Music Outtage

About a week or two before Kyla was born, the stereo in our van shorted out, and since it was less than a year old, it was still under warranty from Panasonic. We sent it in to get fixed and it finally was returned to us earlier this week. If you are trying to do the math in your head, I'll save you the trouble and just tell you--we were without music of any kind in the van for over a month. It was strange, and not as quiet as you may think. Because there was nothing to listen to, Damon and Allie seemed to find twice (or three times) as many things to fight over. It was miserable to put it lightly, and the day the stereo was returned to us in the mail was a day of great rejoicing for all of us.

Now, though, after a month of silence, I am desperately trying to catch up with all that I missed during our music fast. I went as far as to record VH1's top 20 videos just so I could reacquaint myself with the music world. Most of the songs I skipped (maybe I'm getting old, because I just don't appreciate a lot of the popular music these days, and I can't handle most of the music videos), but there were some songs I recognized and even liked. The top two songs were Daughtry's "Home" and Elliott Yamin's "Wait for You." As a fan of American Idol, it's no surprise that I was happy to see that. Also, Kelly Clarkson ("Never Again") and Carrie Underwood ("Before He Cheats") were on the countdown, so that's not bad for the old idols.

Today, as we were running errands, Damon listened to, and tried to sing, Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend." I admit, it is very catchy, but some of the lyrics just made me gulp, as I thought of them coming out of my sweet little boy's mouth. It's amazing how having kids has changed the way I think about music. I regretfully admit that I now understand why my mom objected to a lot of the songs I used to listen to (the one that comes to mind is "Strawberry Wine," still one of my all time favorites). I can't decide how I feel about this, as it makes me wonder when I became such a mom. I always thought that when my kids were teenagers I would be so much cooler than my was and that I would know what music they were listening to because I would like it, too. I'm beginning to realize that the likelihood of this happening is rapidly dwindling, as I jab the buttons on the stereo in frustration, trying to find something we can all listen to comfortably.

Country music is both a little better and a little worse. Some songs are great and fairly objection free, but you also have to deal with songs that talk about checking each other for ticks and ridiculous subjects like that. I have to admit, I really miss the days of NSYNC and The Backstreet Boys, Destiny's Child and Mandy Moore. The transition from "Bye Bye Bye" and "Candy" to "Rehab" and "Buy U a Drank" (both songs on Billboard's top 10) was much too quick for me.

And so, it is with somewhat of a heavy heart, that I admit to myself, my children, and those few of you who are reading this, that I am not going to be a cool mom; I'm going to be like all parents before me, complaining about how the best days, musically and otherwise, are behind us. I figure that since I am admitting this now, while my kids are still young, I will be able to fully accept the role of "crotchety old mom who just doesn't get it" by the time Damon turns 15.

For now, though, if any of you have a favorite song right now that you think I may not have heard of (pretty good chance there), feel free to enlighten me.

Challenge

I was so spoiled during the school year while Damon was at school to have at least an hour or two of quiet time all for myself. As I sit here today, trying to write with all three kids demanding some of my attention, I find myself really missing those days. I remember my mom telling us how much she disliked summer when we were younger and I didn't understand why. Now, even though I only have three kids, I understand exactly where she was coming from. It takes so much effort and planning to get out and do something and it seems so much easier to just stay home. But when we stay home the house gets messy, the kids get restless and I feel like poking pencils in my ears so I don't have to hear all the whining. It's always much worse when Allie doesn't take a nap and I bet you can guess whether or not she took one today. :)

Kyla was awake and happy today so I grabbed the camera and had a quick photo shoot with her (and inevitably Damon and Allie, too). I really wish I knew more about taking pictures because I'm sure someone who is a professional could've gotten some really great shots. Instead, this is what we have to show for our efforts.

While the pictures are loading I am going to free write about some of the things I have been thinking about lately. This will probably be very random and hard to follow, but I don't really care. I just feel the need to purge.

