Holidays in Ironwood

We got into Ironwood the evening of the 23rd. It wasn't too late, but the last couple hours of the drive felt very long. Some of the roads weren't plowed very well and driving conditions weren't great. Melanie was pretty upset for the last 15 or 20 minutes, but she calmed down when we pulled into the driveway.

I was so exciting to see everyone! I interrupted the night-time process for the Ferrell kids - it didn't sound like it was going that well anyway. ;) - to say hi and let them see Melanie for a minute. The kids all loved her and were really good with her, especially Katie! Aiden threw a toy at one point and it smacked Melanie right in the forehead, giving her a little goose egg. She was really unhappy about that. Jane asked to hold her every time she saw her. Jack and Aiden would sometimes come take a look, but they were mostly busy doing their own things.

Janny stopped by to visit a few times! Oh, we love Janny! We also went by the shop to visit Dad and to have Melanie's "first visit to Grandpa's shop" picture taken! She is officially on the wall!

Tyler, Katie, and Spencer went skiing one day. It was the first time Spencer had ever gone, so it was really fun for Katie to have someone to teach. It sounded like he had a really good time, but he was sore for a few days afterward. Especially since he let Tyler talk him into going down a black diamond.

Christmas was beautiful and magical and all that good stuff. Melanie was a little late to the party, but she joined in when she woke up. She got all sorts of fun toys and, my personal favorite, a set of Dr. Seuss books from James and Miranda! I got every kitchen thing needed to cook a turkey including a meat thermometer that gobbles, a roasting dome, and an electric knife! And a very sharp regular knife. Spencer got a fire safe, some choppers (mittens), and a drill. Among other things. Oh, and Dad bought us CMed sweatshirts and a polo for me. We got a CMed t-shirt for him. haha.

Breakfast was awesome, of course, and then we just had a nice day playing with our things, eating candy, and spending time as a family.

Spencer played a couple games of Monopoly with Katie and Jane, which is no small test of patience and endurance. They love him.

A few days after Christmas, AnnaMarie and Tyler went back home and a day later Michael and Caroline came up!

It was so fun to see them! Their kids were all great with Melanie. Hannah was very aware of her. Melanie got a pack of rattles, etc. for Christmas and Hannah liked to play with them. One time I asked her to give the little blue one to Melanie (It's the easiest one for her to hold.) and that she could play with the other three. Every time she'd get the rattles out, she'd see the blue one and run to find Melanie "Baby Meeaneee!"

A few days into Michael and Caroline's visit Melanie came down with a fever and congestion. It was very sad and the three of us had a few sleepless nights. Poor Melanie couldn't breathe through her nose, so she'd wake up crying every 30 minutes. Eventually her fever broke, but we ended up sleeping her in her car seat for the rest of the trip so her sinuses would drain better and we could all get some sleep.

New Years was fun. We had a variety of snacks and once the kids were in bed we watched had a Back to the Future marathon. The 2nd one takes place in 2015 and we finished it just before midnight. I tried staying up for the last one, but I just kept falling asleep. Michael and Spencer made it through. A couple nights later we did an Indiana Jones trilogy night (excluding the newest one - because it stinks.). Again, I couldn't quite make it through the last one. I was so disappointed with myself. By this point I had caught whatever Melanie had, so I wasn't feeling well anyway.

On the 3rd, we got the news that Marianne and Seth were heading to the hospital to have Ellowyn! Less than 2 hours later we got the news that she was here! It was so fast, but everything went smoothly and Ellowyn is one pretty baby. I can't wait to meet her and I wish so much that I could fly out there to help and visit.

We were going to head back the Monday before classes started for Spencer, but Christy had a snow day, so we decided to spend the day with her. I'm glad we did. She was always so busy with the other kids -- they love her SO much! -- that we didn't get to spend a whole lot of quality time with her. It was fun. We headed out Tuesday morning instead. Our drive went well. Melanie slept for the first half of it! Then we stopped for gas so I could change and feed her. I sat in the back with her after that stop and she'd play for a while and then sleep for a while the rest of the way home. She's a good little traveler. It makes me want to do it again someday.

Christy and Melanie having a good time. :)

That's a lot of presents!

Haha. I just really like that the dwarfs are shorter than the rest.

Thanks James and Miranda! We've been reading them at bedtime.

