Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's back to work I go.....

From the time I was first flipping burgers at McDonalds to now, it seemed like I have always had a job of some sort. During every break from school, that was on the list of things to do. Some breaks I even managed a full time and a part time job. Don't get me wrong the jobs were not glamorous, there were lots of cashier jobs, waiting tables, stocking shelves, and even one where I helped to unload trucks at a babies r us. After finishing nursing school, I had about a month and a half before I took my boards and started my job as a nurse. I remember the conversation about what I was going to do with that time. I ended up getting a job at a record store. The job was fun, I felt a little over qualified when I applied but it was something different I hadn't done before.

This is one of the lessons that I appreciate my parents teaching me. The importance of working. It keeps me out of trouble and I learn something new in the process.

This summer amidst all the life changes that our family has been blessed with. Staying home with Emily has taught me a lot. You are home but not on vacation. Some of the adjustment was going from a structured schedule of what time I had to get up, be at work, to a less structured schedule of sneaking to take a shower when Emily took a nap, and wanting to do all of the things you think a "proper" house wife should be able to do in a day.
I like where I work, some days are better than others but when I called and said I would like to come back they were wonderful about it. The manager told me the days when they need people the most but I got to have the final say on which days I will work. I am going to go back to work two days a week. We found a wonderful woman to watch Emily on those two days. I think it will be another new adjustment but I think it will be good for me, hopefully the best of both worlds.

The results are in ...

Emily weighs 12 lbs 7 oz and is 23.25" tall, so Mandy and I tied.

She also got her first round of vaccinations, which Mandy said she suffered through stoically. And by "stoically", she means "screamed bloody murder". Her next doctor's appointment (and round of vaccinations) is in two months time, which should be just long enough for the current vaccines to start making her autistic.

Baby betting

Since we see Emily every day, it's easy to overlook how much she's growing. But with her 2-month pediatrician appointment tomorrow, we'll have the chance to quantify just how big she's gotten. Which of course leads to a perfect wagering opportunity. I remembered her stats from her 2-week appointment, extrapolated her likely height and weight from the CDC's child growth charts, and gave Mandy her pick of the over or the under. Here's what came out:

Height: 23.5 inches. Mandy picked the over.

Weight: 13 lbs. Mandy picked the under.

Results tomorrow.

Faces of Emily

We got home from church on sunday and wanted to take a picture in the beautiful dress my grandparents bought her. She wanted no part of it. I have to say though I like how animated her face gets when she is angry. This way you can all enjoy the picture without having to listen to the soundtrack that goes along with it.


These are her chilling out faces. She is adorable when she is sleeping with her chubby little face.


And finally this my favorite, this is the "What are you doing to me mom" face. I found these sunglasses the other day. Soren always has glasses on when he is outside. I figured Emily needed sunglasses too.

What I know now...

For the last month I have had a lot of time to think, early this morning I was thinking about a book that I bought a couple of years ago. The book is called "What I Know Now, Letters to My Younger Self". It is a collection of stories about famous women and the letters that they would write to their younger self. Some of the letters are pretty general and intended to give strength, others are about a specific experience. An experience that was difficult to go through, or changed the course of their life.
There are many things about the book, that I like. It is a book that is easy to read one or two of the stories and then put it down and come back. I feel like it gives me some perspective. Sometimes we forget that the thing that we are dealing with is going to eventually pass. Or that the things that are going on in our life right now are the things that we will look back on for years to come.

One that stands out in my memory is Picabo Street. She writes to herself after the 2002, when she won the gold medal. "you're so surprised and shocked and satisfied and relieved that you won, but it makes you feel lost, in no-man's-land. You feel like you've been on a train going three hundred miles and hour and then it stops. You were in a full-tilt boogie toward that dream of your life. All of a sudden--boom!--it happened". She then goes on to give her younger self the advice to relax, and enjoy the award. Chill out.

If you could write a letter to your younger self, what advice would you give? What experiences would you write about?

Cars on the Mind

Have you seen Cars recently? When I was looking for this picture I discovered that they are in the process of making a sequel to come out in 2011.

Recently, Soren and I decided that since we were officially parents now, that maybe our movie collection would have to evolve as well. (No we haven't gotten all the princess movies yet, but I am sure they will be part of the movie collection soon enough.) We started with movies that Soren will actually watch like Monsters Inc, Toy Story 1&2, and of course Cars.

I was thinking about the movie Cars today while driving on the highway. One of the things that I love about the movie is that for a while after watching it my brain still thinks of the cars around me as characters. I was driving on 95 which is just full of trucks, and in one of the patches of congestion (which 95 is also full of), I was looking in my rear view mirror at one of the trucks behind me and imagined it was one of the vehicles from the movie. I remember when the movie had just come out that they also had windshield sun shades with the eyes on them. That made the cars even more like characters.
It made my day of driving a little better, than having road rage as I would normally end up with.

2 whole weeks

Thursday we went to the pediatrician for Emily's 2 week appointment. Things are doing great, she is a good eater and is back up to her birthweight, and then some. She now weights 8lbs 110z.

We managed to go to the entire block of meetings this week. well, make an appearance in, since some of the time was spent feeding Emily, then roaming the halls while she cried during relief society. But I think it was a start. I am beginning to appreciate the other parents I see, who take care of screaming children who always make it look so easy.

The two pictures with the striped dress were taken today after church. She is so funny she just seems to use her hands so much. Maybe she will be one of those people who talks with her hands when she gets older.