April Overview

It's been almost two months since I last wrote. Now that I'm not specifically doing monthly updates on Paige, it's harder to fit this blog into my life. I keep meaning to write, but it's one of those things that unless I make time for it, I'm not going to find time for it, and there are plenty of things in my life I want to make time for. Paige and Stephen have been my top priority, and right now, their needs are met, along with mine, so I might as well take this time to share what has been happening in our lives.

I wish I could capture every moment of Paige's life and share it with everyone. It would be great if I could remember every little detail at every phase of her life. Maybe in heaven, when I get to watch my life story, I'll be able to watch hers as well. She is the light of my life right now. Paige is a sweetheart and a happy child. I love watching her play and learn and interact with me. She talks a lot more now than she use to. Her vocabulary includes: Dada, Mama, Ball, Water, Bubbles, Nana "Nurse", Bye, Yes, and a very vague I Love You. She doesn't cry much, but she has lately started to squeal when she is upset. But with her better capacity to communicate, I'm able to meet her needs easier so she's not so cranky. She will also sign for food, and wave. 

Paige is a full-blown runner. With my broken foot, she is faster than me. There are times I struggle to catch her before she runs too far off, but for the most part, her walking has been a blessing. She likes to climb the stairs (with my help) by stepping up each step. It basically requires her to raise her leg to a 90 degree angle to get her foot on the next ledge. I hold her hands so she can pull herself up. It's pretty fun. She also likes to walk to where she's suppose to go. Paige will walk to the car from our door and wait for me to open it and put her in, and she will walk to her room when it's nap time or she needs a diaper change. She's really obedient and compliant with that, and that can only be attributed to her peaceable nature. 

She's also very social. I've been making a point of getting out of the house more and doing things. My broken foot has slowed me down some, but we manage. Many of our favorite stores have electric carts for me to use. I put Paige on my lap and drive around the store, more often than not just browsing. Paige will wave to people and leaves smiles wherever she goes. We've also attended a lot of mommy groups through La Leche Leage and other events, and she's done really well playing with other kids. She loves watching older children run around, and is very curious about younger babies (though not always as gentle as she should be). She has been going to our gym's daycare as Stephen and I work out twice a week for a half hour, and that's been good for her social development. It's a safe space for us to practice separation and independence (she's better about it than I am).

Paige is a voracious eater. She's getting a little chubbier, but overall, she's still petite. I did put away some of the 6 month size clothes last week, but I sure got my money's worth out of them. She loves to eat and wants to taste everything. Paige especially loves if the food comes off of my plate. She knows what dessert is and persistently asks for food. She will literally eat more in one sitting than I do sometimes. She also loves to eat frequently. It seems like every ten or fifteen minutes, she asks for a snack. She loves applesauce, wholegrain crackers, fruit snacks, cereal (chex and cheerios mostly).

We had some struggles with nursing after she turned one. I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue or not, and she wasn't being very considerate of my needs. After talking with a lot of moms, I've been able to set boundaries with her and teach her nursing manners, and that has helped us a lot. We now really only nurse in the morning after she wakes and at night before she goes to bed. Every now and then we slip another nursing session or two in during the day, but it is now so much more manageable for me, and we'll continue until it no longer benefits us.

Paige is super playful. I'm having a hard time keeping up with entertaining her. We've gone to parks and she loves the slide but hates the swing. She enjoys shopping and likes to turn off the power on my electric cart while we're driving around (she enjoys it far more than I do). Paige loves her toys, especially the ball she got for Easter (have I written since Easter? I just checked--no I haven't). While she and I are buddies, she thinks daddy is hilarious. She loves her books too, and knows each book well. 

Thinking about Easter has reminded me of all the large events I haven't recorded here. I've tried to keep my facebook updated, and I've taken a lot of pictures and videos. Briefly, we celebrated Easter. It was so fun to set up a basket for Paige. I loved picking out gifts for her, and sewing her a new dress. She caught on to the egg hunt idea, and it became a lot more fun for her when she realized there was often chocolate inside them. She also had a lot of fun at the family Easter party with Stephen's relatives--she even took second place in the egg roll. We enjoyed watching General Conference and hearing inspirational talks. Paige did pretty well during the sessions so that we were able to watch and glean information from them. 

I've been doing a lot of wedding planning for Susan. There are only a few weeks until she gets married. I've also been socializing, as I mentioned above. I've enjoyed strengthening friendships. This past week, I was able to strengthen the relationship with some of the women in my life through Women's Conference. This was a two-day event of spiritual classes as well as service and socializing. One of my favorite parts was the concert with a lot of great LDS musicians. I had a lot of fun with my mom, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, aunt-in-law (is that a term?), and grandma-in-law (again, probably not a real term. I just call them my aunt and grandma). Stephen took off work to stay home with Paige. That was the longest I'd ever been away from her. It was sad to miss putting her to bed for the first time, but she did great with daddy.

One of the biggest new things in my life is mturk. It's something I heard about on a blog about ways to make money at home. Most of my attempts at making money have been through apps that give me a little bit here and there. It has taken me months to earn even $20 on one app, and while I have a few going at once, it's nothing dependable or impactful. However, mturk is different. It's done through Amazon, so you know it can be trusted. It's basically people hiring out work that artificial intelligence can't do. It tends to be a lot of surveys, but there are other jobs such as evaluating photos or transcribing audio clips.

I've been doing it for three weeks now, and I've almost made $100. I know it's still not a huge amount, but for me, it's a lot. I'm basically rich now! It's all done on my computer in my free time, so I never have to compromise my roles as a wife and mother. I can do as little or as much as I want. There was a curve at the beginning, but now I can easily make $5-$10 a day without stressing out. Talk to me if you want more info. We're using this money to save up for new furniture, and that motivation keeps me going.

