Thoughts and Prayers

For any of my wonderful readers out there:  My wonderful friend Becca delivered her baby a few days ago and they are having some problems with the baby and she is now in the NICU.  Please send some warm thoughts and prayers her way.  I can only imagine the stress their family must be going through, so any kind thoughts and little prayers would be appreciated. 

Missing my Hubby!

Kris left on Saturday morning for Portland and Marin and I are staying behind this week to finish up.  :(  I miss my hubby, I have realized I really don't like being alone, in our house, with a little one, and no husband.  But, he arrived safely and went house hunting yesterday, and today he starts his job!  I love my hubby, he works so hard for his family, such a dedicated man, I am so lucky :)

I have been feeling....ok, I guess.  Friday was not a good day, nauseous all day, but Saturday (my last work day!) was much better, Sunday was fair.  I still am at the point where the only thing that sounds like it won't make me hurl are the simple carbs....bread, pasta, etc.., and simple proteins like cheese.  So, I feel really bloated and fat from eating hardly any green stuff.....all those things I've been eating plug you up, too, just in case you were wondering, haha!  If you haven't already noticed, I put a ticker at the top of the blog, showing the size of our baby each week,  It will have a new size every 7 days on Monday...oh yeah, our due date.....FEBRUARY 14th!  Yes, yes....Valentines Day!  Considering that Marin was born 4 days after our anniversary, and this baby is due around Valentines Day, Kris pointed out we will be throwing birthday bashes instead of snuggling on a romantic cruise on our most romantic days of the year....of course....it's us.....we really didn't plan that too well, eh?  I also put a little pregnancy button/ticker on the L side of the blog, showing a preggo mama and her growing belly....let's hope I can look as good as she will when she's 9 months along.....somehow the animated preggo mama's never get swollen, huh....

And my little Marin, she has been her usual self, into everything and too cute to get mad.  What a sweetie.  Sunday morning I was feeling a little crummy, and Marin had a runny nose and was suuuuper cranky, so I tried laying down with her in our bed to take a nap.  It is the funniest thing in the world to open your eyes and see a little face with bright blue eyes about 2 inches away from your nose staring intently at you.  She had the tiniest lift in the corner of her mouth, making it kind of look like an elusive Mona Lisa smile, so I couldn't help but smile and giggle, which made her smile and giggle.  I love my little girl, she is just too sweet!

Today, well, I am not sure about today.  I was hoping to get to the gym, but there is cleaning that needs to be done around here! 

Oh, and I have to share, I was reading the most interesting thing the other day online about vitamin B6...listen up all you childbearing ladies out there!  I was reading that not only is vitamin B6 good for nausea in pregnancy, but if taken before getting pregnant, it increases your chances of becoming pregnant by like, 40%!  AND, if taken in the first trimester, it decreases your chances of having a miscarriage by 30%!!! WOW!!  I was stunned!!! Folic acid, move over (well, not really), but that is incredible!  The upper dosage limit each day is 100mg, so don't take more than that, otherwise you run into toxicity problems.  I take a 25mg pill each morning (for the nausea), and another one later in the day if the nausea is really getting to me.  But, something to keep in mind!

And Then There Were 4

We're Pregnant!

Here's a picture of our little....um....blob? 

I had a doctors appointment yesterday, and thought I was further along than the ultrasound showed (as did the doctor), but the ultrasound told us I was 6 weeks and (today) 4 days.  I was hoping to be further along before I made the official announcement, but, well, a girl can only handle so much nausea on her own!

We are still in that risky first trimester, so send some warm thoughts and prayers our way :)  

And, how am I feeling, you ask?  Mostly ok!  This past week the queasiness has really hit me, and it comes and goes in waves.  Last night I was tossing and turning with a very "blah" belly, but I think I am ok this morning.  And shower time....ugh, forget it, shower time is the worst, I am almost always guaranteed to lose my dinner if I set foot in there.  Which isn't to say I don't brave the waters for my own hygienic sanity!

Marin has been less than thrilled about the prospect of a new baby, let me recap our little conversation we had the other week:

Me:  Marin, honey, mommy is going to have a baby, are you ready for a little brother?

Marin:   No

Me:  Are you ready for a little sister?

Marin: No

Me:  Would you like to be all by yourself?

Marin: Uh-Huh!

We will have to work on that I guess.  But, we are very excited and scared and nervous at the idea of a new little one, all the emotions are coming back to me now!  I have determined though that this pregnancy will be better!  Especially in terms of weight gain.  I gained a shameful 53 pounds with Marin (and lost it all, plus some!),  and this time, things will be different.  It was just too hard to get rid of all that weight, so I will be taking a brave risk and tracking my weight gain on the blog, how's that for accountability, eh?  So...stay tuned for that! 

Miss Fix-It

As I have mentioned before, Marin is little miss mechanical....anything that needs gadgets or gizmo's or hoopety-hoo's to work, she's on the case!  The other morning while I was eating breakfast, I left the back door open so she could wander out onto the little concrete area (the animals were outside).  I watched her through the window as she examined the sprinkler, and poked her fingers around it and tapped things.  She then came inside, grabbed daddy's wrench that was on the counter, and trotted back outside to "fix" our sprinkler, it was so cute to watch! 

