books make you smart

barnes & noble-

b&n in union square NYC

tonight i found myself at your store.
y'know the one next to old navy and right down the street from target and cafe rio?
now that's what i consider a perfect neighborhood!

i stopped in to pick up a little after-Christmas gift.
i only planned on running in and out lickety-split.
but the smell of coffee and new books drew me in and soon i was aimlessly wandering the aisles.
i'm pretty sure i could live forever in a bookstore (as long as there was a yummy cafe attached)
there is nothing like holding a new book in your hand-
the smell, the uncreased binding, the crisp pages.... oh lovely day!

i treated myself to a cinnamon scone and spent 10 blissfully silent minutes perusing the magazine racks.
i know this will sound dumb to most people but i cannot explain how much i needed those 10 minutes.
i have felt so lost this last month,
i think it's partly due to Christmas stress (and we even kept it simple this year!) and the fact that i'm always looking ahead.
i'm always talking/planning/dreaming about the day jank graduates.
"when he graduates we will.... move, buy a house, have another child, travel, go to a play, go skiing, buy real furniture, join a gym...."

i'm not saying the planning ahead is a bad thing.
it's just that when i get my head full of 'somedays', i don't take time to appreciate my 'today'
it's amazing that stuffing a scone in my mouth and reading about kim kardashian can produce a profound thought.
but it did.
and i think i have nailed down my new year's resolution-
enjoy today.

thank you barnes & noble- i'll be back for more scone + wandering soon.

gratefully,

mrs jank


.

the obligatory kid in front of the tree pic

Christmas went by too fast this year 

(doesn't it every year?)

i think it was partially due to the fact that i worked Christmas day.

but it was grand nonetheless and kate had a ball with her cousins and new toys.

i always try to take as many pictures as possible since i'm a horrible photographer.

seriously it takes at least 50 photo tries to get one measly good pic.

my attempts at the 'present-lined-Christmas-tree and kid' photo-

and the final product (after a little antiquing because the original color looked funny)

all fancied up for the big day at G+G hansen's house

i'll have to try again later this week at BB's house when we celebrate Christmas with my folks.

.

ho ho ho

dear santa-

our new tv- isn't she a beauty!

you dropped off our present a little early.
but we're not ones to complain about something like that.
in fact, we were overjoyed.
you should've seen jank's face-
he truly looked like a 6 year old on Christmas morning.
i wish i had videotaped it.

when we first hooked it up the picture was quite blurry and we were so bummed.
but after a visit from the comcast man who provided us with the proper HD equipment,
we were watching nadal and federer as if we were right there in the stands.
jank couldn't quit saying 'kayla come see! it's awesome!!'
he interrupted me at least 5 times with the exact same request- 'come see!'

he's like a 6 year old that way.
he's so easily pleased.
every meal he eats is 'the best meal ever!'
and so it goes with our new tv,
every game/channel/movie is the 'best thing ever!'

i'm over the moon about it too.
i mean, who doesn't want to watch elmo in HD??
just kidding, i'm sure my HGTV will be amazing in high def also
(that is if jank will let us watch anything other than espn)


THANK YOU to santa and his 4 elves-
kevin+diane and bob+kathy
(also known as moms and dads)
to say we love our present would be an understatement.



ps. thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you


pps. did i mention THANK YOU!!



ppps. jank already made me move my reindeer because it was obscuring his view of some random person in the crowd. augh men!