The new furniture will be going in our new house! Except, we don't have a new house yet. Sorry to get your hopes up. But we are getting close to starting the process of home ownership. We got pre-approved for a loan, and we are happy with the amount. We should be able to find a great home within our budget, though it will probably be farther away from the freeway than we are now (we are like, a quarter of a mile from the freeway now). We're looking at Daybreak or Herriman, though I prefer Daybreak by a long ways; Herriman just feels so rural and far away from everything where Daybreak has its own community and a lot of great shopping close by. We're hoping to find a good realtor in June and be more serious about the process. It will be sad to move from our basement apartment--it has been good to us--but we don't want to stay underground forever. 

As you can tell, life has been exciting. Everything is on the up. My foot is getting better, and while I'm still using special equipment like my boot or new surgical shoe, the break is healing on its own. I get it checked again on Thursday, but as long as the trend continues, I'll be walking normal and even running in no time. This summer has a lot of exciting adventures in store, and it'll only be more fun to watch Paige experience the warm weather and family outings. We're happy with what we have now, and grateful for all the plans God has for us. We are blessed.

All This On One Foot

What a month! Life has had a lot of ups and downs lately. Let's start off with the fun story of how I broke my foot: wrestling alligators. Don't believe me? Alright, then, I was walking and then broke my foot. Yup. That exciting. I was going down my stairs super carefully like I always do because I don't want to trip or fall or anything like that. We were coming home from Church, so Stephen was carrying Paige for me. I reached the bottom of my steps safely and waited there while Stephen unlocked the door.

Once it was open, I took a step forward to go inside and slipped. I was wearing one-inch wedge heels and my heel decided to walk on the side of my shoe instead of the bottom. My foot rolled and I caught myself in the doorway, already knowing I was injured. I sat just inside our door to examine my foot. I could see it starting to swell. With my previous experience of spraining my ankle quite regularly, I figured that's all this was--a sprain--and took things easy. We wrapped it and I borrowed crutches from a neighbor. I told myself two weeks and I would be back to normal.

That week, we had family in town visiting for Paige's birthday party. We spent time with both the Rollins side and the Hutchins side. It was really special to have both families supporting Paige and us as she turned one. I hobbled around the best I could, borrowing a boot and relying on my crutches, trying to will my way through a quick recovery. Paige started walking that week, and I joked she was walking better than I was (which was true). 

We had a great party for Paige. I did it in a pink and gold theme, based off of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". I went all out with the decorations and pink and gold food. I love party planning. I love hosting. I love living life like it's Pintrest, even for just a few hours. We had a really good turn out for the party, and I think people had fun. Paige received a lot of thoughtful presents (thank you all!) and enjoyed her cake smash. I'm really proud of how well things went and how fun it was.

The next weekend, Stephen and I had dates planned. His work rented out the tubing hill at Solider Hollow for their employees and family. We left Paige with a babysitter and drove out to the hill. We had a lot of fun tubing down in large groups. I romped around on the snowy hill, telling myself the sprain was basically healed. I took a break for a bit for it, but besides that, I didn't miss out on any of the fun. There was one run we did with at least a dozen people. Near the top, Stephen fell out of his tube and decided to triumphantly run down the hill after us. It was really funny. 

The next day, Stephen and I went to a dance in honor of Valentine's Day. Because we had had so many family events going on the weekend before, our Valentine's Day was simple--we exchanged gifts, and then Stephen got me flowers and chocolate the next day (since V-day was on Sunday this year). He gave me a home spa kit, complete with a back scratcher, bubble bath, loofah, head massager, and a pumice stone.  I got him a jade Manaia necklace in the shape of a dragon--it's a pendant from New Zealand, where Stephen served his mission, that has significance in the Maori culture. 

Since we didn't do much for the actual day, the dance was our way of celebrating this year. It was a corny, cheesy stake dance, but I loved it for that quality. Everyone dances like dorks, and it's endearing. Stephen doesn't particularly like dancing, but he'll do it for me. We danced until my feet hurt, and then danced more. We left Paige with a babysitter and didn't stay long, but it was still fun.

Earlier that Saturday, I went to a Fearless Birth convention. Stephen's cousin got me free tickets, so I took a friend from La Leche League. We had a really good time. We basically just looked at a bunch of vendors, got a lot of business cards, and had fun samples. When it was time for the raffle drawing, I was excited to hear my name as one of the winners! I got to choose from a large table of donated prizes. I ended up with a large gift basket full of prenatal supplies (no, I'm not pregnant, but someday I probably will be again). Going through everything, there was probably at least $100 worth of samples and supplies. I'm glad I went!

The next week, my sister, Susan, got engaged. When she started dating Joe, everyone knew they were going to get married--except for Susan and Joe. They took their time of formally dating for 2 months before getting engaged. I'm super excited to help plan their wedding. I'm their official wedding coordinator, and I beg to say I'm more excited for their wedding than they are (though they are definitely more excited for their marriage than their actual wedding day). I've harped on them to get their opinion on details to start making progress, and, while I may be preemptively planning some aspects, we're making good progress. 

Three weeks after I rolled my foot, I went in to see my podiatrist about my orthopedic shoe inserts. It was a follow up appointment and really casual. I mentioned that I hurt my foot and asked if they would check it just in case. By this point, I was walking on it normally, though I definitely knew it got sore easily. It had a really bad bruise for the first two weeks, but had faded by then. I had gone tubing and dancing and even ran on the treadmill a bit with it. They took x-rays of my foot; it was broken. They showed me the image of my fifth metatarsal and how there was an obvious gash in the middle of the bone. It was still barely connected, but looked like a wedge was created as the bone split.

