Yes, I know . . .

I have pretty much the cutest girl in the universe. See Grandma, she loves the sunglasses! I took her on a "photo shoot" to Chopper's parents today in her Easter dress because it was 70 degrees out. Tomorrow: rain. Sunday: cold. Plus, they have some really beautiful flowers. But, Megan wanted no part of the flowers -- I had to post a few where she is attempting to eat the dirt, leaves, twigs, and oh yes, the balls from a sweet gum tree -- and they are not sweet, they are spiky. I think it started as "what does this taste like" and became "how fast will mom take it away from me" because she literally would go slow until I took it away from her and one time she actually held it to her mouth while I took the picture and THEN tried to eat it. But she loved the dirt!

We have movement!

Megan has finally figured out forward motion. It happens inches at a time (maybe less) but it's happening. Especially if there are chocolate chips nearby!

It's spring!

I'm loving being back in Virginia more and more! Of course, ask me again in July and August . . .

Dr. Carter wasn't at the ER :(

Well we had our first trip to the ER for a child. And it was a joy, let me tell you!
Megan had black stools (usually an indication of blood) and of course it was after hours. The visit can be summed up quite simply:

*Infants get nearly immediate care (no blood in stool -- yay!)
*Ankle ID bracelets provide hours of entertainment (literally -- waiting for blood work results is a pain)

So despite the fact that she was fine, it took them about 4 hours to verify it and send us home. But I need to be counting my blessings that she WAS fine. And I have a whole new appreciation for moms who see the hospital frequently for one reason or another -- you're made out of stronger stuff than I am!

Oh yeah, I got called as the ward Primary President. Chopper's "calling" is to take care of Megan since she's not in nursery yet so I can do my calling. He's quite happy about that.

Megan Hates Doctors

Of course I don't think anyone is REALLY fond of them (sorry Alicia) but Megan has had a mega dose this week.

The girl has had an ongoing case of diarrhea for about 3 weeks, and they finally asked me to bring her in after I saw blood in her diaper. So this week we had one pediatrician visit, one phlebotomist visit (taking blood from a 1-year old -- I don't know who was more traumitized, Megan or me.), and one allergist visit. We still don't know what's going on for sure but she had three things pop up at the allergists: peanuts, bananas, and soy. We're going back in a month to double-check because they might be false positives - the banana particularly - but in the meantime, she's going off of it all. Peanuts and banana not a big deal (actually she hasn't had peanuts but her cousing Sophie is highly allergic so I had her tested) but SOY?!?!?! IT IS IN EVERYTHING! Even vegetable oil is really soybean oil. I could not find a single loaf of bread without soy in it so I made bread today for her. Graham crackers, goldfish, EVERYTHING has soy in it. It's really kind've irritating actually. Except I do love homemade bread. But hopefully this does the trick and it's not something more serious.

If I Were a Teacher . . .

I guess I need to store these ideas for later. My grandma sent me a pile of books (I love that woman), and I just finished A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. It was really good! I suppose that it's not a show stopping, heart rending, rip through the pages read but it was just good. It's a coming of age story set in Brooklyn, NY in the 19-teens. And now that I'm no longer teaching of course, I think it would make a wonderful book for junior English -- American lit. Figures.

Bubbles

Megan is utterly fascinated with bubbles. She likes to look at them but it's taken a long time to get her to touch them. The first time I put her in a bubble bath she cried and to this day she goes in with her arms up and takes a few minutes to get comfortable. Last night we gave her one because we got some new bubbles and wanted to try them out. We didn't realize how much they were going to produce! Plus, they were perfumed and it's funny but in the last few months I've developed a sensitivity to perfume and chemical smells that really bothers me so it looks like bubble baths will be dad's area of expertise.

This is the dress! I'm going to add a flower to the waistband but it's done and adorable. I'm so excited for Easter! By the way, if any of ya'll sew and want a pattern I'll send it to you. I never cut my patterns out, I always trace onto tissue paper and then cut that out so that I can reuse a pattern in a different size. But patterns are expensive and while Joann Fabrics has great sales, there should be some kind of pattern exchange out there to swap them around and stuff. Just a thought.

Learning Curve

Megan and I have spent almost all our time at home this week while Chopper is driving me car to work every day (his is in the shop from the accident). So I've been reading up on easy, fun activities to do with toddlers -- except it seems to be a requirement that they be able to toddle first. Oh well. I'll just store them for later. I've also been sewing her Easter dress. I've decided I need to learn how to sew well, particularly for my girl(s). Since we now live in an area where it is particularly difficult to find modest dresses, I think it will come in handy. Even baby dresses are sleeveless and I just want her to dress right from the get-go so that there's never any question of what's appropriate or not. Plus, I really like making adorable dresses! I'll post pictures of this one later -- our camera is on the fritz -- but I've learned some things:
1. For a fully lined dress, get a light lining. My poor baby is wearing half her weight in cotton!
2. For basting or gathering stitches, use dark or contrasting thread so they're easier to see to pull out.

