Confession

Ok, ok... I'll confess. Up until about a week ago, Lily has been sleeping in our room. AND, not only has she been sleeping in our room, she has been sleeping in her bouncy seat. Over protective? Possibly... Child abuse? Maybe... Lazy? Most Definitely....

Well, let me explain... When Lily was about 5 months old we decided to move her out. We had her room all set up and after the inevitable separation anxiety (on both parts) and a few sleepless nights, she did pretty good in her crib for a few weeks. Well, then along came the nasty cold season and little Lily got RSV. She was having trouble breathing, and rather than making 15 trips a night into her room, we moved her back into ours. We had already taken down her bassinette, and thought that maybe the bouncy seat would work on a "temporary basis" - it would keep her elevated and she seemed to sleep better in there...

Well, one month turned into two, two into three, and we discussed many many times how we NEEDED to move this girl out! Part of it was laziness, but most of it was justification. At this point we were about a month away from going on our trip to Samoa. My thinking was why put ourselves (and her) through the trauma of moving her out, only to have to have her get used to sleeping with us again on our trip? That justification bought us 2 more months of keeping this poor kid strapped in her bouncy seat night after night...

We came home from Samoa, and by this point Lily was pulling herself up and cruizing all along furniture and nearly walking. Well, her crib was set up at the high level for infants, and would have to be lowered before we could move her back into her own room. To anyone who has never lowered the mattress in a crib, it is DEFINITELY a two-person job! Getting Wow and I on the same page, at the same time to get this little task done was nearly impossible! That, combined with the fact we didn't want to make the transition during the week while my dad was there, (we knew the tears would be plentiful) we were able to buy ourselves another month or two of Lily sleeping in the bouncy seat in our bedroom.

Finally, during this past month, Lily definitely started telling us she was DONE with this arrangement. She had been sleeping fine, but as she was discovering her own mobility, being strapped into this nearly too-small seat began to frustrate her - even in her sleep! (I can't blame her at all on that one!) There's really no other way to describe it, other than she was seriously cheesed about being in that bouncy seat one night longer.

So, we did it. We finally pulled it together and Wow and I took apart the crib and lowered the mattress. The first night was, as expected, traumatic for all. Let's just say I was on the internet looking up Super Nanny's sleep technique for babies at 3:00 a.m. after having been up literally all night. We did make it through the night - kind of - and I prayed the next night would go better.

Night #2 - not quite as much crying, but we were still up 7 or 8 times.

Night #3 - Wow had had enough. And I had had enough of Wow telling me this is not the way to do this, so he said he would take care of it. The first time she cried, he pulled her out of bed and dropped her into bed with us. I wish I was kidding - this totally undid everything we had been through the first two nights!!!!

Night #4 - I took the reigns back - Wow wasn't happy with me, and listening to my baby cry seriously was breaking my heart too, but indeed, we were back at square one.

Night #5 - Looks like she's learning! She only woke up a couple of times and went right back to sleep (no more than 2 minutes crying each time)!

Night #6 - I think the utter exhaustion of not sleeping finally hit her and she slept through the night!!!!!!

Since then, she'll wake up once and then go back to sleep after I lay her back down, so I think she's getting the hang of it. I can't say I'm really sleeping any better - I keep waking up worried that she has her blanket on, that she's not suffocating in some corner of her crib, that she won't be permanently scarred from this whole experience - TWICE.

However, last night when Wow said he would put her to sleep, and he stood in there for 20 minutes only to have her start crying when he walked out, he finally admitted that maybe I did know what I was doing, and that a little bit of crying will teach her how to soothe herself and go back to sleep...

Now maybe we all can get some sleep!

A Party for Lily-Bug!

On Saturday we went to Logan to have Lily's be-lated birthday party! This has been consuming my mind for the last month or so, and to see it all come together was AWESOME!!!! Thank heavens for the internet - totally uncreative people like me can get fantastic ideas and come off looking like a crafty creative super-mom! Thank you internet!

Here are the invitations I made:

We decked out Granny and Papa's backyard:

I found a cute "Ladybug's Birthday" book that we gave away as favors to the cousins:

My 3-D ladybug birthday cake even turned out!

