Sugar!!

So, I seriously believe I am addicted to sugar. I purposely don't buy sugary things, because I end up craving it every single day. It's not the "good" sugar that I crave either.. it's the bad - candy, cookies, brownies - kind of sugar. And I try to ignore it, but it literally becomes annoying to ignore. It's like nagging me at the back of my mind that I have to have it. So, I'll find myself looking to see what I have in the pantry and luckily I rarely have anything on hand - it's usually mixes that I'm too lazy to make. Haha. But the annoying, nagging tendency to eat sugar is real for me. I think a lot of people have this.. at least that's what I've noticed (or maybe it's wishful thinking in hopes that I'm not alone :) ). My 2 biggest weaknesses are ice cream and chocolate chip cookies, so those are rare things that we keep in our house - I don't even like to have chocolate chips on hand because I'll probably end up making chocolate chip cookies. Does anyone have suggestions of how I can deal with this?? Help!! :D

Pavlov's Dog

I had an experience similar to this today. For those of you who aren't familiar with Pavlov's dog. This guy named Pavlov conducted an experiment with his dog. Every time he'd ring this bell he'd feed his dog. Ring the bell, feed the dog, ring the bell, feed the dog. It got to the point that the dog would begin to salivate at the sound of the bell.

Well, Lydia has really started loving this game we play with her. One of us will hide and crawl out and chase her and then tickle her. She loves it. She laughs and crawls to the other one in the room to save her. It's like we're "base" or something. Anyway, so she and I were sitting in her doctor's office today waiting for her doctor to come in. She was sitting in the middle of the room playing when all of sudden we heard thumping in the hallway (someone was walking.. rather loudly.. down the hall). To her it sounded like someone was crawling towards her.. haha. So, she stops playing, starts laughing and crawls to me as fast as she could. I picked her up and she stared at the door just waiting for daddy to crawl in and start tickling her. lol. She just stared at the door with a smile on her face. It was so funny. Of course, daddy never came in. It still makes me laugh thinking about it. She's so fun :)

Choices

We certainly don't have a lack of those. It's a totally different kind of trial. We find ourselves having to choose between 2 good things. Derek is currently working for Intermountain Healthcare. He's an assistant to an orthopedic surgeon. He (Derek) graduated from BYU with a degree in Athletic Training and also Exercise Science. This was a good call, because from here he can go a myriad of different directions. He can stay on the Athletic Training route, The Physical Therapy route, Physician Assistant route, Medical school route.. to name a few. We are currently looking into the last two on that list. It's so interesting because neither of them were even considerations until super recently. Working for a doctor of orthopedics has really struck something in Derek. He finds it so fascinating. And as he talks with the doctor and asks questions he likes it more and more. It's exciting to discover another possible future for us! The time and the money are 2 big deterants (is that a word?) for us though. So, we thought: what about PA school? They do a lot of the same things as doctors. It takes half the time (and of course pays half.. or less.. as much. which we're super fine with). There are so many advantages to both. For me, I have exactly the same number of pros and cons for both. The problem with PA school is what if he decides he wants to be a full blown doctor someday? PA seems like the perfect solution, but it has its limitations. It would be perfect if, after years and years of experience as a PA, there was a test you could take or just a couple more years of school to become an MD. But it doesn't work that way.. (oddly). You'd have to go back to Medical School.

Well, that's the boat we're in right now. We certainly are blessed to HAVE all these choices, but it seems to be a recurring trial for us. The Lord is leaving it up to us. But we just sometimes wish we could see the end from right here. We want to be able to look ahead 5, 10 years from now and see where we'd be. But that would take the fun out of life, wouldn't it? :)

Oh My Peaches!

My sis-in-law Chelsea hooked us up with a couple boxes of peaches, and so Derek and I spent Monday canning them. I have never canned before. Derek remembers helping out as a kid, so he was the knowledgeable one on this one. We canned 6 quarts and 6 pints of peaches, 6 quarts of peach pie filling, 6 pints of peach salsa, and 10 jars of peach freezer jam. Things went well for the most part. Except that in our first batch of peaches a jar exploded. Ok.. that's an exageration. See picture below. The bottom just blew out when I put in the bath. And.... then there was the fact that some of our jars didn't seal, so we then turned those peaches into the pie filling and jam. Haha. It all looks so good!