.

a post where i lose my cool

to the elves at my work:


i don't know who you are but thank you so much for your kindness.
you put 2 movie passes in my box at work.
i heart you.

going to the movies ranks in my top 5 favorite things to do.
thankfully i married a man who shares my passion.
it's awesome that he races to get to the theater so we don't miss the previews.
AND he never thinks popcorn and soda are a waste of money (which they totally are)

we used your movie passes last saturday night.
we weren't planning on using them but we sure were glad to have them.
it's a long story but one i will want to remember so indulge me.....

our Christmas tree. amazingly katers hasn't ripped it to shreds.

we were supposed to go to the Christmas concert put on by the MoTab choir.
we've gone the last couple of years and always have a good time.
(jank still insists that sissel was the best and i must agree)
so we donned our gay apparel, rounded up a babysitter and headed to the city.

our first problem was parking.
as usual the public lots were packed.
but we weren't fussed- we planned ahead and arrived nice and early.
we circled the lot until we saw someone loading up their car.
i surveyed the scene to make sure no one else had already called dibs on the spot.
we didn't see anyone so i put my blinker on and politely waited.

as i was pulling into the spot there appeared a lady in a white coat standing right next to our spot.
the lady said "this is our spot so you're going to need to leave"
i'm pretty sure i just stared at her for a moment with a dumbfounded look on my face.
i thought she was kidding.
she was sooooo not kidding.

lady- "you need to leave. we were here first"
me- "no you weren't. i checked"
lady- "you need to leave. it's our spot"
me- "no"

(can i just add that jank is sitting in the passenger seat looking a little frightened- he hates unpredictable people. especially when i'm being stubborn with them)

lady- "we have a kid in the car so you'll have to move"
me- "um, i'm already parked with my keys out of the ignition so i don't think i'll be leaving but thanks"
me-  "jank, get out now. we're leaving"
lady- "are you going to the Christmas concert? are you LDS? that's bulls**t"
me- no response. we took the high ground and just walked away dumbfounded. and so incredibly irritated. i really contemplated smacking her. (i still get all steamed up just thinking about her)

as we walked we wondered if she would key our car.
(she didn't)
but at least it gave us something interesting to discuss while we waited in the cold for an hour.
seriously the line for the concert was absurd.
everyone had to be screened and the people doing the screening were all over the age of 75 and moving like molasses.
augh. my patience was wearing thin at this point.

i wasn't concerned about getting in.
we had tickets and we were there with time to spare.
but some genius decided to over ticket the concert by about 500.
no joke.
when we were 2 people away from getting in,
they turned us all away without barely an apology.
party foul.

i was irate.
i demanded hot chocolate and to speak to someone.
i got neither.
so off we went.

i was so disappointed.
a babysitter.
all dressed up.
Christmas concert.
date night ruined....

until i remembered the free movie passes!
we headed to the theater and picked out 'the tourist'
we had some time to kill so we wandered around anthropologie.
i wanted everything, as usual.
but bought nothing- aren't i disciplined?!
then jank bought me an ice cream cone for the movie
and for 2 hours i didn't think about that stupid lady and her stupid comment or the concert.

so thank you thank you thank you, whoever you are.
you saved date night and made me realize not all utahns are ridiculous.


.

in a hospital in MN

BROTHER BRANDON:


it turns out you do have nine lives.
but if you could please stop using them up so quickly we would all appreciate it.
you're only 28 for heaven's sake!

i can't believe a wall fell on you...
how do these things happen!?!?

i hope your femur heals quickly.
4-6 months of recoup sounds miserable.
at least you have a good wife to take care of you,
and mom and dad are close by.


i remember when we were teenagers and we would get home about the same time on weekend nights.
i was always so mad that you beat me and you got to choose what tv show we watched.
we would sit at the kitchen counter and eat cold cereal and watch star trek reruns.
i always complained about how dumb that show was.
i still don't like it but whenever i see the old school star trek uniforms it makes me think of you.

so i hope you get to watch as much star trek as you want.


heal fast.
listen to your doctors.
and be nice to your nurses.

love you!



ps. i have a feeling you might put on some weight due to the high volume of Christmas cookies you guys made. these pics make me miss home. sad.

yuuuuuuuuum

B+K showing off their mad decorating skillz

.

oh wow

image courtesy of the internet because we're lame and didn't take any pictures

hi love

just wanted to say thanks for taking me out to see the Christmas lights.

thanks for taking time away from your masters project.

