Mac Hits the Gym

We usually go the school gym, where Mark works, during lunches.  We bring food and I either eat with him, work out, or go run errands.  The other day I went for a jog, and when I came back, Mark had Mac doing ladders up and down the basketball court.

A bit of wrestling.

An intense game we like to call "soccetball". 

A few leg curls... or arm curls?

And some dexterity training.  He loves to put balls in things.

I wish I could enjoy the gym as much as this kid does.

It's Nice to Have Friends

It is especially nice to have friends that you have made as a couple.

Does that make sense?  I love love love all my pre-Mark friends, but post-Mark friends are friends with us because they like us us. 

Today I went yard sale-ing with Janae.

We went to Matt's first birthday party.

I cheered with the girls for Mark and the boys in church softball.

And we abandoned our kitchens and introduced the Bias' to Mongolian BBQ.

Mark said to me the other day, "I am finally feeling like I really like California.  I'm getting all settled."  (At that moment we were driving home, and shortly after the comment we got stuck in traffic.  So he took it back.  But that's beside the point.)  I think this has a lot to do with the wonderful people we are able to be with.  We love our ward, Mark's classmates, and all the fun/crazy/kind/scary people we see every day around here.

Doula

If you're like me (up until about a year ago) you are wondering what in the world a doula is.  Well this website will give you all the in-depth information you need, but here is my summary:  A doula is a woman who is there for the woman during pregnancy, labor, and the first couple weeks after the birth.  She is there to educate the mother while pregnant, coach her through labor, and get the hang of having a new little one around.  She does NOT replace a doctor or midwife -- or husband -- she is only there to help the mother figure out what she wants/needs. 

I think I might become one.

Mark sent me an email with all this information.  His school is hosting a doula to come and teach a short weekend course on the basics, and then afterwards you are encouraged to start trying to get a little experience and given the rest of the steps to certify.  I'm thinking I might have to take this opportunity.  Mark said (mostly joking), "This seemed right up your ally.  Your always trying to help your friends out with life, so you might as well get paid for it, right?"  Don't think I could ever charge my friends, but he's got a point.  It's something I would really enjoy, and it's something that will be completely my own; I can do as much or little as I want.

I would have loved to have a doula around when I had Mac.  The nurses were basically non-existent in the hospital, and I had no idea what in the world I was doing.  Mark was wonderful, but he was just as inexperienced as I was.  It would have been SO nice to have someone there to help reassure me, and communicate my desires to the hospital staff.  I just really love the idea of having someone not quite as emotionally invested to be involved in the process.  Someone who understands hospital routines, doctors and their tendencies, nurses, and then on the other hand knows full well what the couple had in mind when welcoming their child to the world.

I know that there are so many people who have fabulous hospital experiences, but mine was not.  I would like to help people make that experience whatever they want it to be.

My biggest fear is that it could be like the Mary Kay of  the pregnancy world.  No offense to all you consultants out there, but I can't really stand Mary Kay.  I just can't handle the whole I'll-be-your-friend-if-you-periodically-buy-things-from-me atmosphere that always seems to hang around.  BUT I do know that with a business of your own, it will be whatever you make it to be.  I will just not let it be that.  (And I do know several consultants who don't let it be that either.)

So, wish me luck.

It Came

Mac's birthday.  It actually, truly did come around.  I couldn't believe it.  Was I sad?  I got asked that quite a bit.  And my answer .... no.  Partially because I am really really enjoying this time in Mac's life.  I loved him as a tiny newborn, but I also felt like I was losing my mind most of the time.  Being not only a creature of habit, but one that adores sleep, having that new little man absolutely rocked my world.  Now however, I am feeling more confident and Mac has developed quite the adorable personality.  The other reason I was not sad that it was his birthday is because I did not have time to think about it much, as it was on a Monday and I had completely procrastinated buying anything (i.e. presents, streamers, ice cream, cake, candy, even wrapping paper and tape) until that very same morning.  I scrambled about Target while attempting to spoil Mac with love and binkies, which I am pretty sure is all he even wanted for his big day.  But, he has a mother bent on over-doing everything she attempts.