So, we watched Shaq's Big Challenge the other night and I have been thinking a lot about it. If you haven't heard about the show, basically Shaquille O'Neal is trying to help some kids who have been diagnosed as being "morbidly obese," which, in essence, means that these kids are

likely to die earlier than they would otherwise because of their weight. He is going to put them through a physical boot camp to help them, and hopefully save their lives in the process. On the first episode they talked about what a problem we have in the United States with obesity, especially among children and teenagers. Out of the six kids on the show, four of them couldn't do a push up (not one) and three of them couldn't do a sit up. It made me very sad, especially when I saw each of them sitting in the doctor's office being told exactly how much trouble they were in, physically speaking. One girl, a 14 year old, was told that she has 50% fat and is over 100 pounds overweight. Amazing and heartbreaking. Another boy disclosed that he had never eaten a baby carrot. Walter, a 14 year old, admitted that he plays five hours of video games a day and never exercises. And even though I know this is becoming far more common in our country, I still found myself shaking my head wondering how it is even possible.

Now, I don't want to put all the blame on the parents, because the kids are making their own decisions and I don't know enough about their lives at home to make any judgments, but as a mom, I started wondering what more I can do to help my kids to be healthy. I'm not really worried about them being overweight (luckily, they have genetics on their side), but I do want them always to be healthy, and I know that that starts with setting a good example for them. I think we do a pretty good job most of the time, but of course, there are always things we can do better. Here are some of the things I have been thinking about. Please feel free to add any of your own suggestions.

• Drink lots of water. This is something I have been trying to do for a couple of years. For me, I would rather drink water with my meals (instead of juice, lemonade or kool-aid), because those are calories I would rather spend somewhere else (like on ice cream). Jeff is always telling me that juice isn't bad, especially if it's 100% juice, and I agree with him. It's not bad and I like to have a glass of juice occasionally, too, but I have noticed that my kids are fine drinking whatever I offer them. And I am constantly telling Damon that water is the very best thing he can put into his body. There is a girl in our ward who is Damon's age that recently had to have a lot of dental work done. Her mom was explaining to me that she is allergic to milk and has mostly only had juice to drink during her five years (apparently, the mom can't get her to drink water). I'm really glad my kids are willing to drink water and I hope this is something I can encourage all their lives.
• Teach them to eat until they are full, not until all the food on their plate is gone. Sometimes I feel like Damon races through dinner so he can have a popsicle (or whatever he has his eye on) and doesn't truly get full. But I think it's the best way for him to figure out for himself just how much food his body needs. Even if I don't think it's enough, if he is willing to have nothing but water until our next meal (or snack) then I don't stress about how much he eats. Going along with that, we've also been pretty strict about not offering choices other than what we are eating. If the kids choose not to eat it, and they're willing to go hungry, then that is their decision to make. There aren't snacks (or worse, dessert) later on and for the most part, our kids are good eaters. Hopefully that is something that will continue, too.
• Serve healthy meals. This is, and probably always will be, one of the challenges facing moms and it is something I know I need to focus on a little more. We have been pretty good about eating whole grains and other foods high in fiber, but we can always do better. We go through phases when we're really good about fresh fruit and vegetables and I know we need to work on that again. Recently, I have been trying to cut down on the amount of red meat that we eat. This is hard, because I grew up eating a lot of beef and there's nothing I like more than a juicy steak (and I don't plan on giving those up any time soon, although I'll only have one every couple of months, so it's not that big of a deal). However, I have found that turkey is a great substitute. Ground turkey is cheaper than ground beef (usually) and there is not enough of a difference to miss the beef. The other day I found turkey breakfast sausage, which isn't exactly good for you, but it does have 30% less fat than regular breakfast sausage. Also, my mom introduced me to turkey pepperoni, which tastes great and has 70% less fat than regular pepperoni (okay, maybe those last two aren't exactly substitutes for red meat, but they are healthier options than some of the things we've been eating).
• Encourage them to be active. I feel strongly that our kids should be involved in physical activities throughout their lives. I'm not picky, and I am willing to let them choose what they want to do. Damon has really been vocal about wanting to do gymnastics and I know that I need to put him in a class, but it's hard when I feel like we just don't have the money(we don't). But I am planning on making this a part of our lives and am really looking forward to the day that we are actually making money, instead of living off of loans. Also, I am still looking for a gymnastics class for Damon that we can afford, and am more motivated to find one now that I have been thinking of ways I can help him develop healthy habits.
• Lead the way. I have noticed that when I am exercising, my kids are excited about joining in. It's hard to feel motivated myself sometimes, but I'm going to do better about exercising here at home (yay for Lifetime workouts that I can record and do later) and my goal is at least four mornings a week. Check back to see if I make it.