The only thing I would have changed was that we got started a little late and were running out of shade and into naptimes! (Birthday girl was definitely letting us know it was naptime!)

We had a yummy barbeque:

(In true Samoan fashion, she enjoyed the ribs and hotdogs the most!)

Lily took her time diving into her cake. We couldn't get her to touch it until we gave her a fork (and Daddy helped her out a little with the frosting!)

Fifteen minutes later.....

But, all in all we had a great time (Ella and Noah especially liked the "ladybug spots" (i.e. Oreos) on the tables... Look at those mouths!)

Thanks Papa for sharing your birthday with us! (Saturday was my dad's real birthday, so while we partied for Lily at lunchtime, we had dad's party that evening.) He doesn't look like he minded too much!

I hate cars!

Well, I don't ALWAYS hate my car - I am grateful that it turns on and takes me where I need to go, but today, I hate my car! Last weekend we were driving out to our friend's house and the air conditioning just wasn't cutting it. It felt like someone was just blowing on us - there was no force, and being a billion degrees outside, AND pregnant, I need an ARCTIC BLAST!!! So we decided that I would take the car in this week.

I know a great car guy (which I am so grateful for - finding a trustworthy car guy is NOT easy), and he told me to bring it right it. I needed to get the oil changed and the safety & emissions done on it too, so I figured we'd just take care of everything. Well, long story short - turns out I need a new driveline. What's a driveline??? Apparently it's Honda's big money maker (at least one of them)! Now I know more about drivelines and U-joints that I really want to, and have to decide what we're going to do...

I hate dealing with cars!

Lily is ONE!

One year ago today, I became a mom. It's overwhelming to me to even start thinking about the ways I have been blessed by this little angel. She has taught me more about life, love and myself than I ever could have imagined. In honor of Lily's birthday, here are a few of my favorite things about my baby:

* The twinkle in her eyes and complete adoration she has for her daddy

* Her feisty spirit that tests every boundary (even though I don't always love this, I love that she is independent and completely has a mind of her own)

* Her sweet kisses and cuddles - they are rare, but she means them when the give them!

* The way she skwunches up her face when she's waking up - lips come out, nose crinkles up and eyes squeeze tighter and tighter - I MUST get a picture of this!

* Her sweet voice testing out new sounds and words - some of her favorites are "shwice?" "lo-de-lo" "dada" and "mama"

* Her love of books - I can't claim any credit for this one - I wish I read to her more, but she does gravitate to them and loves looking through them again and again.

* Her dark brown curls

* Her fingers gripping mine as we take walks

* Her complete trust in me, which I hope to never betray or take advantage of

I love you angel! Happy Birthday!

Cute Pictures

My friend Kari just sent me some of the pictures her photographer snapped of us at her wedding (see this entry for details). They were too cute not to share!

(Can you tell who was on Lily duty most of the time???) :)

Lagoon Day

On Thursday, my company had their annual Lagoon Day.

I remember the first time I took Seuao to Lagoon, it was while we were still dating. He hadn't had a lot of experience on roller coasters (they don't have any in Samoa). While I wasn't really a daredevil, I certainly wasn't much of a chicken. Well, I'm afraid I sealed our amusement park fate that hot day 4 years ago - the first ride we went on was the Wild Mouse (or whatever that dreadful ride is called). It was newly re-done, and didn't have loops or people screaming, so I thought maybe it would break him in good. Oh no - that ride was still as wretched and awful as it was when I was a kid. Thus, rides and Seuao will never be good friends again. I did somehow convince him to go on the skyride, the ferris wheel and the terror ride after that, but nevertheless, Lagoon is NOT his favorite place to be. Come to think of it now, I am much more of a fraidy-cat about rides and stuff now too.... what happened???

This year, I talked Sarah into coming with me. She went earlier in the day with a couple of friends, and met up with me and Lily for the dinner. The dinner was PACKED, and I didn't win any of the prizes that they gave out, but it was still a good time. I thought the whole trip would really would be a waste if I didn't at least put Lily on the carousel, so Sarah came with us and snapped a couple of pictures.

Although she really doesn't look like it in this pictures, she really loved it! I even put her on a horse that went up and down, and she was doing her happy dance while we went around!