Then Mark called with some news ... his classmates had pooled their money (I'm 97% sure it was their living expenses loan money, too) to buy the latest and greatest ipod touch for Mac's birthday.  GASP.  Wha ... what .... so, I rushed over to the school to hug everyone, hopeful that Mac would smile and giggle and woo -- which he didn't really, it was nap time -- and try to think of something to say. 

Mark kept telling them things like, "You're just as poor as we are!" and "Just because we have a kid, doesn't mean we can't  buy anything ever," but Jeff -- who is probably the best Christian I know, in every sense of the word ... he even looks like Jesus -- said, "Really, you guys don't understand how much joy your little family brings to everyone around here."  I kind of felt like crying a little.  Thank you. I feel humbled beyond belief, I simply cannot fathom what they were thinking.  I suppose we really are just a bunch of tight-wads.  We are very grateful, and have been racking our brains trying to think of things we can do to thank them.  (Why is it that you always feel you must make things even when given something spectacular?  I can't decide if that's a fault or a virtue.)  Whatever their reasoning, we are so grateful for people who have always tried to be so kind to us in so many ways.

 Thanks Casey, Garcia, and Jeffe.

I then rushed Mac back home, got him down for a nap, and commenced cake making. Attempting to get it all done before the boy woke up was stressful.  That on top of never having made a legitimate cake before (or an illegitimate cake, for that matter) resulted in a few mistakes.  Like, tripling the Chris Gunn recipe for frosting.  You should never even double a Chris Gunn recipe, let alone triple.  I sort of had to though, I kept forgetting to not dye it until after I had pulled out the white for the eyes.

See all that on the left?  Geez.  I attempted to get rid of the leftover frosting at an enrichment activity the following night ... everyone thought it was old mayonnaise.  I finally convinced Shannon to take the white.  Not sure where the blue went.

It was particularly frustrating because in my rush, the cake was still warm so the frosting kept melting off the sides.  My attempt to make Grover here look furry was failing.  Could I ever get him to look like this little stuffed animal that never fails to make Mac smile??

Refrigerating him seemed to help.  Then on to the cupcakes. 

They turned out looking more like little Squidwards than Grovers.  But by this time Mac was up and clinging to my legs, so I threw in the towel.

Then Mark came home.  Early.

Bless him.

He suggested setting up the wagon now, instead of opening it at the park.  Good idea.

Mac was very eager to help.

I scrambled to get things together while they finished up, and we made it.

Here is giant Grover head and baby Squidwards on this super-precious table cloth I am always looking for an excuse to use.  Why not my son's birthday?  It's ............. alright, there's nothing "baby turning one" about it, but I like it.

I love this kid.  Seth is a riot.  He helped Mac eat his very tasty hot dog and pasta salad dinner.  Extra avocados, olives, and cucumbers.  Hopefully a good birthday meal ... he seemed to enjoy it.

It all turned out great.  Everyone was so nice.  They even brought presents, which I had mixed feelings about, since I specifically said NO PRESENTS.  But thank you.

Mac was very into unwrapping presents earlier in the day, while I was trying to wrap them, but a little less exuberant about it all once I actually encouraged it.  I'm thinking this could be a bad sign .... he already wants to do things specifically because I don't want him to.  That would be a trait from his father.  I am too much of a people-pleaser. 

Hehe ... he loves koosh balls, but was scared of that dinosaur at first.  He carries it around quite frequently now.

Seth is showing Mac how these awesome toys work.

Apparently Giant Grover Head was not the most inviting thing in the world.

After we sang "Happy Birthday" and the wind kept helping Mac to blow out the candle, we called it good.

He was quite hesitant.  But a fork helped.

I kept trying to get him to eat it, and he kept spitting it out.

I was a bit sad that he didn't dive face-first into that cake, but in the end it was a good thing.  I forgot to bring wipies.  He did however, love the ice cream and raspberries.  By then I had realized my lack of cleaning utensils, and fed him myself. 

The boys began playing wiffle ball.  Shannon got hit.

So they moved.

They played and played.  It was really nice.