But despite some difficulties, my backup plan will not be needed (buy an adorable dress from the spring collection at THe Children's Place -- now I'll just wait until they go on sale!). The dress came out really cute.

My blog however, not so much . . . still working on it!

Irony

So yesterday Chopper stayed home from work. Government declared a two-hour delay and liberal leave and we got about 3-5" (I don't measure people!) and he was worried about the roads and, more importantly, idiot drivers.

Today it is clear, sunny, and the roads are nice and dry. Chopper got side-swiped by some guy on the way to work this morning.

I swear.

So I took this picture of the snow -- it is the first major snow Virginia has had this year (this area anyway) and I know my friends in Idaho, Montana, and Nebraska are laughing their heads off because of how this cripples the area. By the way, public schools were closed yesterday AND TODAY because of the snow. All you little darlings at Highland High School -- don't you wish? Actually, when I taught there, I wished too. Snow days are mental necessities.

Oh, and the red car on the left is my "new" one. I kind've feel cool driving a red SUV around . . .

Oh and I'd like to welcome my sister-in-law Emily to the blogging world -- It's nice to have you on the dark side.

We're Back!

I cannot tell you how good it is to have internet again. We decided when we moved to Virginia (and I can't believe we're FINALLY here!) that we wouldn't get TV but I had to have my internet!

Ok, lots to update -- I guess I should give the short version right?

My brother Jeff came home from his mission in Mendosa, Argentina on Feb. 6 -- Megan's first birthday. Of course it was the first time that he had seen her and he kept saying things like "she is so cute!" (yes, thank you) and "I can't believe I'm an uncle!". We celebrated her birthday and his homecoming at my parents in Michigan and then Chopper and Megan and I drove the 12 hours (yes, with a 1-year old) to our apartment in Fredericksburg, Virginia! It is wonderful to be together again as a family and have our stuff. I know things are just material possessions but having your own space is invaluable.

Megan now has 5 teeth and is still not crawling! We had her one-year appointment with a new doctor and she has referred us to a service that will provide physical therapy if Megan qualifies. I'm pretty sure she will. She is really turning into a toddler: pointing at things she wants, screeching and babbling at the top of her lungs, rolling her eyes at me, etc. It's fun to have her more interactive than just reactive.

I've been reading up a storm lately and have gotten on this Shannon Hale kick (thanks Grandma!). She writes mainly young adult fiction but they are all the best stories and wonderful romances to boot! I highly recommend her -- the titles I've read so far are The Goose Girl, Book of A Thousand Days, Princess Academy, and Austenland -- actually an adult novel about a woman who goes to a "camp" that is Regency England/Jane Austen immersion -- fun, light read. I also read a fun book called These Is My Words. I can't remember the author and once you get past the fact that the title is horrendous it is really good. It's diary-style about a woman in the Arizona territories in the mid to late 1800s. Also very romantic but it felt very real -- like this is what women really think and feel. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Ok pictures! I'm going to attach a ton because it's been so long -- hopefully they all come through. Enjoy! ** I just checked them and for some reason the text isn't matched up with the pictures but I'll be darned if I'm going to redo it so have fun matching them up!
Just grinning!
Happy Valentine's Day!

Megan started doing this funny thing in pushing out her stomach and holding it when she was done eating. I swear she looked pregnant.
Megan and my brother Jeff reading stories.


Happy first birthday! THe pink doll in the first picture was her birthday present from Aunt Denise -- it's an ugly sock doll and it's really horribly cute and Megan loves it -- especially the eyes. Apparently they look tasty!

Just a funny face.
With my brother Mark who lives in Chicago.
With Grandpa Gasser (aka my dad and can I just say -- that sounds really weird to call him Grandpa Gasser -- sorry dad!) Everyone was wonderful and wore birthday hats which Megan thought was really funny.

I have the strangest child on the planet. She never really took to baby food and LOVES table food. Spicy and flavorful included. I am not kidding when I say she eats fajitas -- not burrito style obviously). Anyway, her cake. SHe pulled off the sprinkles one by one and ate them but then didn't want anything to do with the cake because it was covered in sticky icing and she doesn't like things that are sticky (she won't eat syrup either). So I broke it up for her and she ate a few pieces but was just ok with the whole thing. She didn't have icecream -- mainly because she refuses to take a spoon and I'm not giving that to her for finger food! Strange baby.