They podiatrist started saying words like "surgery," "screw," and "plate," and I felt the blood disappear from my face. We decided to take a conservative approach at first, hoping my foot heals correctly with a boot and crutches, but if it doesn't, I may need surgery to fix it. This would start my recovery process all over again. With the way things are now, I am able to get around and take care of Paige, but, if I need surgery, that won't be the case for some time. 

I have one more week before I go back in to check on my foot, so any positive vibes and prayers would be appreciated. I've been much more careful about taking care of my broken foot since then. I'm wearing my boot all day, and I use my crutches when I don't have my boot on, like at night. I've also used the electric carts at stores and, while I feel ridiculous driving around the stores with Paige on my lap, the carts have really been helpful. 

A week ago, Stephen took me out on a date to get sushi. I absolutely love sushi, and it's one of those foods that I don't even attempt making myself at home. If anyone ever wants to bring me sushi, you will instantly gain points in my eyes. After dinner, we came home and made a blanket fort in our living room and watched a movie in it because we are adults. I highly recommend blanket fort dates--it was in a blanket fort that I first kissed Stephen on the cheek when we were dating. The next morning when Paige saw it, she was really confused, but slowly warmed up to it and ended up playing in it a lot before we took it down. 

This past weekend, my mom and my sister Sarah came to visit during their Spring Break. We met up with Susan and Deborah, my sisters, and went wedding dress shopping for Susan. It was a lot of fun to play Say Yes to the Dress with her. She looked good in every gown. We had a pow-wow about her wedding details, and while it was stressful at times, I'm excited about it all. It was also just good to have family visiting. Paige bonded more with her Grandma and Aunt Sarah, and my mom helped me to sew an Easter dress for Paige. It turned out so adorable! I'm excited to see her wearing it in a few weeks.

As far as Paige is concerned, she's growing happily and healthfully. She weighs 18 lbs now and took her one-year-old shots like a champ. She talks a lot nowadays. She says "Daddy" very clearly, and likes to call me "Jane", or as she says it, "an". She also says "yes," especially when we offer her food. She has started to pick up a bit on baby sign language and points to her mouth when she's hungry. She waves a lot, too, and her sign for "all done" is basically just a wave. The point is to communicate though, and she's good at that, so I'm happy.  Paige will wave hello and goodbye to people, and she folds her arms during prayers. Shes' a vivacious eater and dances when we're getting her food. We're having some power struggles with nursing, but while I may be ready to wean her some days, she's still happy to nurse.

She walks like a pro now and seems to prefer it to crawling. She likes her shoes and tends to carry them around with her rather than wearing them. Paige has been more explorative at home and found the blanket closet we have. She loves to hoard her toys in there. Paige enjoys shopping and has been really excited the few times I've let her walk around a bit at a store, though those escapades are short-lived when she starts emptying shelves. She also enjoys walking around at church, and while we keep her contained during sacrament meeting, the next two hours are sometimes spent wandering the halls, following her. 

Paige is a huge Daddy's girl. She has associated phone calls with Daddy and asks if it's him every time I call anyone. She also runs to the door to greet him when he comes home from work. She'll call for him from the crib when she wakes up, and when it's the middle of the night, I like to shove Stephen and remind him, "She wants you." She actually just wants him to get her to bring her to me, but still, I don't have to get out of bed (it helps that her foot is broken, so I don't want her walking on it to get Paige overnight. :) -S).  She sleeps really well most days. She's going back and forth between one and two naps a day, but they still last about 45 minutes. She's growing up, and while it's bittersweet, it's been a lot of fun. She keeps us on our toes, and since I only have one fully-functioning foot, it's an adventure.

One Year

One year ago, we put a baby into a car seat, put that seat into our car, and drove away without anyone stopping us. We were all so tired that the three of us climbed right into bed and took a nap, and my new baby slept on my chest. It was overwhelming, exciting, daunting, surreal, but most of all, peaceful. Everything felt right with our family now that we had Paige. This year has carried on those feelings and added many more. There's been so much pride over watching her grow and achieve new milestones. I've never felt more complete in my life calling than as a mother. It makes sense of everything. It's also been difficult, as any parent can attest to. It's not easy to know what to do when, or if, you should or shouldn't be doing something to help your child. I wish I could parent Paige perfectly, but I've had my fair share of mistakes so far. Still, overall, I've kept her alive for a year, so that counts for something, right?

Paige is a talented, smart, active, friendly, and sweet girl. She has grown up so much, I'm sure I'm going to miss some detail about her that's new this month, but we'll try. She's talking a lot more. She pretty distinctly says "yes," "Mom," and "Dad." She also understands what I'm saying most of the time, too. A few weeks ago, she was playing contently on the floor and then crawled up to my chair and looked at me and started babbling at me. I then asked her, "Are you ready for a nap?" She then clearly said, "Yes." So I picked her up and gave Paige her binkie and she took it and laid her head on me. I took her to her room and put her down without a complaint. She then had a good nap. It was really adorable that she asked to sleep and was able to communicate that to me without a struggle (though that's not always the case). 

Hearing other moms talk about how their children struggle to sleep through the nights makes me grateful for Paige's good sleeping habits. She still has two naps a day, one around 11:00, and one again between 2 and 3 or so. Each nap is about 45 minutes, which isn't long, but it's enough. We have a good bedtime routine of pajamas, nursing, song, prayer, and kisses. In total, it takes about ten minutes, and then she's able to put herself to sleep. Her bedtime is 8:00 and she'll usually sleep through the night and not wake except to nurse once in the morning around 7, and then go back to sleep until 9 or so. 

