I Love Pumpkins!

Especially when they're this cute!

Lana Eats!

Last week we tried feeding Lana some rice cereal. She didn't know what to think, and then didn't really care for it too much. She only lasted a couple of minutes. Here's a video that shows her first attempt at solid food.

Two years just flies by......

....when you're married to Dan.
Yup, can you believe it's been two years? It seems like only last week I was worried about flowers that were locked in the reception hall (they were, we just picked up new ones at the grocery store), worried about my hair not looking the way I wanted it to (it ended up looking way better than I expected), hoping I wouldn't cry when it was my turn to say wedding vows (my voice cracked a bit, but I kept it together), wondering if the food would be ready and delicious when guests arrived at the reception hall (it was fabulous and on-time because all my family worked so hard to make it so) and just full of all the typical wedding day jitters. It all turned out fine. We both said 'I do' when we were supposed to and just like that, we went from being two single people, to one married couple.

Now that we've been married for two years, I can honestly say I can't imagine my life being any different. Dan 'gets' me and my oddities and doesn't really question them, just accepts and loves. He knows I am quick to doubt myself and my abilities and he diffuses all my negative thoughts before they have a chance to take root. He's the first to tell me I'm a great wife and mother when I feel as if I'm failing the remedial course in both subjects. He's the one who washes, cuts and bags my carrots nearly every evening for my lunch the next day. He's the one who doesn't mind that the bed usually doesn't get made. He's the one I snuggle with and the one who tickles me until I think I'm going to cry.

Even though it's been two full years, I still feel like we're newlyweds. Dan is still the person I want to share a funny story with, or vent about my day too. He's still the one to validate my point of view. He's my biggest advocate and my number one fan, and I hope he knows I am the same for him.

I spent the three months of our engagement reading every marriage 'how-to' book I could find. I was certain that there had to be some magic secret to having a great marriage. I didn't find the answer in any book in the library. Instead, I've spent the last two years discovering it for myself. I won't claim to have all the answers, but for me, the very best answer is having Dan for a husband.

An Update From Lana

Hello. Mommy is busy, so I'm doing the update today. First off, I'm now 4 months old. Can you believe that? It feels like I've been around for way longer than that. What in the world did Mommy and Daddy do before I got here? I think I make their lives more exciting and more fun. Last weekend was my Dedication. Mommy and Daddy took me to the front of the church and I got to see all the people. Pastor Mark is my new friend and he held me and prayed for me and all the people prayed too. Mommy and Daddy promised that they would always teach me about God and Jesus. My Oregon Grandparents came to the Dedication and they visited me and told me I was getting so big and that I was precious. Some of my Lynden family came too. Uncle Dean and Aunt Lyndsey held me and smiled at me and thought I was so pretty. My cousins, Avery and Kenzie were so fun. They like to play with Alison and Sadie and Grant, but they played with me too. They tickled me and sang songs to me. Pretty soon I'll be big enough that I can keep up with them.

Today was my day to visit Dr. Mike. He's very nice and he smiled at me and made me laugh. The nurse weighed and measured me. I weigh 14 lbs 1 oz and am 25.25 inches long. Mommy says I'm probably going to be tall. At the end, the nurse came back in and made me drink icky stuff that made me cry. Then she gave me two shots in my leg. It hurt so bad and I was so mad. I screamed really loudly and Mommy rocked me and loved on me until I felt better. I was cranky this evening, but I'm okay now. I even have a tweety bird band-aid.

Mommy also got me a new chair. I can sit at the table with Mommy and Daddy when they have dinner. I keep hearing that they're going to start feeding me solids, but Mommy says not until I can sit in my chair for a few minutes without fussing. I didn't last very long in the chair today. Maybe I'll do better tomorrow.

Random Bits

Here are a few random bits from our week.
1. Last weekend was Lana's Dedication at Church. It was really cool and Lana behaved wonderfully. She smiled at Pastor Mark and I think she liked being up there in front of all the people. My parents and Dan's brother, Dean and his family, along with our Pullman friends and family were there to share in the happy time. I'll post pictures another time.
2. This is Lana's first craft project. I think she did a great job.

3. This is my most recent craft project. I copied the idea from a crafting blog and put my own spin on it. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

4. For dinner tonight, I made chicken fried steak, gravy, steamed veggies, these potatoes and brownies. I think Dan just fell in love with me all over again.
5. Lana is bald and it doesn't appear that she's going to get hair anytime soon. Several friends have shared stories about how their babies were bald and then by month 4 or 6 or 8, they'd suddenly get hair. Well, Lana is 3 days away from 4 months and her hair situation has not improved. It's okay Lana-bean. I guess you'll get hair when you're good and ready too.