(stupid masters project)

i think that candy cane hot cocoa is the best we've ever had.

even though i drank too much and got a stomachache.

(sorry i spilled some on you)

i wonder how many more times i can use parentheses.

(probably a million- i'm addicted)

can't wait to spend the next week with you.

hooray for mandatory Christmas break!!

as elmo says-

kiss kiss

ps. my favorite part was kate saying "oh wow" in her little tiny voice when she saw the lights.

.

no, i am NOT a punching bag

katie grace!
(to be yelled firmly in a southern accent)

i used to love running errands.
i once told my mom if i were given a free day to do anything i would choose to accompany someone on their errands.
i am very aware that this is weird.
i just think it's fun to tag-along with someone else and see how they do things and where they go.
(this excludes grocery stores and other boring errands. i only desire fun errands to new places i've never been to)

but my love of errand running ceased once i had you.
the hassle of the car seat when you were a baby was too much for me.
in and out.
in and out.
and you were heavy.
ok, not you per se, but the car seat+you= offta!

i used to say once you were a toddler it would be easier.
you could walk and sit in a cart and all would be merry.
well, about that.... you see, having the ability to walk also means you can run from me.
something you did about ten times yesterday.
my heart stopped beating twice when i thought i lost you.
(turns out you were just petting the fake doggie at old navy)

i handled the running away quite well.
i calmly found you and redirected you to where we needed to go.
it was the hitting me in the face because i wouldn't let you play with the credit card machine at checkout that did me in.
i know you don't completely understand yet how rude it is to smack someone when you don't get your way.
and because of this fact, i forgive you.
but i promise if you start making a habit of it, you will be in timeout until you're two.
don't test me little one.
you get your stubbornness from me and i've got 20+ years of stubborn on you.

you redeemed yourself by being so cute at the bookstore.

ps. love you stinker bum

.

maybe i just need some figgy pudding

to the bringers of holiday cheer-


why haven't you visited our home yet?
jank and i are both sensing your lack.
the magic is missing...


i have always loved Christmastime.
i love snow and twinkle lights and music.
i love cookies and fudge and (let's just be honest) anything with sugar.
i love the corner santas ringing their bells.
i love feeling like i'm a part of something so much greater than little old me.
i really love the magic of the whole season.

miss kate last year.

oh boy, i want to kiss and squish those cheeks.

but this year i'm finding myself a little shy on the holiday cheer.
and i don't know why.
i've spent the last week analyzing it and i have no answer.
so instead of worrying about my lack of Christmas joy,
i decided to get down to business and just go out and find it.


my holiday cheer seeking mission will include:

kate and i reading a Christmas book by the tree every night.
more dancing to Christmas music with katers (more than usual).
evening drives to look at Christmas lights while sipping hot cocoa.
making holiday goodies-- i just found a new recipe that i'm dying to try.
jank and i will attend the MoTab's Christmas concert and see the lights at temple square.
i will get the presents out of hiding and wrap them (it's one of my favorite activities. i'm odd, i know)

and the end-all, cure-all.......
i will watch white christmas.


hopefully i will find the magic i'm lacking.



ps. what is figgy pudding????? and is it even good????


.

kate learns to write!

hi EEEEE-

 "EEEEE" is what kate calls liz

it's been a few days since i saw you last and i miss you already.
i want you to come over and play with me.
we can bang on the closet doors.
we can hid in the living room blinds and pull them down.
we can watch "raaaaaaar" (madagascar)
we can read christmas books-
mom and i went to a new library today and we got a bunch of new ones.


mommie says we can't play until i feel better.
i told her i'm all better but she wants to make sure i'm not still contagious.
i'd feel terrible if you got sick because of me.
mommie got me sick and then i got dada sick-
but it's ok because he stayed home today so i could play with him.