Paige loves food. She still nurses frequently through the day. She had a bit of sickness a few weeks ago and nursed almost constantly for days, but that helped her overcome the cold quicker. She also loves solids. She eats a lot of crackers, cheerios, cheese sticks. clementines, bananas, sweet potato, mashed potato, scrambled eggs, bread, applesauce, peaches, fruit cocktail, pasta, and whatever I'm eating. She knows when I'm eating and loves to beg at my feet, especially when it's for sweets. She throws food off her tray when she's done eating, and she's not a big fan of vegetables, but she is willing to taste anything. 

Paige has become braver with walking and ended up taking some undeniable strides last night. She still prefers crawling because she's fast with it, but she loves standing to explore things, especially if she has something to hold on to or climb over. We've been encouraging her to walk with no sign of success until yesterday. She's become a real toddler to me, which is crazy, but true. Paige is also a dancer already. As soon as she's stable on her feet, I know her dancing will just improve. 

She is very playful and loves when Stephen or I get down on the floor with her and wrestle or chase her. She wants to help us on our computers too, and loves to sit in our laps as we work. I'm trying to teach her to give high fives, and she'll hold out her hand--she thinks it's funny. She loves being tossed in the air. At night, when we choose what to sing, sometimes we pick the Primary song "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" and toss her in the air throughout the song. Her favorite toy is our box of recycling that she'll dump on the floor and throw the contents around the kitchen. Paige is also a good helper and loves to pitch in when it is time to do chores, especially the dishwasher. 

We had a photo shoot last week with the amazing Jen Kastleman. She did Paige's newborn photos last year, so it was fun to see the updated comparison. Paige did amazing during the photo session, even though she skipped her morning nap. I loved how adorable they came out. Paige was cheesing it up at points and loved the attention she got. Jen did a perfect job--if you need a photographer, check her out. 

The local zoo had a free day that Paige and I went to with some friends. She wasn't feeling all that well and ended up sleeping in the baby carrier half the time, but still did really well. She was interested in the animals, but I know she'll enjoy it more in the future. Still, I really enjoyed it. Zoos are more fun with little kids and babies. I feel like she's old enough now that I can start doing things for her enjoyment rather than just her tagging along. I'm excited for that. 

I'm excited for all the new life experiences this next year will bring, and I'm humbled by the ones we've had so far. To say Paige is a blessing in my life is an understatement. To say she is a wonderful baby with such a special personality and demeanor doesn't do her justice. To say I love her with my whole soul and want to spend my entire life making her smile and laugh is only a glimpse at how I feel. I hope one day she'll understand how special she is to the world, to God, to her family, and to me. I love you, Paige!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Drive Safe Please

Happy New Year! We finished 2015 with quite a few happenings, so it's time to recap.

Stephen and I passed our neighbor gifts for the first time. We braved the storm and walked around our neighborhood, but since I grew up in a desert, I'm not as turned off by snow and many up north are. I also felt very grown up gifting treats like adults do. Maybe next year, I'll be really ambitious and print off Christmas cards and maybe even mail them. I don't want to get too ahead of myself though, so I'm not making promises. We also felt very loved by our neighbors this year, even though the entrance to our basement apartment can be difficult to find. Thanks to all who showed us love this year! Along with the treats we received, I decided to bake a lot of traditional goodies and snacks. While it was probably too much, neither Stephen nor I complained (my waistline did, though). 

On the 18th, my friend hosted a neighborhood baby/toddler Christmas party. It was so fun to be invited and to chat with other moms and watch Paige play with the other kids. I think she was the youngest there, but she did her best to keep up with them. I always appreciate making mommy friends in my area to feel less isolated as a stay-at-home-mom.

That afternoon, Stephen and I saw the new Star Wars movie. His work provided a private screening for the company and their guests, so he and I were able to see it for free. My brother-in-law babysat Paige so we could enjoy the movie. It was awesome, of course! Either you've already seen it yourself, or you're probably not interested in seeing it, so either way, I hope I don't spoil anything by saying it was really great. 

After the movie, we finished some last minute packing and got on the road for Idaho as quickly as possible. We knew we were leaving late and would be arriving in Meridian after midnight, but we were hoping that, because of our late schedule, Paige would sleep most of they way. (She did pretty well, and did end up sleeping for a lot of the trip). 

Less than an hour into our trip, however, we witnessed an accident. We were in the far left lane with a Ford-F150 in front of us. A car in the lane next to us swerved to the right for some reason (the roads were not icy at all and conditions were fine) and then over-corrected to the left, hitting the truck just in front of the passenger door. Suddenly, there was a bright flash, which made me wonder if something caught on fire. It was probably because of the chemicals in the headlights, but it was still odd to me. 

The truck then rolled back from the impact, being launched into the air and spinning several times before hitting the road and rolling more. I guessed it rolled at least six or seven times. It stopped on it's tires, gratefully. I remember telling Stephen to stop several times. He pulled off to the side of the road a bit behind the truck. I called 911 while Stephen and my brother-in-law Matthew went to check on the driver of the truck. The car that had caused the accident was stopped on the other side of the road, and several people were attending to them. We never heard how they were doing, but Stephen thought he saw them walking around, which is a good sign. 

Calling 911 is weird. I had only had experience with it on TV. The first question they asked was the location, and then wanted to know what happened. I gave the info and was transferred to the traffic branch of 911, and then I repeated the same info in the same order. The man on the phone checked the systems and told me the accident had been reported. I called as quickly as I could, but someone had beat me to it I guess. Help arrived within minutes. I was impressed when an EMT stopped at my car before going to the truck because they saw I had a baby and wanted to make sure we were alright, which we were. 

The driver of the truck was appropriately shaken up, but besides that, didn't seemed injured. Stephen and Matthew encouraged him to stay in his car until someone with proper training could evaluate him. The medics put him on a stretcher and sent him in an ambulance to be safe.  Stephen and Matthew filled out witness reports and eventually, we were able to leave. An officer stopped traffic for us so we could merge back onto the freeway, which was nice of him to do. Luckily, the rest of the drive was not nearly as eventful, and we arrived at my in-laws late but safe.