Wow, that turned into a lot more than I even planned on. If you're still reading, I applaud you and am somewhat amazed. Like I said earlier, if you have any tips you'd like to share, I welcome them. In the meantime, I'm excited to find out which of the kids on Shaq's show can really make some serious changes that will impact the rest of their lives (hopefully all six of them will be able to). Maybe I'll even do some sit-ups while I'm watching.

p.s. Allie is asleep on my lap, Kyla is asleep on my bed, and Damon is hiding in the tent he created around me with blankets. It may not be what I'm used to, but it is a "little piece of quiet," and I'm going to soak it up for a couple of minutes more before my legs fall asleep and I have to move Allie to the bed.

Refi

Thanks for the reminder, Noel. Here's the story...

There's a commercial on tv all the time about a "no cost refi," and for some reason, Damon and Allie think it's funny. Allie started saying it and when I laughed at her, it only encouraged her that much more. Well, a few days ago we were reading the children's Book of Mormon stories and I was pointing out who Nephi was. A few minutes later, Allie held the book up so I could see, pointed to Nephi, and called him "No Cost Refi." Close.

Kyla and Bexley

So, my friend Stephanie borrowed an idea from a friend of hers where she posted pictures of her son at one week and one month posing by the same stuffed animal so you could see how much he had changed. I love the idea and I am going to borrow it too. The first picture is of Kyla (and Allie's beloved Baby Bexley) at one week old.

The next is at one month old, just a couple of days ago.

There isn't as much difference as I thought there would be (besides the obvious lack of a belly button stump in the second one). She has gained almost two pounds since the first photo, but, lucky girl, seems to hide it very well. I hope that is a trait she carries with her throughout her life.

Okay, I have much more to say, but I will save it for later. I just wanted to get this post up.

Baby Tyson

The other night we got to watch Greg and Noel's little boy, Tyson. He was supposed to sleep the whole time, but he didn't want to miss out on all the fun with the cousins. Here is a shot of him with the girls. Doesn't Allie look thrilled to have him here?

Damon wanted to hold him, but was a little surprised at how heavy he was compared to Kyla. It didn't stop him, however.

Tyson is the Trapnell family's miracle baby (the product of a third attempt at in-vitro for Greg and Noel) and we think he was worth the wait (and "weight." He is four and half months old and pushing 20 pounds!). How can you not love that smile? Even though this isn't the best shot of Kyla, I had to post it because it's just too cute of Tyson.

More pics of guess who

I noticed a very sad fact--I have barely any pictures of Kyla with Jeff and/or me. And so today I decided to snap a few to prove that she actually has a mother who holds her (and not just a very clingy big brother and sister). Of course I had to use the self-timer so I had very little control over what she was doing when the pictures snapped, but here is one that I liked. Minus the spit-up running down her face.

Here's one of her that I liked, even though she's not quite as chubby as this makes her look. She smiled a few times at me, as if to say that she wasn't totally against the impromptu photo shoot, and I managed to catch this half-smile.

She's actually still pretty skinny, as you can see in this wonderful crying shot.

Here is one of her asleep in her carseat. I recommend the Kiddopotamus headrest--it has been great and her head rarely falls over. It's a little pricier than the regular headrests, but it's worth it. We also take it out at home and put it in the swing so she can be snuggled in there, too. She doesn't sleep great in her carseat, unlike a lot of babies I know who always sacked out in there, but she does alright. Usually she'll cry a little in the car but nothing too out of control.

So, that's it for today. Kyla has a poopie diaper and is patiently waiting for me to come change her. One last thing. Damon and Allie are annoying sometimes with how much they love her, but how can it not be good for someone to hear things like, "Kyla! You're a beauty!" everyday?

my mouth

A word about communication. It's obviously important to make sure we are understanding one another and Allie made that clear to me the other night. I don't know if you struggle with your kids the way we do with ours, but we are always "reminding" Damon and Allie that they need to keep their food in the kitchen or dining room. They just can't seem to remember and our carpet is proof of that. The other night, I found Allie drinking her milk in the family room again. Remaining calm, I took her cup from her, put it on the small table in the kitchen, and asked, "Where do we drink our milk, Allie?" Fully expecting her to recite our rule about only eating food in the kitchen as she has so many times before, I was a little caught off guard when she looked up at me with those big eyes and said, "In my mouth." How could I not smile at that?