Little Luke Shaw here is the biggest Angel's fan I've ever met.  Mark was in heaven, yelling out things like, "Here comes Bobby Abreu!", or "Come on ___ (enter a pitcher's name), get one in here!" and he would run around Luke hollering, sliding, and Luke would tackle him.  Very precious.

His mom Shannon says, "Wow I've never seen Mark talk so much."  Well Shannon, get Mark around kids or sports, and he becomes quite the jibber-jabberer.  Sure hope Mac ends up liking sports.

We played on the play ground for a while.

And then decided it was time to hit the hay.  We were tired.

Mark gave me a big fat kiss and said, "That turned out great.  I think everyone had a good time."

I hope so.  Birthdays are kind of a big deal for me, so Mac, hopefully you enjoyed your first one.

Finishing

I have trouble finishing things lately.  I am the type of person who becomes ridiculously excited about something, obsesses over it, and thinks/does it to death until I just can't take it any more, and then I move on to something else.  When younger, my attention span left plenty of "projects" undone.  I would generally get excited about something else too quickly.  My lovely sister Rachel seems to be going through the same thing right now.  (Rach I'm telling you, finish the Hunger Games!  You will like it!)

As I got older, I figured out that if I kept at it throughout the entire day without stopping, I could finish something.  Books, drawings/paintings, letters, etc. . . I was pumping them out like mad.

I got quite good at it.

But now, suddenly, I can't seem to focus.  It seems there is a certain something ... or someone ... preventing my finishing of anything.  (Except dinner, that is the one project that seems to ever come together.)  It gets to be a little frustrating sometimes.  There is an enormous half-done painting above me right now of Mark and Mac at the beach.  I can't seem to find a big enough chunk of time to work on it.  I've started writing several different things as well.  There is a bag of clothes in the closet that need holes patched up.  I have two partially-finished letters downstairs right now.  Goll, I think there's even some laundry in the dryer still .....

I have regressed to the big dreamer/crappy do-er that I ever have been.

But --

I read to Mac.

We have scribbled on many pieces of paper together.

We are very good at singing "Popcorn", "Ooey Gooey", and "Gladys".

Mark rarely comes home from all his hard work without a meal.

I suppose then, there are just "seasons" in life where some things are more important to be finished than others.  I remember my mother-in-law telling me a couple years ago that her way of working on things was to just keep chipping away here and there.  At the time I thought that sounded like an annoying way to do things ... how could you remember what you were so excited about, or where you were at in the process?  And yet that's exactly what I find myself attempting to do now.

I'm not very good at it.  I still find myself starting a lot more projects than I do finishing.  But this will change.  Soon I will post a picture of my picture, and I will feel a little more accomplished. 

So Grown Up

I'm pretty sure Mac just became a toddler all of the sudden.

Suddenly he squawks to be let down instead of picked up.  (Though he still squawks to be picked up as well.)

 His half-crab-walk/scoot has become lightning fast, and he is walking everywhere.  Today I watched him walk circles through the living room, as if it were his own mini track.  He has been walking for a while now, but only today have I ever seen him turn without falling.  You could just feel the excitement zipping through him; he walked back and forth and around things all through the evening.  Instead of simply walking in a straight line to something he wanted, he would make more of an "S" shape towards it and then bounce and squeal and pat everything when he made it to his desired destination.

He loves to play peek-a-boo.  He'll hide behind anything.  A bed, a door, your arm -- lately its been books.  With all Mark's studying and my recovered reading obsession, he will walk over to me and stick his nose right into the back of my book and wait for me to say, "Where's Mac?"  then he'll pop his head out and holler at me.  He will play that for a solid five minutes or so without stopping.

When I remember, I try to sign to him a few things.  Mostly what we get out is "more" and "all done".  "All done" seems to be his favorite, because I do the motion with both hands out, and just sweep them back and forth over each other.  I have no idea if that's the real sign, but meh ... it works for us.  Mac will sometimes holler, "Duh", and sweep his arms back and forth super quick -- and then whatever food was left on the high chair gets stuck to the walls.

