Mimi, Age 7

Mimi turned 7 this month. 

This is what 7 year old Mimi is into.

1. Drumming.  We inherited my late brother’s drums and Mimi has picked up some pink sticks.  She’s been taking lessons for a few months and I love hearing her banging away playing the same beats my brother played while I was growing up.

 

2. Going on girl dates with me.  Shopping, eating, anything as long as it’s just me and Mimi.

 

3.  Taking pictures.

I find tons of creepy selfies on my phone every time Mimi borrows it.

4. Friends.  Mimi has a ton of friends at school.  I keep checking with the teacher to make sure she never leaves anyone out.  That’s very important to me – that she is inclusionary.   Mimi was happy to invite every single girl in her first grade class to her birthday party.  More friends means more presents!  Mimi loves the Frozen dolls Paige sent her and all the Monster High dolls.  I love those too.

(don’t judge me for the store bought cupcakes.  I was very barfy.)

 

5.  Sushi.  Houdini showed up on Mimi’s birthday and all 6 of us went out to have sushi. 

 

Some times when I’m doing Mimi’s laundry I am astounded at how long her leggings have become.  She’s getting so tall.  I’ve decided to stop feeding her.  Why must they grow? 

Funny How Life Works Sometimes

Today Hush

- drove Mimi to ballet. 

- showed up dragging in a brand new matching crib and changing table in the dark wood I like, because he noticed a good deal when he was picking up baseballs for the boys.

- started digging up the garden so we can replant

- moved and set up the hot tub and got an electrician arranged

- got us Mexican food

- played soccer with the kids

- nap guarded me while I took a two hour nap

- practiced the guitar so he can accompany a friend of mine who is a lovely singer while I read my book

and is currently tossing baseballs to Jude and Silas in the post-rain cold while the sky turns to twilight.

 

Sometimes when you’re going through hard times you think, ok, this is my life.  It’s hard.  I have to do everything.  Thems the breaks.  I can deal and still be mostly happy.

And then you are blessed beyond even your hopes and imaginings.

Funny how that happens sometimes.

 

Note: This is happening to me.  It could happen to you, other women going through horrible times.

Caveat: Hush is great but he also has his own massive character flaws.  I can’t think of any right now, but I’m pretty sure they’re in there dormant. 

PS:   Hush, I do not care if the whole world knows you’re great.  You can deal with it.  You married me, you knew I blog about things.

Sidenote: I’m aware this post is braggy, but you suffered through the epic disasters in my life so you can suffer through my grateful rejoicing.  Life must be recorded.

Who Wants to Watch Me Get Fat?!

Ok, ok, more reverently: Hush and I are joyously awaiting the birth of our offspring, due on our wedding day September 13. 

Hooray!  So excited!!

We had to get proof of baby for our insurance so we hit Planned Parenthood because I donate to them every year so why not take advantage?  Also, look at how Hush is looking at me.  That’s the look that’s the look – the look of love.

But really, the baby part isn’t happening until September.  I’m one of those people who doesn’t bond with the baby in utero because I’m emotionally protective.  I don’t imagine the scientific situation taking over my body as a baby until I hold that kid in my arms.  I make a concerted effort to not connect because I’m afraid of something bad happening to the baby and my being unable to recover from such an event.  If you have a miscarriage or something like unto it it’s very different if you think of that as losing a person with a name and an (imagined) identity.  So I usually don’t find out the sex before the baby comes.  I found out with Silas because there were other traumatic unsure things happening in my life.  Hush may persuade me otherwise, but for now, I’m not finding out the sex.  Yellow baby clothes here I come.

Possibly the only clothing items I will need to buy for offspring, as my sisters and I have bins upon bins of baby clothes.

Thus, I can enjoy the experience that is pregnancy without obsessing over the effects of all the weird things happening with my body.

Mostly what is happening is eating.  I eat so I don’t barf constantly and man, it’s already catching up with me.  I fully intend to wear stretchy clothes for the next two years.  My baby tummy isn’t showing at all really, but don’t worry, I’m making up for it by entirely letting myself go with reckless abandon.  Exercising while pregnant is for masochists, besides, where would I barf?  I’m going to get so fat it’s going to be rad.

