What did you say?

I always love the funny stories I hear about toddlers learning new words, which sound remarkably similar to other inappropriate words. You know, words like- "fork" & "truck." When Carson learned to say "sit," I almost died. I couldn't figure out what on earth he was saying, and if it was the word I thought I heard... I'd have to moniter my own vocabulary for sure. Luckily, I quickly figured out that when I said, "Carson, sit down," he would respond with "sit." It all made sense, and I 'could 'sit' back, relax and silently chuckle each time I heard it.

Well, Carson's has a new word, which has become slightly embarrasing for Jeff and I. You see, we've been trying to teach Carson the words for different body parts. And no, this isn't what you're thinking, I'm talking about words like 'eyes,' 'ears,' ' mouth,' and 'nose.' And since I am pregnant, I will talk about my belly and show Carson my belly button.

I tried to teach him the word, "Belly Button" the other day, and he picked it up quickly. He started out by calling it a "Belly Butt." Then he dropped the word "belly" and started calling it a "butt." Then in got worse! He started pointing at Jeff's nose and would repeat the word "butt... butt....butt"over and over again. It seems he thinks that the word "belly button" means "hole." So, anything that has a hole... he calls a butt. When we are in public, like the docotor's office for example, he will point at strangers faces and say, "butt."
And I say, " No. That's a nose, not a belly button," in an attempt to clear up any confusion by him pointing at their face and calling them a "butt."

My second favorite experience in the waiting room yesterday, was Carson pointing at pictures of Jesus and repeating the word "hot." Not an adjective usually used to descibe pictures of the Savior.

Needless to say, it's always an interesting experience to hear what Carson has to say now, especially in public. I'm sure people wonder what we're teaching him.

Hey, at least we're teaching him, right?

True Love

Jeff called his mom on Wednesday to ask if she'd watch Carson on Saturday afternoon, so that we could celebrate Valentines Day. She agreed. Then she told Jeff... to tell me... that their Stake was having a Valentines Dance that evening, and we should go.

"Okay. I'll tell her," were his words as he hung up the phone. Then he went back to studying. I looked at him for a moment, waiting for a message to be relayed, and he said nothing.
"What did she say?" I asked.
"Oh. She said that was fine," he said with his eyes glued to his laptop.
"Great. What did she want you to tell me?"
Not looking up he said, "There is a Stake dance that night and she said we are welcome to come."

I got really excited and responded with, "Ooooooo.... we're going!!!!" (There may have been some clapping on my part) "Do you want me to get the swing dance video from the library so we can practice?"
"Um, no." Jeff responded.

You see, Jeff is great to humor me at home. So, when I bring home "Learn How to Swing," an instructional DVD from the library, he'll dance with me. And he'll dance with me in the kitchen,and other rooms of the house, but NEVER in public. In fact, we've only danced together...in public...ONCE! It was our Wedding Day.

Jeff is a crack-up at home, but somewhat reserved in public. He wouldn't choose to embarrass or humiliate himself without just cause. I, on the other hand, would volunteer for it.

So, in honor of Valentines Day... I invite you see how much my husband TRULY LOVES me, by showing never before seen footage of our First (and only) Dance in public. (P.S. Even I'm embarrassed to watch it)




I love you, sweetheart!

P.S. He's probably going to make me delete this post. SO watch it quick!

The 411 on Baby #2- and other math problems

A dear friend called me yesterday to congratulate me on being pregnant. It seems she had no idea that I was expecting, but saw the baby ticker on our blog.

Jeff met with a member of the bishopric on Sunday to renew his temple recommend, and the counselor confessed that he was curious about whether or not I was pregnant, but he was afraid to ask... in case he was mistaken.

Sometimes even my own bother sees me at Sunday dinner and says, "Oh yeah, you're pregnant."

If this is the first you've heard of my pregnancy, then you are probably not alone. I've been meaning to write this post forever, and it is solely dedicated to answering the most common questions that Jeff and I get about this pregnancy.

Question #1- You're pregnant/ Was it planned?
Short Answer: Yes. No accidents here.

Long Answer:
I, like many of my dear friends, had no idea how long it would take to get pregnant. After Jeff and I were married, we prevented pregnancy for 2 months, but both felt strongly prompted that we weren't supposed to postpone having children. I was 25, Jeff and I had good jobs and Bachelors Degrees. What were we waiting for?