I love Christmas morning.

Melanie joining the party.

She didn't really get it, but next year she'll be all over that wrapping paper!

Merry Christmas!

I came down one morning to find these 4 like this, all watching TV together.

Brett and Sherry got this cute Dumbo toy for her. The day everyone went to visit them was the day that Melanie's fever was the worst, so we decided we should stay home with her. I was disappointed that we didn't get to see them this trip, but maybe next time. We did visit with Janet at a coffee shop one morning. That was nice to get caught up with her.

January 1st night, after everyone else was in bed, Melanie was in a silly mood. She kept sticking her tongue out like this and she didn't stop for a few days! It was pretty funny. Anyway, she was happy and giggly and the three of us had a happy time together in our room.

 On the way home. Thanks for the great stay, everyone!

Melanie at 4 Months

On the 23rd we got up bright and early to say our goodbyes and drive to Mt. Pleasant for Melanie's 4 month check-up. The appointment went well. She's healthy and on track with all of her skills, so that's all good news. She got her second round of vaccines, which I am grateful for even though her crying makes me want to cry. She really only cried for like 30 seconds, but the look of betrayal in her eyes is heartbreaking!

I was going to add her measurements, but I threw away the paper without thinking about it. I'll get them at her next appointment and add them then. She is still in the 90th percentile for length and is sitting at the 75th for weight. She's big, but she's so long that she doesn't look too chunky, unless you are looking at her thighs. :)

After her appointment, we loaded her back into the car and hit the road to Ironwood. She did really well on the long drive up north. The shots make her tired, and as long as we kept up with her tylenol, she was happy to snooze and ride. We stopped a few times for gas and to feed her and change her diaper, and when she got upset I sat in the back to play with her. She lost it for the last 15 minutes of the drive, but she was happy once we got her out.

My 4-month-old Melanie.

• She brings so much happiness to everyone around her. 
• She is beautiful and silly and so attentive. She's always craning her neck to get a better view of whoever is walking by or to figure out where a noise is coming from. 
• Her fingers and hands seem more coordinated each day, but she's not very quick or sneaky yet. You can tell exactly what she's thinking about when she's deciding to reach for something.
• She is generous with her smiles and if you're lucky, she'll give you a good laugh. 
• She is strong and loves to be standing up (with a little help, of course). 
• She can't sit up on her own yet, but she's getting more stable. 
• She LOVES her daddy. Her eyes just light up when she sees Spencer and she gives him an excited wiggle. 
• Our wiggler is still very wiggly. 
• She just has a happy, content, and easy-going disposition. 

Grand Haven

The semester ended well for Spencer. He studied a LOT the week or so leading up to his final exam, and I did my best to leave him to his studies. That's really hard for me, in case you were wondering. After his lecture final on Monday and his anatomy final on Tuesday, he had lectures (on things like ethics and physician burnout - stuff that's not really curriculum, but good for med students to learn about) for the rest of the week. On Friday, we took off for Grand Haven and got there in time for dinner. It always takes longer than I think to get everything packed and ready to go for a trip.

Our stay in Grand Haven was so nice. It was fun to relax all together. I should have blogged while I was there, but I didn't so I'll just add all the pictures and mention a few things we did. :) The pictures are the best part anyway. 

Melanie helped Spencer study for his finals.

She was very impressed by the Christmas tree, and started at it every time we were in that room.

Choir practice at church.

When Melanie needed to be walked around, Sister Finkley volunteered. I'm not sure who was more pleased. :)

Listening attentively to Grandma.

As a Christmas gift to mom and dad, we un-wallpapered, primed, and painted their bathroom. I didn't take a before or an after, just this during. It had pink and green floral wallpaper, which I am sure was the height of interior design fashion at one point. ;) Now it has a lovely light purple (almost white) coat of painERoIt looked so fresh and clean when we were done!

Melanie had a bath in the sink because the upstairs bathroom was being repainted.

We also made some salt dough ornaments using her little hand and footprints. they turned out really well. I'll have to get the picture off my phone.

Rocking out to some Jack Johnson.

We made a gingerbread house.

The Sunday prior to Christmas Melanie wore the dress that Grandma made for her. It was very cute and fit her perfectly.

on Sunday night we open Christmas presents that were to or from us.

