In the Past Month... or two

Just when we thought we had our Blogger problem fixed-BAM!- it wouldn't let me in a again for over a month. I was just about to write a regular old email update, when I thought, Eh, I'll give it a whirl. It let me in with no problems. I don't understand it. Facebook is still jacked up for me, though. I feel terrible because about twenty people from high school and my BYU freshman ward have found me and requested to be "my friend," meaning they can see my life's info and vice versa. But I can't "accept" anyone.

I apologize for not sending an update last month, but it was for good reason. I just wasn't feeling well. Fatigue. Nausea. Headaches. Gee, from those symptoms you'd think I was pregnant or something! Actually... I am pregnant. Yes, I'm thirteen weeks along into this one, and due December 13th. All seems to be healthy so far. I had a bleeding episode at eight weeks, that sent me to the ER thinking I had miscarried, but apparently it was subchorionic, and the baby was fine. We decided to tell the girls this past Monday night why Mom's tummy was getting bigger.

I said, "Allie, have you noticed that Mom's tummy has been getting bigger?"

"Yeah." She kept her head down, picking away at her dinner.

"Why do you think that is?"

Her answer surprised us. "Mm... 'cause you have a baby in your tummy."

Kevin and I looked at each other with wide eyes, and I told her, "Well, Allie, you know what? You're right, there is a baby in Mom's tummy!"

She looked up, her eyes popping out, and she and Sami asked, "Can I see it?"

They were disappointed that they couldn't see it yet. I told them they'd be able to hear the heartbeat at Dr. Foster's office the next morning, but Allie was still hoping he'd "cut the baby out of Mom's tummy." Morbid child.

This past Friday was Kevin's off-Friday, so we spent the day at Sea World. At the end of the day I asked Allie what her favorite part of the day was, and she declared it was playing in the water-- the play area with water jets and toys for the kids. We had packed along swimsuits and extra sunscreen. I was sure her favorite part of the day would have been riding the "grown-up" ride Journey to Atlantis with her dad-- a somewhat eerie ride with a terrifying seemingly nearly vertical drop, kind of like Disneyland's Splash Mountain. Yeah, they were put in the front row, and she wasn't even fazed. I saw the picture on the screen, and Allie was clinging to the rail, gritting her teeth and squinting, but Kevin was the one with his mouth wide open in mid-scream, his eyes popping out of his head. I'm excited for the day I can ride Sea World's Kraken with her, their psycho roller coaster. Sami's the one who gets scared easily, though. She had to cling to her dad claiming, "I'm scared!" when the Sesame Street characters came out during the Elmo show. We just rolled our eyes. I think she plays it up 'cause she knows she'll get some attention. She's a manipulator, that one.

At the end of May, Allie ended her first year of preschool by participating in their end-of-the-year program featuring the children singing the cute songs they had learned since Christmas. It took Allie a couple songs to get in the groove. That girl has some pipes. She has way more volume than I've ever had-- maybe it's a confidence thing. She is not shy about singing out. One grandfather commented to me, "So, was your daughter the little singer?" She was right in the middle, belting out every song , so it was hard for anyone to miss her. My friend Aimee, Jackson's mom, came up and said in her Tennessee drawl, "Allie is quite the little singer!" She had such a blast this past year. For her, private preschool was definitely the right thing. I had contemplated doing it myself, but then, when I screwed my head on straight, I realized that Allie in-particular not only needs to be social and interact with other kids often, but needs to get time away from her mom and little sister. Plus, I honestly just didn't want to have to worry about planning lessons. But what a difference it has made for her demeanor! Mrs. Tiller has been a peach of a teacher, and Mrs. Williams, the school's director is one of the most loving, positive people I know.

Tomorrow the girls start their month of swimming lessons, and they can't wait. Allie has been asking me about it for a month, literally. I'm not really looking forward to the parent-tot class with Sami, though. I know her, and she's going to get irked with me for not letting her swim by herself. That is her favorite line these days, "No! I do it by myself!"

She has also gotten into this repeating conversations-thing. As Kevin and I talk at dinner, she'll try to get involved by repeating what we're saying, since it must be important. It's cute. We look at her smile. Maybe we just need to actually involve her in the conversation more...

I really hope Blogger keeps working for me, so I can write more updates and posts. I haven't been able to post any of my creative writing either...

... not that you all really mind all that much.