A New Addition to Our Family!

We are very excited to announce the newest addition to our family!  Things happened so fast that we weren't able to contact any of you beforehand, but we want you to know that everyone is doing well and is in good spirits.

She's a little bigger than expected -- about 4,600 lbs., give or take a few ounces, and 201.0 inches long.

Not much hair to speak of and we're still undecided on a name, but we think she's pretty cute.

As for baby Alyssa, well, she's still on her way.  We're officially down to the last month! We'll have a better idea about just when she might make an appearance after Meg's next appointment on Thursday.

P.S. Scotty was smashing Meg's stomach the other day when Alyssa got hiccups and he thought it was the funniest thing. Up until this point it's been hard to tell if he's really felt her move but he noticed and identified this all on his own. Apparently it made enough of an impression to make it into the dinner prayer tonight: "thank you for baby Alyssa's hip-ups, they were so funny!" Getting ready (hopefully!) to be a big brother...

A few thousand words.

I've just realized two things. First, you can sketch the course of this pregnancy by the extent of my blogging. Only two posts in the entire month of January? Here it is halfway through July and I have yet to post a word. It's been a rough ride and while I want this little one to keep on cooking till she's full term and healthy, I find myself wondering if I can make it. Physically it's a stretch but emotionally I'm about ready to crash and burn. My second realization is that I had a lot of fun adventures in June that helped the month fly by, and unfortunately I never seemed to get my camera out of the bag to document any of it.

Eric's wonderful mom came to play with Scotty and I for a week while Eric was suffering through training in a dungeon in Tulsa. Do I have any pictures? Of course not! We caught up on errands, whipped the house in shape, hung all the remaining pictures that were still laying around in piles, and talked a lot. It was nice to have a different form of conversation around here! We also found a gorgeous mother of the bride dress, as this year has become the year of the Great Larsen Family Expansion. 2010 will bring 3 weddings and 2 babies, so welcome all new Larsens! We LOVED having her and miss her! Can't wait to see her again in September.

We also had a drive by of Nevilles headed down for a family trip in Mexico. Sometimes it's nice to be the rest stop! I had a blast getting to see some of my cousins and their cute kids. Having Mad around makes me realize how much of a non stop chatterbox my kid is. And I don't mean that in a bragging mom "look how smart my kid is" way--I really, honestly mean that as much as I love the kid, it's impossible to get him to be quiet for more than 2 seconds. No wonder my life feels crazy sometimes!

In other news, Eric got released from our joint calling in primary to be the Priest Quorum adviser. I'm excited for him and think he'll do wonderful things there with those boys, but I'm a little bummed to be in primary by myself! The kids in my class definitely keep me busy and I quickly realized that 4 year-olds are not much different than the (essentially) 3 year-old I spend all my time with. I'm a little stressed about how it will all work out in a few weeks when I have a new baby to juggle as both Eric and I are scheduled to teach during the third hour of church. I thought maybe I'd ask another woman in the ward to help watch the baby if she's asleep and then realized that I got this calling so quickly the only women I know are in primary! I've only been in Relief Society one time since moving into the ward...Wish me luck!

I'm hoping that other members of the family picked up my picture taking slack, so watch this space for pictures of Leanne's visit, the Neville family, trips to the zoo and science center, and my master's graduation!

California Fun!

 

 

 

It's become a fun family tradition to spend a week on the beach in California. This year we headed to Oceanside and got amazing waves, nice sandy beach, and a little less sun than usual. The public beach by our rented condo even had a playground, so Scotty was in heaven. Eric had to work most of the week but was able to take a few days off to come join the fun. Scotty LOVED the ocean this year and got a little too brave about jumping waves. Even in my current pregnant state I was able to conjure up some good boogie boarding :o) Eric was also kind enough to dig me a belly whole so I could do something I've been dreaming of for months--lay on my stomach. Of all the things I miss during pregnancy, sleeping on my stomach tops the list!

We also got to take Scotty to Disneyland (they're free till they're 3!). We knew he would love it but we fully expected at least a few meltdowns over waiting in lines, not napping, not getting to buy all the cool toys, or just general confusion. Instead he was seriously the happiest kid all day! What a treat for all of us :o) He even stayed awake for fireworks at the end--though he was asleep before we ever left the park.

Of course I have WAY too many pictures to even begin posting, so if you're interested, check out the slideshow. Thanks to my dad for lugging his good camera around! And yes, my solution to maternity swimwear is to just let it all hang out.

Happy Father's Day!

When I first met Eric, we were 18 and just starting college. There were so many things to love about him but I remember thinking to myself, "this guy is the kind of dad I want for my kids." I dreamed of marrying a guy who would be as into the adventure of child-raising as I was--not afraid to jump in and play.

When we were newlyweds we worked at a safe haven house that worked to prevent neglect and abuse situations, and what an experience that was! We learned so much about parenting by working side by side. Because of our time there he truly knows what it's like to be a stay at home mom and all the work that goes into just keeping it together.

Besides being a great dad, he's also a brilliant accountant who just passed his fourth and final CPA exam. Congratulations, Eric! May you never have to take those tests again.

Happy Father's Day, from your beautiful wife, your very best little buddy, and the tiny girl that already has you wrapped around her little fetal finger.

Melodrama

Bring on the melodrama. In our house there are rarely tantrums. Instead there are dramatic sighs, slouched shoulders, and a long plodding walk with the pronouncement "I'm going to my roooooom...."

Sometimes when he's whining he'll tell me "I just need to cry right now, mama, I just need to cry." You can tell we've been talking a lot the past few months about the difference between a "sweet voice" and everything else. Now he'll look at me with a ridiculously fake smile, eyebrows raised, batt his eyelashes, and say, "please whine, mama? please whine?"

He definitely has his moments (or days, or weeks) and potty training is a whole different story, but in most cases he's such a sweet little guy to hang out with. He is a great helper around the house with cleaning and cooking so I have to remember to find ways for him to help before I get my hands dirty in order to prevent chaos. Just this morning he lectured me for putting his milk cup back in the fridge: "I put my milk away mama--you NEVER touch it. NEVER touch it!"

He is also getting quite the vivid imagination. Yesterday he was particularly concerned for the physical safety of his Nana and Papa in respect to a certain monster that lives under his bed....

Here he is all decked out in his "monster fighting gear" and demonstrating proper use of the hose/baseball bat.