Melanie's gift from us was this little giraffe. She seems to like it.

we got all sorts of stuff including a new car seat for Melanie when she outgrows her carrier. We also got some movies, some toys for Melanie, some reusable hand warmers, and sweaters. Oh, and socks! I love getting socks for Christmas.

 Melanie got this awesome minion hat. I absolutely love it and everyone comments on it.

Patrick got her this adorable brown teddy bear which she loves. She loved Patrick too.

Isn't the sweater grandma got for Melanie just so adorable?

One night, we had a family night where we talked about the life of Christ and the important things that he's done for us. It was really nice.

Josh, Katy, Carrina, and Collin came in a day early so we got to see them for a few minutes at night before everyone went to bed. I was so glad we had some overlap with them and I hope we get to see them in February when Mikayla gets off of her mission.

Grandma and Grandpa with all three of their grandbabies. Melanie, Carrina, and Collin.

We even got a big group shot. We used the timer on my camera. :)

Collin is much faster than Melanie. It was fun to see them together, though she didn't stand a chance of not being clobbered. :) 

Life

I feel so behind on the blog. There are still some posts of our France trip but I need to write. Hopefully between Spencer, me, and pictures we can figure out what we did. In addition to that, I'm way behind on getting pictures added to the posts, as usual. Plus, Melanie grows so quickly I feel like there is no way to write it all down. Not to mention the fact that I have hardly even blocked about Spencer or me since Melanie was born. Life just continues on whether I blog or not.

I've kind of been stuck in a rut for a few days and I haven't felt very productive. To be honest, I wasn't very productive. So, starting yesterday, I made a to do list and really tried to cut back on my internet use. I also decided that I need to start working out. For real. Even though the holidays are just about to come, and I know there's no way I will be able to keep up with it while we're traveling, I need to start so I can feel better about myself. So, yesterday I we did everything on my list which almost never happens, and I even exercised. It felt pretty good at the end of the day to feel like I've done something. Today I am almost done with my to do list. I just have a few more thank you cards to write and I want to work out once I put Melanie to bed.

This afternoon I went with the missionaries to teach a lesson to an investigator. We talked about the Word of Wisdom. It was nice to get out for a little bit and to help them again.  It's definitely will be easier to talk to people about the gospel when you don't know them. I wish I was better at sharing with people I do know though, because it makes me so happy and I want other people to have the same joy that I feel. I just always assume that people aren't interested or don't feel like they need it now and I don't want to be pushy.

Anyway, that's been me. Hanging out at home with Melanie I'm trying to be more productive. Spencer's semester is wrapping up. His lecture final is next Monday, and his anatomy final is on Tuesday. I've been trying really hard to stay out of his way this week. He has a lot to study and we will have a lot of time to hang out after his tests are done. I think he's really enjoyed his first semester of medical school. He's learned a lot and he's done very well.
Melanie is growing and getting stronger every day. She loves to stand up with a little bit of help. She started to push off the floor with her feet when she lays on her back. I foresee diaper changes becoming increasingly difficult in the future. She's getting really good at tummy time. She holds her head up high and will look at toys put in front of her. She strains and wiggles and tries to get her knees underneath her self. She inches forward very slowly and I'm getting more excited and more nervous about her becoming mobile. She is super smiley and happy, especially right after she wakes up. Sometimes she gives us some good giggles too. She likes to give kisses now. This really means that I stick my cheek by her mouth and she happily licks it because she's always trying to lick things.  Oh, have I mentioned how good she is at using her hands now? She's getting much more coordinated. She really love some of her toys now especially when she's in her car seat and it stays in her lap. That is very good news for our 9+ hour car ride up to Ironwood in the next couple of weeks. I'm so excited for Christmas break so we can see everybody. Well, almost everybody. We'll be missing some of you.

I have to go convince a wiggly baby that it's bedtime.

Life is really good right now. Call me if you want to chat. :)

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving weekend in Grand Haven. We headed down there as soon as Spencer got out of class on Wednesday. Okay, he had to pack and I had a few things to finish cleaning before we left, but we were down there in time for dinner.

We had a nice, long weekend of great food, hanging out, playing games, and even taking Melanie for a swim.

