Waiting for the Baby Weight

Here I am, over a year later and still wishing* that the baby weight was gone. Wishing is the key word, here. I have tried several times, and actually came really close right before James got home - I was down to my last 7 pounds and then had a bad reaction to some medication and gained the 8 I had just lost in one weekend...needless to say, I wasn't happy and then James came home and I had excuses to not work out.

Anyway, I have started working out once again, and since James doesn't have school right now, we are both working out together in the mornings at home, and then once school starts I will be headed to the Student Rec Center to take some wellness classes. I am excited, not exactly for the weight, but because already I have noticed an increase in energy and feeling better, and especially I am excited to have more pants to wear soon...

Crafts

So there are so many craft ideas that I have found through blogs, and I am really excited to try them out. One of the ones that sound like a lot of fun is felt food - make a bunch of different food toys for Maiby to play with that are made of felt. There are great sites, and I wish I had made a big list when I was looking the other day, but I didn't. So I guess the next time we are back in Moscow and I go to the computer lab I will spend the first half hour or so looking for the patterns and then printing them all out (the free ones, of course).

And I found some great ideas for puppets. I would LOVE to have a ton of puppets - for each of the traditional stories that we tell kids (3 Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, 3 Pigs, etc), and I have been keeping my eyes open for some good ideas. I found some for sale at thelandofnod, but mainly I liked those because I think I can alter a pattern I have at home to make them look a little more like those than the ones on the pattern....but that project may be a ways off.

And of course I am excited to make vinyl signs and decor for holidays, but that definitely has to wait. We had some great ideas the last time that the ward had a craft day, but we had family coming into town and of course I was too spacy to realize that I could just but the stuff and do it on my own later...duh!!

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. We have been down in Lewiston since Wednesday - I was pretty bummed that we weren't able to go to Carlee and Jonathan's big day in Spokane due to the snow, but I'm sure they enjoyed the temple with Mikenzy.

We had a great holiday and have enjoyed spending time with James' parents here; I have especially enjoyed having some time to surf the internet while Maiby naps and Jeff & Kathy are at work. I have found some great creative blogs and can't wait to try some of the projects I've come across. I tried to add some of the links to the side of this blog, but I forgot to hit the save button before I closed the mini window and don't feel like tracking them down right now.

I hope that you are all enjoying your winters and holidays. Have a great New Years!

PS- we have un-privatized our blog (just in time for your invite, Jade - heehee)

Doing Well

We are still alive and well. James finished the semester pretty well...still waiting on final grades, but he is pretty sure that he got one B and the rest A's. I am very proud of him. He sure has been doing better since we got married; he often says that he now has the motivation to do well and to finish school. I don't mind being the motivation.

We are in Lewiston visiting his family for the weekend and then will be coming back next week for Christmas. We just got back from the restaurant Christmas party and it was pretty fun. We rushed Maiby into bath and bed (only 2 hours later than usual) and James is headed to the video store with his dad to pick out a show to watch. Tomorrow we are hosting a party for our friends who are still in Moscow - if that's you, please come and enjoy cookies between 630 and 830. It will be great!

Merry Christmas!

Bananas....and more

Friday afternoon we went to lunch at the Institute. It's homemade soup and rolls for $1.75 and a speaker. We try to go every week because the soup is delicious. Maiby doesn't always like the soup, so I try to bring something that she will eat. But this last week was really good so she ate it up; the banana I had put in the diaper bag stayed there. That is, until I was cooking dinner. James was talking on the phone in the other room and I was in the kitchen, so Maiby was entertaining herself in the living room. I peeked my head in to check on her and she was holding the banana from the diaper bag. I didn't worry about it because a banana is pretty harmless; I checked on her again when the house was really quiet a few minutes later and what did I find?? A happy baby eating a banana - luckily she took the peel off first!! I laughed and let her finish the rest of it.

On another note... Thanks, SunDee for your observations about the government paying moms. You brought up some points that I had not considered; I was curious about the rules of subsidizing child care, so I looked at a couple sites and (at least in the state of PA) that there are very specific rules that parents must follow in order to receive subsidized child care. And I think that if they made those same rules for parents that were at home, it would take a lot of money to ensure that those regulations were being met. I appreciate all your observations and the new ideas you brought up that I had not thought of, but I still maintain my position as 'no'.