I had had ovulation problems in the past, and wasn't sure if it would be an easy road... but it was. Two weeks later- I was pregnant with Carson. I had a perfectly healthy pregnancy, BUT... I wasn't the easiest pregnant woman to deal with, because--- Jen + Hormones = Mood Swings.

Once Carson was born, I wanted my body back! I wanted to remember who I was without hormones. So, Jeff and I made the conscience decision to say "no" to birth control. We decided to let the Lord help us with our family planning, and were more than happy to accept the consequences. Our hope was to have children that were 18 months apart. (Apparently, you really do forget how horrible pregnancy is after the baby is born, because all we saw was our precious baby boy!)

Again, we didn't know how long it would take for us to get pregnant. We thought, "Maybe Carson was supposed to come that quickly and we would struggle to have #2." That wasn't the case.

It was early August, and I was feeding Carson Gerber Green Beans for breakfast. I opened the jar and started to gag. Later that morning, as I was rinsing the dishes, the smell made me want to throw up. Then the realization hit, "I'm pregnant!" I walked to the dollar store, bought 3 pregnancy tests, and confirmed my suspicions.

We were shocked, because I was nursing and not menstruating, and elated, because we were bringing another child into our family.

Question #2: How far apart will your children be?
Answer: 16 1/2 months

Question #3: Why don't you talk about it?
Short Answer: We do, especially to the people that we see on a regular basis, but we waited for a few months to tell everyone else.

Long Answer:
We waited for a couple of reasons; One, we wanted to make sure my body was ready to carry another baby. Two, I wanted Carson to be a little older, so we didn't look completely crazy. Three, I was hoping to avoid comments like, "You do know what causes that, right?" Four, I hate when people only talk to me about my pregnancy and I become known as a "pregnant lady." Five, it helped me avoid complaining about feeling sick and uncomfortable all the time.

Jeff and I posted the gender of the baby on Facebook back in November, and have made a few comments since then, but it hasn't been well 'publicized.' I will say this though, a discrete pregnancy is a quick pregnancy. When people don't remind you that you're pregnant all the time... it's a lot easier to forget.

Question #4: When are you due? Is it a boy or a girl?
Answer: April 10th; It's a girl.

Question # 5: Are you excited?
Short Answer: Yes, and scared, and confused, and anxious, and happy, and tired, and emotional, and fat.

Long Answer: I am very excited! We'll have a boy and girl, and they will be close in age and lifelong friends. However, as almost any mother will tell you--- it doesn't seem real until you're holding your baby in your arms. So, I don't believe she's really coming!!! And in those rare moments when I do believe it, I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders. [2 children under 18 months = A lot of diapers/ patience & persevering. ]

Question #6: How are you doing?
Short Answer: We're good.

Long Answer:
Carson is happy and healthy. He's a silly little boy who's very active, curious, and highly dramatic. The kid is hilarious and keeps us smiling! We're very thankful that he meets milestones early and is becoming more and more independent each day. Plus, he gives great hugs to his highly emotional, tired Mommy.

Mommy, that's me, is doing well. This pregnancy has been very similar to the last, except I haven't gained as much weight, because I'm always chasing a toddler around, and I can still eat meat. I don't sleep well, which can lead to emotional breakdowns, but I am coping well.

Daddy, that's Jeff, is good. He's in his second semester of Graduate School at BYU, and has had a pregnant wife throughout all of his graduate studies. He's dealing incredibly well. It hasn't been easy for him, because he's had to deal with morning sickness in the First trimester, and Mood Swings in the Second. He's also going to school full-time, working 20 hours a week as a computer programmer, and has a toddler who misses him at home. To top it all off, the baby is due 6 days before his finals are scheduled to start. I guess you could say that he's feeling some pressure too.

So, overall.... we're good.
------------------
Those are most common questions that we get when people find out that I'm pregnant. I don't really have any pictures of my pregnancy, but I'll have to take one soon (Or else I won't be pregnant in it), and will post it for all to see.

Now you know!

Fun with Scissors

Carson likes getting his haircut, and we finally got it on video. Enjoy!