maybe we can go back to the aquarium.
or to the library because guess what liz?!?
they have a big elmo there and he's really cool.
i kept yelling "ELMO" because i wanted to play with him and mommie kept saying
"shhhh kate. use your library voice"
i gave her my stinkeye look- i don't like being quiet.
that'll teach her to shush me.

hope to see you soon!

love,

kate

.

breaking news

dear world,

i would like you to meet kate's pigtails:

these piggies have been a loooooong time coming.
what started as a cute little curl at the nape of her neck is quickly growing into a mullet.
i even trimmed the little curl a few weeks ago in hopes of maintaining a non-trailer park look.
i've tried clips and hair gel and even considered those atrocious flowers the size of her head that seems to be all the rage.
(ok, i only considered the flowers for a minisecond but i just can't do it.)
i was getting desperate and kate was wearing a hat everywhere she went.
thankfully it's winter and that sort of thing is smiled upon.

but then a few days ago i realized her i could torture her tiny hairs into pigtails.
and i do mean torture-- she nows winces whenever i touch her head.
whoops.

she looks like a 'who' from the grinch stole christmas and i deem it adorable.
and maybe, just maybe the "what a cute boy" comments will cease.
it's only been 19 months people.
i think it's time.

we took kate to a splinting workshop at my work and practiced our splinting

skills on her. turns out splinting a toddler is nearly impossible.

.

how to waste an hour or two

Dearest IKEA:

i have always loved you but now that i have a toddler,

i love you more.

so many bright colors.

fun carts that never steer right but allow for spinning in circles.

a child's playland....

essentially the perfect place to spend an hour.

especially when a certain mommie needs to buy stools for her new kitchen.

(why does moving always necessitate spending money???)

couzies playing

(thanks for the OBVIOUS caption kayla)

lizamagoo's whipping us up an omelette.

oh wait, none of us like eggs. gross!

can you spot my mom behind the swinging chair holding it still so i can snap a pic?

ps. you are all welcome for the super crisp and in-focus pictures. i do what i can to bring awesomeness to the internet.

.

sick day..... again. seriously? again?!?!

totally unrelated picture... 

babies in jammies dancing in our new kitchen

i swear no one gets the flu as much as i do.
what's up with that???
i'd blame it on working in the ER but i haven't worked in days so that's not it.
i guess i just have a really crappy immune system.... not cool.

i woke up yesterday at 7 am and just knew i was going to puke.
i finally succumbed to the nausea at 730 and it was awful.
repeat horrible chain of events at 9 and 1030 and there you have my morning.

thankfully kate was a gem yesterday and was more than happy to watch elmo and dinosaur train for hours while i laid helpless on the couch.
she didn't cry or try to touch me while i puked
(i was so worried about her sticking her hand in the toilet)
she just stood there watching me and saying "uh oh" and then "bu-bye" when i flushed.
that made me smile.

jank came home early because of some government hoopla at the VA which he wasn't allowed to be a part of.
thank you US government!
he tended to katers' needs and let me take a nap.
i love that man.
although he did make hashbrowns that forced me to lay on the bathroom floor for 30 min.


and just in case you're thinking the same thing i was at 730am.... i am NOT pregnant.
the first thing i did after puking was pee on a stick.
one line, not two.
thank you IUD.


so there's the summation of my yesterday.
i'm feeling almost top-notch today.
now if i can just get kate to stop resisting her nap so i can shower....



.

double k

miss k bell:

kelli and i missed you greatly at lunch the other day.

double k is grand, but triple k is preferred.

i won't torture you with a post full of pictures of our fantastic meal.

but let me just show you the chocolate fondue that we had....

at least this is what was left  after 2 seconds.

we seriously inhaled it.

sorry we all suck at communicating.

next time dinner, desert and a movie to make up for it.

just text me your available nights in january-

once the work sched is available of course.

ps. should i be addressing you as CHARGE NURSE BELL???