Update, mostly for me

I think it's a combination of having a new baby and the onset of summer that has completely ruined the routine I worked so hard to create during the rest of the year. I really have no excuse for not blogging more (or writing more, as I have managed to find time to post videos and pictures) and I am gradually working back to doing all the things I want to do.



However, in the meantime, I still haven't written (anywhere) about what it's been like having a new baby in the house, and Kyla is fast approaching one month old. Shame on me. She'll grow up feeling like a typical third child who didn't get any of mom's attention, not nearly enough pictures taken to prove she had a childhood, and nothing but hand-me-downs from her big sister. To be fair, I am busy and as if to prove the point, I have to go hold the crying baby now and will have to finish this post later.

Alright, back at it...

The past three plus weeks have been everything I knew they would be. I am running on far less sleep than I have been used to having, yet somehow I manage to make it through each day. Kyla has had some good nights and some bad (fortunately, more good than bad). Three nights ago she even slept from 11:30 pm to 5:45 am! Wow! She stirred once around 3:00 and I got her up to nurse her, but by the time I got her out of bed, she had fallen back to sleep. When I woke up and it was starting to get light, I panicked for a quick minute, worried that she hadn't made it through the night. I am really looking forward to the day that all nights are like that. Two nights ago, bothered by a stuffy nose, she woke up every hour or two and had a hard time with both the binkie and nursing. That was a tough night for me. Last night was a little better. More typically, she will sleep three hours at a time and then wake up. I'm not convinced that she always wakes up because she's hungry (she hasn't been the most voracious nurser in the middle of the night), but I feed her anyway. Sometimes she will have a messy diaper, but unlike Damon, she doesn't need to be changed with every feeding (we'll see if that changes). Occasionally she won't make it three hours at a time, but we usually make it through the night with two feedings. I have found that the most tired I feel is always at around 7:00 or 8:00 am when the other two kids want to get up. Of course.

Okay, I know that was probably really boring, but I wanted to have some record of that for the future. Also some things of note:

• Kyla is awake a lot more than Damon and Allie were. From day one, she would have several awake periods a day (usually about 4) where she was calm. I don't know how unusual that is for some of you reading this, but I remember my other babies only being awake and calm right before messing their diapers.
• Now, she can stay awake a little over an hour at a time. Usually by the end of the hour she has started getting fussy, but she loves her binkie and that helps with those times.
• She is almost always awake when I am trying to get dinner ready, and this is one of her "not calm" periods. She doesn't cry a lot, but enough to let me know that she's not going to be comforted unless I am holding her and giving her my undivided attention, which has made getting dinner ready a little bit tricky.
• She also really wakes up in the evening. Sometimes she is happy and sometimes she isn't, but right after the kids go to bed, she is awake.
• Sometime during the evening she gets fussy and I have to pull out all the tricks to keep her happy (bouncing, walking around the house, letting her lay on the bed and have a good cry by herself...). But usually by her last feeding of the day (11:00 or so) she has calmed down and is ready for bed.
• She likes to have her hands out by her face, but slept really well swaddled, so I am undecided on the best way to put her to bed. This needs some more experimenting.
• She took a bottle from Jeff on Wednesday night just fine (yay!) and I'm hoping that will continue. She has always been a good nurser, which is a huge blessing.
• Today she weighed 9 lbs 14 oz at her appointment. I checked Allie's record and she weighed 9 lbs 15 oz at one month (Kyla will be one month on Sunday).
• Not only has she been awake a lot since birth, she has also smiled at us a lot when she was awake. I think this is a little unusual, too, as I don't remember my other two doing that until later on. It may be that she's just awake more so we notice it, but I like to believe that she actually is smiling at us. I love it. For a while I thought she only smiled at Damon and Jeff, but she's been giving me a few beautiful grins lately, so maybe she does like girls, too.

Wow, that ended up being more than I planned on, but I think I will be happy to have a record of it later on. Mostly, I have thoroughly enjoyed having a baby again. Of course it's hard and there are moments when I think I'm going to lose my mind, but the good things far outweigh the bad and we feel so lucky to have been blessed with such a wonderful, healthy little addition to our family.

