The DMV

I always hated the DMV. The long lines, the suffocating feeling of the closed-in room crammed with hundreds of people clutching their tiny ticket, waiting for their little number to show up in red on the screen.

I hate it even more now that I have a child. 

In retrostpect, I would suggest they need the following: mother parking, like they have at Babies R Us; clean floors; a waiting room or small play area for children (since I can't put my child down on your disgusting floor); clearer instructions on their website (which I checked several times); kind people.

I arrived at the DMV at 10:45. I drove around and around and around the parking lot and nearby side-streets trying to locate a parking space that wasn't more than half a mile away. I am not a fan of lugging my 15 lb baby and car-seat across long distances. With no luck, I parked illegally, just in front of this sign:

I hauled my baby and my bulging diaper bag into the DMV only to discover a 15 minute wait line just to get my precious ticket. Once I finally had my ticket, I sat down in the front row so that I had room to manage Addie's rambunctiousness. When I sat down, they were at J597. My number was J623. And they were taking a J ticket every 15 minutes. I should have left right then. 

In the next two and half hours of waiting, the following events occurred: 

• Addie kicked her puffs container across the room. Yes, the lid was open. Yes, over 50 little star-shaped puffs scattered into every grimy corner of the disgusting room. Yes, I knelt on my hands and knees on said floor to pick up each little puff. Yes, the entire DMV audience watched my crawl of shame as I scooped up puffs in my bare hands that were covered with all sorts of hair, dirt, dust bunnies, and disease. And yes, not one single person bent to offer help to the poor mother who, with child in arms, attempted to clean up her embarrassing mess. And yes, some people even managed to step on and smash the little puffs into dust, even as I was en-route to pick them up. 

• Addie proceeded to get tired and hungry all at once. However, I had not planned for a two and a half hour marathon, so I was without food. My fussy baby clambered all over me for over a half hour. In the process, she lost her soothie (binky) twice. Soothies do not fall and stay in one place. They roll like it's their job. And lucky for me, it managed to make 3 complete circles over 10 feet in diameter, picking up the before mentioned hair, dirt, dust bunnies, and disease -- the soothie traveled across 4 rows of seats! And it happened twice. And I gave the DMV audience two more great shows as I tried to chase the soothie around and around. 

• Addie finally fell asleep, but only took a 20 minute nap. 

• My number was finally called at 1:15. I hastily packed up the mess we'd made trying to keep Addie entertained and hustled to kiosk #12. I set Addie on the counter and tried to pull out every document I would need to register the car. The kiosk woman said, "My, you have your hands full." I had several responses come to mind, but I simply said, "Yes, I do."

• This woman then took my forms and said, "Oohhh, I can't do this for you. Jonathan's name is on your registration from last year, and we just can't do it if your name is not on there as well."

As I walked away from that evil place completely exhausted/frustrated and sans registration tags, the only thing that could have topped the day was a ticket for my illegal parking. 

Thankfully, I got away with something. 

7 Months

Dear Adalyne,

Oh, how your mama loves you! These seven months have been the best of my life and I truly can't believe that you are 7 months old! Where has the time gone?? Your little independent spirit makes every day an adventure and I love watching you learn and grow so quickly. While it is a little sad, I love seeing your face light up with joy every time you accomplish something you have been determined to do, and it melts my heart when you look up at me with a huge grin to say, "Look at me, Mom! I'm doing it!"

You are growing so quickly, although you are still in the 5th percentile for weight (14 lbs 14 oz). In fact, you just graduated from your 0-3 month pajamas to 3-6 month sizes! The onsies and pants are still too big, but the pjs are a pretty close fit :) My seven month old is finally in 3-6 month clothes, sorta!

This last week you have become such a cuddle-bug, which is beyond rare for you and I am cherishing it! It feels as though you are reassuring me that you love me just as much as I love you. Please don't stop!

Had to tie up the dress so she could crawl. 