Update

My in-laws internet is worse than my parents! I'm here (Virginia) until Sunday and then back to Michigan until the beginning of February and then Chopper and I will finally be back together again!!! WA-HOO!!!! We actually are in the process of getting an apartment and getting our furniture from Montana and I can't tell you how much better it makes me feel just to know that we are going somewhere!

Christmas was fabulous and made more entertaining because of Megan's reactions to everything. I won't be able to post pictures until I get back to Michigan but it was wonderful.

Chopper is literally working everyday up to the inauguration and then it looks like we'll be scheduling him for shoulder surgury to just take care of whatever the issue is!

I've been reading a good series by Rick Riordan (for middle-school, young teen age group) called Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It's about a young man who discovers that he is a hero (half god, half mortal) in present day and that the gods have not disappeared. Great for mythology because it puts it all in a modern context! And it's a fun read.

'Tis the Season

For Santa! The Riverdale Library (one room) had Santa and Mrs. Claus and it was perfect for Megan's first visit because there were no long lines and she did exactly what I thought she was going to do -- get really concerned and then cry. She was only concerned until she turned around and got a good look at Mr. Claus and the result was all out help me! She calmed down once I was holding her again poor thing!

For Snow! Michigan weather is apparently going to set a record for snowfall in December. I love snow, but this is not exactly thrilling. We made a snowman to stand in for Chopper for our Christmas cards (the real one is much cuter), and then walked around showing Megan the trees and everything. She really had to examine of course and my mom got this ADORABLE picture of her. I think it's my new favorite. Can you believe this madness?


For football! Grandpa's teaching her "touchdown" and she does pretty good. Although she crosses her fingers (what's she lying about)? Chopper will be so happy except for one little problem: she only does touchdown for Grandpa!

For Christmas! And the monster is completely thrilled by all things Christmas. She loves the music, LOVES the presents, and LOVES the decorations. Even when we go in stores and she sees trees or hanging wreaths and things she does her excited grunt/scream thing.


I do love the holidays and we definately have Christmas spirit going on!

Overdue Update

Next time I go to the library I'll have to add pictures -- I've got a ton of cute ones! But I thought an update was well overdue in the meantime.

Thanksgiving:
Probably the smallest I've had in a while! Just me, my parents, Megan of course (who didn't eat anything by the way) and my brother Mark who lives in Chicago. It was a very nice Thanksgiving but I have to admit that I think I like it when they are crowded and noisy and bustling! Don't you love the word bustling?

Megan has developed some fun tricks and refuses to develop the ones I want her to (like eating a variety of foods and crawling -- my arms are nice and firm though!). She can now wave and do touchdown -- although her arms aren't straight up. She has also discovered Cheerios, which means that Arthur (my parents' dog) has also discovered Cheerios and the sound that just getting the box open makes. She loves them. Grandma also gave her potato chips today which she ate without any hesitation. Wish she would do that with green beans, peas, oh well, any vegetable really. What's ironic about that is that my mom is somewhat of a health nut too . . . but I guess every grandparent should get to spoil them a little bit right?

We continue to be in limbo with Chopper's job but he FINALLY sees a doctor Friday so I'll add more after that hopefully. And we've had two snowfalls and today's was pretty hefty. Christmas is definitely in the air!

Good Movie

Last night we watched a movie called "The Great Debaters" (can't find my italics key) and it was really really good. It has Denzel Washington and it's about the first black college in Texas to debate (eventually) Harvard in the 1930's. It's inspired by a true story and one of the characters, James Farmer Jr., I later realized became a professor at my alma mater -- Mary Washington College! He was one of the 4 main leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. It is somewhat graphic because they show violence against African-Americans and some sexuality (not a lot at all though) but it was fabulous! I highly recommend.

Happy (belated) Halloween!

I know it's been a week but my computer issues have been massive and annoying so I finally discovered that the local library (1 room and an actual card catalog if you can believe it!) has high-speed internet on their computers to the public so VOILA!!! I'll finally be able to post at least (hopefully) about once a week.

So Halloween was completely uneventful -- no trick or treating or even trunk or treating or a ward (branch actually) party. So Megan was dressed up, I took about 50 pictures (I'm not kidding) and that was it! So here is her royal cuteness:

and I have to say that yes, I did make her poodle skirt. And I'm in the process of making her a courderoy jumper for Christmas (although she may have to wear it sooner). I couldn't resist the fabric and the pattern.

As for the rest of us -- well it's been a trying experience actually. Don't get me wrong, being with my parents has been great and Megan has really taken to them. Being apart from Chopper has been hard, especially when our future is so up in the air. Life is a roller coaster for sure.

Hey but I've read some great books actually -- The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig. Is a really good read although a little bit wordy and hard to follow in some places. The frame narrative is confusing (and not really necessary) but once you get into it, it is really good!