Husband Tag

Aah tags... I have mixed feelings about tags, and don't worry, I won't tag anyone else, but I decided since the name of this blog is "Wow's Gal" and if you're a reader, you know MUCH more about me from this blog than about him, so what the hey...

Husband Tag!

1- What is your husband's name? Seuao (pronounced Say-Wow) - but mostly just Wow.

2- Who said I love you first? He did!

3- Who is taller? Wow.

4- Who is smarter? This isn't a fair question to ask a pregnant gal! Lately I have been feeling super dumb and forgetful, so I'll give this one to him (at least till the brain cells can recover from the placenta suck)!

5- Who is more sensitive? Again, not a fair question for a pregnant gal! I cried yesterday when I had to swat Lily's bum for pushing the buttons on the TV for the 800th time. That one goes to me.

6- Who does the laundry? Bless his heart, Seuao has stepped in a few times to do the laundry, but 99% of the time it is me. However, he will carry the baskets back to the bedrooms.

7- Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Depends on who is on Lily duty overnight. But since I'm getting up 4-5 times a night ANYWAY (thank you Lily Jr.), it's me.

8- Who pays the bills? I do - we really should do this together. Seeing the money fly through my fingers is an experience you really shouldn't keep for yourself!

9- Who cooks more? I think the question really is "Who cooks at all?" Sometimes I really do like to cook, but anymore if I throw a sandwich together and call it dinner, I'm doing good. Seuao will occasionally cook Samoan stuff, but when he's in the kitchen, I prefer to keep out!

10- What meals do you cook together? Hmm... Can't really think of any! I think one time we had friends that were coming over, and I remember us both in the kitchen together. One thing you need to understand about Samoans, is that cooking (at least for the men) involves lots of smoke from the barbeque and lots of beverage to drink. It's mostly a guy hang-out event rather than a date-with-your-wife event. For sure!

11- Who is more stubborn? We actually are both pretty easy-going. However there are a few things that I think he would definitely call me stubborn about, and likewise for him.

12-Who is the first to admit they are wrong? Seuao is AWESOME at apologizing. The problem is that I want to solve problems NOW and get it done with, but he usually needs a little time, and once he comes to his senses he will definitely apologize and admit he was wrong.

13- Who is more clean? Man - I used to be! My family keeps commenting that it's so nice that Seuao has "loosened me up" - I used to not be able to go to sleep with dishes in the sink. Now I can't find the sink. Not necessarily a good thing!

14- Who has more siblings? Seuao - he's number 12 of 12.

15- Who wears the pants in the relationship? I don't know about this one! We both have such different roles in our family. I really can't say!

16- What do you like to do together? We've been so busy with work and Lily, it's hard to remember what we like to do together! Mostly just spend time together! We like to entertain - have people over, we like movies (although I think we are the worst couple ever about going to or renting them), we love supporting each other (I love going to rugby games, he loves coming to my concerts).

17- Who eats more sweets? Definitely me :( Sweets really aren't popular in Samoa - they're not something he grew up with and is used to.

18- Guilty Pleasures? We like to watch the Bachelor together!

19- How did you meet? I have friends who worked with a Samoan lady and she told them about a fun place to go on the weekends where a lot of Samoans hung out. They went a time or two and told me how much fun it was (who doesn't look for something new to do on a Friday night?) so I went with them. They were right - it was a lot of fun! New music, new food, new faces - good times all around! Long story short - one night at this "hang-out" I ended up sitting at a table he had been at, he came back and we started talking! The rest is history!

20- Who asked who out first? Definitely Seuao - I was still in shock that this super cute guy was even talking to me! He asked for my number that first night, and called the next day, which happened to be Valentines Day!

21- Who kissed who first? Seuao kissed me.

22- Who proposed? Seuao was definitely ready to get married before I was - he proposed.

23- Best features? His strong shoulders and kind eyes.

24- What is his best quality? He's not afraid of hard work.

Summerfest / Father's Day

I love summer. I love busy times filled with family and celebrations nearly every weekend. I love trips to Logan, enjoying the amazing weather up there (no, it hasn't gotten too hot yet), and I love the slower pace life seems to have (at moments).

