Day of Birth

Welp, I have now been around twenty three years. And it definitely seems crazy, I still feel like a little immature teenager most of the time . . . then I see my hot husband and adorable baby and think, "Oh yeah . . . I'm a grown-up now." But I swear I shouldn't be, isn't there some kind of test you have to pass which informs you that you've officially matured enough to be considered a responsible, functioning adult? Or more importantly that you've matured enough to be a parent! It's funny how when you're younger you always expect that grown-ups are so . . . grown up. And then one day you look in the mirror and realize that YOU are supposed to be a grown up!

I have to say it's pretty enjoyable though. When your own parents become more of an ultra-beloved/respected peer than a reigning authority, life becomes a little more intense. More bitterness, more sweetness, and even everything in between is just . . . more. I love our little life and I wouldn't have it any other way!

To commemorate this super-important occasion, Mark was a champ. Even with ICE exams coming up, he came straight home from his half-day of school, whisked me away to Disneyland, and we explored all the obscure nooks and crannies we had by-passed in our usual manic attempt to get in our money's worth. Season passes are DIVINE, they have made the park so much more magical for us! After our free three hours of parking at Downtown Disney were up, we began to head home. Mark gave me my pick of restaurants, but with Mac's bedtime looming and yet one more birthday activity, I decided on a classic Subway sandwich and Yogurtland. Ooo it was divine. Then Mark took me shopping! We only shopped about fifteen minutes and only went to Ross, but still . . . I don't know if Mark's ever said "Hey, let's go buy you something." So we bought a swimsuit to add the the rest of my birthday spoils: a ginormous beach umbrella and a slip (which I've been talking about forever; knee-length skirts + spandex garments = trouble).

We topped off the night with our current Netflix, "Stranger than Fiction". I forgot how funny it was. All that plus lots of phone calls and texts and facebook messages made for a fabulous way to ring in my twenty third year!

Cervical Adjustment!

This is a big moment, for me almost as much as it is for Mark. He does really great with my thoracic area, SIs, and feet; lumbar is improving a whole bunch as well. But my neck has been practically untouchable . . . mostly because I am still quite terrified of getting it adjusted.

Chiropractics are a new thing for me; I experienced my first adjustment about three years ago through Mark's oldest brother Josh, and the neck TERRIFIED me. I thought it was going to just rip right off! So as I married into a family choc-full of chiropractors, I have gotten used to and even enjoyed being adjusted . . . except for my neck. Eeesh. It feels so unnatural.

But Mark has been easing me into the whole process; he's been immersing me in it really. Every hug has an ulterior motive. He'll come home from school, wrap me in a big bear hug, and then I feel his fingers inching up each ridge in my spine, which results in his pulling out the portable adjusting table ninety percent of the time.

It's actually really nice right now; he takes his time and so it ends up including some muscle work, which is fabulous. If you're feeling brave, you should come on over and ask for an adjustment; he loves to practice. He's gotten me so relaxed that he actually adjusted one little part of my neck the other day! Biiiiig deal.

6 Months

Aw, my little guy is six months old now. It's actually been a bit rough the last couple weeks; with teething and the flu he has transformed from my little sleeping wonder-boy to a more . . . . agitated baby. However he still loves people and is smiling almost constantly, even when he cries.

He is also:
Sitting up by himself, and even catching himself when he falls with those monkey arms!
Conquering solids; it's been quite the learning experience for both of us! Nursing actually seems even MORE convenient now . . . call me crazy!
More regular poops. And by that I mean every 2-3 days, which is a whole lot better than 10-12!
Chewing on everything . . . he got his binky stuck sideways in his mouth today, it was quite traumatic. He definitely has that giant Gunn mouth.
Almost dropped that third nap in the middle of the day . . . hello two loooong naps!
Very good at grabbing things and chewing/waving them around. Especially hair, earrings, etc.
Loves to scoot and roll himself around. I am constantly finding him in awkward positions; face squished against the couch, propped up on a shoulder with both legs pushing up . . . it's entertaining.
He's started head-butting your shoulder if you're holding him and he's tired. I like to think of it as the beginning of snuggling.


These six months have zoomed by, we love him to pieces!