I think .... I think .... he might have a few words.  I'm not quite sure.  But he definitely says "Dat" when he sees Mark, and he says "Duh" when he's sick of being in his high chair.  "Mam" and "Es" (yes?) I hear a lot, but the one word I'm 98% sure he gets the meaning of is "No".  I hear "Nononononono" quite a bit.  I swear I don't say it too him that much, but it's definitely made an impression on him.

He definitely has clapping down.  He claps after we sing, when laughing, after walking, when eating some particularly delicious berries, etc. 

Mac loves to laugh.  He loves to laugh and then watch to see if you will laugh.  He loves to laugh during prayers, and leans in real close, waiting for you to peek at him.

His waving has evolved from flapping his entire arm to opening and closing his little fist, while it is pointing at him.

He loves dogs; he immediately starts a high-pitched "Dadadadadada" whenever he sees one, and attempts to grab its face.

Sometimes when Mark leaves, he sits on the mat and waits for him.  Never lasts very long, but it definitely melts me.

He loves dancing.  I'm pretty sure he's inherited my moves -- sorry son -- he just has to start bouncing as soon as he hears a beat.

I know every parent everywhere always says this, so excuse my cliche, but it has been one of those evenings .... how did it go by so fast?

Mac is going to be one in five days.

Path of Destruction

I love all the little gems Mac leaves for me.

He is always so helpful and involved.

Any time I attempt to clean up, he is right there with me .... always helping.

Sure do love this little man, and I can't WAIT to teach him about chores!

Fall Break '10

Besides my going to Utah, this year's fall break consisted of:

• Reading (for me) and studying (for Mark).
• Mark reading out loud to me the things he has been studying.
• Mac walking
• Disneyland with the Bias family!  This is extra wonderful, because Mark and I never go on any of the big rides when we go.  Between fast passes and rider switch, Disneyland was a breeze.  We hit everything we wanted to, and the boys were gems.

 Perhaps Mac's favorite ride.  Mostly because dad makes it so fun.

 Good old Seth taking a nap in his stroller .... wish he would teach Mac how to do that.

 We were so excited to go on Space Mountain.  Hurrah for big kid rides!

 Mac and Seth are finally getting to enjoy each other!  Mac is a little less wimpy now, which makes it all easier.  Mac kept playing hide and seek with a blanket, and Seth was in hysterics.  It was very fun to watch.

• Watching Mark study.
• Listening to Mark proclaim: "All I do is sit!"  And attempting to console rather than tease ... but after being married for three years, I should know that for Mark, teasing generally consoles better than consoling.
• Neeeeeeeetfilx!
• Attempting to make my mom's amazing Thai curry for friends ... and not quite achieving it.  Luckily it still tasted awesome, which only makes the recipe more amazing.  We followed that with a rousing game of Encore -- my favorite game, which I discovered at a YARD SALE for a QUARTER -- and topped it all off with some awesome cake-mix-yet-non-cakey-peach-cobbler, a Holland family special.  So tasty.  And the most amazing thing that evening?  Mac had gone down for a late nap at four thirty, and slept through the entire evening, and on till seven o'clock the following morning.  W-O-W.
• Reading next to Mark while he studies.
• Attending the Newport Beach temple!  Mark and I have not been for quite some time with our lack of babysitters, but thanks to the Bias', we were finally able to get there.  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.  It was ... fulfilling.  Is that the right word?  Enriching.  Hm ... it was just what we needed.
• Discovered a FREE splash pad close by ...

Note Mark's jersey ... I think he might possibly wear that thing every day.  Gooooo Jazz!

Nothing like a splash pad to get through the hot weather without air conditioning!

• Did I mention Mark studied this entire break?  He has boards coming up.  What are boards?  He attempted to explain it to me once, and here's how I took it:  they are the OWL's of chiropractic school.  They all gather in a "great hall" and attempt to regurgitate everything they have learned up to that point in school.  They are stressful, necessary, and the school makes a big deal of it all.  It will happen right before Mac's first birthday, and we will be glad to have them out of the way!  I guess then we'll have to worry about NEWTs ... but that won't be for some time yet.