Among the many wonderful things you do at this age, the top achievement has been CRAWLING! Yep, you are an official crawler, as in, you can move to every dangerous/off-limits/poisonous/potentially hazardous place in our tiny town home in under 20 seconds. You spent about two weeks rocking on your hands and knees, not quite understanding the next step and then you only tentatively moved 3-4 feet at a time. That inhibition is long gone and even though I know it brings its own challenges (I can't even count the number of times you have fallen on your head in the past three weeks resulting in lovely goose eggs), I am loving that you can crawl...you are SO much happier and your repetitive whine has been significantly reduced (music to my ears).

Along with the tremendous accomplishment of crawling, you can do the following:

- Pull yourself to standing. On everything. The door. The couch. The ottoman. The chairs. The oven. The crib. And then you get stuck because you haven't learned how to get down, or you fall (which is how you got those goose eggs, thank you). My poor adventurous, bruised little girl.
- Run. Running is the new crawling. Apparently now that you can crawl, you're too cool. Walking, and when possible - running, is way better. Only mom and dad's backs start to hurt. The video below shows your awesome prancing skills. And for some reason, Jon and I can't stop laughing despite having watched it over 10 times.

- Understand "Mama" and "Daddy". Whenever we say, "Where's mama?" or "Where's daddy?", no matter what you are doing, you stop to play the game and look. And your mouth opens in this wide "O" as you look around for whomever is hiding. I love it. I love that you understand who I am.
- Talk. You've recently really started to babble all sorts of combinations. You've been able to say so many sounds but lately you combine the following in all sorts of ways: ma ma, da da, ba ba, ja ja, bra bra, and throw in a squeal every few sounds. It is sooooo cute. We just love you're enthusiasm for conversation. I have a feeling you'll be a lot like me when I was little: you won't ever stop talking :)

- Try to clap. When you get happy or excited, you throw your hands in the air and wave them all around and then you try to clap. You don't quite get it yet, but you will soon!
- Spit. You especially love to buzz your tongue when I am feeding you, sending food all over you, the table, and of course, me.
- Blow raspberries. You have somehow discovered that you can blow raspberries on my arms and knees and it is one of the things that makes Jon and I laugh the hardest.

"Can't I go with you to Denver, Dad?"

- Feel for the materials in your touch-and-feel books. For a long time, I was afraid you just hated to read and would only want to suck on your books (not that we are completely past that stage). But you have more recently begun to really pay attention to what we are reading. Your favorite books are the touch-and-feel books (especially Nana's recent gift, Moo)and now you think that every book has a fuzzy little chick somewhere or a silky horse head. You get quite confused when we read "normal" books and scratch your hands over each page, determined to find something.
- Play peek-a-boo. You have really begun to LOVE peek-a-boo. It just sets you off in a set of giggles that sets Jon and I laughing too.
- Laugh. It's like you found the laugh switch in you. Sometimes, I can just give you a look that you think is funny and you will just giggle and giggle. Sometimes, you can even laugh until you have tears in your eyes. Oh, I just love this the most!
- Play with your tongue and teeth. You have quite the serpent tongue these days and I can see you rubbing it over your two little teeth all day long. It's like you're testing them out, seeing what they are capable of.
- Eat crackers. Or at least gum them to death and smear the resulting smudge in impossible places.
- Give mischievous looks, like you know exactly what you're doing. Especially when you toot. Haha...this is one of the funniest things ever: when you toot, you will look back at your daddy (you have never done this to me) as if to pin the blame on him and say, "Dad, I can't believe you did that!" Haha...and you do this ALL the time in Elder's Quorum where all the men turn to look to see who's tooting and see you looking at your dad...they all think he is full of gas. Love your sense of humor already.

Post-Bath time snuggle, with Sharkie and Daddy

- Dominate our bed. Every night before we put you to bed, we put you on our bed. It is one of your most favorite times. You seem to get so hyper on our bed; you squeal more, roll more, crawl faster, talk louder, and are overall more rambunctious on the bed. We think it is a good way to get out your endless wiggles before nighttime.

Tearin' up a storm on the parents' bed

My darling Addie, we love you!