We then spent the next week with family, celebrating Christmas. It was great for Paige to have so many playmates. She really enjoyed playing with her only cousin, Elise, who is seven months older than her. She also had plenty of time with her uncles, Aunt Heidi, Grandma, and Grandpa, and other extended family. There were lots of new toys for her to play with, and she had fun exploring their house. She learned a lot of tricks from her playmates, including clapping, "oohing", dancing to music, and nailed down the word "mama." (Though she thinks she's saying "feed me" but I'm still counting it). 

We spent the week playing a lot of games, particularly Pinochle. When I first met Stephen's family, they introduced me to this game and told me it was the Rollins Game of Choice among the extend family. I hated it. It was difficult to learn and very frustrating. They tried teaching me several times over the years, but a few months ago, I downloaded an app version of that game to practice, and only that has given me enough confidence to play. I was able to hold my own this break and even had a few victories. 

Stephen and I also attended the Boise temple. It's beautiful there. As we were leaving the house for the temple, I check for my recommend and realized I left it back in Utah. I made phone calls to everyone I could think of, but kept not getting an answer. I think it was the seventh person I contacted who finally was able to help me validate my worthiness to enter God's house. In the end, everything worked out.

Stephen went to the dentist while in Idaho, and was told he would need a root canal. He was prescribed an antibiotic which he started taking. However, he had a bad reaction to it, and it made him very sick. He vomited a lot and describes the ordeal as "not fun." He was bedridden for a while, and it was sad he couldn't fully participate in things. It left him with some chest pain that he is still getting over. He got his root canal after we were back in Utah, and a good chunk of our Christmas bonus went to paying for it, from what I understand, his tooth nerve was very dead and the procedure was needed. He recovered easily and quickly from it.

It was a lot of fun to share in the Rollins' Christmas tradition while incorporating some of our own as a new family. I spent time making chocolate candies with Teresa and Heidi, as well as several other goodies. We watched Christmas movies and sang carols. Santa came for FHE and let the little kids ask for things on his lap. It was really cute. The boys enjoyed it, but both granddaughters cried on Santa's lap. On Christmas eve, we placed our presents around the tree and let Paige open up her Christmas pajamas. 

Christmas morning was fun. We had to wake up Paige for presents, but she was cooperative about it. She didn't quite catch on to the unwrapping part. She was content playing with a small, torn piece and forgot quickly about the actual gift. She got a rocking horse, new clothes, books, toys, shoes, and snacks. Stephen and I also were happy with our gifts. I got a curling iron, slippers, a handheld rolling vacuum to clean up after Paige while out and about, movies, gloves, recipe book, a board game expansion pack, emergency lantern, Pyrex bowls, and more. Stephen was a co-receiver for some of my gifts, but also got movies, a new shirt, a video game, and a book.

On Christmas morning, we got to Skype with Nicholas, my brother-in-law who is serving mission in France. I could really tell he's grown up a lot, and he's learned a lot too. It was really great to catch up with him and hear about his experiences. He'll come home next summer, so there are still a few more months apart, but we all are excited for his return. 

The day after Christmas, I took advantage of clearance prices on holiday decor for next year. We also went bowling as a family, and I got the lowest score, though I attribute that to the unfair advantage the little kids had of bumpers and a ramp to roll their ball down. If I had that, I'm sure I would have done somewhat better. We drove home Saturday afternoon. It was sad to leave family after such a great vacation, but it was also nice to come home and have some time here before returning back to "real life." 

On the 30th, I met up with some of my high school friends for a gift exchange. We skyped some other friends who had gathered in St. George. This is the third year we've done the exchange, and I love catching up with their lives. I'm grateful for such good friends and the effort we've all made to stay connected. I hosted the party up north, which worked out really well when Paige had to go to bed half way though the night. She's currently the only baby of the group, though Tiffany is pregnant. I actually went to her baby shower yesterday with Ari, another friend, and had a great time. 

Stephen and I celebrated New Years at home this year. It was a rough day for me, so we didn't party much, but since we had a sleeping baby to watch over, there's not much we could have done. Stephen did kiss me at midnight, like he's promised to every year. New Years Day, we spent cleaning, and while our house is perpetually messy due to a baby who likes to unload, we made a lot of progress, even with Paige helping.

We've had a really good year as a family. Becoming parents was a huge blessing in Stephen's and my life. Paige has thrived, which we are also so grateful for. She's grown up so much in the past few weeks. I'm impressed at how much she's able to do. She's not yet willing to try walking on her own, but she'll push a walker toy around plenty, and will walk if she holds our hands for help. She eats ravenously and frequently, and while that may sound concerning, she's eating plenty. Trust me.

I love watching her think. I can really see her though process and she tries to figure things out. It's so cute how she claps for herself now, or dances when she hears any kind of music. We sang wheels on the bus to her tonight and she boogied along to it. I had to put away the 3 month size clothing a few weeks ago. She lasted a long time in them, but it was sad to pack them away. I may have to put her 6 month size away sooner than I would like to, but she's still fits in them alright. She's just growing right before my eyes. In less than six weeks, she'll be one year old! I've cherished each stage, so I don't have regrets, but it's still sad to say goodbye to fun phases. Still, I know that 2016 will be a good year for all of us, and I hope the same for you and yours.

Holiday Season

Ten months already? It's hard to believe my baby is that old. A few months ago, I looked at other babies who were ten months and noticed how "grown up" they were. I guess Paige is now at that point, too. She's close to walking--she will take off if someone is holding her hands for balance, but if she is left on her own, she sits and crawls. She would just rather crawl than try and walk, and honestly, I'm not trying to rush it, though I can feel the change coming closer. 