Child endangerment in a magazine.  Also, knock it off, pregnant exercisers. DO stop the dance.

I love being pregnant.  Well, I thought I did.  All three of my pregnancies have been smooth sailing, with little nausea and no issues.  This pregnancy, however, has thrown me for a loop.  I’ve never been so sick in my life.  Every day is a Battle Royale featuring food on one side and barfing on the other.  Should I eat or should I barf?  My nose could put a bloodhound’s to shame.  I run from smells like they are a hacking cough on a subway in Asia.  I gag at the slightest provocation – I can’t even type vinegar without doing that preventative barf swallow.  It’s so sudden that Hush has many times thought I was bluffing and nearly wound up with a lap full of dinner.  Even Mimi knows when to grab whatever’s in my hands and clear the way between me and the bathroom. 

Hush came home from work and was greeted by this gloriousness.

List of things that make me gag . . . think I can make it through?

Café Zupas.  Used to be my favorite until one fateful day.

Anything that has a scent in the fridge.

Onions.

Vinegar.

Milk, depending on the time of day.

Any mention of food that is different from the food I am currently eating.  I have toast and you offer me a cookie?  Retching commences.

The smells of someone having cooked something in the kitchen.

Meat cooking.

Indian food.

 

List of things I love

Anything on the banned foods list.  Oysters.  Soft cheeses.  Sushi.  Carpaccio (raw beef with lemon).

Anything I can’t get my hands on.  Brass Bear Sandwiches.  Sourdough Bread.  Skewers from Citra Grill across the street from the movies in Walnut Creek

Pam and Jim came to visit and brought me Brass Bear!

Anything that requires Hush going to the store at midnight.  I don’t know why that makes food taste so much better.

Anything that is closed when I want it.  Ethiopian food and delis.

O’Doul’s.  That wins for weirdest pregnancy craving.  I despise even the smell of beer but for some reason

when I’m pg I need to take one sip of near beer and throw the rest away.  Revolting, doesn’t mix well with prenatals.

Now let me say something about how unbelievably amazing it is to have a husband who loves you and wants to take care of you while you are growing his baby.  Hush is always good to me but he has taken his kindness to uncharted levels.  If I so much as swoon when I’m getting the kids ready for school he swoops in and takes over.  He guards my sleep and makes sure I have medicine, food, a garbage can and anything else I need in the evenings when I’m sickest.  At church yesterday I was feeling the Hungry v. Barf war coming on and he bolted home and back bringing me sliced oranges, cookies, string cheese AND hot chocolate in a portable cup.  It was like a miracle.  It’s almost like every day I spent alone while pregnant with Jude and Silas is being made up one hundred fold.  If you can at all swing it, make sure to have your fourth kid with a shiny new perfect husband.  It is a coddling experience not to be missed.  All this for housing his offspring for nine and a half months. 

Church rations provided by the kindest man alive.

January Blitz

I keep getting annoyed texts from my friends bugging me to update so that they have something to read on their phones when they’re bored or nursing or whatever. 

Sorry I have not recently accommodated but JEEZ, can’t I just be busy for a month?  Nags!

Let me tell you about my schedule.  This fall I was thrilled to land a job teaching at the local JC but now apparently I have to DO that job.  I like the theory of jobs much more than the practice. 

I originally signed on to take two classes, but a few days before the semester began my new boss asked me to take on another class.  Being that it’s at a different college, that means that I have to redesign my curriculum in accordance with their chosen texts and assignments.  And I had to learn the new operating system at the school and figure out how to accomplish basic chores like getting my stinkin’ classroom door open.

I leave at 1:30 on T/Th and stay until 7pm.  Got that?  I don’t even see Mimi after school nor am I there for dinner.  And on M/W it’s 4:30-7. Four nights a week during dinner I am gone.  And who does the burden fall on?  Hush!  He’s been working irregular hours this season and can therefore pick up the slack for the time being.  Remember last year when he was 32, single and not a care in the world?  Well guess what!  Now he get to do the hardest hours of parenting four days a week with three needy kids!  Surprise!

