Major Catch-up!

 Since I never blogged about any of the big holidays and things, I figured I should just do it even though it's out of order!  It's now or never, I thought! 

This first picture describes how Gretel spends most of her days-doing a whole lot of nothing!  She rolls around on the floor humming and telling us stories of "Louis-and-the-frog,"  (her alter-ego)
She never gets bored because she has the biggest imagination I've ever seen!  She is always in her own little world, and makes us play along while she directs each of her short films.  She's very particular about every little thing and it makes me think that she'll want to direct movies when she grows up!

Helping me make Jello Valentine cookies for Valentine's Day!

Her last play date with her friend Evelyn, before she moved away

 Johnny surprised both of us with flowers and a balloon for Grettie on Valentine's Day, and we posed before running out the door to get ice cream at Coldstone

 One of her many funny faces

 Walking to the neighbor's house and checking out the moon.  I just liked her face here.

Her friend Kadence invited her to go and see Disney on Ice with her, so I took some pictures before they left!

 This is what we call her "Popeye" face and she does it all the time when she's mad!  Hands on hips are an added bonus!

 Another series of funny faces...

 This last one made us laugh SO hard!  Johnny was being silly and described to her how she should pose, and she followed his directions which turned into THIS!

 Just snapped this fast after church one day

 We went to Newport in March and it was Gretel's first time in the ocean!  She normally won't even touch the sand with her feet, so she's made major progress!  The water was so freezing on my feet as I was taking these pictures, that I don't know how they actually were able to be in the water.  Crazy!!

 Being silly in Johnny's parent's backyard

She lives to draw in the dirt

 Her first time climbing a tree, and she loved it!

 I thought it was funny how her expression gradually changed, and she became worried

 Holding on for dear life

 Back to happy!

 She used to sleep on piles of every blanket she could find, which was her kitty bed, before we changed her room around

 We snapped a few last pictures of her room before we brought our queen bed in from the guest room and gave it to her for her big girl bed.  She helped move things in and out, and was very excited!

 She's thrilled about her new pink bed!

 Helping paint Atticus's room, and loving it!

 This was her monster she painted on the wall

 We posed together after Johnny worked his magic!  We love how it turned out!!  We'll have to add some pictures of the room now that all the furniture is in!

 Her first time coloring Easter eggs was such a hit!  She was in heaven.

 After she found her basket, she insisted on holding it in her teeth, because that's what kitties do.  She is always in character!  We will probably have to get her a pet kitty one day, since she asks for one all the time!

 One of my last nights reading a story to Gretel before Atticus arrived!

Our baby Atticus!

I can't believe Atticus is now 4 weeks old!  Time flies, and I am finally writing about it all!  My labor happened in what I thought was a crazy, funny way. It wasn't at all how I expected it to go, so that's why I'm writing in such detail. 
On April 23rd, I had my last Dr. appointment, which was the day before my due date.  I didn't even think I'd really be going to this appointment, since Gretel was one week early.  So I was feeling like this baby would never come the morning of my appointment, and complaining about this to Johnny.

My mom had come into town a few days before, and came with me to my Dr. appointment while Johnny stayed home with Gretel.  My appointment was not with my usual ob/gyn, but instead with this other really cute Asian man who I've seen a couple of other times during this pregnancy, and I love him!  Here's how our conversation went:
Dr:  Well you look way too comfortable for your due date to be tomorrow!
Me: I'm not- I feel swollen and the last week or so I've had some really painful carpal tunnel syndrome in my right arm. (he suggests something I can do for that, and I tell him I've been applying essential oils and it's totally taken the pain away!)
Dr: We can either do a normal exam, or a bit more painful exam that also know as stripping your membranes.  (he goes to get his nurse and tells me to decide what I want while he is gone)
Me: I've decided just to go with the normal exam. (I don't like the thought of toying with nature and speeding up labor, because I think that babies shouldn't be prodded.  I don't want to mess with when their birthdays are naturally going to be, even though I was WAY done being pregnant)