Yellow Star

I have been terrible about reviewing the books I have read lately (I have been reading, but as the list of books I have finished continues to grow, the likelihood of me writing about them decreases dramatically), but I did want to write a little about a book called Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy. I have read a lot of books about the Holocaust (Number the Stars, The Devil's Arithmetic, etc.), but this one is different from any of the others that I have read. It's written all in verse from the point of view of a child who lived in Lodz ghetto in Poland with her family. It's also a true story based on the author's aunt's experiences. It's really a quick read because of the way that it's written and it's an amazing story. Roy captured beautifully what it's like to be a child and the poetry is simple, yet beautiful. Here is one of my favorite parts of the book.

Love

Dora came home from work in a bad mood.
Mother and Papa are tired.
I miss my real doll.
And we are all hungry.
But there is not enough food for dinner.
Mother does not eat her meal.
She gives it to me instead.
She does not say "I love you" in hugs and kisses,
but her love fills up my plate,
and I gobble it up.

Papa says Mother is a noble woman.
He tells me,
"From pain your mother gave you life,
through pain she continues to give."
I think about Papa's words as I finish my broth.
It hurt Mama to give me life? Why?
Didn't I just pop out of her belly button?
I guess I think these words out loud, because
suddenly everyone is looking at me.
Then they all burst into laughter.
Papa, Dora, even Mother.

"Syvia, you are a tonic
for helping us forget our pain,"
says Papa,
and they all smile at me.
Their love fills the air around me,
and I gulp it down.

Damon singing

So, last night at FHE we had Damon sing a few of his preschool songs for the camera. I was a little nervous when he started preschool at a Baptist church at the beginning of the year, but it was a good experience for him, and therefore, for me. This is him singing "I Am A Promise," which was one of their graduation songs.



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At graduation, there was a giant screen on which they showed the graduation pictures of all the kids, along with what they want to be when they grow up. Damon's said, "When I grow up I want to check out food." Yes, he has aspirations of working at the grocery store. Also, a word about his hair in the video clip--he combed it himself before FHE and thought he looked great. We cut it today so it's not so long, but in case you were wondering about his slicked look, that's the explanation. He asked, "Do I look like someone stepped on my head?"

One quote from Allie

I was nursing Kyla the other day and Allie came in.
"I want to hold you," she said. Then, noticing Kyla on my lap, pointed to the coffee table behind her and said, "Baby Kyla sit right there."

Because Heather asked...

So, Heather wanted to see a picture of me just before having the baby. Now that that is behind me, I guess I will oblige. This was two weeks before giving birth, but I didn't really gain any weight the last two weeks, so I am confident in saying that this is as big as I got. If you are wondering, it was 40 inches around the biggest part. Wow!





And here is a cute one of Allie and me in the hospital. I cut my hair a couple weeks ago, if you are wondering. I was tired of asking Damon to stop playing with it and I thought it might be better if it were shorter. There hasn't been a big difference.

I also realized that I didn't have any pictures of me with Kyla (besides the ones from the hospital when she was just born), so I had Kimmy take a few yesterday. Here is one of those.

And here is one of Kimmy with the kids. What would we have done without her? She babysat a lot, she would get up with the kids in the morning and get them breakfast if I was tired (which, of course, I always was) and would do Allie's hair every day. Not to mention she kept Damon entertained, which is a full time job. She was a huge help and it was well worth the money we spent to fly her out here. We miss you already, Kimmy!

And I can't leave my mom out. She left yesterday (with Kimmy) and now I'm on my own with three kids. When will I be ready to leave the house? That remains to be seen. I just know that Damon shed a few tears yesterday on the way home from the airport (although I don't know which one of us cried more) and we can't wait to see them again!

Video

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Well, you know that none of the pictures I have posted look that much like baby Kyla so here is a video clip so you can see what she actually looks like. We all think she has my sister, Heather's, eyes. I know it's not much, but this is definitely the most like what she looks like, so enjoy.

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share PhotosAnd here is a video of Allie singing "I am a Child of God." Don't mind the fact that she's sitting on the toilet. I just couldn't resist. Her falsetto is especially nice.