Now the dawn

Upon the recommendation of my sister, I called the nurse at the pediatrician's and got permission to give Kessa Infant Tylenol. (They also had to give me a dosage, because the bottle won't tell you under 24 pounds... it just says to call a doctor.) We gave her her first dose at 3:30 pm yesterday. Miraculously she just slept for most of the next four hours. I even had to rouse her to eat. Sadly, soon after I gave her the Tylenol, she developed a fever. I'm glad I gave her the Tylenol when I did. By the time BJ got home, her fever had mostly gone. So we ate dinner, gave her some more Tylenol (7:30), fed her, and proceeded to enjoy the happiest baby we've seen in the evening in quite some time. Apparently being minorly sick caused her to be exhausted enough to actually nap in the evening, which meant when she was awake, she was actually happy. It was wonderful. Poor BJ rarely gets to see a happy, content Kessa, because she's always so stinkin' tired by the time he gets home and just refuses to sleep. It was good for him to get to just play with her. We gave her a bath before we went to bed (the nurse said it might help her sleep better) and I asked BJ to hold her while I got ready for bed. Next we knew, she was sound asleep in his lap. So we held off bedtime for awhile. We finally went to bed, she woke enough to take some medicine, and it was off to bed for the two of us.

She didn't wake up to eat until almost 5 am. She last ate at 10 pm. That's almost 7 hours between eating. (Only 5 hours sleeping.) Holy cow. Amazing what being sick can do to a baby. She slept again until 6:30, but then had a wet bum and couldn't sleep. So we changed it and went back to bed until 8:30. I fed her, and she went back to sleep again. For about another hour. Holy cow. The only reason she woke up then, I think, was because Damian called and I had left my phone in the bedroom (silly Tianna). I think she would have gone back to sleep, except she had wet herself again, and this time it leaked all over. (Laundry day!) So she was awake. Bath time and getting dressed for the day, and now she's in the Snugli on my chest, sound asleep again.

I'm not sure how to handle a baby that sleeps so much. Do you think it'll continue?

How to tell that you need new clothing

Yesterday, Tianna noticed a 2-inch gash in the seat of my pants. It was a clean tear, the kind you can easily sew up, so she did so. We've been talking about buying me some new pants for a while now, but I've figured that since the ones I've had are comfortable, I was in no rush to get new ones. The 2-inch tear certainly was a sign that the end was nearing, but it wasn't the end of the world.

Today, though, was another story. I was walking back to the bathroom when Tianna yelled "BJ!!!"

This is what she saw:

Yeah, I think it's time for some new shorts. I should point out, though, that Tianna's sewing job held together well. It's the smaller gash to the side of the pocket, and the new tear up there was actually around her stitching.

Yikes.

Vaccinations :(

Kessa had her 2-month checkup today. I'll post her stats later. (No, she's not quite 2 months yet. But she's almost 8 weeks.) As part of her check-up, she got her vaccinations. He told me a list of possible side-effects and how to help them. Nothing he mentioned have come to light. Instead, she is screaming like a banshee. High pitched shrieking. She'll be sound asleep and shriek in her sleep. It sounds like she's in dire pain or something. Luckily, Aunt Jessa chose today to come down and help, so she's been holding her. She's also found that if she puts her hand on her ear, it often calms her down, though we're not sure if that was coincidental, because shhh-ing also has helped her calm down. I'm sure this has something to do with the vaccinations. She's never cried like this before. I suppose the timing could be coincidental. But it's the only thing I've got to blame it on. I can't blame it on being tired or hungry, cuz she screamed in her sleep just after nursing. [sigh]

Screams like this break Mommy's heart.

2009 Scripture Reading Schedule

My sister, Jalin, told me about this thing her Stake is doing. Here, I'll let her Stake Presidency tell you all about it:

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

This reading program is designed to help you by providing a specific outline of consistent scripture reading that will enhance your study of the gospel throughout 2009. We encourage all members to participate in this reading program or another program of your own design that provides daily immersion in the scriptures. If you choose to follow this program you will read the entire Book of Mormon, Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (third hour course of study for 2009), the gospel doctrine reading assignments from the Doctrine and Covenants, The Pearl of Great Price, and the General Conference talks for April and October 2009. This will require an average of three pages of reading on a daily basis. Consistent study of the scriptures and the words of modern prophets will guide us along the path of righteousness and bless us with the Spirit on a daily basis. May the Lord bless you in this endeavor is our prayer.