She babbles all the time now. Whether it's to herself as she plays or having a conversation with Stephen or me, she's a chatterer. She stills prefers to say "ah" a lot, as well as "baba," "gaga," and (to my dismay) "dada." She "mmm"s when she wants to eat, and makes a sound very close to an excited "yes" when I pull out food. She would eat constantly if I let her, whether it's nursing or solids. Introducing solids has cut back on nursing--some days, we only have three or four nursing sessions. Other days make up for that low number, but overall, it's good.

Paige likes a variety of foods. I've introduced her to more flavors and textures. She loves pasta with tomato sauce and will gnaw on a cracker until it's putty in her hands. She still thinks peas are more fun to throw than to eat. She loves dropping food off of her tray and watching it fall when she's not interested in eating it. Mostly, she wants whatever I'm having, regardless of what it is. Paige will come and beg at my feet if I'm eating until I give her some. I will feed her right before but she will still want my food, and eating her own food isn't good enough--it has to come from my plate or my fork. But she's cute about it, so most of the time, she gets a taste. 

She is very playful. She loves our set of stacking cups. She and Daddy play with them a lot. She loves to tease as well. She will purposefully disobey me with a big smile on her face. Paige has also started mimicking my smile by squinting her eyes a lot and breathing heavily through her nose. I'm not sure if I'm flattered by this or not, but it's cute all the same. She follows me around the house and sits outside the bathroom while I'm busy, calling for me. She's an excellent helper when it comes to cleaning--she knows I do it so much, so I must enjoy it, and thus, she gives me more work to do. She loves to unfold laundry, so we've gotten into a habit of folding it while she's asleep. Paige is really good at playing on her own now, and I love silently watching her.

We've had an eventful few weeks. I attempted National Novel Writing Month in November and made it to 10,000 words (the goal was 50,000). Stephen was very supportive and encouraging and seemed more excited about it than I did most days, but it was fun to try. Maybe one year I'll follow through on that goal. 

Our family had a great Thanksgiving vacation. Stephen took the whole week off and we traveled to St. George to visit my parents and then to Page, AZ to visit my Grandma. It was nice to have so much time with them so we wouldn't have to feel rushed. We ate (too much) good food and I practiced hairstyles on my sisters. It was good for Paige to get so much extended family time, too. Grandma spoiled her and made her new clothes while we were there. 

Also, while Black Friday shopping, I hurt my back somehow. All I did was get out of a car, but suddenly my back hurt so much. I carried on for a while, and walking helped, but once I got back into the car and sat for a bit, standing up hurt all over again. Once I got home, I literally could not walk from the driveway to the front door. I collapsed on the patio for a while until I could crawl inside. I called my good friend and second mom, Janice, who is also a masseuse, to come help me. She brought some priesthood holders with her who helped Stephen give a blessing and then she taught me some stretches that made moving bearable. I did some icing and heating as well as took a pain killer. After a bit, I was able to walk, and while I was sore for the next few days, it got better. My back has been tender since, and if I push it too hard it hurts at the end of the day, but I'm just grateful to function, and grateful for the help I got.

I also celebrated my birthday since I last wrote. I'm officially 24 now. It feels a lot like being 23. I took the day off from cleaning and just hung out with Paige and watched TV. Stephen took me out for dinner that night. Overall, it was a casual but nice day. He also spoiled me with gifts. I got a new phone, which was the biggest present, as well as flowers, a sentimental card, a micro sd card, money to buy clothes, and some movies.

With the onset of December, we started decorating for Christmas. We had fun setting up the tree as a family and surprisingly Paige hasn't messed with the tree or the presents under it much. She decided it was too pokey, though she does like looking at the plastic balls that are low enough for her to reach. We also went to Salt Lake and walked around Temple Square to look at the lights. Stephen let me do some shopping while we were there too, and for him to clothes shop with me is a big deal. I've been doing a lot of shopping lately for Christmas, and so far, I've gotten some great deals. I also love getting things for Paige. Christmas is way more fun as a parent, even if she won't understand much this year. She especially didn't understand Santa when we took pictures with him, but I'm the crazy kind of person that thinks babies crying at Santa is hilarious and adorable.

In honor of Christmas, Stephen's work had a fancy dinner. He and I went to a tapas restaurant while Paige was babysat. It was a fun experience to try a lot of new foods. It was something we never would have done unless someone else hosted it, so I'm glad we had the opportunity. There was a get-to-know-you game where facts were matched up with the people. Stephen did the best out of everyone and won a giant gift basket of fun foods. I was proud of him. 

Besides all our events and outings, I've spent a lot of time at home. Stephen has been taking the car to work since it's been so cold, so that leaves me and Paige to spend time together inside our house. I've spent a lot of time doing family history work. I sent in a request for a feature on the app and was contacted to give more input. I've been invited to go to the Family History Center in Salt Lake for some User Experience evaluations. I haven't done it yet, but I'm excited for the opportunity. I feel very familiar with the system and I have ideas on how it can be improved. It would be neat to help those improvements happen.

Well, I think that's enough of a recap for now. We've been busy, but it's a good kind of busy. I love this time of year and I'm glad to have so many family and friends to share it with. Merry Christmas!

Peek-A-BOO!

Happy Halloween from the Rollins! I have been looking forward to this day for a while, mostly because I decided I wanted to throw a party. Paige is too young this year for us to justify trick-or-treating (probably next year, though I still think most of the candy won't go to her), but I want a reason to celebrate and dress up. I figured having a baby Halloween party would be a lot of fun. I scoured Pinterest for ideas and came up with some fun food and games for babies and toddlers. I made some cute invitations and took them around to neighborhood friends. I decided to focus on just those with young kids in my neighborhood to keep it smaller and manageable.