Here’s the worst part:  he’s better at it than I am.  I come home to well fed clean kids, a clean house (floors and counters included), and homework finished.  If I wasn’t so thrilled I would feel very competitive.  Evidentially you can get a lot more done when you don’t take a nap. 

Where I prefer to be.  PS, I made that quilt out of our wedding linens because I am a provident housewife.

Thank goodness I love my job.  I like professing things.  I profess that my students should never use 2 in place of to and other very necessary professy type things.  Well, I love it within reason.  I’d love it a little bit more if there was just a little bit less of it.  But it’s been a good adventure for our family and both Hush and I have developed eternal sympathy for the difficulties inherent working inside and outside the home.  Thank goodness he loves the children.  So what if he’s teaching them to play cards and gamble a little?  Just a perk of having Hush for a dad.

In December a couple of photographer friends of mine were doing color projects and used me as a subject.  I like how lots of the shots turned out and have been thus far a bit reserved in sharing them with the world.  But when somebody takes damn good pictures of me I’m just going to get over my vanity phobia and share them.  It feels like posting selfies which is a activity best understood by the generation behind mine.

OK.  Pictures.

For reference: what I really look like/act like.  This is an outtake of a family kitty video.  Go see it on Instagram (@nortorious)

 

And these are with the magic of professionals trying to make me look like a “normal” human being.

Studio pics by Jessica Peterson

Home pics by Amanda Cooney 

 

With Love, From Me to You (Reader Love Part 2)

I love my readers.  Recently I promised that I’d chose one to profile on my blog from the people who liked a blog link I posted on FB.  I decided to write a note to every person who liked that link.  Here’s a about half of them.  If I forgot you, remind me!!  Pictures that make me laugh randomly inserted for your amusement.  Look at what I do for you.  What a charitable individual I am.  Dear God, send blessings.

Caroline B is the reason why this blog looks exactly the way I like it.  She’s a blog design wizard.

Jennie D became my surprise wedding dress picker-outter when I cornered she and the Circe crowd one random day in SLC.  Very pleased with her recommendation.

Rynna may be the brainiest woman I know.  I’m wordy, but this classy dame knows latin and rocks red lipstick.

Cicily is the only reason I would ever live in Petaluma again.  I miss you terribly.  Let’s go on a girl’s vacation (in our dreams).

I could say that Rachael C’s foremost talent is taking pictures, but I’ve seen her with Whit’s kids and she is an amazing auntie.  I want to adopt her.

Kirsten is one of my soul mates.  Once my VT by some divine providence she once sat down on my couch and told me the most unexpected inspiring story.  Kirsten is a picture of strength.

Anne, hooray!  You should follow everything Anne does online (fb, insta) because she loves herself and her life and says bad words.  Anne’s down-to-earth and says it how it is and has the most delicious baby in the world.  I know, I’ve snuggled him.

Cindy is an endearingly secret hippie, except she’s hot and takes showers.

Every time I run into Janie she already knows what’s up!  How do you remember all of us so easily?  Janie is one of those genuinely kind people who always knows the right thing to say.

Rachel LC, ohmygosh I’m excited for you to have your baby and then talk CamRom into doing the same.  Get on that, please.  Also, please tell me how to get in shape because I am so lazy.

Lisa Marie, just go for the weird hair for heaven’s sake.  You can totally rock it.  I know you have freaky hair inside just waiting to get out.

Al. How exactly did you accomplish a inter-state move with two weeks notice?  You’re a machine.  And I bet your house is more put together than mine after 6 months.  We’ve been friends for what, 12 years?  You think the neatness would have worn off. 

Cathryn, best photo of a kid invention ever!   The paci mits were hilarious.  Very resourceful.  I wish I could come hold baby Eleanor!

Emmy might be my oldest friend on this list.  Some day when Mimi is bossily directing plays in our neighborhood I will video tape them and send them to you.  And then Val will quit and cry.

Brittany, secretly I’m jealous that you get your mom all to yourself and I have to share mine with those other sisters.

