)

18. Mash all the keys on the keyboard.

Payoff

I gave up my own schooling, I suffered through the darkest, dreariest, rainiest winter of my life (and one slightly less dreary a year later), outlived an 88 day long garbage strike, survived not one, but two terrible jobs, the worst landlord on the planet, who came with the one of the worst basement suites in Vancouver, neighbors from you-know-where, walking up to six blocks each day just to get to the car (in the rain/mist/snow), a flooded home, appliances so loud we had to unplug them to hear the TV, standing outside the door in the rain to get cell phone reception, living in 300 square feet with no dryer and wet clothes draped over every piece of furniture, and many days of isolation, disappointment and frustration, endured a grumpy husband who hated school and the constant runaround that is the UBC Civil program, and FINALLY...

THE BIG PAYOFF

Namely, my talented husband pulled through, mostly unscathed, and finished his degree. He is now an EIT (Engineer-in-Training) for around three more years and can then get his P.Eng. (Professional Engineer). We can live comfortably with what he makes now and pay off his student loans before too long. It is an IMMENSE comfort.

I've noticed that some couples my age, with or without kids, think that I am "on maternity leave" or will return to work at some point. Without wanting to be unkind, prideful, or boasting, I mostly just nod along. The truth is, I'm not on maternity leave from anywhere (though I get one last EI check this week, yay!), and I don't have to plan on going back to work - ever. Unless Trevor dies. In that case, I'll buy a home with the life insurance and get myself back to school!

I'm reminded nearly every day that other people don't have these luxuries. It makes me so proud of think of how hard Trevor has worked to get where he is. He studied every single evening when he was going to Lethbridge College to get high enough grades to get into UBC. He never took a break, and even after he was accepted, he had to endure what is probably the toughest six months any student ever experiences in the country - the Civil Engineering Bridge program at Camosun College in Victoria. The failure rate is around 25%, and no one over the age of 30 has EVER passed. During those six months, Trevor was either in class (which was 40 hours/week), studying at school, studying at home, or at church. It was ROUGH. But he did it!

It makes me tear up when I think of how much work he put in and that he made it. I can't believe how well he is able to take care of Grant and me now that he can work as an Engineer. We are SO blessed. I don't mean any negative feelings to anyone else who chooses work in another field (and thank goodness there aren't more geotechnical civil engineers) but I am so fortunate to have a husband who makes enough for us now, and has so much earning power as life goes on. I know of a few people who have husbands who have just graduated and can't find a job, or have been graduated for a few years but can't find a permanent job, and my heart really goes out to them.

Hopefully there will be more than enough work in the fall and winter for Trevor's company to keep him! Either way, it is such a relief for him to have a useful degree in an industry that continues to be in demand, recession or not.

I feel as though I have the best life ever - I'm living the dream.

Visitors

Yesterday, Carolyn (my former stepmom) and her fiance Bob came for a lunch visit. They put up with me while Grant was well-behaved and cute as a button, as always. He loves to go out. We went to Boston Pizza (which I go to every chance I get) and he sat in his little Bumbo and looked around. Then we took some pictures at home before they returned to Calgary.

I took these myself (!!!) with the 85mm and their native resolution is big, so if you click on them you can see them up close!

Thoughts

In this video, Grant speaks out on the economy. This is what he thinks.

Missing...

I'm one of those wives who nearly always knows where everything is. Trevor asks where something is, I tell him, simple as that, right? Mostly. But I have had this repeat problem with the little cord that connects my mini point and shoot Nikon (not our nice Canon SLR) to a USB, and our computer doesn't have a card reader. I lost it all the time in Vancouver and haven't seen it since we moved here. Part of the problem is that I don't use it very often since we have a really nice camera now, and the cord for that one stays permanently attached to the computer. But, the SLR doesn't have video (someday we'll have a 5D Mark II, but for now, dare to dream...), and my little one does have video, so I've taken a couple videos of Grant (Trevor doesn't do anything worth videotaping... and neither do I, actually). Anyway, I'm back on the hunt...

Update: I found the cord in one of the diaper bag pockets. Yay! Now to put it in a "safe" place next time.

Note: I have a certain few things that I always put in "safe" places and can't find them again later - birthday money that I'm saving, my patriarchal blessing, and this silly cord. I find them and lose them in a vicious cycle of lost and found.

Favorites...