Well I remembered the camera today when I came to the computer lab and set aside a few minutes for a little blogging....lucky readers! I made pirate costumes for Halloween - I was pretty pleased with how they turned out, although I think that Maiby's was GREAT, if I do say so myself. She wasn't the biggest fan of the hat or bandana, so they were basically picture props. We trick-or-treated at the ward party and then went to Papa Smurf's for free mini pizzas on Halloween. It was pretty fun. I also made a stroller cover that was Maiby's 'ship', but forgot to take a picture of her in it, so I haven't put all the Halloween things away yet until I do. I think the cover was my favorite thing, although being able to strap Maiby in for the trick-or-treating was really really nice. She wasn't so sure about it at first and just gave people funny looks when they tried to give her the treats, but after a while she would hold one in each hand.

On Sunday we had dinner in Lewiston at James' parents house; when Grandma was cooking, Maiby knew it was almost time for her to eat, so she got in the chair even though it wasn't anywhere near the food. She is pretty silly.

One final thing I wanted to say - please tell me if you agree or disagree with my opinion. I was looking at a magazine website the other day for something and they had a quick poll. It was asking whether or not stay-at-home parents should receive a monthly check from the government to cover the costs associated with child care. I voted NO, because that is CRAZY!!!! People should not be paid to spend time with their own children!!! It is not babysitting when the kid is yours, and being a stay-at-home parent is not something that is forced upon you; I realize that it is a financial hardship and especially difficult because there is generally only one income, but that does not mean that other people's tax money should be given to you for spending time with your kids!

Nothing But a Thing

I don't know what has started this phenomena, but in the past two weeks I have been missing my rings when I get out of bed. Luckily both rings were in the covers and easily found (the second time really made me nervous because we were out of town at James' grandpa's house). I don't know WHAT it is the I've been dreaming about, but apparently it's something interesting; I wish I knew. As for the title, it's a tribute to Gary Allen (one of my favorite's) and his song about his ex's ring.

Birthday and Other Stuff

Well I am FINALLY provided with the time to come to the computer lab and post something on here. Apparently the weekly posting that I had been anticipating does not work, at least when there are pictures that I want to add...

We all had our birthday's in September. It was a pretty fun month. And I entered a cake in the Latah Co fair and won the Silver Award (2nd place) and a blue ribbon. I always love the fair, and my favorite thing about the Latah fair (even though it is tiny) is that it is free and still has all the things that you want at a fair - food, music, animals, and all the entries. I think that one of the biggest entry categories was the lego section - they had two big display racks full of kids' creations.

Here is my cake that I entered for the fair theme "Fun for the Whole Herd". And then Maiby checking out a goose.

I made Maiby's birthday cake. She had a fairy party, and I made a fairy house - if you can see the border is a bunch of leaves, since fairy houses are in trees...I did most of it the night before the party and had to give up because I was so upset with how it turned out. But after getting a good night's sleep and going back to it, I was pleased with the results.

Maiby's cousin, Julia, was there and we put the extra fairy wings on her back (she's in purple and Maiby's in blue). They really enjoyed playing on the bike trailer box.

And since Maiby is new at opening presents, we asked Julia and our neighbor Carson to come help her figure out how it's done. They of course were great helpers and we appreciated all they did. After a while, Maiby kinda got the hang of it.

We love the bike trailer - this is Maiby's first experience in it. It has been so nice to use, even though so far it's only been used a stroller, since James' bike that we are going to attach it to is out of commission until we fix the tire.

Other than that, things have been pretty normal. James is doing very well in school and Maiby is growing and happy and healthy. We are all doing well and are looking forward to Halloween. I have been working on our costumes...I am not sure if I can say that James is really looking forward to Halloween, but he agreed to the costumes before I bought the fabric, so now it's too late to complain about it!

(Another) Tag

I was tagged by Dorese, and I apparently get to talk all about one of my favorite things - James.

1. What is his name? James
2. Who eats more? James. He is always trying to get me to eat the same amount as him, but that is only a good idea when I am pregnant.
3. Who said I love you first? Me.
4. Who is taller? Me.
5. Who is smarter? James would say it was me, since I 'have 2 degrees', but I say we're pretty even.
6. Who is more sensitive? Me.
7. Who does the laundry? Me.
8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me.
9. Who pays the bills? Me.
10. Who cooks more? Me.
11. What meals do you cook together? That doesn't really happen.
12. Who is more stubborn? Maiby.
13. Who is the first to admit they're wrong? James tells me all the time that I'm always right, so I guess that would mean he is the first to admit to be wrong (since I obviously never am).
14. Who has more siblings? James.
15. Who wears the pants in the relationship? James.
16. What do you like to do together? Make Maiby laugh.
17. Who eats more sweets? Me.
18. Guilty pleasures? Guitar Hero and sleeping in (which is pretty much impossible with a Maiby around).
19. How did you meet? He showed up on my doorstep one day.
20. When did you fall in love with him? Writing letters to/from basic training.
21. Who has changed the most since you married? I think that's been pretty equal.
22. Who proposed? James.
23. His best features? James is very good-looking. But he's a Grossman, so that basically goes without saying.
24. What is his greatest quality? He is very forgiving and takes good care of his family.