Good bye Kitty

Sneakers died today. He was twenty years old. Poor thing, he was quite old and in a lot of pain. But he was a fabulous cat. (Very cuddly and patient, I swear almost all cat-haters loved him.) I can still remember being extremely young and going over to the Livingston's house. Their cat had just had kittens and I loved to play with them. Sneakers was the only one who wouldn't crawl all over me and claw me. He just sat in my lap and purred. Mom said we couldn't have him, but turns out Jeana was secretly calling my mom every day after I would leave . . . and it worked. For family home evening we brought him home.

And we loved him. So long kitty, thanks for putting up with all of us.

Sick Boy

My poor baby was sick for the first time this week! And it was a doozy. Started out with some serious puking on Tuesday (see post about Jamie). It only got worse! His eyes and nose were super congested, he kept coughing up lots of nastiness, and mostly lost his voice. He also reverted back to his infant waking-up-every-two hours bit, but that actually wasn't that bad. We just felt so sorry for the little guy!

But you know, I think Mac is very well taken-care of in the physical department. Jamie was visiting, and with her being a nurse and Mark's chiropractic wisdom, he was bound to get better quickly. We got him adjusted, went to his pediatrician, Jamie monitored his labored breathing and bought us a humidifier (thanks dear!), and Mark consistently played with his muscles and bones.

And I sucked out his nose and gave lots of hugs. Ooo . . . and kept him fed.

He is much better now. But gads it was sure sad!

March Maddness

Aaaaah, it has come. Good old March Maddness. For how much my dad loves basketball, I have surprisingly few memories of him watching it growing up. He watched games all the time though . . . perhaps I just never differentiated.

My earliest memory of March Maddness is from US History class with Baldwinn back at good old Sky View. Everyone wanted his class spring semester; you unavoidably spent half the semester filling out brackets and watching games. I was one of those lucky few to participate.

But since then I never paid any attention to it. Until of course I met my dashing husband. He forced me to fill out my first bracket, which ended up being mildly entertaining. I had a bit more interest in watching ESPN with him, which was nice. Surprisingly picking teams because they "sound tough" or come from a state I've always wanted to visit, or especially because they have a big fat number to the left of them, are not good strategies. Unfortunately it's all I've got.

This year, I am dead last in the Gunn family picks. Behind Gracie even. She's two. You might worry this would damage the relationship between Mark and I, but never fear -- it's strengthened it. Mark likes having someone he can beat. And in this situation, I am more than happy to be his door mat. As long as I can still whip his sorry rear when we play Diddy Kong Racing.

Hair-Identity

Well I have done it! I have officially gone as short as I have ever dreamed of. Growing up I had ridiculously thick long hair, which I loved. I was one of those people with a hair-identity, if they didn't know my name they new me as "that girl with the hair".

After high school I finally got up the guts to chop it, attempting to break out of the mold I had created for myself. I hated it. Then I got adventurous and died it.
I was hooked, and have been cutting it ever since. Dying . . . not so much. Way too much work.

I might grow it out next. Who knows. I'm kind of in love with this hair . . . it's just too convenient.

My Jamie

Ooo, is there anything so wonderful as having your sister come stay with you for almost an entire week? I doubt it. We were SO grateful to have her here in sooo very many ways! It's just so incredibly nice to talk to someone who thinks exactly like you do, a luxury I'd practically forgotten about out here. (As much as I love Markus, he does not think like me one little bit.) We even had a sleepover Monday night . . . that earthquake brought us all real close together. (See previous post.)

Tuesday was great at the beach; so very relaxing and warm. We actually lost track of time. I was bringing some appetizers to a baby shower that night, and so we needed to get back. By the time we got in the car it was four o'clock, just in time to hit some serious traffic. I was annoyed, and Mac started to get annoyed as well. Jamie hopped in the back to comfort him, and then suddenly he gets really angry and starts screaming. I'm directing Jamie as to where I guess the binky might have gone, when suddenly I hear a puking/choking sound. I attempt to not rear-end someone as I watch Jamie calmly and incredibly efficiently whip Mac out of his car seat as he proceeds to gasp and puke everywhere. She tilts his head down so that he could breath a bit better, and once he is she cradles him expertly until he is calm. I am silently freaking out. And yet amazed at her proficiency. I am sooo glad she is a nurse. I try not to think too much about what would've happened if I had been in the car by myself when this happened. . . that would drive a mom crazy dwelling on all the what-ifs. So we hustle home (except it took two hours to get home) and move on. We fly through the appetizers, smelly and sun-burnt and frazzled. Mac is remarkably calm, though he seems to be a bit flushed and under the weather. I pray Mark will be home from basketball soon so I don't have to haul Mac to the shower; the last thing he seems to need is more craziness.