She is getting more and more grown up every day, I can't believe how quickly she is morphing into a little girl from a baby!  She will say things each day and I will look at her and say "Where did you learn that?!".  She says many two-word phrases now and without even prompting...like "mommy driving" or "daddy sitting" or "piggy crib" (when she wants to put piggy in the crib).  And thank the Lord, she is gaining weight!  For the longest time I (as a mother AND nurse) would freak myself out that she wasn't gaining a ton of weight, but she weighed in yesterday at 23.4 pounds, phew! 

Marin Facts:

  *Favorite movie:  Finding Nemo

  *Bedtime story:  Goodnight Moon

  *Diaper size: 4

  *Favorite snack:  grapes/graham crackers/string cheese

  *Favorite TV show:  Yo Gabba Gabba (so weird!)

  *Ticklish:  everywhere, but especially under her arms ;)

  *Bedtime:  8:30

  *Playground activity:  swinging

  *When she's bored....: she twists her hair with her fingers (into knots!!)

  *Favorite thing to do with mommy:  help in the kitchen

  *Favorite thing to do with daddy:  Lego's/wrestle/swim 

 

Marin fixing the sprinkler

Saturday was a productive packing day, we were able to pack up the guest room, and Marin's room, and repaint Marin's room.... :(  I was very sad about this one!  I had spent so much time making it look perfect for my little girl!  But alas...it had to be done.  Our pictures are off of the wall, and my cookbooks are snugly packed in boxes, waiting in the garage.  It's getting more and more real!  This week is Kris's last week here, and my last two days at work are Friday and Saturday.  Wow!  Last night Kris and I sat down to work out a newly revamped budget (yay?).  We sorely needed one for the move, as I won't be working the first few months (Oh the wonders of transferring a nursing license), so we are trying some new techniques to cut unnecessary spending, I will keep you all updated on how that goes!

2 Weeks

I cannot believe I have 2 weeks left in Las Vegas!  It really hit me tonight as I walked to my car tonight getting out of work....I only have 2 days of work!!  My mind was racing through so many memories and the wonderful people I am leaving behind....it is bittersweet, truly to make such wonderful friends and leave them behind.  And what have I been doing in the meantime?  Well....playing with my little girl, and packing...that's right, I have packed a total of, um, 3 boxes....I know I know.  Honestly, I have always been a last minute packer, I just feel like I need all of my stuff!  No worries though,  I think I have it all figured out...here's our game plan:

Next week:  Kris's last week of work, my last 2 days of work.
     *Saturday:  Kris packs up a few things in his car and drives to Portland.  Marin and I stay behind and pack pack pack it all away, stuffing as many boxes as we can in the garage for holding.
    
Week After (4th of July weekend):
     *Friday:  Kris flys back to Las Vegas, we pick up and pack up the moving truck.
     *Saturday:  Kris starts the drive up to Portland....again.  Marin and I fly up that afternoon, yay...if you don't already know, Samantha doesn't travel well, and the idea of Marin in a carseat for 18 hours....well, that doesn't exactly give me happy thoughts, so fly we will!
     *Sunday:  Marin and I will find our new ward and try to solicit some unloading help ;)
     *Monday:  Settle in and start unpacking.

Phew!  I think we will all make it, but just send us warm happy thoughts and smiles.

Mommy-Eyes

There are moments when a mother just knows her little on is up to no good.  Somehow, mothers are able to  recognize the tense, concentrated silence reverberating through the air and slamming into her motherly receptor sites, triggering an ultra-fast, super smooth corrective action, averting disaster.  I oftentimes remember my own mother showing up at the very pinnacle of my secretive shenanigan, spoiling my fun....and later as a teenager, my mother would somehow manage to sense the exact moment a TV show or movie would have it's one and only  2 minutes of "passionate kissing", and make herself comfy on the couch, or pass through and linger just long enough to kindly request that something else be watched.  Oh, I remember wondering how in the world my mother knew.....and tonight, I had my little "aHA!" moment.  Marin is my eternal helper, always clamoring to help me in the kitchen.  I have grown to love it, however time consuming it may be.  I had made some lemonade and had it sitting in my glass pitcher on the counter, along with a few other items for preparing dinner.  My back was turned at the sink washing tomatoes....and my mommy sense picked up those vibes, something was up.  I whipped around to see Marin dangling half an onion precariously over the top of my fresh lemonade, her fingers itching to drop it in a mere few seconds.  "Marin, honey, no no!"  I call with sweet-loudness.  My good little girl places the onion back on the counter.  Disaster averted.  I turn back to my tomatoes and smile....happy I have realized that I have acquired the un-learnable mommy-sense.  After all, no one wants onion flavored lemonade.