Tag and Other Things

I have been tagged by Debi -thanks so much - and I had better get it done, even though of course I wouldn't mind procrastinating a little while longer, at least until I forget all about it. But that is probably not the right thing to do.

The rules: Link the person who tagged you. Mention the rules on your blog. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours. Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them. Leave a comment on each of the blogger's blogs letting them know they've been tagged.

1. My hair on the right side of my head grows faster than the rest.

2. I have been having vivid dreams for the past three weeks, ever since we moved to our new apartment in Moscow. I can't remember them longer than about 10 minutes after waking up, if that long, but I know they have been happening every night, sometimes more than one each night.

3. Baby Signing Time is one of my favorite kids' shows. Not that I necessarily love watching it every day or look forward to it. BUT I like the fact that Maiby learns something while watching and that it keeps her entertained enough that I can take a shower and leave her in the bouncer while I do and she doesn't spend the whole time crying.

4. It drives me crazy when people misspell things or use incorrect grammar on signs. If you are going to post something inside your business, it needs to be professional.

5. I love reading children's books; I used to go to Hastings and spend about an hour reading their books. James and I would love to have a library in our house full of all kinds of books.

6. Right now I am working on a list my brother gave me - the Basic Western Canon. I have really enjoyed reading classic books this summer and am currently working on the 1st quarter of Les Miserables. So far I like it, but I am currently learning about the Battle of Waterloo and I'm not quite sure how it fits with the story.

As I complete this tag, I think I will Tag: Rissa, Ruth, Melissa, Jenny, Tennille, and Jay


For our family news, we had a nice and quiet Labor Day weekend. We spent Saturday in Lewiston with James' parents and Sunday and Monday we spent at home. We went for a nice walk both of those days. I was a little disappointed yesterday when I went to run errands with Maiby and the grocery store was PACKED with people restocking after a long weekend. The person with the least was a guy who passed our car before we left the parking lot - he had just the 'essentials' - beer and milk.

School

Well we are back in Moscow and things are going well. James has finished the first week of classes and we are glad that Monday is a holiday. Things are going pretty well; our apartment is great and almost put together - just a few random boxes that are not quite unpacked or stored yet. I think that unpacking is more frustrating than packing and moving, just because I don't know where to put things because the places we live are always so different. But we are great. We don't have internet access at home, but I will be coming on campus so I am hoping to post something each week.

And I haven't forgotten about the Tag, Debi. Hopefully the suspense from the long wait won't make it too disappointing when I post it.

Home at Last!!

Our good news has finally come - James got home on Friday!! And Maiby has had a lot of fun getting to know her daddy, and hasn't been scared of him at all! We are leaving Coeur d'Alene on Friday for Moscow so James can finish school - we're hoping he will be done in May, and then who knows?

Showered with Blessings

It's been a little while since I've updated anything on here. James is, thankfully, and his way home and unfortunately running into a lot of problems and disappointments. But they will all be straightened out soon and he will be back just in time to relax for a week and then move.

But the good news is that we got our apartment we were hoping for! We applied for the last place that we lived and just when I thought we wouldn't be able to get in, the company called and let us know we had one, and just in time! So that means that we won't need to move in with James' parents, which is nice. And it also means we will be able to afford the apartment and going to school, which is the best news of the whole situation.

And the other good news happened within days of that - we found some lost savings bonds. We thought that they had been accidentally thrown away before we moved to Coeur d'Alene, but I found them last week when I was putting together a baby shower gift. Apparently they had been stuck in a gift bag and left there. What a relief that was!

So that's our good news. Poor little Maiby is getting 4 or 5 teeth in all at once, so she is a little upset and hurting, but she does pretty well all things considered. But she is ready to get up, so I have to go.

Mall Toys

Yesterday we were in Spokane and stopped to walk around the mall for a little while. The doors we went in were near the quarter rides. We didn't have enough quarters to turn one one, but she sat on almost all of them. But I only took pictures of a few.

Tow Truck Baby

Engineer Baby

Ice Cream Truck Baby


She's a good driver - she didn't hit anyone!