Here is a work in progress of the little things I find to be the best for me, my skin type, my hair type, and my little family:

Hair Products:

Shampoo - my favorite is still Herbal Essences because it smells so good.

Styling - BedHead After Party - the pink tube that is a must for use after flat ironing. Expensive but lasts a very long time since you only need a tiny bit.

Flat Iron - the original ceramic CHI iron can't be beat. I'm on my second one and still love it. They have also come down in price an awful lot.

Skin Products:

Face Cleansing - My complexion does best when I just use water on my face. I haven't found soap that doesn't make me break out even worse! I do love the Zap-It brand Quick Stick - it's a little roller that clears up zits in a hurry.

Makeup - I've tried other makeups: Revlon, Avon, etc, but still LOVE Mary Kay. It lasts forever, so works out being cheaper than other makeups, and it feels so soft. I don't know what they put it in, but it doesn't go bad like some other makeups I've tried. The Avon stuff goes bad and gets really, really sticky, but the MK powders, nail polishes, and even mascaras - I have never seen them go bad - it's amazing. Their mascara isn't heavily perfumed like the Avon stuff is either.

Makeup Remover- Mary Kay wins hands down. I've tried Avon and the expensive L'Oreal, which both stung my eyes for hours afterwards! The MK stuff uses silicon and water, its a clear liquid like water, not a cream, and it's incredible. Come over and use some of mine sometime if you doubt. It doesn't sting at all, and you can be so, so gentle on your eyes.

Baby Products:

Diapers - Well, I've tried Costco, Safeway, Superstore, Huggies and Pampers, and I prefer Huggies. The Safeway ones were awful, and all the other ones were pretty good. The Pampers fit smaller and are soft, but I slightly prefer the Huggies. I've found that I can get them cheaper than the Costco ones when I get them on sale. The smallest, size 1/2, are 18 cents/diaper at Costco normally, and I've been able to get Size 3 for 15 cents/diaper on sale at Walmart, so I stocked up on 3s, 4s, and 5s when they had that sale!

Wipes - I like the Pampers Unscented Aloe wipes - the Huggies wipes I've found to be too thick and much less soft than the Pampers. I stock up on them when they are on sale for 2 cents/wipe at Superstore or Walmart and probably have enough for the next six months.

What are some of your favorite things?

Breastfeeding

I've been thinking for a while that my first and only post on the topic of breastfeeding may have not been entirely positive. In the early days, 99% of women (according to the Vancouver PHN) have trouble. I had a few minutes where I thought 'Maybe we should switch to formula.' I even made a couple bottles of formula to supplement, realized what a hassle it was to sterilize the bottles, cool them down, sterilize different water in a new pot, wait for it to cool down, mix the formula (we had free samples or I never would have even tried; it's SOOOOO expensive), and then get the formula the right temperature for the baby and coax him to drink from a bottle - NO THANKS! It was a massive hassle!!! I can't even imagine going out with sterilized water in a thermos, sterilized bottles in a bag, cold sterilized water and the formula, blah blah blah... no way! Pulling up my shirt and sticking the boy on is SO EASY! I am truly saddened for anyone who needs to use formula or feels that they need to.

I LOVE BREASTFEEDING!!!

It's so great. And if I thought making a bottle during the day was a hassle, doing at night would be even tougher. Again, it's so easy to just pull up my shirt! I can't possibly think of a more convenient thing. It's like this:
Do you want your baby to be less likely to join the growing ranks of overweight children, adolescents, and adults?
Do you want your baby to have less gastrointestinal infections, HALF as many ear infections, less allergies of ALL kinds, a higher IQ, and a lower SIDS risk?
Do you want your baby to be less likely to develop celiac disease?
Do you want your baby to be more willing to eat all kinds of foods when he starts solids because he's already had a little taste in your ever-changing milk?
Do you want to give your baby more than 100 ingredients that just can't be made in a lab or formed in cow's milk?
Do you want to prevent constipation in your little one?
Do you want to keep diaper rash away, and have way less yucky diapers to change?
Do you want your baby's mouth to get a workout that ensure optimum oral development and some perks for baby's future teeth, like less cavities?
Do you want a quicker postpartum recovering for yourself? Lower risk of uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, premenopausal breast cancer?
Do you want to save yourself a HUGE stack of cash?
Then... breastfeed!