Last weekend Lily and I made the journey to Logan early Saturday morning (Wow was working again :( ). We rode up with Sarah and met up with the rest of the fam. Some of us ventured out to Logan's annual Summerfest. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed with Summerfest this year. I haven't been in a few years, and maybe I had built it up too much in my own head. I was so looking forward to seeing the crafties and the quilts and the homemade kids stuff, and there wasn't hardly any of that! Way too many paintings and scultpures and weird copper stuff. Oh well. We went and we did enjoy ourselves! (Although in this picture the kids aren't fooling anyone - they were DONE, but Beck & Sarah can always pull of a fabulous shot!)

We also celebrated Father's Day with the whole fam. On Saturday night after Dad made it home from taking the crew to see Indiana Jones, we gave him a new grill! It surely wasn't what he was expecting, but I think he really liked it. Dave organized the whole thing, and he and I put it together while everyone else was at the movies.

(Why is my kid always the dirtiest??? Look at those hands!)

Lily had to inspect along with the guys!


The weather was so gorgeous that evening we all just hung out outside and visited. Papa (my dad) took Lily for her first walk.



Much like the walk I took with my own Grandpa:



(Like mother like daughter - we both were a little distracted and had our own agendas!)


I wish I could have spent more time with my own husband on Father's Day. I really did miss him as I was making breakfast for the guys in Logan and throughout the day. His work schedule makes me crazy sometimes. I just hope he knows how much I love him! Thank you, Wow for being my baby's daddy! There isn't one who could love her more than you do! And for that, I will always love YOU!

It's All Part of the Plan

You know how there are just some people in your life that you instantly connect with? Jodi is one of them for me. We met a hundred years ago on a train platform in Galway, Ireland, and I knew instantly that this girl would be one of my most favorite people in the world. She is someone who I can vent to (we have most definitely vented a lot), laugh with, cry with, be inspired by, and always rely on. We both have such busy lives we don't get to see each other much or chat often, but when we do, I love that we can pick right back up where we left off.

Last night Lily and I went to visit Jodi and to meet her new baby. Little Lincoln is her FOURTH. I cannot believe she has FOUR kids. I'm here totally stressing how I'm going to manage TWO, and this girl wrangles four of them. Thank heavens that her Lincoln is a sweet, calm good baby - she definitely has her hands full though! It was so fun to hang out, let Lily run crazy chasing her older girls and stealing toys from Luke. I guess that one thing that I love most about when I get to chat with Jod is that I always leave feeling so grateful and inspired. We were talking about things that have been on our minds, and she was telling me about a quote she had heard:

“… You were taught and prepared for the circumstances you would personally encounter in mortality. … Your memory of premortal life would be kept from you to assure that it would be a valid test, but there would be guidance given to show you how to live. "

I've gotta be honest. Sometimes I seriously wonder if this is what I signed up for! This quote tells me specifically it is! It also gives me faith that I will indeed have the strength to make it through the curve-balls life throws at me. However, it is up to me to seek the guidance to make it. Why do I always think I'm alone in this? Why is it so hard for me to remember that there most definitely is help and support available to me, simply for the asking?

I guess that's why God places people in our lives to remind us of these things. Thanks Jod for being that person for me. I love your guts!

Everyone has a story...

Every month I spend an evening with the "old ladies." A few years back some friends introduced me to Bunko - they gathered with kind of a funny mix of (at the time) mostly old ladies and had dinner, gabbed and played Bunko. Since then I have heard of more and more Bunko groups, and I do have to say that ours is quite low maintenance. There aren't any big winnings or prizes, no substitutes or drama. It's just low-key and fun. Seuao calls it the "old ladies" even though it's only about 50% old ladies now. Regardless, it's something I really enjoy and it's a nice break.

Well, last night we were eating dinner, and I was talking to one of these "old ladies" a little bit. They all were buzzing about my new baby and how close these kids are going to be in age. Well, Fran was telling me about her boys. She had her first son, then 9 months later had her second (who was delivered 4 months premature) - this was in the 1960's when medicine surely wasn't as advanced as it is now, and this son who was barely one pound when born thrived and became a football player and enlisted in the Air Force. He ended up passing away in a plane crash about 20 years ago while on-duty.