The jar that exploded :)

The Result

This was my first shopping trip with this new coupon mentality that's why I'm making kind of a big deal out of it. (See previous post) :D So, Here is what I found. The total I entered yesterday was taking into account my freshvalues card. Without that card I would have spent$32.?? I can't remember the change. Using my card brought me down to $22.29. Using my coupons brought me down to the grand total of $9.35. I don't know how I was that off, but I'd rather go down and than up. :) But from top to bottom that's a 72% savings. Kind of exciting! Here's what I got.

Money Saving Mom

I stole that title from a blog I go to frequently nowadays. I have caught the"coupon bug." Let me tell you, it can get confusing and very time consuming, but it is paying off. For example, Smith's is having a sale this week, and so I am taking advantage of it. I've gone and found coupons for all but 1 thing on my list.
Without the sale and without the coupons I'd be spending $28.33 (probably more since that total takes into account my smith's savings card).
If I were to take advantage of just the sale without the coupons I'd spend $21.92.
BUT with my coupons, ladies and gentlemen, I will be spending $14.55.
That's a huge savings and I'm getting quite a bit. I'll take a pic of it tomorrow to show what I got.

It feels to good to contribute to our finances in some way. I started learning the ropes from my sister-in-law and cousin-in-law. Now my coupons are organized and it will get easier from now on I think.

Here are a couple sites I go to if anyone is interested:

http://moneysavingmom.com/
http://thekrazycouponlady.com/

Baby Food Grinders

Lydia is really starting to eat anything we give her (except for the obvious peanut butter, honey, etc.), which is so convenient when it comes to eating meals together. We don't have a baby food grinder, and it's so difficult smashing the food up small enough with my fork. I've thought about using my blender.. but that's too difficult to clean as often we I'd use it. So, I've done some research. Option #1

http://www.target.com/Black-Decker-1-Touch-Chopper/dp/B000NJBYWG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&searchView=grid5&keywords=food%20processor&fromGsearch=true&sr=1-2&qid=1285088328&rh=&searchRank=price&id=Black%20Decker%201-Touch%20Chopper&node=1038576|1287991011&searchSize=30&searchPage=1&searchNodeID=1038576|1287991011&searchBinNameList=subjectbin%2Cprice%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Ctarget_com_size-bin%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin&frombrowse=0

Option #2

http://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-Baby-Food-Grinder-Colors/dp/B000GB0NZA

I'm currently leaning towards the food processor. I could use it for more than just baby food and it seems like it'd be easier to clean. The disadvantage is that it wouldn't be convenient to take with my anywhere like the handheld grinder. Do any of you have experience with using either of these? I need input. Thanks!

Mommy Brain...

I've had several "I'm losing my mind" moments lately. Basically, I just think my brain is so preoccupied. I'm never thinking about what I'm doing.. my mind is somewhere else. This morning I put conditioner on my loofa instead of soap. And a couple days ago I went downstairs with a hamper of dirty clothes to put in the washer. So, I put the clothes that were in the washer into the dryer. Then, inexplicably, I picked up the hamper of dirty clothes and started walking back up the stairs. I got halfway up the stairs when I realized I not only didn't push start on the dryer.. but I didn't put the clothes from hamper into the washer! Oh dear..

She Knows Her Mama

She said "mama" for the first time a couple days ago! Of course it was while she was crying and really wanted me to hold her... actually that's the only time she's ever said it.. when she wants me to pick her up. Verrrry cute. But sad at the same time.. we heard her saying it in her room last night as we were getting ready for bed. I melt.. literally.. puddle of Kori on the floor. I don't know how much she associates the word with me, but I've been working on it with her pretty often for the last couple weeks so who knows. Other cute news... she prefers Derek and I to her toys. If we set her on the floor next to her toys she will eventually find her way, army crawling, to us and climb as close to our faces as she can. It's so neat to see that she knows we are mommy and daddy... or at least that we are just 2 people who are always around and feed her and give her kisses. :)

Sad news.. I do believe she has come down with something. A cold most likely. She has been sooo sleepy and wanted to cuddle with mommy all day. She is just so lethargic and I can tell she is miserable. My poor baby :( Hopefully this sickness doesn't stick around too long!