I can only say this because I LOVE breastfeeding. Sure, it was rough at first, I was sore and putting cream on all the time, I had bloody scabs and a lot of pain, but I pushed through it without formula and now it's so great. I can't even imagine anything easier or better.

I also know that sometimes formula is needed (although with planning, even adoptive moms can breastfeed their babies!!! Cool hey?). At the end of the day, the most important thing is that your baby is getting fed - that's what really matters. I'm glad babies can do fine on formula, but I am incredible thankful for breastmilk, and that even cheap chocolate hasn't made Grant's tummy upset. I really do have the perfect baby.

If you're expecting, I strongly encourage you to try nursing - for at least six weeks. Give it a whirl. Even when your baby is fussy, it doesn't mean that you're not making milk anymore - your baby might just be fussy. It might take a while to figure out what bothers him or not, but I highly recommend the book published by La Leche League - "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding". If your baby is fussy due to things you are eating, it gives you a step-by-step guide to figure out what is bothering him and what you can do. When I first heard the title when Grant was just a few weeks old, I scoffed at it - pfft, womanly art, that's so corny. Now, I'm like "OOOOO I am sooo strong, I make milk! It IS a womanly art!"

One downside: He won't take a bottle, so I'm going to start him on a cup in the next few weeks, but for now, I can't be away from him for long. But, if I had given him a bottle more often up until now, he would know how, and it's still no big deal to me. I miss him terrible when I'm away from him, and I'd rather not pump.

Happy nursing!

Waiting

I love blogging early in the morning, before my day really starts. Grant likes to sleep in (just like his parents), so if I get up with Trevor and send him off to work, I get to sit quietly in the pre-eight AM stillness and just wait for my little guy to get up. It's too early for people to be mowing their lawns, I don't hear the neighbors in the basement, and this morning there isn't any wind or cloud. The sun is already bright (this is Southern Alberta, after all), and if I open the front door I can hear crickets and smell the dew on the grass. It's a great time of day, although I usually don't appreciate it like I should. I love sleep an awful lot.

The title of the post is in reference to my actual subject - the waiting I'm doing before I start Grant on solid foods (if you can call rice/oat/wheat cereal a solid). I've read a lot of literature that has found that their little intestines are just not ready until the full six months old, and babies who don't get solids before six months have less gastrointestinal, respiratory, and ear infections - I'm all for that, if I can help it. Ever since he was born I've felt strongly about waiting the full six months, without having to read it or be told. It's been that way with a lot of things for me - breastfeeding, how I've always put him to bed, when to use baby powder or diaper cream, when to give him baby Tylenol, immunizations - I haven't needed other moms to give me advice, I feel as though it's come so naturally to me. I never nursed Grant lying down when he was a newborn because I needed to see his latch, and it was much too hard to do when he was that small, and he never slept in the bed with me, always his own in between feedings, and now he has no sleep issues at all and has been sleeping through the night since six weeks old.

I definitely have to give credit to my mom - she taught me a lot about babies, young children, and their development. And I'm proud of the fact that my doctor in Vancouver, who delivers many, many babies, told me that I was the most natural mother she's ever seen (and her youngest obstetrics patient). I bought What to Expect the First Year (because it looks pretty right alongside What to Expect When You're Expecting on my bookshelf) and I never read it because I have absolutely no concerns. I feel so good about myself as a mom and so relaxed. I do things for Grant as my feelings dictate - that being said, I feel strongly about getting him immunized and waiting to start solids.

Now, I'm not totally naive - I know that I have an exceptionally GOOD baby. He's using his voice more and more, but still never cries. If I were a mother of a fussy baby who didn't sleep, then my opinion on starting solid foods could be entirely different. I know that I would be going crazy if Grant still wasn't sleeping through the night and I'd be desperate for sleep. I certainly don't mean to condemn anyone for their choices - I only know my own baby and am trying to do the best for him.

I don't know if other moms feel pressure to start their babies on solids before six months - the only time I felt any kind of pressure was at the doctor's office here in Lethbridge at his four month check up, and the doctor said I could start solids soon, around five months, and I said "No, he can wait." Although right now, it seems to me that I'm in a small minority.

I'm determined to wait the full six months, and then he can start cereals and learn how to drink from a cup, since he won't take the bottle while Trevor and I are out on date night anyway. I'm very excited about teaching him to drink from a cup =)

Seriously, being a mom is the best thing ever.