3 Weeks Notice

The Lyman family has some big changes coming up....really soon!  Kristoffer took a call on his lunch break yesterday and was offered a job in Portland with University of Phoenix....and he took it.  We had been chatting about this transfer for a while and decided we would take it when it came.  We had been thinking that our move would happen sometime at the end of the year...haha, not so!  Kris needs to be there on the 28th of June!  I will stay behind that week to finish packing and Kris will move us all up on 4th of July weekend.  So, we are moving to Portland in 3 weeks!  Much much sooner than any of us anticipated for sure.  I myself am still in a state of shock....I haven't quite come to grips with the fact that we will really be moving.  We don't have a place to live yet, so of course that is first on our list of things to get done.  So if anyone has some super awesome moving tips, please let me know, I am always up for suggestions, especially having a toddler!

Pictures from Kris's graduation!  Just a few, there were quite a few graduating, so we couldn't get close-up's from our seats.

If you look all the way to the right of the picture to the students, Kris is at the very end in front of the the half row of students at the end, closest to the wall.

Me and my hunny, he said he felt like he was wearing a superman cape!

Kristoffer and his mom.

Marin and daddy!

Settling in Again

This summer has brought so much fun and excitement, it's been tough to settle into a routine!  Normally I would be totally cool and way excited for each event, but having a child makes things a little more difficult.  Mostly having interrupted nap times is the biggest problem I think!  But, we have persevered and have made it through one more event, hooray!  Kris's graduation on Saturday was wonderful, I am so proud of my husband!  I will have to post my few pictures of that soon.

Today Marin and I are heading to the gym and home to shower and take a cake to work.  Then back home for lunch, naps, and dinner club tonight.  Menu:  White pizza, strawberry spinach salad, watermelon.  Stay tuned for recipes!

Portland Playtime

Fun in Portland!  We actually stayed with Kris's aunt and her family in Vancouver, about 30 minutes north, we had a wonderful time, and Marin loved being able to play with her (2nd?1st?) cousins!

Checcking out the Farmers Market, SO AWESOME!  I had to resist the urge to buy, well, everything!  I did bring home some habenero cherry jelly, raspberry honey and spinach pasta.  While we were there, we had the most DELICIOUS tamales....holy smokes....where have those tasty Latin treats been all my life?!  I am SO making those in the near future!

Marin chewing on a totally organic and all red in the middle strawberry, yum!

A super fun park, they even had stuff the adults could monkey around on, nice!

Hey my fans, what's up?

This little seat twirled around and was sitting on an angle, I even took a few rides, WAY fun.

The rose test garden, so pretty!  Marin was too tired to enjoy it's slendor, sadly.

Grumpy Marin and mama....

Oh, the beach....I love the beach, and so did Marin.  She was a little nervous about that freaky sand and it's wierd texture (only for her!), but totally got into the waves.

Marin mid-jump.

Playing in the waves with mama.

Daddy is so fun, he always gets big smiles.

SO CUTE!  I LOVE this pic!

At the ZOO!  Marin loved the zoo :)

Playing peekaboo with the elephant.

Monkeys?

Look at the Zebra daddy!

And, the zebra, Ha!

We had so much fun, but are once again glad to be home in our own beds and hoping to get back to the routine.  Work tomorrow, then a day off to prep for Saturday which is....KRIS'S GRADUATION!!!!  My hubby is graduating with his MBA and I am SOOOOO proud of him!  What a blessed journey that we are glad to be done with.  So much harad work, late nights, frustrated days and tears have gone into this moment, and my hubby has persevered through it all, good job babe, I LOVE YOU :)

So....we will be having a small gathering on Saturday at one of aour favorite restaurants, then home for cake and games.  I had made invitations to send...and was so busy...I couldn't send them!  Good thing too, I had typed up the wrong information!  Ahh well ;)

Oh, What a Day

Let me be so sadly honest....I am not patient.  I have never been blessed with the godly virtue, and have managed to sneak away from my time with parenthood with a few teeny-tiny jewels of patience left in my pocket....the rest must have fallen out through the holes along the way.  I wake up in the morning with a renewed and freshly polished awareness to smile and kiss and deep-breathe all my worries that the day my bring.....away.  And when nap time finally arrives....my precious patience jewel is dirty and disgusting....buried beneath clenched teeth, bitten cheeks (weird, i know), and rolling eyes.  I lay my sweet girl to sleep and sigh in shame at my disgraceful display of patient mothering, and hope that in the next hour and a half, I will be able to uncover my precious jewel again and finish off my day a little better.  Sadly, when nap time is cut short, mommy has not yet found her patience.  I scramble inside myself to uncover my precious little gem as I work my way up the stairs to my yelling child....WHERE IS MY PATIENCE????  I open the door with a stone face and work my way to the curtains, "Is there no one to help me?  Think of the child?!".  I realize, help is always there, I just have to ask for it.  I have brushes and water and shovels to find and clean my tiny precious patience gem, I only have to ask for them.  Lord, I may have only been blessed with the tiniest amount of patience known to man, but please help me find it.....and use it, please?