Milestones (4 months to 7 months)

4 Months
Lydia rolled from belly to back - She did this on her 4 month birthday then did it again a couple days later, but that was it until she was almost 7 months old.
Lydia's first real laugh
Her first pigtail/ponytail experience. Super cute!

5 Months
She slept in her own bedroom for the night for the first time
Started sitting up - but fell over a lot
She discovered the joy of blowing raspberries
1st experience with solid food (rice cereal) - as you can imagine - since she just discovered blowing raspberries this was a messy occasion :)
1st time in a swimming pool! She was very unsure about this at first, but she soon fell asleep in a reclined position in her floaty with her hat covering her eyes. I didn't get any pictures of it :( But it was quite funny.
Lydi-bug rolls from back to belly - remember, she had forgotten how to roll back onto her back.. so this was a frustrating thing for her for a while. She didn't like being on her belly.

6 Months
Lydia has started sitting up really well now all by herself
She has again started rolling from belly to back. Hallelujah! This helped her sleep better too since she could be in any position she wanted.
Her first word..... drumroll..... Da-da! It's so cute because when she talks she kind of whispers. When we try to get her to say dada she whispers it or, at the other end of the spectrum, she says it when she's sleepy and screams it. lol

7 Months
She has started pulling herself to standing using our fingers. If she uses something else she can't quite get up yet.
Falls asleep without crying (most of the time) and sleeps all night long 10-12 hours
From sitting position to all fours and rocks back and forth.
She pushes up from her tummy into the plank position in yoga. (on to her hands and feet like she's ready to start a race).
Ladies and gentlemen.. our little Lydia is now mobile! She is our little army crawler. She is really enjoying her independence. Though she's also shown several signs of separation anxiety.

She will be 8 months old next Thursday (September 2nd).
We love our girl :)

Our Summer So Far

The summer's almost coming to an end already! So crazy! Here's what we've been up to:

Derek graduated from BYU in April

Derek and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary - we went out to eat at Red Lobster


Derek got a job working for Intermountain Health Care, so we moved out of our place in Provo..



And into our new place in South Ogden (pictures to come.. we haven't taken any yet..oops)


We, along with my parents and grandma, went to North Dakota to visit my brother and his family.. that was a blast! We toured the Air Force base where he lives and works, went to the zoo, had a couple picnics, went to a Scandanavian park, went to the International Peace Gardens on the American/Canadian border, and of course did the Ferree Family Reunion Tournaments: bowling, golf, frisbee golf, washers, croquet (spelling?), a couple card games/board games, and ladder golf. So much fun!
My uncle, aunt, 2 cousins, and grandma also all got to come out here this summer. We spent a fun day starting with lunch at Tucanos in Provo, Bridal Veil Falls, Sundance, Cascade Springs, and Thanksgiving Point. I'm so happy I got to see them all!Mostly everyone at Bridal Veil

Derek at Cascade Springs

Lydi and I at Cascade Springs. We left her hat at home, but her onesie worked just as well :)

Pretty views on the way up to the Springs


It's been an awesome summer! We are all doing so well, and Lydia is growing like a cute little weed. She's hitting milestone after milestone. More on that later. :)

Lydia is 4 months old...

and has begun sleeping through the night! Which is about between 5 and 7 hours. She started this wonderful new habit last week and has kept it up every night since. She'll sleep for that long stretch, wake up to eat, and then sleep for another 2 or 3 hours. It's also gotten to the point that I've been able predict when she'll need a nap. It's so nice when you figure out there's a rhyme and reason to when they sleep. Along with sleeping like a champ, Lydia rolled over for the first time on Sunday (her 4 month birthday)! She did it 3 times in a row from belly to back, but hasn't done it again since. I'm so proud of her!


She has recently begun sucking her thumb, which is just so cute I don't have the desire to make her stop.. even if I'll regret it later down the road. I have also stopped having milk and cheese to see if it helps her little tummy. It's been almost a week, so we'll see if it helps.

"You Want a Grapefruit NOW?"