Faithfully Yours,

Steven Paul Rau
Brent S. Kinkade
L. Scott Goodrich
Bend Oregon Stake Presidency

I thought it was a fantastic idea. 3 pages of reading per day, and I'd get all of that read? Awesome. Plus, I'm the kind of person that likes to-do lists and charts where I can cross things off. So I asked her to continue posting them every month. I'd like to share it with all of you (even though it's now halfway through July), but her blog is private, so I can't just give you a link. So instead I put it all in a Google Doc which you can access here. She hasn't given me Aug-Dec yet, but when she does, I'll be sure to add it in. So, if you'd like, you could join in with us in reading and either just read from today's assignment on, or you could play catchup and read 6 pages per day.

Cat or Dog?

Ella still hasn't learned that she can't bite. We've tried squirting her with water and bopping her nose and pressing her tongue down into her mouth, all to no avail. When we just get really mad at her, we just lock her in the bathroom. Lately we've discovered that she really likes the bathroom, though. Soft mat to sleep on. Sink that she can lick water out of. Shower curtain to play with. Some punishment, eh? It's comparable to my mom sending me to my room when I was a kid... the room where all my books were. Yeah, no punishment there.

The other day we had a brilliant idea. Put her in the cat carrier which is no fun at all. Sure enough, she hates it, and usually after we put her in a time or two, she'll get the hint and play nice. (Though, we usually get attacked when we first let her out... before she's learned her lesson.)

Today she got put in there due to some bite marks on my hand, and she's not happy. But she sure got me laughing. Somehow, Ella thinks that rolling over like a dog will somehow magic herself out.

Next time I'll try to post her other dog-trick: Chasing her tail.

Kessalyn's blessing

Don't you want to see this adorable little face be blessed?



Sunday, August 2
11:00 am
Geneva Heights 7th ward
546 N. 500 W. Orem, UT

Kessa's new talent!

Kessa's on a roll! [rolls eyes]

First, she found her hand for the first time today and started sucking one of her fingers. I'm grateful for this, because maybe now she'll be able to self-soothe easier.

Second, she's rolling over! The other day I put her down for a nap in her bassinet on her back, then came back in a little bit later and found her on her tummy. I thought that was a fluke (though I was still impressed) but then tonight BJ put her down for tummy time and when I looked over she was on her back. I was a bit shocked, but thought it was still a fluke. I rolled her back onto her tummy. She rolled back onto her back. So I had BJ grab the camera and I put her on her tummy again. You can see the results for yourself.

Birthday Decorations

Yesterday was Tianna's birthday. I've never been very good at coming up with good gifts, and this year was no exception. I did, however, come up with some pretty awesome decorations.

Background:

The first time Tianna ever came over to my apartment, we played Super Mario Bros. 3. She grew up playing the game and is ridiculously good at it. (Or, at least, at the first couple worlds.) It's the one video game that Tianna will claim to be good at.

Without further ado, here are decorations:

I was proud of myself, and Tianna liked them too.

What do you put in your freezer?

I want to do some freezer meals. I don't find a lot of time to cook anymore (thanks, Kessa!) and I'm sure BJ would appreciate still eating dinner. So I was thinking, I could take one Saturday when BJ could watch Kessa while I just cook all day. So I started doing some research on freezer meals, specifically trying to find recipes and tips (like, don't use sour cream because it becomes thin/watery) and one site suggested using once-a-month cookbooks. So I went to the Orem Public Library catalog and searched for "Once-a-month cooking" and it returned, not a list of books to choose from, but one book. This book.



That is not at all what I had in mind.

The many faces and positions of Kessalyn

I'm told I don't put enough pictures on here. So here is our next batch of pictures. We've been taking pictures for a few weeks now of the many faces that Kessalyn makes, and the many funny positions she gets herself in... specifically her hands. Enjoy!

I love the look on her face here... it's so mischievous.

She slept with her arm like this for an hour. Ouch!

This is the dress that my Aunt Grace made for me when I was a baby. She gets lots of compliments on it when she wears it to church.

Hmmm... let me ponder that...

Her aunt Jessa will be pleased to see that she's bound to be a cello player.