-

Episode Two: Home Away From Home

Three weeks after Adalyne was born, we packed up our life and moved to Chandler, Arizona for Jon's new job. Wednesday we loaded up our U-haul and two cars and headed down. It was our 11th move since we've met, our 7th since we've been married. Jon's parents came down with us to help (thank you!) and my wonderful mom traveled with Addie and I since I had to stop every 3 hours to nurse her. I was terrified for the 12 hour drive with a 3-week old baby, but she was PERFECT--slept the whole time except to eat. It took us ages with so many long stops, but we finally got there and moved all of our stuff into our town home in 100 degrees!  Thanks to all the family that came to help us move in...the Brocks, the Offens, Elyse and April, and of course our parents who drove and unpacked all in one day! You guys rock!

We are SO happy to be in Arizona. The longer we live here, the more we love it. Now don't get me wrong, we miss our family and friends in Utah so much and wish the drive was much closer, but we are really so happy to be here. We love the wide, clean streets; we love the warmth (I am so sick of snow and cold I could just kill it...it seriously causes deep anger to rise up inside me...lol); we love how bright and sunny it is (the light just amps up my entire day!) ; we love how accessible EVERYTHING is--from food to any shopping store you could desire; we love our ward and leaders; we love being close to new family members; we LOVE our townhome and how much space it has and the quiet, friendly complex that we live in; we love that we can walk to 3 parks in 10 mins; we love our little backyard (but I gotta admit...desert landscaping is pretty lame); we love that there is a Cafe Rio just 15 minutes away :) ; we love it all.

It is amazing how you can make decisions based on faith and later look back on those decision and see just how perfect those decisions were. It is such a testimony-builder that Heavenly Father listens and loves us and knows what is best for us and knows where we should be. Good luck to all those stuck in Utah's bipolar, frigid winter...we will enjoy our 76 degrees a little longer :)

Catch - Up Blogging:
Episode One: The Blessing

Motor Boat, Motor Boat...

Isn't this little girl adorable?  She has been swimming twice at our awesome gym and absolutely loves it.

You wouldn't know she was happy by her face because it is set in the most serious focus-frown, taking in every little sound and movement, but her little legs are going to town under the water. I swear she's like a little wind-up motor boat under there.

Episode One: The Blessing

Isn't she adorable?

Adalyne was blessed on July 17, just two and a half weeks after she was born. Since we were moving so far from family, we decided to bless her early so that we could have all of our family and friends present. It was SUCH a wonderful day. We got permission to bless her in my grandparent's home (Mormor and Morfar's) where we were living and it worked out so perfectly because we had so many wonderful family members come support us! It was a crowded home! Thanks Mormor and Morfar for hosting such a special day and setting everything up!

Mormor decided to begin a new tradition in our family with a new baby blessing dress to be handed down through our family from now one. Addie's cousin was blessed in it just a few weeks earlier for the first time and Addie was the first great-grandchild of many to come to be blessed in it. She looked so beautiful and perfect.

Pre-blessing snooze + bib just in case :)

Jon gave Addie a beautiful, beautiful blessing and she was such a doll...slept peacefully through the blessing and through most of the day. We spent the rest of the evening showing off our darling baby, chowing down on Hawaiian Haystacks and numerous goodies, taking a bajillion pictures (which I don't have the majority of, so bear with the few that I do have), and saying our goodbyes to everyone.

Nana and Papa

Grandma and Grandpa Randall

Oh the swollen face of post-pregnancy!

 A little post-blessing snuggle with Papa

One of the most special moments was the chance we had to take a Five-Generation photo with Adalyne, me, my mother, my grandmother, and my great-grandmother!  It was so awesome to see that generational line and to know that without these three wonderful women, neither I nor Addie would be here.

 

Thanks to everyone who could come and make it such a special day.

Unsolicited

A few weeks ago, I had a doctor's appointment. Addie came with me and was of course the hit of the waiting room. Her favorite admirer was an 80 year old grandma who just couldn't get enough. She also couldn't comment enough on my child or my poor mothering skills, even as she handed my baby her disgustingly dirty keys so that Addie could slobber all over them and internalize the millions of germs that called the keys home.

Her favorite comment was the following and was repeated multiple times:

"Well, isn't she such a LARGE child. My babies were all so tiny...it is strange to see such a LARGE baby." 

After several comments, the feeling that the woman was calling my baby a ginormous cow finally got the better of me and I gently informed her that Addie was actually one of the smallest babies her age, ranging in the 5th percentile. She looked at me like I was such a whippersnapper to give her sass.