6. Because Lana is bald, she wears a hat whenever we go outside. She has lots of hats, but right now, this purple ear hat is my favorite. It might be her favorite too. Do you see her smile?
7. Her 4-month doctor's appointment is on Monday. I'm nervous for the shots already. I am excited to see how much she's grown though. I see her everyday, so I don't really notice, except when I have to move her up in diaper sizes or retire clothes that are too small.

8. One year ago, I was throwing up nearly every day and tired and miserable. I'd do that 1000 times over again to get my baby Lana in the end. She makes it all very, very worth it.

My morning....

Okay here goes. Here's a running commentary of my morning.
Good morning Husband, so nice of you to serve as my human alarm clock. You are much more pleasant than that annoying buzzer. I love that we get to spend these few minutes together in the morning. What? Oh, I have to actually get out of the nice warm bed. Sigh. Oohkay. Sigh. Time to pump. Oh the price my body pays to feed my child. Totally worth it though. I happened to check out the price of formula in the grocery store. That stuff's expensive. No fancy-schmancy stuff for our girl. It's homemade for you all the way Baby Girl. Thank you Husband for bringing me my cup of coffee. You're the best. Time to make up the bottles and pack the pumping bag for work. Check the time. Hey, I might actually have enough time for breakfast this morning. Maybe I'll even get the bed made. Get dressed, do hair. Why won't my hair ever fix the way I want it to? Briefly fantasize about chopping off hair in a short, modern, chic do. Then I remember that doing so would make Dan very sad. Okay long hair, you can stay, for now. Bye Dan. Love you. Have a good day. Get Lana up. Good morning Sweetheart. I'm so glad you slept well. Oh your morning smiles just melt my heart. Yay! your pajamas and bedding are all clean. Let's get you dressed. Purple today? You look lovely in purple. Well, actually, you look lovely in everything. But I may be biased. Time for breakfast for you. Whoa, slow down frat-boy. No need to chug it. Holy smokes that was a big burp, and another. Good, no tummy bubbles. Big happy, contented smiles. Oh I love this baby. Check the clock, plenty of time for a bowl of Cheerios, and I shouldn't forget my vitamins. Okay, play time for you for a few minutes while Mommy eats. Rinse bowl, leave in sink. Apparently I do not have the extra 4.5 seconds it would take to put said bowl in the dishwasher. Gather day's necessities, go through checklist in my head. Lana's three bags of milk? Check. My work bag with lunch? Check. Wallet? Check. Pumping bag? Check. Take everything out to the car, start the car and get the heat running. Dang, it's chilly this morning. Okay Baby, time to load up. Let's put on your cute white jacket. I love the bright flowers. Oh, and a hat. Your little bald head needs to be covered. When are you going to get some hair? Let's go with the yellow hat today, it looks nice and warm.

Why are your fingers in your mouth? Could you possibly be teething? I'll have to read up on that later. Turn you around to check your clothes. Good, they still look clean. Let's not have any last-minute blow-outs this morning, okay Lana? Good Girl! Wait, what was that? You're burping time should be over. Oh no, seriously, it that white spit-up on my coat? And on my jeans? And on the carpet? And not a drop on you? Of course. Grab a damp rag, clean up as best as possible. Check the time. Running two minutes behind. The bed is not getting made today. Sigh, maybe tomorrow. Put Lana in her car seat, stick the bink in her mouth. Tell her to shush when she starts fussing. Load us both in the car. Nearly hit Husband's truck as I back out of the garage. That would not be good. I hear fussing from the backseat. Sorry Lana-bean, I really can't do much for you from here. Turn the radio on. Ugh, Rascal Flatts. Baby screams. It's okay Baby, I'll change it, I don't really like them either. Okay, how about Jeremy Camp. Lana, we like him, remember? No response, but at least she's quiet. She's probably fallen asleep. Wow, the sky is sure pretty this morning. Wave to the drivers of the cars I see every morning. We don't know each other, but we're buddies. Get to Patti's. Get Lana out of her seat. Grab her milk and her bink. Good morning Patti. Big smiles from Lana. Kisses and I love yous for my girl. I'm excited for her. Today is library day. I am so happy she's experiencing the library and the whole 'reading culture' at such a young age. Off to work for me. Campus isn't crazy yet. I get my parking spot. Gather my bags and walk up to the lab. Okay, work time. Time to be 'on.' Wait a minute. Haven't I been 'on' all morning?