Rockstars and Purple?

We have a rock star in our house. I know I've mentioned it numerous times, but Ellinor is amazing. She LOVES music - all genres, all volumes, all speeds. This was last night after Bryan fixed Aunt Lexi's iPod. Ellinor thinks it's the coolest thing to use headphones, and what better ipod holder than a diaper? LOL.

Waiting to hear back about the ultrasound from yesterday. If I don't get a call today or Monday, that means all is well. My next doctor appointment is this upcoming Tuesday morning, so if everything looked good on the ultrasound Dr. Walker will wait until then to go over everything. Fingers crossed for no phone call before then. :)

I have been going back and forth on our chosen name for this new baby girl. Do not get me wrong. I love the name Evelyn. It's beautiful! I have just been worried that Ellinor and Evelyn are too close. Are we giving these 2 girls enough room to be individuals if their names are so similar? It's not so much Ellinor and Evelyn as their possible nicknames: "Elli" and "Evie". That's almost the same thing! We never call Ellinor anything but that, but she is affectionately called Elli by friends and family at times. I'm sure Evelyn would be the same. Am I being too silly about it? Bry and I can't seem to find any other names that both of us like. And since I've been calling this little girl Evelyn already it almost seems too odd to change it. Perhaps my hormones are just giving me trauma. Haha!

Starting January we will be moving the rooms around to create the new nursery. Our office gets moved downstairs into that 4th bedroom and the upstairs rooms will be strictly used for family bedrooms now. I was originally thinking a gray/yellow color palette for Evelyn's room, but because her furniture is all Espresso brown I'm not sure I love that combination anymore. Lately I've been gravitating to some prints with purples.....guess we'll see! It's definitely starting to get more exciting as our due date approaches. It is almost overwhelming to think about our little family changing - lots of emotions come along with this addition. As I watch Ellinor get bigger every day though I just know she is going to love being a big sister. :)

Silliness

I don't have much to write about right now, come to think of it. But it's been awhile since my last post and I need to keep writing regularly so as not to fall out of the habit completely. 

The other day I was woken up from my nap by bus noise on our street. Ellinor and I had had an exceptionally early morning and this nap was all I wanted that day. Upon being woken up (and thanks to pregnancy having to use the restroom and drink some water) I knew that sleep was not coming again. That's when I texted Bry about the noise. At the end of the message I threw in that I wanted to rent a Rug-Doctor to clean our carpets. Random. Bry's kind and logical reply was that we should wait to get through this snow season and then clean our carpets. That only makes the most sense. I, however, was annoyed. I was overwhelmed by the thought that the things I want are usually pushed off and/or taken away all together these days. I allowed myself some selfish moments which only led to feelings of self-pity (unwarranted at that, I assure you). 

I'm a wife and a mother. I have goals and things I would like to do/have/accomplish. I feel that in life mother's put themselves at the bottom of the list. Not because we want to be martyrs, but because we genuinely feel guilty doing anything else. Cleaning our carpets is really not a big deal. But I chalked it up to yet another thing I can't have because it makes better sense (economically, logically, etc) for our family if we wait a bit. I want a kitchen remodel. Life has a way of throwing in stumbling blocks that require the time/attention/money the kitchen remodel would as well. Of course those upsets are usually much more important and should be dealt with first. In my mind I know this. In my heart, I am still sad about it. I would love to have a gym membership - but the only gym within 20 minutes of us does not have childcare. Who would watch Ellinor?

Needless to say, I allowed myself a moment of ridiculousness. I wallowed and murmured in my head. I felt justified in my feelings of annoyance. I concluded I had solid reasoning for being ungrateful at that time. I allowed myself to give into that voice of trouble. 

Thankfully, I snapped out of it. Why in the world would I let myself get down in the dumps over such trivial baloney? Who cares if I don't have a kitchen remodel next month? I have a functioning kitchen that really isn't that horrible. And let's not forget that while it's currently snowing outside I am sitting in a beautiful, warm, comfortable home that I can call mine. I have the most perfect baby girl and another on the way. My husband loves and supports me unconditionally. My family is always there for me and are just a phone call or even skype call away. I have the amazing Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. Hello?! How dare I complain for even a second.

Yet another beautiful thing about Christmas is that it pushes me to get over myself even more so than normal. I am grateful for the knowledge this Gospel gives to me. I can't imagine thinking all the time that the trivial stuff in this life is what really matters. Focusing on the eternal and the things of supreme importance lets us be happier. We can let go of the silly. We can recognize all of our blessings easier. Not to say I don't battle with those shallow feelings often enough. But I have no excuse to wallow in them. I am grateful I know that. I am grateful for my wonderful life. I love my Savior and I am grateful that He helps me with those silly moments. 

Twirling

We like to twirl around here. Put on some music and the fun begins. This morning I was boycotting turning the TV on - Ellinor is getting a bit too attached to screens. Haha. So, we put on some great Christmas tunes and danced our bums off. Seeing as how I get tired a bit quicker these days I ended up sitting on the floor, holding her hands and twirling her around. Always a fan favorite. I have to say it was one of the best mornings in awhile. I love her! I'm amazed at how fast she is growing (and a little sad about it). NEW GOAL - more time minus any screens.

