Minor Emergency

Well we had to leave church early last Sunday. I was not prepared enough for the maddness . . . I definitely gained some valuable experience however, and will do much better next time!

After feeding Mac in that lovely little nursing room, I quickly checked his shorts to determine whether or not I should chance changing him . . . we had forgotten to bring wipies. I could only see sogginess, so I thought I would just quickly swap diapers for a new one, to ensure the safety of his cute little pants. Note the technique here (and don't repeat it): I undo the diaper, folding it and setting it under his sweet little tush, and then turn to grab another diaper out of the bag. I'm pretty sure that took a grand total of three seconds, but then I turn around . . . and there is poop everywhere. I will spare you the gory details; I'm pretty sure the internet isn't ready for it and Mark will probably tell me I'm embarrassing our poor little guy. But let me give you these words of advice: don't use diapers as wipies, they are awkward and will run out much quicker than wipies do; and diapers are the one thing you can't do without. Don't forget while cleaning one area that there is another area aiming and ready to fire. Don't go anywhere without a change of clothes for your little one and for you. Don't pack around that handy little changing pad and then never use it.

And so we left church, but not before Mark was able to get his Valentine's cookie from priesthood. I unfortunately missed out on all the relief society goodies.

Happy Fourteenth Trent!

Happy happy day of birth to my studly brother Trent! I know, we look nothing alike, but I promise he's my brother.

Do you know this kid? You should get to know him, because he is amazing. It's true. If you're an oldest sibling, you know what I'm talking about when I say how fun it is when your little siblings suddenly become cool . . . and Trent has hit that. (A while ago, but I'm just making sure you know.) I don't think I know a more humble, sweet, funny guy. It makes me sad that I am so far away from him and don't get to know his grown-up self so much. Guess he'd better come live with us or something. Trent I hope you're reading this . . . that's an invite!

Love this kid, he's taught me a lot. He is quite the inspiration. And he's taller than me, which isn't really a surprise for my family, but it's still kind of cool. I still don't quite understand how it was genetically possible for me to top out at five foot six. At fourteen years old Trent's what . . . over six feet now? Not sure. So look out ladies; Trent is now legal for church dances! Ow ow!

Young Married's Valentine's Party!

It was a success! Yaaaay! I volunteered our lovely little home for a Valentine's Party with all the young families from our ward. I really wanted to break out the camera, but seeing as how we didn't really know each other at all and I didn't want to scare anyone away (some people, like my wonderful husband, think taking pictures is awkward . . . stunning), I only snapped a couple before everyone got there. I cut out loads of hearts, which I wasn't sure if they would impress everyone that I was attempting to be so festive, or just make them feel bad for me that I had been cutting out so many hearts. Tim Shaw thought I always had hearts in my home. I guess that's not a bad thing. . .

Mark had a half day yesterday, so he was a WONDERFUL help. He either played with Mac or helped cook all afternoon. Bless his big heart.

I wanted to do a huge meal, I admit it was partially to impress and partially to feel like I'm giving back to all you good tax payers out there . . . thanks for the food stamps! We had a tasty pasta bar, and I decided to be daring and attempt some sauces that I found online, which turned out to be scrumptious. We had a marinara recipe from Iron Chef, and believe it or not, the actual alfredo recipe from Olive Garden! Then we had two kinds of pasta and chicken, shrimp, or sun-dried tomato sausage to throw on top. (The sausage is awesome.)
The night before Mark and I dipped some strawberries in chocolate! The first ones turned out fantastic, but because we used chocolate chips, I think they started to crystallize or something and so the last few were a bit difficult to dip. They all tasted fabulous though.
Mac didn't last very long. Party pooper. I put him down though in our room (we had some babysitting going on in his room, which was awesome. Thank you Janae!) and he slept soundly, so we could play!

We ate and talked and had Ever After playing in the background, and some people putted while listening to some soothing love tunes. I had thought about doing a putting tournament, but turns out most of the gals don't like golf . . . just like me! So we played Catch Phrase and Mad Gab, which was MUCH more fun. It was hilarious, nothing like a good game of Catch Phrase to get to know each other.

Favorite moments from the night included:

• Lindy's huge smile as she described words very seriously.
• "It's a samurai! A samurai who is unemployed by the emperor!"
• Tim's . . . well Tim had a billion funny moments during Catch Phrase.
  
• "Jackson . . . Michael Jackson's dad!"
• Establishing rules. This is very serious business.
  
• Secret clicking . . . and spouses catching each other secretly clicking.
• Shannon's impressions
• "Okay, X that . . ." while making an X in the air.
• Jacob, our one little man who came. With those glasses, how could you not love him?
• Taylor reading the Mad Gab cards. You had to be there.

It was a fantastic night. I partially wish I would've thought of something more Valentine-ish to do, but perhaps next year we will all be good friends and will be brave enough to dance or something. :) It was enough to get to know each other this time.