.

a daddy's girl

Jank-

i would like you to meet your mini-you:

she did this all on her own.

she found the box full of your old bball jerseys and put them all on.

no prompting from me- except i did give her the roll to munch on 

(because only awesome moms give their kids leftover rolls for breakfast. duh)

i can't get over how attached to you she is right now.
she cries when you leave the room and smiles huge when you return.
you can be modest and say that it's just a phase, but i know you LOVE it.
and i know you never want it to end.
no fear my love, i don't think it will end soon.



.

an apartment full of boxes

mom-

we miss you already.
i miss your funny ideas, like this one:

"box seats" for all the elmo watching this little one desires

right now we're decorating the christmas tree while katers sleeps.
jank was pleasantly surprised to find out that his OB rotation ended at 1030 today.
i'm so excited to have him home today to help with kate.
her teeth are still bugging her-- she was up six times last night!

thanks again for all the help with the move and organizing and meals and fun.
love you!

see you soon


.

boxes and piles

i'm deeming this last move the most successful one yet.

(and i consider myself a professional since we've moved 4 times in 5.5 years)

we loaded, moved and unloaded in 2 hours.

thanks to all the helpers!

katers loving the chaos

(i had to sneak over to the old apartment to gather some stray items and couldn't resist the temptation to throw you all some blog love. we won't have internet until wednesday at the new place.... UGH!!

see you then!)

silent night, soul-stirring night

welcome mr winter!

ready for the blizzard

i've missed you mr winter.

i've missed your magic of snow falling.

i love how quiet and bright the world is after your snowstorms.

i guess it's kind of like life right now-

we're in the middle of a storm but shortly it will pass.

this time next week we will be moved and unpacked, jank will have completed 

the proposal for his masters project and his surgery rotation will be over.

hallelujah.

he warned me tonight that december will be as bad as november (school wise)

i told him not to worry because i have christmas music to listen to.

that always makes me smile

(i've been listening since halloween- can't help myself)

keep bringing the snow mr winter-

i need the stillness and the beauty.

******

i sit typing this at 1:00 am while my loves sleep.

i keep looking out my office window and marveling at the silent world-

interrupted only briefly by the snow plows clearing the parking lot.

i'm going to miss this place.

this is where i became a mom.

this is where kate learned to walk and talk.

this is where i struggled and conquered.

(and now i'm choked up and need to snuggle my man)

.

let the indoor activities begin

Ty-

just wanted to send a quick thank you your way for the fun day last week at discovery gateway!

it was a much needed change in our daily activities.

normally, this is how kate stimulates her brain:

she's a sorter and an organizer and she loves to simply move items from room to room.

it's hilarious to watch.

i was happy to hear that your toddler does it too.

(it's always nice to hear that your kid is normal)

 love that kate found the one elmo book in the whole place. i had to hide it after awhile

kate sorting the garden and working in the construction zone

i was bummed i didn't snap any pictures of the "ball beehive" or whatever it's called.

that was obviously the toddler fav.

pretty sure kate exclaimed "ball, ball, ball" for 30 minutes straight.

so easy to please.

meet krew. kate's future man. dibs!

thank you again for taking us.

it was awesome.

once the move is over (augh) let's get the kiddo's together again.

.

no more volunteering for the sick

you know when you are in charge of taking a meal to a sick neighbor and you put extra thought and effort into that meal and you make sure it's perfect and you put the lid on the crockpot and don't worry about it until you check on it 4 hours later and you realize you somehow turned the crockpot off and you have cold chicken, rice and veggies just waiting to make someone sick?


oh you don't know what that's like?

i do.

it sucks.


that neighbor ended up with a pizza for dinner.