I am going to pick up some supplies at the grocery store tomorrow to make edible playdough. I was going to do it today but I'm a bit shy on the amount of salt needed. I'm hoping Ellinor will enjoy playing with it. She tends to run away from most anything that is sticky or messy. What a silly toddler. But I think it will be fun! I'm sure if I get down and dirty in the playdough she will jump right in. Now to choose whether to do the jello-o, kool-aid, or peanut butter version. I'm thinking peanut butter - not sure I want to worry about dye staining our hands (it it even does that).

Baby Evelyn is growing and growing! At least it sure feels like that. I am 22 weeks today - it is flying by! She is kicking like a mad woman in there. Which makes me feel great. With possible growth issues to watch for the stronger the kicks, the happier this mamma is. It certainly feels like Evelyn is right on track. Fingers crossed our Dec 13th ultrasound confirms that! :)

Ellinor and Christmas

Ellinor is a riot. I just cannot get over how funny she is. Whether intentional or not, I am usually laughing a large percentage of my day because of her various antics. I absolutely adore her.

Lately we have had a rough go of it as little miss isn't sleeping. She has been waking up every couple hours through the night for the past week - some nights I don't have time to fall asleep before she is up again. We have tried some different things (extra bundling up in case she's getting cold, different bed times, etc) but have yet to find the magic. Last night she did pretty well, so I am crossing my fingers that we are on the upswing. Perhaps she has just had a hard week. None of us escape those completely. If anything I now fully remember what it is like to function on very little rest. Rebecca says Ellinor has just been helping us practice for when Evelyn arrives. Haha.

 A few funny Ellinor moments:
 
     -Ellinor likes to run laps, usually around the kitchen table. Last night she was running from the upstairs far living room wall to the kitchen, hanging on the counter as if doing a pull-up, and then running back to the wall. Her run looks like an old lady power shuffle, the way she swings her little arms. After a few minutes of running she would slide down on the kitchen floor, pant and then laugh. Repeat the cycle. Bry and I enjoyed the show from our prime seats on the couch.

-She has taken to pushing the dining table chairs around. Unfortunately, her favorite place to push them is over to the counter that has the knife butcher block sitting on it. Yep, that was a fun moment to catch her in. Trying to pull out all the big knives. At least she is slower at pushing the chairs and they make enough noise for us to be alerted prior to any damage being done. But that's a fun game - literally all day long some times.

-If you use the restroom in our home, be sure to lock the door. She will come barging in, hand you toilet paper, flush with you and yell "bye-bye." After which, she proceeds to take off her clothes and demands to be seated on the toilet. Because she is such a tiny thing, and we have yet to install potty seats, you have to hang on to her skinny armpits for dear life so as not to lose her in the toilet bowl. LOL. I'm not going to discourage her from wanting to see what the toilet is all about. Hoping that one of these days she will actually take care of some business while sitting there and everything will click for her. I'm not ready for potty training just yet though, so this is on an Ellinor demand timeline for now.

-She likes to color. Right now she will pat the floor for you to sit down by her, pick a crayon for you, and demand that you start first. Then you take turns with whatever crayons she picks.

- Some mornings she refuses to sit at the breakfast table to eat. She wants to be on the couch, wrapped in a blanket and handed a bowl of food. Silly girl - she's already a lounger.

-Ellinor will clean the whole house with baby wipes if you let her. It's a favorite pastime. I have already ruined her with my house cleaning OCD.

- The other day she tried to play raquetball with Bryan's racket and a Christmas tree ornament that was yanked out of place. I saved it just in time.

-She loves to give kisses, make faces, rub your arm, give big squeezes, and just cuddle down to watch a movie.

-AAGGH, there are too many to remember! I just love her. She is SPECTACULAR.

Christmas is almost here! I love this season. Truly. Everyone is just happier, my home feels cozier, and things are centered around Christ even more than usual. As Bryan pointed out last night, how could anyone not think of Christ around Christmas? It's impossible! Perhaps that's why I love Christmas music so much - it's all about celebrating Him and the joy that comes with it. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of all my family. I cannot express just how much I love having them around. We'd all live within minutes of each other if I had my way.

I decided to make Ellinor a stocking this year and put my sewing machine to good use. It came out quite nice, which was a pleasant surprise. Bryan decided we needed to make one for all of us, including Evelyn. So we took a trip to Joanns (always an adventure with Ellinor in tow), found fun fabric and I got to work. With a little assistance from Ellinor I was able to finish them today. They are pretty cute - Bry has the one oddball stocking that isn't in traditional Christmas colors. But, as he points out, he is the only guy in our little family so it's fitting.

I need to start some baking now and order our Christmas cards - it's already just over 3 weeks away! Yikes! Wishing you all the best of times this Christmas. I'm going to go catch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional - missed it last night. It's the perfect way to usher the season in. :)