For our costumes, I knew I wanted Paige to be in a tulle dress. I think it's adorable and I knew I had to do it while she is too young to protest or have opinions of her own. We had a lot of white tulle left over from our wedding and I decided to use it to make a tooth fairy costume for her while Stephen and I dressed up as dentists with scrubs, masks, and toothbrushes. Her costume came out pretty cute if I say so myself. She didn't like wearing it the first few times I tried it on her (we think the tulle was itchy to her) but she's warmed up to it enough that she'll tolerate it now. It has a big white tulle dress, purple wings, and a head band with a felt tooth on it. I also made her a little felt tooth pillow to go with it. It was a lot of fun for me to make. 

For the party, I wanted to make it fun and special. We decorated with orange streamers and balloons. I made sensory bags out of trinkets from the dollar store (the bags leaked even after being sealed with duct tape, so I wouldn't do it again, but they were cute). I took a laundry basket and wove string through it to make a spider web and then hid blow-up pumpkins and ghosts under the web. I found some foam bats and foam stickers to let the toddlers have a craft. One of the biggest hits was the chalk table that I made a few months ago--I put the chalk in a pumpkin basket and the kids (and parents) had fun drawing. For food, I decorated string cheese like ghosts, peach cups like jack-o-lanterns, and made a cheese dip that had googly eyes. There was also punch with an ice hand. 

We had four families come with their babies and toddlers, and that seemed like the perfect amount. The babies had fun exploring and playing with the parents chatted. I'm grateful for such great neighbors and friends. Stephen was also a champ at helping me with everything. I couldn't have done it without him. Paige did well with so many people, though at the end, she was ready for a nap. It was fun to celebrate Halloween like this. We'll probably hand out candy for a little bit and go to the neighborhood potluck tonight, but I'm glad I had the party too. 

For Family Night a few weeks ago, we started our Halloween celebration by going to Witchfest at Gardner Village. I went a few days before with some friends and thought it was cute, so we went back as a family. They had a scavenger hunt to find the witch mannequin, and with a little help from strangers, we found them all and earned discounted cookies. 

Beyond Halloween, we've had a fun few weeks since I last wrote. Paige is sticking to her schedule pretty well, and still wants to eat all the time. I weighed her on my scale at home and it read 16.5 lbs, so she's still small, but growing enough that I'm not concerned. She's been pretty chatty lately. Stephen and I are competing to see if she'll say "mama" or "dada" first. While she hasn't giving a definitive answer to that debate, she does repeat "ah!" and "hi~!" It's fun to play parrot with her and try to get her to say things. Most of the time, she just babbles to herself, often in a high-pitch voice. She's also kind of waving at people, which is adorable.

I also finished Paige's Christmas stocking. I started working on it a year and a half ago, so I'm glad to finally say it's done. Both of our families had Bucilla stockings, so I'm glad to carry on the tradition. It was really good for me to learn to embroider too. I've used that new skill a few times already (like in making Paige's costume). I'm still trying to exercise more, thought I've learned that I'm a really bad vegetarian (and an even worse vegan). I'm all for eating fruits and veggies--we went to a really yummy stir fry place and I loaded my bowl with veggies--but it's hard for me to eliminate foods. I'm glad I'm learning and trying new things, even if they're not all successful.

In one last bit of news, the New Zealand team won the rugby world cup, and since Stephen served his mission in New Zealand, we were obligated to watch their victory and celebrate. I've decided rugby is a man sport and is a cross between football, soccer, and hockey. Still, it was fun to watch. Go All Blacks. 

Happy Halloween!

Eight is Great! (Clever Title, I know)

We have solved the sleep dilemma! The solution? Let her sleep. Yeah, brilliant, right? After consulting with family and with her doctor, we decided to do the cry-it-out method. I'm personally not a fan of that method, though I know it works for a lot of families.  We decided that we would let her cry for ten minutes before going in and helping her. I was nervous and tense, especially around midnight when she woke up and started crying. Stephen muted the baby monitor and set a timer for ten minutes. I could hear her though the wall though, and I had to lay there and listen to my baby cry. So sad!

But, after three or four minutes, we couldn't hear her anymore. Stephen turned on the monitor again and it was quiet. She had put herself back to sleep. That happened again a few more times that night and next night, but by the third night, she slept 12 hours without waking. Basically, she would wake for whatever reason, and we would go to her too quickly to allow herself to settle again. She got in the habit of eating overnight only because we continued to feed her overnight. If I had known the solution was to be less of a helicopter parent, I would have done that much sooner.

With her sleep stabilizing again, we decided to enforce a schedule on her that aligned with the clock. It's worked pretty well. She wakes up between 8 and 9 (that one wasn't forced, but rather a habit she developed. I don't wake her unless I have to!) and plays until her morning nap at 11. She doesn't always sleep for long--sometimes it's only twenty minutes, but usually 45 minutes or so--and then she's good until the afternoon. She'll get tired sometime around 3, give or take a half hour. She again does a short nap, and is nice and perky for Dad when he gets home. (Stephen has shifted his work schedule to go in at 8 and be done at 4. It's nice that he gets home so early.) She gets tired around seven, but if we let her nap then, she'd be up late into the night. Instead, we entertain her for an hour and put her to bed at 8. We've started singing a primary song to her and praying with her before she goes to bed as part of our routine. She puts herself to sleep almost 100% of the time now. We let her cry for no more than ten minutes, but usually, she's asleep within that time frame. 

When she's not sleeping, there's a good chance she's eating. Paige loves food as much as her mom does. She nurses less often now, but loves solids. She wants whatever I'm eating, whenever I'm eating, regardless of how recently she ate. I'm still keeping her on simple foods of fruits, vegetables, beans, Cheerios, Chex, and some starches like wheat bread, rice, and tortilla. She definitely is a fruit girl, and she already refuses to eat her vegetables (this may be a long battle, but I'm not ready to start fighting it yet). She loves food pouches, so I got some reusable ones, and that has been nice. She's mostly just curious about food and loves to taste all she can at least once. She's very vocal when she wants to eat--her cues are not mistakable, nor easy to ignore.