Melanie had a wonderful time. She had some good giggles for Grandma and Grandpa. Her laughter is almost magical. You can't hear it and not smile. Poor Cosmo (their dog since August - he's a big puppy and likes to nip) was sent outside or down to the (furnished) basement whenever we wanted to put Melanie on the floor. Which was pretty much just when she needed a diaper change.

One day Melanie was down for a nap and Spencer went into the room to get something and she was just awake, hanging out, quietly enjoying her quiet time. It's like she was hiding from everyone or something. When we got home we put her on the floor and she was so happy to just wiggle for like 2 hours. I think she likes her alone time and wasn't quite getting enough of it while we were there. This may be a challenge over Christmas.

3 Month Old Melanie

Melanie turned 3 months old yesterday. I still can't believe how quickly she grows. 3 months is the happiest, most wiggly, most vocal age yet for her. Here are a few things about our 3 month old Melanie:

She is very wiggly. Very very wiggly.

She is a great sleeper. Most nights she will do a six to eight hour stretch, then eat and go back to sleep for 2 or 3 hours.  Her naps have been getting longer and more regular. Her first nap of the day is usually about 2 hours long now.

She is a morning girl. When she wakes up in the morning she is so happy. She just smiles and sticks her tongue out and stretches happily. It's pretty cute.

Melanie likes to mimic some of our sounds. She will watch our mouth very carefully when we talk or stick our tongues out at her and she tries to copy us. After a few weeks of practicing, I'm happy to say that Melanie sometimes howls.

She likes music. She likes watching us sing and it often calms her down if she's upset.

Melanie has gotten a lot better at using her hands. She likes to suck on them, often trying to fit her entire fist into her mouth. She gets pretty close sometimes. She likes to bat at her toys and sometimes tries to grab them. She's not very coordinated yet but she's getting better.

Melanie is the happiest baby I've ever known. She only cries if she has a problem that we can solve immediately like a wet diaper or being hungry. Sometimes she cries when I put her down for a nap because she feels lonely. Over all though she's very happy and smiley. We love her so much and love watching her grow and learn.

Happenings

I am trying to get back into blogging more regularly, so here's a post that's just about stuff.

We pretty much do the same things day to day. Spencer has class in the morning or in the afternoon or both. Melanie and I hang out, maybe go to the grocery store. I guess I should try harder to reach out to some of the other moms in the ward and actually socialize. Some days are really good and happy and productive, and other days I feel like we don't do anything but nurse and change diapers and try to get Melanie to fall asleep. She has some really happy time almost every morning though, and that's always fun. Being a stay at home mom is hard.

I've been working on setting goals and doing them lately. Mostly with keeping our apartment neat and organized, but one of these days I'll throw working out into the mix. I finally feel like my body is almost getting back to normal. Or at least what I want my new normal to be. I still have some weight to lose though, especially around my hips. Plus, I'd like to really get into better shape and feel stronger. Going into PT school is a good reason to get fit. I'll have to transfer patients and do quite a bit of lifting.

I managed to make a baby quilt since Melanie was born. :) My cousin Laura had a cute baby boy and I love making baby quilts. When Marianne came she brought me a bunch of extra fabric that she had, so I pulled a quilt together from those. It was fun to work with some different fabrics, and it made such a soft and silky quilt. I just think that every baby should have a special quilt. Maybe that's because I'm a little sentimental about the baby quilt my mom made for me. It was always on my bed growing up.

This weekend is stake conference (a regional conference for my church) in Midland. Today I have training for my calling in young women's (I teach the 12 and 13 year olds) and then the saturday adult session after that. Hopefully Melanie does well in the car. Then tomorrow we have the general session.

Spencer has his third exam on Monday, so I've been trying extra hard to stay out of his way and let him study this week. I'm always anxious about giving him enough study time, but I also want to make sure he has time with Melanie (especially when she's happy) and I want to have time with him, too.

For the last two nights, Melanie has slept really well. Like from 10 to 6:30 well. Then she eats and goes back down for a couple more hours. It's been pretty awesome and I feel great.

Today I skyped with Laura and baby Lincoln and everyone that was hanging out there (Janet and Sherry and Reeny). It was really fun, and I need to do a better job of keeping in touch with my cousins. Hopefully I can see some of them at Christmas time when we are up in Ironwood.

That's all for now. I have to go find some food. I'll add pictures later. (haha. I always say that.)