These are just surface details of a life that I knew nothing of. I have known Fran for years now, and had no idea that she had been through these kinds of things. It got me thinking that there are SO MANY people around me who have stories of their own. I need to take the time to listen to them and learn from them. There is much that I can gain from their experience and wisdom.

Road Trip!

I love road trips! When we were kids I have so many memories of road trips with my family. We would often make the trek from Panguitch up to Provo to visit Granny. We took our share of trips to Southern California to visit my dad's family too. And looking back, we were so blessed to have the chance to take AWESOME summer road trips. My dad was part of a national association of county attorneys, and they had conferences all over the country. I think our epic adventure to Indianapolis via Tenessee, and all the church history sites in Missouri and Illinois is one of my favorites still. Looking back at all the preparation and brain damage my mom must have gone through to pack up 6 kids and all of their gear for each of these trips is something I don't know if I'll ever master! The memories I have of singing songs, reading, fighting, sight-seeing and learning on each of these trips is something that I hope my kids will have a part of too.

Well, this past weekend, Seuao, Lily and I took a mini road trip. We took off at 5:00 a.m. on Friday morning and headed to Denver. One of my old roommates, Kari was getting married, and we thought that would be a good chance to get out of town, even for a short while. Lily actually did pretty good in the car, that is until the final hour or so when the melt-downs really kicked in. This was when her Go-Gurt exploded all over her and was about her last straw!

We made really good time though, and it didn't feel far at all! We had a few hours once we got to Denver to relax before heading out to Golden for the wedding. On our way out the door to go to the wedding, Lily was zooming all over the place. I turned my back for a minute and I heard RRRIIIPPPPPPPPPPP, and discovered that she had totally ripped the lining of her dress while trying to stand up!

Of course I didn't travel armed with safety pins or a sewing kit, but luckily we did have a Target close-by, and after a quicky-patch-job it was as good as new (until she ripped it again at the end of the night!)

The wedding and reception overlooked a stunning green valley and we were surrounded by gorgeous Colorado trees and wildlife. Kari looked absolutely beautiful, and the entire night was just amazing. Back when we were roommates (gosh, at least 7 or 8 years ago now...) I got to spend a lot of time with her family, and seeing them all again was so wonderful! Thanks so much, Kar for inviting us to come! We had a GREAT time!!!

On Saturday morning, we headed out and met up with my cousin Loya, aka Flame, for breakfast. We met at The Delictable Egg (random name, but GREAT restaurant! We highly recommend it for anyone in the Denver area!) It was so fun to catch up and let Lily meet her "Auntie Flame."

We headed from from there, and after a quick stop for some fireworks (shhh - don't tell anyone!), we made it home around 7:00 Saturday night. Despite all the driving, we really did have a great trip, and we were so glad we went! I'm so suprised that it didn't feel rushed at all - we did everything we wanted to do, and sometimes just getting out of town is just what you need!

Unfortunately, as soon as we got home, we decided to take Lily into Instacare - she had been coughing a LOT (and after listening to her cough so much in the car for 16+ hours), we decided just to have her checked out, especially to make sure she doesn't get whatever nasty bug I have had. She doesn't have any issues with her lungs (thank heavens), but does have more ear infections. Bummer! At least now she is antibiotic-ed, and is on the mend!

Sisters

I love my sisters!

Last weekend was so fun. Rebecca and Mia came to visit, and we just kicked it and relaxed. Mary, Benji and Sarah all came over too - we really didn't do a whole lot but just hung out - which sometimes is the best thing to do! Beck and Mia stayed the night and went to church with us on Sunday, and everyone came over for a nice Sunday dinner afterwards. I just love hanging with these girls!

For the last 4 or 5 days though I have really been sick. Not just a sniffly little cold, this bug is knocking me out. Well yesterday it really hit me like a truck. I was barely functioning, and Sarah offered to come over and play with Lily for a couple of hours last night while I tried to get some rest. Bless her heart! That was so sweet of her, and when Seuao got home he took over. I'm still not well, but I hate to think how much worse I would be today without that extra little bit of help. I just love my sisters.