With Jamie's help we whipped out the appetizers, cleaned up (minimally), and loaded up everything for the shower. Mark came calmly striding through the door just in time . . . I'm pretty sure Mac really appreciated a steady influence after the insanity he had been experiencing. And we managed to really enjoy ourselves at the baby shower. Congrats Naomi! Then I feel a bit guilty, and so we hustle back . . . to find Mac tucked safely in bed. Thank you Mark.

Wednesday was a day of rest; for Mac and for us. We went to a chiropractor and the doctor to make sure he was okay; turns out he had a bit of a virus. By that time he was coughing and congested and quite warm. Mark stayed home most of the day to help out (which was a real treat!) and we all just vegged. The sister missionaries came over for dinner to help us celebrate St. Patrick's, of course we had a royal feast of corned beef and cabbage. Mark and Sister Funaki were not fans, but hey, it's tradition! You've gotta pay respects to Saint Pat for . . . well, whatever he did. Thursday included shopping (matching shirts . . . thank you Ross), and then Ceely and Ryan and family stopped by on their way back from San Francisco! We braved a new Chinese Restaurant which was surprisingly good, and then Ceely treated us all to some major hair cuts (see later post). Friday we slipped away to Huntington Beach to polish Jamie's tan, and then Saturday was the swap meet with Lindy and Seth. Mix in some foot massages and way too much over-analyzing of life in general, and that is a general idea of our incredible week. It went by way too fast, and included a little bit of everything.

Oh Jamie, what would I do without you? Thank you for saving my son, cleaning my house, letting me talk your ear off, and loving my boy, my husband and me. She is one great gal.

Now if only I could get her married off. Then again, she wouldn't have as much time to spend with us . . . perhaps I'll keep her single.

My Little Penroses

Oh so precious. The Penroses came and stayed with us for a couple days! It was so nice to have them; this little family holds a special place in my heart. I am a bit cheesy; I love a good love story and absolutely adore being involved in one. I've been that way as long as I can remember, and so naturally jumped at the chance to help out my "buddy" (as he always called me) Brian when he was having troubles with this absolute gem he had decided to crush on, a sweet new friend of mine named Holly. This was all way back in high school, and I didn't do much besides spew encouragement, but with only a couple minor hitches (which, in my opinion, just makes the story that much better) those two sealed the deal and got married after Brian came home from his mission. Now they have added adorable baby Blake to their lives. They lived the classic Mormon fairy tale, and I witnessed it all.

So, I was excited when they asked if they could come stay for a couple days over their spring break.

We ended up talking a lot, poor Mark. Of course conversation drifted back to high school and our happy little valley, but Brian was good enough to talk with sports with Mark too. Monday I headed out to pick up my FABULOUS sister Jamie from the airport, and then we met Holly and Brian at Disneyland. It was ridiculously crowded. Still magical, but crowded.
I think Holly and Brian only made it on a total of six . . . perhaps seven rides. That's pathetic! I felt frustrated, but then realized that they had never been before, and had no idea how much better this place could be . . . so if I would've been smart and acted like it was the best day ever, I might have fooled them. Oh well. We still had a blast, you just can't help but enjoy that atmosphere.

Blake and Mac didn't mind the crowds at all. They were thoroughly entertained, and actually really well behaved! You always have to wonder when you head out for an all-day adventure, but these troopers seemed to really enjoy themselves.
Mark showed up after school with some pizza, which we inhaled. Then through some classic husband-wife miscommunications, we ended up sending Mark into the park -- using up his free day of service pass -- and promptly leaving. It was just too crowded, battling all those people was absolutely miserable. I pointed out how frustrating it was that mere people stood between us and a good time, and Brian wisely replied that every other person there was thinking the same thing. And with that we headed home.