     *He does the exam

I sit up, and ask him if my uterus is still posterior, like at my last exam 2 weeks prior, or if it's now straight down. 
Dr: (shakes his head no) So what have your contractions been feeling like? 
Me: I haven't had any since last week.  I was having a lot more 2 weeks ago, but now there's nothing but cramping which I've felt this entire pregnancy.  So I just ignore it, because I always have cramps.
Dr: Who drove you here today?
Me: Well, I drove but my mom is with me.  She is really dizzy today so that's why she didn't drive me.  ( I'm confused about his questions)
Dr: What was your labor like with your daughter?
Me: It went a lot faster than I thought, and when I got to the hospital I was at an 8 and there wasn't time for an epidural.  So my main concern this time has been that I'd be stuck in rush hour traffic on my way to Roseville during labor.
Dr: Well I can't figure out why you look so comfortable right now...you're dilated a good 5 cm. 
Me: WHAT?!!  Are you kidding? 
(he is laughing pretty hard, and I'm bewildered)
Me: I don't understand how I could even be dilated without any contractions; how does that work?
Dr: Oh, you're having contractions....you're just a little tougher than most girls.  I'm really surprised myself.  Now I want you to get dressed and I'm going call Roseville's labor and delivery and tell them to expect you.  And I want you to go straight there-don't go home first. 


So I went out to the waiting room to tell all this to my mom, feeling absolutely shocked.  She saw my expression and thought I was making it up, because I am a terrible liar, and she said I didn't look like I was telling the truth at all.  I sat down to tell her the conversation I'd had with the Dr., and she kinda still didn't buy it.  Just then he poked his head out into the waiting room and said, "Ok, I've just called to let them know, and I told them not to send you home because they don't think that you're really in labor."  I told him my mom didn't believe me, and he said laughing, "Do you want to check her?" 
Then I could tell he was wondering why I was still there hanging out, and he said, "Now remember-I don't want you to go home first.  Just go straight there."

I felt like I was in the twilight zone as I called Johnny to tell him to get Gretel and my hospital bag and meet us there!  He was shocked also. 
So I drove to Roseville, and checked in at 1:00 pm.  On the slip of paper I filled out, it asked the reason for visit.  I wrote, I'm in labor!  I didn't even feel like it, so I actually felt stupid checking in to have a baby feeling no pain.  The man who was checking me in ended up being the Dr. who delivered Atticus.  He talked to me about everything and told me that since I wanted to do it again without medication, I would be more comfortable if they broke my water and let things happen on their own.  If they gave me pitocin, my contractions would be more painful, and since things happen fast enough without it, he didn't want me to be in unnecessary pain. 

They broke my water at about 2:30, and by 3:30 I was starting to feel those contractions!  Between 3:30 and 5:30 is when all the action took place.  I took a shower, and they got more painful.  So I asked the nurse to check me.  She said I was at a 7.  She needed to leave the room for a bit, and told us to call her if it felt like it was time to push.  I had two painful contractions.  During each contraction, Johnny rubbed lavender oil on my calves and feet-he was a great coach.  Boy, do I sound like a hippie!! 














Breathing through them...I feel ridiculous and Johnny has to remind me to put these breathing techniques from the classes to use. 













Anyway, that second contraction put me over the edge!  I was really writhing, and told Johnny to call the nurse because it was time to push!  She came back in and called the Dr. in.  I was at a 9 1/2, which surprised me because I went from a 7 to a 9 1/2 in 5 minutes!  I pushed for less than ten minutes, and then there he was!!

 

Gretel couldn't stop giggling when she first saw him and said, "can we keep it?"  She says "he's so adorable" and "he likes you" all the time.  I tell her that he likes her too.  She is so sweet, always kissing his face, and wants to feed him a bottle all the time.  (too bad I don't ever pump, so she can't feed him a bottle!)

Atticus Giuseppe weighed 8 lbs. 5 oz. and was 20 1/4 inches long. 