Paige's eating patterns will sometimes give her a very round tummy. It's pretty cute, actually (one of the few times in her life where such a round tummy will be considered "cute"), but in spite of that, she's still small. She's able to still fit into most of her 3-6 month clothing, as well as her 6-9 month clothes. She's also still in size 2 diapers, and the cost difference between them and size 3 make me happy she's small. She won't have an official check up until next month, so I'm not sure of her weight percentile, but comparing her to others I see, she's petite.

Her personality is very prominent. She's friendly, chatty, and smart. She's overall a pretty happy baby, though sometimes I feel like's she's fussier than she use to be. She knows where to come looking for us, too. I was holding her in the living room and told her "Daddy's coming home," and she immediately craned her neck to look down the hallway towards the front door. Another time, I was napping and Stephen was taking care of Paige when she crawled to my bedroom door and started patting it and calling for me. She will also apparently come fuss at the chair I normally sit in when I'm not around and she wants me.

It's also a lot of fun to play with Paige at this age. She is very interactive. She will tease us sometimes when she's crawling and we'll have to chase her down and catch her. She giggles the whole time as she's crawling away. She will also play pretty independently, and when she does, she sometimes does this high pitch voice with her toys as if she's imagining something and playing pretend with them. It's pretty adorable. 

She sits up very well now, so I feel comfortable putting her in the shopping cart seat. She likes the view, but doesn't sit still very well. She wants to turn and see all directions, and her feet sometimes sneak between the bars. I have to make sure she is buckled in nice and snug. She also sits in her stroller without the car seat insert, and this makes walks more fun. She has to be buckled in though or she'd squirm out of chair. She will lean forward and pull the back of her seat with her. It's hard to explain unless you've seen it, but just know that she's strong. When we first put her in the stroller that way, she held on to the sides tightly and wouldn't move much. Now, she's comfortable and relaxes into it. The other day while we were out shopping at City Creek Mall, Paige decided to prop her feet up on the tray in front of her and anytime we tried putting her legs back down, she'd swing them back up. Whatever makes her happy, I guess.

Now that we're all sleeping through the night again and following a schedule, life is much better and less chaotic. Paige is my buddy though the day as she accompanies me for errands and events. I've participated in some mommy group stuff, as well as spending time with friends, and that's helping my need for social interaction. We go on walks often--sometimes I justify going window shopping as a means of exercise, but it's all good. 

I'm trying to get back into a healthy routine. It's been kind of hard for me to define what "healthy" is lately. I've watched a few documentaries on Netflix about food and it's got me thinking and pondering a lot of things. I'm also trying to follow the Word of Wisdom better (a health code in my church) by not just avoiding the bad stuff, but also trying to eat meat "sparingly" and incorporate whole foods into my diet. I feel like it's just going to take experiments and experience to know what works for me and my body. I went to the doctor for a checkup for myself and hopefully with his help, I can get my body to function like I want it to. I had my blood tested and there's some potential concern with my levels, so keep your fingers crossed for me.

I've also been needing to get my eyes checked for a while now. Pregnancy changed my prescription, and though it wasn't too much off, it was still a noticeable difference. I had to switch from contacts to glasses also when I was pregnant and I've missed having that option. I went to an optometrist this past weekend and got everything checked and updated. While my frames are getting new lenses, I'm in contacts 100% for two weeks. My eyes have been freaking out over that, though. I was super dizzy all day yesterday and have had a headache. My eyes are very red and itchy and just sore (eyeballs can get sore, in case anyone was wondering). I'm going to check tomorrow with my optometrist to see what can be done, but if you saw me today and wondered if I was extremely sleep deprived or had been crying recently, I don't blame you.    

In other news, General Conference happened. It's basically a worldwide meeting for my church that is televised on a Saturday and a Sunday twice a year. For the women's session the week before the main weekend, my sisters came up from Provo to watch it with me. It was fun to spend time with them. The next weekend, we had even more family come over to watch the sessions. My mom and sister Rebecca drove up with a friend and spent a few nights with us. I always love when my mom comes to visit. It's fun for Paige to get extra attention, too. My sisters and brothers that live near me, as well as Stephen's brother, came on Saturday. It was a big party to have so many people over. I especially loved carrying on the tradition of going shopping in between sessions with the girls in the family. I've missed that since moving away. We played games and hung out and had a great weekend together. It was sad when everyone left, but I'm glad we got to be together, even if the time was short.

Stephen also went to Comic Con for a day. He took off work on a Friday and met up with a friend. He said it was weird to feel like he wasn't the nerdiest person in the room for a change, but still had a lot of fun. He didn't dress up, though he did wear the dragon shirt I gave him for his birthday and got compliments on it. Stephen also told me to mention how much I love him. Guys, he's the best husband ever. He has been cleaning a lot lately while I take care of Paige or just take a break. He supports my efforts to be healthy and develop my talents (I've been working on Paige's Christmas stocking I bought for her a year and a half ago that's still not done, but I'm close!). He may be an old man now, but as long as he's MY man, it's ok with me.

I also fall in love with him all over again when he plays with Paige. He can make her laugh so hard. I'll be in the other room listening to the two of them laughing and giggling. It's so fun to watch Stephen be a dad and to know Paige is loved and taken care of by him. I also love making Paige laugh. She's pretty ticklish, and I take advantage of that. While we still have our struggles in life, in the times when Stephen, Paige, and I are all laughing together, I know everything will be ok because we have our priorities right and can be a family forever.