.

roast, cheesy potatoes, green beans and craziness

 jank-

i owe you a big thank you for making this video happen.
i wasn't planning on filming round 2 of "meet kate" at the dinner table but you two had quite the act going on.
you babbled nonsense, she would babble back.
and so on, and so on, and so on....
it was awesome.
until it was annoying (just kidding, you never annoy me. (yeah right))

i've watched this 4 times already and i'm still laughing.

it's the wolf... it kills me every time.

maybe next time i'll set the camera down so it's not so shaky.

remind me, ok?

enjoy:

episode two

.

someday those boys will understand

.

saturday afternoon.

one of my favorite things to do is watch kate fall asleep.

i'm kind of addicted to it.

today a coworker who shall remain nameless (jesse) said to me "man, i never want to be a mom!"
i didn't take offense.
in fact, i almost agreed.
at that exact moment he was helping me haul a heavy box into work while i juggled a squirming kate who kept pulling her hat off, a very full bag, a blankie, a stethescope, and the ever important elmo book.
i'm sure i looked all sorts of disorganized which is unfortunate because i actually felt like i had it together.

we were headed into staff meeting and i was more than a little nervous about taking the kiddo to an hour-long meeting about budgets, charting and infectious disease protocols.
lucky for me, two other coworkers brought their babies as well.
and let me tell you those two kids were all the distraction katers needed.
they played, giggled, fake coughed, smacked and ate their way through the meeting.
and kate left her super-cute hat on the entire time so no one saw her nasty sweaty nap scraggly hair.
score!

for dinner we pigged out on chicken and potatoes.
yes, kate ate.
it rocked.
and then we danced to some glee tunes.
her new favorite thing is to bounce and spin in circles until she gets dizzy.
then she purposely crashes into some furniture and falls to the ground in happy hysterics.

before the staff meeting began i had the opportunity to talk with a coworker (not jesse) about families.
he told me he and his wife were thinking of having a baby soon.
i shared with him a small tidbit of mommy wisdom i gleaned from a movie.
"parenthood is awful, awful, awful and then it's awesome. and those awesome moments make everything else worth it"
he just laughed.
i'm sure he thought i was kidding.
but i wasn't.

being a parent is tough.
most of my day is dedicated to the demands of a toddler.
i rarely get to shower without someone clamoring for "BUBBLES!"
i have to sit in time-out with my katers and watch her cry.
i never feel well-rested or accomplished.


but then those awesome moments come (thank heavens they come) and it truly makes it all worth it.



.

brown paisley - blue damask - green flowers - purple checks

kate and i ready to surgerize.

and yes, i know that 'surgerize' isn't a word

to my 4 scrub hats-

i heart you all.

you have sat forgotten in my bottom drawer for 18 months now.

oh how i've missed you.

i loved throwing you on when i was having a bad hair day.

when you work in labor and delivery, no one questions your scrub hat.

you might've just come from a c-section so it's socially acceptable to look like you're undergoing chemo.

today katers was playing "remove everything from mom's drawers and throw it everywhere"

it's a really fun game (for her).

amongst the socks and unmentionables were you 4.

i was pleasantly surprised to see you again.

i thought i had thrown you out (thank goodness i didn't!)

i scooped up my favorite and plopped it on kate's head.

she loved it and wore it for an hour (that's forever in toddler years)

then i put one on and looked in the mirror.

and i was overcome with nostalgia....

the last time i was in the OR was my last shift in logan.

i was in charge of a 3rd time mom who was pregnant with twin boys.

she was bound and determined to go natural.

the possible complications to that scenario almost made me soil myself.

most times the first twin is delivered without complication but it's baby #2 that worries us.

if that second baby is breech, a vaginal delivery is not generally attempted and we prep for a stat c-section.