His middle name is Johnny's very favorite boy name, and I really like it too.  (It's Italian for Joseph, and I like that both "Peppe" and "Beppe" are nicknames-maybe we'll call him those later)
For now, I find myself calling him Mr. Bundles a lot, because he's always wrapped up like a little bundle, and it's the laundry man's name in the movie Annie. 

Here he is in his "take me home" suit!

Lots more pictures to come!!

Weirdo with a Beardo

I stole the term "weirdo with a beardo" from my mom, who always said it to my older brother when he had a little scruff. Well, I wish all I had to look at was a little scruff!!! This is what I'm living with:

Since I've been tortured for months looking at him, I thought I deserved to torture him by making him look like "Beast" getting ready for his special dinner with Belle

It was just as fun as I thought it would be.

A while ago, Gretel told my parents she didn't love daddy because he looks like a werewolf. Then, right after that while Johnny was walking down the hall at church, a little girl from primary said, "Look! A werewolf!" I swear, if this didn't embarrass him into shaving, then nothing will.

It feels so wiry! He gets crumbs in it when he eats, and drool in it when he sleeps. He shampoos it in the shower, and uses my hairbrush to brush it upward and make it look even more bushy. Plus, he has grown out his hair, (on his head) which isn't all that bad unless he takes a shower at night. Then, he brushes it into these giant wings and mohawk which makes me laugh really hard, actually! I keep telling him that I wish we had a costume party to go to! This is the time to really show off a look like this!

I think he started growing it out because he figured this was the only time he'd be able to grow it out for a long period of time without needing to shave for a job. (He started growing it at the end of November) He didn't want to bother with grooming himself if he was just in the library studying every day. February was such a brutal month for all of us. He was gone studying all day every day, and I was in a coma. I was so tired, I could barely function most days. Poor Gretel had an impatient mom, and a stressed out dad. Now we're just waiting for bar results, which we'll find out in another month and a half.

He gets lots of compliments on his look from the guys in our ward. I didn't believe him when he told me this at first, but I've now heard them saying how they wish they could do this and not have to worry about shaving for work! Now he says he's like Samson-it's what will give him power, so he can't possibly cut it now.
I think his theme song for himself is probably "Close every door to me, hide all the world from me..." from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. But I like to sing, "Tale as old as time...." from Beauty and the Beast.

He looks like Zach Galifianakis and Joaquin Phoenix, when he was going through his weird phase.
Anyway, I hope he shaves soon-I'm looking forward to seeing his face again!

"No! That's your happy boice!"

Gretel is such a unique character. She is the funniest kid, Johnny and I say that all the time. She refuses to accept praise-she gets all sad and mopey if either of us looks at her and smiles, saying "good job!" when she has just finished saying the prayer (or other things she's done well).
It's really hard and unnatural not to praise a child! For a while she would slump her shoulders, and walk away. Then it turned into her slumping, clasping her hands together behind her back, while walking away. It was hilarious! She stopped doing that as much, and it turned into her putting one or two hands on her cheeks and making a major pouting face:




Now its evolved into her yelling, "NO! That's your happy boice!" We try to just praise her in a robot-type voice, and she likes that.

She loves playing games and watching cartoons on the ipad. The other day when she was watching a short cartoon on youtube, I told her that after it was finished, I needed her to turn it off and come downstairs to eat. While walking downstairs she said, "mom-when my movie ended, I wanted my finger to push another movie, but I didn't. I turned it off instead!" I thought this was so sweet, but I tried not to act enthused. I kind of casually said, "give me five" and held out my hand for her. She said, "No, I don't want to because it will hurt too much." I told her she could hit it as softly as she wanted. She got this really pitiful expression (like a sad kitty face) and barely slid her hand on mine.
She needs to be put into acting lessons! She is so dramatic and the faces she pulls are SO expressive. I can't help but laugh at her all day, which she hates. Also, lately at night when we read stories, she wants to act out every page. The most fun ones have been the Llama Llama books. (I'm mama llama and she's little llama) Story time takes quite a while when it turns into a full-on play, but it's fun!