For Mama Gunn

This one's for you. My first home-made pie crust.

Beautiful, right? Perhaps not, but it was tasty.
Thank you Mama Gunn, for letting me assist you with your Thanksgiving beauties and giving me the courage to try.

Five Months Old

Happy five month birthday to my boy!! Gads time really does go by fast. He is a real gem.


His hands are still his number one toy. Especially chew toy.

Ooo one look with those soft doe eyes just makes me want to kiss him to pieces.

Those arms go crazy these days. He smacks everything, pulls my hair, picks at my mouth, grabs my food, and swats my drink out of my hands.

Once he even grabbed his binky and put it in his own mouth!! So grown up.

This is definitely his number one favorite right now: blowing zerbits or just plain sucking air in and out of those big old puckered lips. Kinda reminds me of someone else I know.
And he jabbers away all day, it is so very fun. Lately he especially loves to coo when Mark is bouncing him on his leg. He'll coo and coo while Mark is bouncing, and then stops exactly when Mark does. And then as soon as Dad starts up again, Mac does too. It's a fun game they like to play. It reminds me of being a kid and hollering into the fan to hear your voice get all warped. Love this kid, how did he get to be so awesome?

Perhaps we will go to the swap meet to celebrate.

Finally . . . A Doctor's Appointment!

Well it finally happened. Our insurance is all smoothed out, and we were able to get Mac to a doctor. He hasn't been since he was two weeks old. "But wait," you may be thinking, "what about his shots??" Well my friend, we aren't giving them to him. It's true. I know, slightly crazy, right? I don't consider myself to be a psycho, tree-hugging, granola hippy by any means; but with all the research we've been doing lately we've decided to hold off on immunizing. Mark's family didn't immunize at all, ever, and my family happens to be very into immunizing. So as of right now our own little family blend is this: we won't give him any shots until he's about two-ish. That way he can start to develop his own immune system (to fight off any nasty stuff that might be in the shot), and we can see if he has any weird allergies (some of the shots say not to give them to certain kids with such-and-such an allergy . . . how are we supposed to know when they're only a couple months old??). We are also probably going to give him the most basic, long-standing ones, seeing as so many of the new ones get recalled.

So in reality, without the shots, we haven't been missing out on too much with these doctors appointments. The only thing I kept worrying about was that Mac would be a stranger to a doctor should anything happen. It is important to me for him to have a physician that knows him well, who will know his history in case anything drastic happens. (Heaven forbid!!) Also, it's fun to know how your kid is doing compared to the rest of the world. This is what we learned:

• Mac now weighs 15 lbs 6 oz, which is in the 40 percentile of his age group. At least he has more than doubled his birth weight of 6 lbs 6 oz!
  
• His height is in the 85 percentile -- Mark has high hopes he is getting my family's ridiculously tall genes.
• And his head is in the 75 percentile, which was no surprise seeing that he is, indeed, a Gunn.
• His motor skills are quite advanced! At least the doctor sure made me feel like I had the toughest kid around. She is very energetic and positive; I think she was meant to be a pediatrician. He is sitting up, rolling over, and grabbing everything within his reach.

Good work Mac. I'm glad you are so healthy!

For those of you who don't believe me . . .

Mac does cry on occasion! Here is proof. I have to tell you, I am ridiculously excited that I was actually able to get a video up on this blog! It's never worked for me before!! Anyway, I really didn't take this video just cause he was crying, I took it to show off his new favorite thing: blowing zerbits. Whether he is happy or sad, he sure loves to pucker up those lips and spit everywhere. And of course Mark encourages it as much as he can.

We also gave him a solid for the first time! I've been planning on waiting till he was six months (partially because WIC gives us a ton of stuff for free) to give him anything solid, but on Sunday during breakfast he kept grabbing at our food, like he has been for the past week or two. We've been giving him sips of our water, which he can't quite seem to decide if he likes or not. But on that particular breakfast we had blended up some apples that were a bit bruised to have some applesauce on our pancakes, and Mark decided to share some. Mac loved it. So we broke open some baby spoons and gave him a bit more!

No crazy reactions yet . . . but I'm still thinking I'll wait before I regularly give him solid food.

Ugh. I had another video to put up of him eating that applesauce, but it won't upload. Sigh. I suppose I should be happy with the one I got. Too bad it's the one video I have of him being so sad!! Better luck next post. Anyway, one more thought --

Yesterday in church two gals talked about being barren . . . it really hit me hard, made me a bit emotional. I squeezed Mac a little tighter to me. I can't imagine much worse then never having this joy! Which makes me wonder sometimes . . . what will my trial be? Eesh. No use worrying about it, right? I will just love my little family.

Do You Have Your Disney Pass?