(this is why we make mothers of multiples deliver in the OR)

so the calm room can quickly turn into a scene of organized chaos.

add to that a mom who needs to be sedated and intubated and we have ourselves a complicated mess.

it's so much smoother if the mom already has an epidural in place.

all the anesthesiologist has to do is switch the meds and badda-bing, she's numb and ready for baby #2.

if only it were always so easy--

i remember moving my patient to the OR when she was 7 centimeters dilated.

i didn't trust her to move slowly through the last phase of labor.

i had my crew in place and we were all ready for a calm and wonderful delivery.

my patient quickly dilated and began feeling pressure and wanting to push.

i page the doctor (for the 3rd time to come STAT) and hunkered down at the end of the bed.

i'm freaking out at this point but can't show it because my patient's husband has a video camera zeroed in on my face.

i had delivered babies before, but the thought of delivering preterm twins terrified me.

and oh great, here comes a head!

i tell the patient, 'don't sneeze, laugh, cough until you see the doctor'

she obeys like all patients should and goes to her happy place but the baby's head is still looming closer.

more freaking out.

then the OB comes flying in and barely has time to get her gloves on before baby one comes shooting out.

literally, shooting out.

baby one done, on to baby two.

the OB assesses the patient and calls out 'he's breech'

let's just add some more freaking out shall we?

the OB requests we hold off readying for a c-section.

i turn to clarify her request and see her elbow-deep in the patient.

after a few moments she declares 'i got him' and proceeds to pull the second baby out head first.

um, that's a new one for me- just pulling a baby out. 

but whatever, it worked!

there is a collective sigh of relief from the entire OR.

and then we proceed to clean up like usual (deliveries are amazingly messy)

i remember tearing up once that second baby was born.

i was overcome with relief and happiness.

my patient and i had both gotten what we wanted- a safe and successful delivery with no complications.

i teared up again when i moved my patient to the postpartum floor 

(i was full of pregnancy hormones ok?)

the patient and her husband were overly kind and the patient hugged me tight before i left.

they wished me luck with my own delivery (scheduled induction was a few days later)

and we said goodbye.

i don't remember any of their names but i will never forget that awesome experience.

somedays i miss delivering babies.

ok, that's a lie.

everyday i miss delivering babies.

it's magical and terrifying and wonderful and horrible.

one day i'll return to L&D but for the foreseeable future, my place is in the ER.

hopefully someday i'll be able to split my time between both places.

until that day comes i'll be content reliving past deliveries.

and wearing scrub hats at home.

ps. wonder why katers has been looking happy lately?? we've been practicing smiling. that's right. we have to show our child how to smile. it's ridiculous and hilarious to watch. we really should've video-taped the process.

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haven't you always wondered what diaper cream tastes like?

Nana-

if it's pictures you want, then it's pictures you'll get.

i haven't synced my camera or phone in a few days so here's what i've been hoarding and not sharing:

you know when you're toddler goes into stealth mode she's doing something wrong...

i found her in the bathroom eating desitin cream.

and no i didn't stop her because i wanted some photos first.

love that my kid picks the expensive fruit to love.

she ate half the carton for dinner.

kate's awesome mohawk post-nap.

this must have been a day when she actually slept.

today she fake-napped for 40 minutes.

not cool.

i need at least 90 minutes to recharge for the afternoon.

or "round 2" as i like to call it.

she thinks she's hilarious.

i agree.

"i just need to rest my eyes for a sec" he said at 8 o'clock

he asked me to wake him in 20 minutes.

i didn't and he hasn't stirred since.

(he'll thank me in the morning)

ps. remember when i was just a little tyke and i had that really annoying high, screechy voice? i fear katers inherited it. she LOVES to shriek. pretty sure the downstairs neighbors loathe us. just you wait...... see you in 2 weeks! 

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let the coat and hat wearing begin

readers of this blog:

i have three options of what to write about-

1. i could whine about my no-good, very bad, horrible day that included tantrums that lead to vomit (this is what i want to do)

2. i could pay tribute to the few good things that happened today, like chocolate treats from a friend and happening upon this website (this is what i should do)

3. i could say nothing and leave you with this pic of kate and i leaving the library with a new elmo dvd in tow.

love the death grip on my finger.

and the chubby cheek poking out from under the hat

i choose 3.

and i'm sure you're all thankful.

you've heard enough vomit stories to last a lifetime.