Somewhere between 4:00 and 7:00 this morning I heard Derek say something to me. He sort of mumbled it, so I didn't know if he was awake or not. I rolled over and said "what did you say?" Derek: "You want one right now?" Kori: "Do I want what right now?" Derek: "I thought you said you wanted a grapefruit." Kori: "Well that would be funny cause I was just asleep."

This is funny for a couple reasons. Firstly, I do not like grapefruit, so why I would ask for it at all let alone in the middle of the night is beyond me. Secondly, I thought I had talked in my sleep and that Derek had woken up and responded to me. But when I was reminding Derek about it this morning he had zero memory of it. So, he was in fact sleeping during that whole conversation. Which makes it that much funnier. haha.

Parenting 101: Figuring out the Sleeping thing..

So, we are in the process of training little Lydi-bug to fall asleep on her own - in her bassinet. She is a mover and is happiest when someone is holding her and walking around. If you stop walking she knows and will let you know she does not approve. She also prefers to fall asleep this way, which is understandable, and she's only 3 months old, so why shouldn't we indulge her! We do. :)

But we have begun to phase her into "self comforting." We will just place her in her bed when she's sleepy but not asleep and let her try to fall asleep that way. It has actually worked several times. The funny part is - I have such a hard time letting her make her little noises and tired little fussy sounds and not jump up and hold her. The idea of letting the baby fall asleep on her own sounds like it would allow me to rest more, but I mostly just lay there until I know she's asleep anyway. haha. Last night was quite amazing though. She fell asleep in her bed around 11:00 then woke up at 3:00 to eat then fell back asleep at 4:00 and didn't wake up until 7:00! Now that may not sound that amazing, but it is! The reason is: she always sleeps pretty good until her 3 am feeding. Then I pull her into bed with me and feed her... at which point we both fall asleep, and then it is off and on feeding her and falling asleep for the rest of night. Last night, however, I got up and sat in the glider next to my bed ( like I always tell myself I will) and fed her there. Then when she was done eating I put her back in her own bed and she slept there on her own! Woo!! I was so proud of her! This is not to say that I know her sleep patterns have made a permanent change and she will sleep soundly in her own bed from now... I'm not that naive :). However, it is a step in the right direction and will probably happen more often now.

3 months later... right on schedule..

Yeah I'm not too good at this blog thing, but I'm workin on it. :P A lot has happened since our last posting. For starters: we had a baby! Lydia Colleen Hayden was born on January 2nd. Cool fact: her birthday is a palendrome (spelling?). 01-02-2010. So sweet! haha. She was born 5 lbs 1 oz and 17 3/4 in long. She was about 4 weeks early, and had to stay in the hospital for 3 1/2 weeks. It was the hardest time of my life. I had the wonderful help of family to make that time much more bearable. Thank you all.

Initially, the doctor was worried that she wasn't vigorous at birth. Basically she squawked once or twice, but for the most part she looked like she was sleeping, which isn't ideal for a newborn. She had some breathing issues and they had to keep her on oxygen for a day, but she graduated from that quickly. She was just too sleepy to stay awake long enough to nurse, so my milk was fed to her through a tube that went in her nose and into her stomach. After almost a week I got to nurse her for the first time. And over the next couple weeks we gradually added one or two more breastfeedings a day. I pumped on her eating schedule and brought milk into the hospital each day. She also had an apnea problem, which is when you stop breathing spontaneously... scary, right? Well, she only had to be stimulated (the nurses would come over and tickle her or pick her up) once or twice.. the rest of the time she would start breathing again by herself. As hard as this time was for us, we couldn't be more grateful for modern technology. If she were home with me all day and I had to worry about her having an apnea spell I would have gone nuts - as it was at the hospital a little alarm would go off when this would happen. She went 7 days without one before she came home, so that meant she was safe. We really are so grateful for the steps that were taken to get her where she needed to be. What is truly amazing is that Lydia got over this barrier herself. She was supposed to have been in the womb still - resting up and not having to worry about wearing herself down. The hospital did their best to create an environment that was as similar to the womb as possible and slowly got her used to not being there anymore. And she did it and it was so amazing to watch it all happen. Here are a few pics from the last couple months:

Our first family photo

Lydia at 1 week old

Here is she is at 1 month. I love this picture!

And here is she a week and a half ago at 2 months!