Because we finished our blankets to get our free passes!

Now the only problem is deciding when to use them . . . we have so many people coming this year I can't decide when to go!! We have been planning on waiting till the last year we were here to get a year pass -- so Mac might have some tiny recollection of it all, or at least respond to the magic -- but I'm really debating somehow getting one for this year too. I just feel bad housing people and then shipping them off! Not that you necessarily would like me to tag along with you the entire time, but still. When you're here, I would like to get my fill of you.

Speaking of which, we went to Ikea the other day mostly to just look around, but ended up finding some incredible deals on bedding! So for Valentine's we bought cute stuff for our visitors! Look at this extra-cozy bed. There is a down comforter and pillow (thank you Chris!!), and you can even adjust the softness. We have a mattress topper on there now, which is actually meant to be put on our pull-out bed downstairs. This way you can keep it on or pull it off, depending on your preference and the number of people we are sleeping. Doesn't this look cozy??
Too much white, I know. But it was the only cheap one Mark and I could compromise on. Someday I will not live in a white house and it will be even more fantastic.

So be sure and get your free Disney tickets and come stay . . . but you really need to let us know quickly; we are having quite a few people come this year! So so so fun!

Mommy Meeting

I just had to put a couple pictures on here of today's Mommy meeting. I love these. It's so nice to get to know some of the gals from church, they are so great! We just get together somewhere very kid-friendly and chat while the little ones run around. Mac doesn't do much running, but I sure do chat. Today we got to go to the Children's Museum; one of the gals had a year pass and could sign in eight people for free! It was very cute.

My Mini-Mission

On Wednesday the sister missionaries called me, wondering if I could come with them to teach this guy who would be getting baptized on Sunday. They said we would be talking about the Word of Wisdom and going over the baptism interview questions. I was thrilled! It could not have come at a better time; I was having a bad case of the grumpies and felt like I was going crazy sitting around in the house. So I don't know if I really needed to do any of this, but I dressed up Mac and me (nice slacks, didn't do a dress, thought he might think I was an actual missionary . . . with a baby. Hehe), and re-read the Word of Wisdom in D&C 89 (by the way, I think Michael Pollan should become a member of the church), and made sure to say a little prayer before I left. I was just too excited to get out and talk to my neighbors!

This guy was an absolute gem. Big long black pony-tail, ridiculous handle-bar mustache, Korean war veteran, loud, opinionated, and so gracious. I think this tough guy said "thank you" to me probably forty-eight times during that hour we were together. If I hadn't come, the sisters wouldn't have been able to teach, since the only other woman in the house was his daughter and she locked herself and five year old son in another room while we were there. (Except, I must say, Mac lured both of them out of a little bit. I think he's wanting to do some missionary work too.) Since the sisters have to have another woman there, I was needed to come. "And I know you have a lot to do, especially with that little guy, and I know that, and I will not take that for granted. I won't ever forget you doing this for me," he kept saying over and over again.

He opened with a prayer, and it was so sweet. I don't think I've ever heard someone pray who hadn't been doing it their whole life. His was so humble, and so real; he really was just talking to our Father in Heaven and I loved it. Taught me a lot. The lesson was everything I hoped it would be and more. The sisters could hardly get a word in, he had so much to say and was so eager to share what he had been learning in the scriptures. The Word of Wisdom was no big deal for him at all; giving up coffee was the only thing he was even remotely sad about. "But I've been drinking a lot of hot chocolate lately!" he was excited to report.

We then went through the baptism interview questions, which I had never heard, and he was extremely nervous about. The sisters kept telling him that it wasn't a test he would be graded on, it was just to understand his feelings about everything. He was still nervous. Each question he answered with the gravest sincerity, expanding on thought after thought; this guy really bore his soul to us. He got into a lot about the war, and things he regretted . . . I don't know if I've ever talked to a war veteran that in-depth before. I kind of felt like I was in a movie; you could just see the conflict simmering inside him. I definitely found an even deeper, more sincere gratitude for all those who serve our country in the military.

And then it was time to go. I loved every minute of it, and I will definitely be attending his baptism this Sunday! It's amazing to see what the Lord can do in our lives, and the change that comes over people who turn to Him. I am so so blessed to have such amazing opportunities; it strengthens me and helps me gain a better perspective on my life! I left there thinking, "Gads Allie, why do you stay inside all day reading and writing and doodling? Get out and talk to people!" So I have a goal to talk to at least one person every day, not necessarily about church, but I'd just really like to get to know my neighbors better. And Mac loves being around new people, so I think it would be fantastic all around.

One more thought . . .

. . . from that book "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan. I finally finished reading it, and yes I can now whole-heartedly recommend it to you! There were so many great things in there, so much I learned; it just makes sense. He talks a lot about how we need to bring traditional cooking back into our homes and quit trusting the latest nutrition fads; humans seemed to be doing a really great job with feeding ourselves before this "western diet" came around. Of course, our medical field has gotten so good at fixing problems that we don't worry too much about our diets, but what we eat can help prevent so much!