4th of July

Here is Princess Maiby at Michaels. She enjoyed dressing up for about 10 seconds.
I have often wondered how Maiby sleeps, and when I went in to get her so we could go to church this morning, she didn't wake up. So I snuck back out and returned with the camera. Apparently she prefers to smell the wall with her head in the bars. Silly girl.

Happy 4th of Julya. I hope you all enjoyed the holiday. Our day was pretty boring. But Maiby sure looked cute! I made her a festive outfit and had enough fabric to make a matching skirt for myself. I made the biggest hat for her that my pattern allowed, but it ended up too small. But that doesn't mean I didn't have her wear it!

Many of you know that we use Maiby for special photo ops - like being in the cupboard, fruit basket, and other such nonsense. Weel as we were walking out the door, mom suggested that we take a waterbottle picture.

Cooling Off

My mom bought a sprinkler so we could enjoy being outside in this hot weather. Maiby isn't sure if she likes it or not, but she did enjoy putting her feet in the water.

Sock Hop

Last night we went to a Sock Hop. My mom made Maiby a poodle skirt, the headband, and some fancy socks. Maiby won two prizes: the Best Socks in the Baby category (they had bows and little binkies) and also Best Dressed Baby Girl. Then during the dancing portion there was a Daddy-Daughter song and she danced with Uncle Wade because her dad was not there and he didn't have a daughter.

Maiby has learned to 'Give 5' after only a week of teaching her.

Video Finally Posted

James, I finally got it to work, as long as it posts. I will just do this one and then make a newer post with another video if it will work. But here are pictures from Julia's birthday party. For anyone who is not James, our niece had her 1st birthday last week and Maiby and I went to Lewiston for the party. I would have probably stayed home if I had known that I would pick up the flu and then give it to my mom. But we are all better now!!

This is Julia Grossman, now one.
Her big brother James is getting so big.
And her new brother Jackson was born on the 11th of June - he looks like a tiny old man and loves to keep his elbows and knees bent. When I was holding him he started crying and looked like it was as loud as he could but I could barely hear him. Such a cutie!


Maiby and Julia are only 2 1/2 months apart, but are now almost exactly the same size. Maiby is starting to pass her up in height, but she doesn't walk yet so it's hard to tell.

And here's how Maiby is almost crawling...she doesn't realize how fast she would go if she would put her knees under her.

A Bunch of Stuff for Daddy

Well I have some time while Maiby is sleeping in my brother's room to put some stuff up that I have been trying to remember to bring to my mom's house so I can include it here for. Most of it is for James, since he is missing a lot of things that Maiby is doing, but of course everyone is free to enjoy her antics.

Grandma Cox made Maiby a dress, but she didn't know that she was so tall, so it is really a shirt. But so cute!!

At my mom's house there is no high chair, but she is very resourceful. Maiby loves being up where things are happening, instead of being stuck near the floor when she's in the walker.

The Have and Have-Nots

I'm sure you all have experienced a day when you want to add something but are unable to decide what blog-worthy thing has happened since you last wrote? Well that's been me the past few weeks. But I was checking out Erin & Stan's blog and they had a list that I enjoyed looking at and discovering more about them, so I decided to copy it and follow their lead (I have done the things in bold).

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain, but not all the way to the top
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse (lunar)
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain, and snow!
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie(how about a TV show?)
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle but I wasn't the driver
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one Only in mini-golf
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR, but need a refresher course
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

Screaming

Scream scream scream. That's the new sound I get all day. And I thought you might "enjoy" hearing it. If this phase doesn't stop soon, I don't know what I will do.

Cake Decorating

When I was younger I loved helping my mom decorate cakes - she used to work at a bakery so she knew what she was doing. When I was in college, my mom bought me a decorating kit and tried to buy a Wilton class through Michaels, but it didn't work out. So I have been taking them the past few months. I have finished course 1 and 2, but 3 and the fondant course will have to wait until at least July because of the course schedule. But I wanted to share the cakes that I made for my classes.

The first three here are from course 1. I learned how to make buttercream icing, clown cupcakes, using several tips to make leaves and flowers, and a rose.

The next ones are from course two, and this time we learned to make royal icing (for the flowers) and color flow (for the bird and butterfly - it's how you can make anything on top of a cake from a picture - like spongebob or dora or something from a coloring book). And I learned a new rose that I don't like as much and a bunch of flowers out of royal icing, and also the basketweave technique. I hadn't expected to enjoy that, but I really had fun with it.

And here are some cupcakes I made for my friends' baby shower - they are rattles (I can't remember what my mom thought they were, but she was way off...)