As the waiting room cleared, it was grandma and I and Addie left. Unfortunately, it came time for Addie's nap.

Now, when Addie falls asleep anywhere but her crib, she cannot be cradled in my arms or snuggled in a blanket or any of those normal ways. She has to be held upright so she can look at everything and when she is ready, she will lay her head against my chest and let me know she is ready to sleep. ONLY then will she succumb to sleep. After a half hour of walking Addie around the office, trying to get her to wear down and put her dang head on my chest, grandma spoke up:

"Didn't the doctors ever teach you how to hold a baby?"

OOOOOOOOOOOOO. It was a good thing I was across the room with my arms full.

Christmas 2011

Christmas was a whirlwind of family, friends, and way too much good food. It was so nice to be able to go home and see everyone!

On our flight to Salt Lake, we learned that Addie is in LOVE with puppies. There were two on our flight and all she wanted to do was put them in her mouth, lol. Thank goodness both my parents and Jon's parents have puppies...I think she had enough for one week.

During our SHORT (and I mean, where the heck did all the time go, short) stay of a week, we did a ton of awesome stuff.

We got some serious Nana and Papi time and awesome uncle time at the Berretts. That little girl was so spoiled with her three uncles fighting over her, plus Nana and Papi.

We also got to see some of our very best friends from our Wymount days and it brought back so many great memories. We love all those guys and miss them so much! It was so fun to see everyone and hopefully we can continue doing it every year! Thanks to the Averyts for hosting!!!

Christmas Eve we got to spend with my Frandsen extended family and it was so much fun! That side of my family is so close and the party is always a blast. My aunt Candy planned a very special event that made this Christmas very memorable. In the last couple years, two of my cousins have lost babies, one who died in uterus a couple weeks before his due date and one who died 40 mins after her birth. To honor to their lives, we all lit floating lanterns and sent them out into the night sky. It was such a wonderful idea and was such a reminder of the true season of Christmas. It especially hit home as I held my baby girl a little tighter and thanked Heavenly Father for the blessing that she is in our lives. The night ended with a very physical game of "Do You Love Your Neighbor?" and a lot of laughing. 

Christmas Day we woke up at the Randall's home. Unfortunately, Addie was teething and had a really hard night the night before, which meant I had a really hard night, so while the rest of the family headed to church, Addie and I took advantage of the extra and much needed sleep. When they returned, we had a killer brunch cooked by Krissie and then opened presents. It was so fun to be with so many of the Randall/Ricks family and once again, we got our game on.

Then we headed to my parents' house to open presents with them and even better, we got to talk to both of my brothers on missions. I miss them both so much and it was so fun to talk to them! Seth comes home in just three months! They are both doing so well and are working so hard.

Overall, we were seriously so spoiled by all of our families this year and were so happy to be with them for the holidays. And Addie was the most spoiled of all...her favorite gift was the Baby Einstein Jumperoo which she fell in love with immediately! This toy was built for this baby girl!

On the 26th, we got together with the Heaton family to celebrate Joseph Smith's birthday and it was so fun to see everyone, especially so that Grandma Heaton could meet and hold Addie.

The next morning, we got together with the Brotherhood. Oh, how I love those guys and their wives, and Addie seriously loved all the attention. After a fabulous brunch and hangout at the Moulton's, we sadly had to go. In the car, Jon and I just kept saying how much we missed the Brotherhood. Thanks for a great reunion and to those who couldn't be there, we missed you so much!!!

That night, we had the Frandsen reunion with my mom's brothers and their kids. It was so fun. I love this family and it was so good to hang out and have our traditional Swedish smogasbord. We had missed our beautiful Heber home!

The next morning, we got to see my best friend from high school, Kenzie, and her super cute kids and her cute prego belly!!! And later we got to spend some time with my sweet Grandma Berrett. She was so hilarious! At one point she brought out a couple pairs of shoes that she had just purchased and they were RocketDogs!  lol! My grandma is stylin'! I seriously almost bought the exact shoes a few days earlier!

Whew...it was a crazy busy week and now we know that we will need at least two weeks next time we come up! What a great Christmas!