Anywho, I could go on and on, and I know it's kind of weird to read things about diet. It's always weird to talk about what's "good" for you and what's not; it just seems like everyone has their own opinions and it can sometimes be a awkward subject. This book just really seemed to simplify the world of nutrition by saying that the human body can adapt to all sorts of diets -- meat, dairy, plants, whatever -- but one it can't seem to adapt to is the western diet full of chemicals, sugars, and simple carbohydrates. So he calls for a return to "food", real food, no matter what it is. So read this this excerpt from the very end; it made me want to run down to the kitchen and cook and amazing feast (and it made me feel extra-good about my job running our home):

"To reclaim this much control over one's food, to take it back from industry and science, is no small thing; indeed in our time cooking from scratch and growing any of your own food qualify as subversive acts.
And what these acts subvert is nutritionism: the belief that food is foremost about nutrition and nutrition is so complex that only experts and industry can possibly supply it. When you're cooking with food as alive as this -- these gorgeous and semigorgeous fruits and leaves and flesh -- you're in no danger of mistaking it for a commodity, or a fuel, or a collection of chemical nutrients. No, in the eye of the cook or the gardener or the farmer who grew it, this food reveals itself for what it is: no mere thing but a web of relationships among a great many living beings, some of them human, some not, but each of them dependent on the other, and all of them ultimately rooted in soil and nourished by sunlight. I'm thinking of the relationship between the plants and the soil, between the grower and the plants and animals he or she tends, between the cook and the growers who supply the ingredients, and between the cook and the people who will soon come to the table to enjoy the meal. It is a large community to nourish and be nourished by. The cook in the kitchen preparing a meal from plants and animals at the end of this shortest of food chains has a great many things to worry about, but 'health' is simply not one of them, because it is given."

So that is what I have been thinking about lately. Kind of granola, right? I will probably become a hippy sometime, it looks kind of fun. :) Which, by the way, I used to work with a gal who had built her dream home with her husband, which was a completely self-sustaining home! They had their own water pump, chickens, ridiculous gardens, solar energy; the works. I don't know if I'll ever be able to do that, but I'm not gonna lie, it sounds awesome. I think it would be a bit difficult to ever leave home to travel, a bit expensive to get going, and definitely a lot of work to keep up. I still really like it though. Who knows.

My Lovely Aunties

Ooo what fun! My adorable aunts Lori and Ceely came and spent the weekend with us! They are quite the pair. It was extra entertaining to see the two of them together, no kids, no husbands . . . it felt like high school again. It's fun to feel all grown up and get to know my lovely aunts as peers. I always looked up to them, I remember attempting to do my makeup like Ceely's when I was a charming little tween, and Mom informed me that it looked like I had a black eye. I have never been quite able to do it like she does. I also remember trying to convince Mom to buy as many cute clothes for me as wonderful Aunt Lori did for Kenzi, but that didn't quite work out either. Anyway, these gals definitely had a hand in my upbringing, and it is so fun to get to know them on a new level. It also made me excited to have sister getaways with Jamie sometime when I am not nursing. And when we have a little extra money to spend. Let me tell you, these ladies can shop! They are the queens of bargains; we dominated the swap meet, three Ross's, and then I bowed out to give Mac a break while they continued on to the big hair show. Favorite quote came from Lori, as we were walking up to the entrance of the swap meet. The smell of mammoth-sized churros tickled our noses, shouts of: "Four avocados, only a dollar! That's right, four avocados only a dollar!" rang in our ears, and countless racks of clothing sang our names. Lori looks back, eyes wide, and says:

Oh I'm getting the shakes . . . this is like a drug!

It was fantastic. These ladies know how to shop, and I always loved that about them as a kid. I remember being amazed that they could come home with 5 shirts and generally have spent around 10 bucks. They are still that good. I'm pretty sure Ceely could talk Mr. Dolce and Ms. Gabbana into selling her a diamond-encrusted wedding gown for 10 bucks. They had quite the list of things to pick up for friends as well, so their talents were of great use. And they bought me this awesome hat, among other things:

Thank you most wonderful aunties. You have bought your way to my #1 spot. :) Kidding . . . it really was awesome to have them here. We also discussed important topics like the benefits of bling (not so much my thing, but definitely holds a special place in Ceely's heart), awesome crazy friends who want to nurse other people's babies (namely Mac . . . I was speechless; not sure how I stammered my way through that one), how the hair show is the modern day Sodom and Gomorrah, the brilliance of the Office, and the tastiness of freshly-fried corn dogs and croissant-donuts. Not to mention all the latest family gossip. Love love love the company!