That night I heard a crash. I sat up thinking, "Oh PLEASE don't wake up Mac!", and only vaguely realized we were bouncing up and down on our bed. It wasn't until Mark grabbed my arm, then lept out of bed and into the closet to check on our soundly sleeping son, that I realized we had just experienced a very intense EARTHQUAKE! Mark then ran downstairs to check on Jamie, who was frozen in terror on our little pull-out bed. Mark's presence snapped her out of it and she promptly joined us upstairs. Brian then poked his head out of their room and asked if we were alright . . . and after a bit of nervous laughter we all settled down back sleep. Only one picture fell, and on the news it said it was a 4.4 that had originated in the heart of Los Angeles and had only caused minimal damage; things falling off shelves, a few cracks, but no injuries. Gads, I still think the world is going to end. And I must say, it's a darn good thing Mark is so on the ball; what's wrong with me?? The whole house is shaking and all I can think is, "Don't wake up the baby!" Gee he would have had the whole house fall on him before I realized there was danger and should go get him . . . ooo that makes me shudder. But I will do better next time. Hopefully there won't be a next time . . .

The next day we hit the beach! We decided to go a bit further than our typical beaches and went down to Laguna. It was gorgeous, and completely worth the drive.
I wish I would've taken more pictures of the scenery. Lindy let me borrow her kiddie ten and umbrella, which I bought the very next day at the store. This is fabulous! He can play/take naps while I lay out and catch some rays. Best idea ever.
The babies were great. Blake did not like the water though, whenever they would try to lower him into it, he would hold his legs up all frog-like just above the water. It was super funny. Mac got ridiculously tired part-way through, but once I got him to sleep life was peachy. And . . . can you tell who has a heavier baby? Holly is ripped!

We talked and talked, a bit too long perhaps, and then Jamie and I said farewell and returned home, all tanned and lovely.

Thanks for coming you guys, we had a blast!

My New Friend

Yay I think I can say I officially have a real friend out here! Her name is Lindy and she is a real gem. She's in my ward, and is only a year old than me. She also has a little boy, his name is Seth and he is too stinkin cute. He has the most awesome personality I've ever seen! We have been hanging out a lot lately, mostly sitting at each other's houses between Seth's naps (Mac will still sleep almost anywhere). We've also done dinner with our hubbies a couple times and of course Mommy Meetings.

She is quite the seamstress, look at this awesome hat she made!
I got to babysit Seth for her the other day, it was very much fun. It also made me think that perhaps Mark is right, we should have a wee bit more space between our kids. Mac and Seth are nine months apart . . . can't imagine doing something like that! But he was wonderful.

We are planning on going to the beach every week once it warms up a bit more . . . ooooo I can't wait for that. BIG SIGH.

Teething?

I've become the boy who cried wolf. Every time Mac has been fussy since he was about six weeks old, I have said, "Oh. He must be teething." Because of course my son is perfect and would NEVER cry unless something was REALLY bothering him, right? Well I think its for real this time. I can definitely see some good little nobs coming through; they haven't come up to the top of his gums quite yet, but I can definitely see them head-on.

And he is not sleeping very well.

For the past week he's been waking up every hour starting at three! Then the other night he woke up at three and we couldn't get him back to sleep till four thirty!! That is unheard of for this guy. During the day he just seems a little unsettled . . . like somethings just annoying him.

Oh I am tired.

I know, you're probably rolling your eyes and thinking, "Come on Allie, my kid slept waaay less than yours does and it was no big deal." And you're right. I am a wuss. I would like to blame this on Mac. He started sleeping through the night at two and half months (10-6) and has only steadily gotten better (7-7). He spoiled me rotten, and I took it for granted.

So really, this is just a little reality check that hey, I'm a mom now, and moms don't sleep, remember? So I will just take it and smile and revel in the fact that I do get to witness every moment in my little man's life. Even if I'm a little bleary-eyed.
Of course you can't be too mad in the moment, that sweet little face just melts my heart! Poor little guy, hope it gets better soon.

Teaching Five Year Olds

Just in case you ever find yourself responsible for teaching 10 little 5 year olds (like myself) and feel a bit tentative (like myself) and you don't happen to have a fabulous team teacher who worked with autistic kids and is a genius, let me give you some tips:

• Schedule out the class time for them, so they know what they will be doing and can focus a little easier! (We wrote it on the blackboard, and after we finished one thing they could come up and erase that item.)
• Make the to-do list fairly sizable, feels like it goes faster when you're doing several little things. (Faster for you and your crazy-fun five year olds.)
  
• Make a class rules chart with a few simple rules. (i.e. sit nicely, raise your hand, listen.)
• Offer stars for obeying the rules.
• Motivate them with a chance to pick something out of a treasure box at the end of class if they get enough stars.
• Find excuses to give everyone stars.
• And have stretch time right in the middle.
  