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it's all in the eyes

  
katers:

yesterday you had your 18 month check up with dr. lindgren.

he's awesome.

he got on the floor and played with you.

he even put your blankie on his head and got his hair all messed up just to see you smile.

you weigh 20# and 1 oz. 

we can officially/legally/guilt-free turn your car seat around now.

(let's not tell dr L that it's been turned around for 6.5 months)

you're 32.5 inches tall which makes you tall and tiny.

but we already knew that.

dr L asked if i had any concerns about you.

i told him you don't like food.

he said my job is to buy and prepare the food and your job is to eat it.

and not to worry if you don't.

that's why we like him- he tells us not to worry about the things we can't change.

he always proclaims how much he likes your cautiousness.

this is the real reason we love dr L.

some people act like your caution is a negative thing.

he points out how it is a positive thing.

he makes me feel good about my parenting and about you.

playing at G&G hansen's in september

so it's ok if you don't smile for most people

(although you stole the show at dinner last night- you had us all giggling with your silliness)

it's ok that you don't love nursery yet.

it's ok that it takes you a little bit to warm up to people.

it's what makes you, you.

and we love you despite it and because of it.

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warning: it's a long one

i interrupt this nap time to bring you a jancer family update.

right this very second katers is curled up in the top left corner of her crib (her fav spot) and mr jancer is curled up on the couch. he had to be at the hospital early this morning and is now resting his exhausted body. but at least he's home! one of my favorite sounds in the whole world is the sound of his keys unlocking our door. makes my day.

i should be packing or cleaning or showering. but those things aren't very fun so i'm putting them off because i'd rather write. it's been a few days since i've taken the time to put thoughts to keyboard and i've missed it.

so here comes the update:

kate's had a bad week. 

6 new teeth decided to join the party. 

i know, more teeth??? 

you're sick of hearing about it and you're thinking- doesn't she have 15 too many by now?! 

but nope, she's finally cutting the top molars and all incisors. 

super fun. 

eating and sleeping have been daily struggles. 

and when miss kate suffers, we all suffer. 

i've been rocking her in the night and getting up before the sun and feeding her nothing but milk. 

"mo mil" (more milk, if you don't speak toddler) was uttered a total of 146,783 times on thursday. 

ok, i exaggerate. 

but not really.

but without the bad, we don't appreciate the good. 

isn't that what people say?

so off to the parks we went to enjoy the good.

we visited the ducks and geese at sugarhouse park, which was only slightly terrifying.

they circled and honked and threatened to eat kate's fingers.

i thought kate would be traumatized but it turns out she loves her "doggies"

 isn't that view a-maz-ing?? i love sugarhouse

thankfully, kate seems to have returned to normal.
today she slept until 8:23 am and ate a hearty breakfast.
and because it's the month of thanks, indulge me in one more gratitude-
i'm also thankful that kate didn't turn into martian kate this time around.
it was bad but it wasn't that bad.


jank's been consumed by school this week.
my favorite thing he said: "my resident acts like christina yang"
thank you to the mr for knowing who christina yang is and for acting like she's a real person.
you win my heart.

last night was date night.
that included birthday shoe shopping for jank and dinner at zupas.
i think i died.
i had an ultimate grilled cheese panini which truly was ultimate and the mushroom bisque soup.
the leftovers are in my fridge and as soon as i'm done here, i'm digging in.

bless the drug rep who gifted us "free meals". i love you and this amazing chocolate dessert.

thank you!

that completes the update.

i hope you all enjoy your extra hour of sleep tonight.

don't worry about me, i'll be working 13 hours but only be getting paid for 12 of it.

i think i'll sleep extra long tomorrow to make up for it.

oh how i love sundays!

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