These little wonders really made a HUGE difference in our class!! Shannon is amazing, thank heavens we're together. I'm really excited about this calling!

Adjustments

Well Mark is on his way!! We had a huge moment last night . . . Mark adjusted my SI doing a side posture! He's been trying for a while, and it's been a bit rough -- on my back and on his confidence, I think. But I have been told by every chiropractor who's ever come near me that I am a really difficult adjustment; it's taken every single one of them several tries to get my lower back. I kept telling Mark that, but it was still frustrating for him I think.

But yesterday my back was definitely hurting a bit, and so I enlisted Mark to help me out, imagining a massage, but figured an adjustment would probably be best for all involved. And he got it! We celebrated with high fives and a massage. A big day for the blossoming chiropractor.

New Investigator

Our lovely Sister missionaries called me the other night asking if they could bring an investigator over to our house to teach; he felt his house was too messy to talk about God in. I said "Well of course!" and so over they came. Gads, what a great night! His name is Alfonso and he is in his mid-forties, a war veteran, a substitute teacher (getting his masters), single, catholic, and the most humble guy I've ever met. I've never been a missionary before, so when I say this I really have no idea what I'm talking about, but I think he is what they like to call "golden". He's been through a lot, and just really seems to be needing some truth!

The sisters were very articulate, I loved to hear their simplistic yet profound explanation of the Gospel. This was Alfonso's very first time hearing anything about the LDS religion, and it was quite the experience for me -- having grown up in Utah and being a member all my life -- to hear everything explained in that way. I just kept thinking, gee how to people not believe? It all just makes so much sense, in your head and your heart. Alfonso seemed very interested, and had a great perspective on everything. Of course he was hesitant, it's really quite the claim to make that you KNOW a fourteen-year old boy saw God the Father and His Son. Anywho, he said he really wants to come to church this Sunday and hear our "classes", he loves the idea of really studying the scriptures, not just reading them. And he plans on already having the Book of Mormon read by then. Umm . . . WOW.

I'm really loving all these experiences. Woo! And it was also fun to see Mark's reactions to it all, I kept imagining what he must have been like as a missionary. Such a stud, how did I get so lucky?

Exploring

We need to explore more. I told this to Mark after my wonderful Aunt Ceely and Uncle Ryan left the other day; it was rainy on Saturday, which knocks out yard sales, swap meet, the beach, and walks through wealthy neighborhoods . . . what else is there to do?? We ended up watching the Olympics virtually all day. (Except for a couple hours in the afternoon when Ceely and I went to do a little shopping, of course.) It was nice to watch the Olympics, those people are amazing and I love reading all those awesome foreign names, not to mention the thrill of attempting to mimic their heavily-accented English. I do have a minor beef with the Olympics though: why oh why are they on channel four?? No Biggest Loser, Ellen, Office, Parks and Rec, or Community. I was DYING to see who lost the challenge on Biggest Loser.


Anyway . . . we spent most of the time they were here sitting around/eating. Which was great; it was awesome to catch up with them. Mark had a great long talk with Ryan and finally really understood that I was not exaggerating in the least when I say he's a genius, and the real live Jack Bauer. Then Monday I went and saw When In Rome with Ceely and had lunch at Cheesecake Factory . . . an absolutely fabulous lady's afternoon. Plus Mac. After that it was off to the airport, and though I enjoyed myself, I came home to Mark feeling like the crappiest hostess ever. I am pretty sure people can stare at the t.v. anywhere (even if ours is awesome and new) and especially don't want to do that around here. And if I'm going to be convincing all of you to come stay with us, I need to have a slew of activities to thrill you with!

Any suggestions?

Then last night I finally got to find out what happened on Biggest Loser . . . OH MY GADS!! It was nuts, I officially can't stand Michael. WHY did he have immunity, they could have voted him right off! We then watched the premier of Parenthood, which made me laugh and cry, and I told Mark I was really looking forward to Thursdays because of the Office, Parks and Rec, and now this hilarious looking show called the Marriage Ref! Then Mark said, "Wow. Sounds like some great exploring."

Gee. I am pathetic. I promise I don't watch t.v. all day . . . in fact, I don't have it on at all until Ellen comes on at four . . . and I don't watch her religiously. It's just nice to have something on while cooking. But I really don't want to be that family that gets together finally at the end of a long day . . . and just stares at the tube. At least not every night.

So now I will be exploring. Again, if there are any amazing places around here you feel I must see, please let me know.