Circe, I’m available on Sunday evenings for dinner, just saying.  I’ll invite you guys down some time.  Until then, your Instagramming recently has been excellent.

Court Was, see?  Everything turned out ok.  Bet you were worried for a few years there.  Was it you or your roommate who got rear-ended by a cop?

Lisa Can, how in the world do we know each other?  Mystery.

Kanad, uh dude, where are my knives?  Next time I’m in SF we shall dine somewhere unnecessarily pretentious and I will make awkward jokes about death to the waiter.

There are few lives that I’m genuinely envious of and one of those is Andrea’s.  Oh, you’re remodeling your house?  Well this amazing woman remodeled the bed and breakfast she owns in CAMBODIA.  What, YOU don’t have a friend who runs an international travel agency and bed and breakfast?  And that’s only a fraction of what she does. 

Victory, sometimes I see your fairies and rock collection posts on pinterest and I just have to chuckle.  You’re the paganist Mormon I’ve ever met and it’s fantastic.

Janelle W your life stresses me out because it reminds me of when I was in my first few years teaching.  It’s so hard but you make it look like a cakewalk.  I’m glad there were no pictures of me from that time because I was not capable of teaching full time AND being cute.

Allison sometimes I pretend I’m a twenty something San Francisco girl who goes out to fab places and dresses all chic, and then I realize I’m pretending to be you because you’re cool.  Also you go to a lot of weddings, have you noticed?

Tabitha, I remember when we were in class and you said something about Gossip Girl and I almost jumped for joy.  Why was that show so good?  We need to discuss the ending.  I was satisfied but I thought Serena’s dress was lame.  I’m Chuck Bass.

Mary FD, I think it’s weird that we don’t know each other IRL because we’ve been blog friends since forever.  I suggest that Ally B remedy this next time I’m in SF.

Kwynn, if life was a badass contest you would be winning it.  Yes people, one of my friends does Roller Derby AND dressed as Francis to her baby’s PeeWee for Halloween.  This is qualification for permanent badass status.  I wonder what you’ll be doing when you’re sixty. 

Lovely Susannah (great family, yes. amazing photographer, yes.  killer wedding, yes.) but let’s talk about your perfect hair.  You have Disney princess perfect long cascading straight blonde hair.  The rest of us can’t keep up.  It’s gorgeous.

Krista Krista Krista, you’ve always been so effervescent.  I remember you chatting and giggling til all hours of the night at Girl’s Camp.  AND you have beautiful babies.  I hope you go for like eight.

Mard-A the Hard-A another soul sister.  Why can’t we be sister wives?  Mardee and I had our first three kids the same years.  I want to live next door to you, but not in Bentonville.  If I hear of you coming to Utah and not seeing us I will cry myself to sleep.  Yes, we will be here. 

Jen once sent me a unicorn card that sang for no reason whatsoever.  It was a hit and made a very hard week into a more magical one.  Can you please teach me how to raise teenagers? 

Melonie TS I am so impressed with your 1-2-3-4 method of baby having.  I hope you have 5-6-7 in rapid succession too.  It’s hard but so much fun!  Just wait til they can all buckle their seatbelts and put on their own shoes, it’s going to be so easy!

Janice, another classy woman who globe-trots and always has a ton of fun going on.  I feel like you’re a second mother to those of us who grew up at the theater, I can’t imagine it without you.  And you make a mean pavlova.

Angee, you, my dear, are a mystery.  How did you find me?  I think you’re somehow related to the Sally clan. Enlighten me.

Lauren in GA, do you think you have the longest standing reader award?  I wish you would update so I could see how little John is doing.  Do you live within driving distance of Disney?

Sally I wish I were in your ward (because then I’d live in LA).  RS president while working and raising kids?  Sounds hard but you made it look easy.  Funny, smart, and capable, just the way I like my lady friends.

Sindee, thank God for you, keeping it real and interesting in this often bland state.  How does so much culture and awesomeness fit into such a little package?

Bronwyn, dude where do I even begin?  Whenever I enter a room and see you in it I remember that the world is a pretty rad place.  And my favorite part is texting you in that room for your wry remarks that are always on point.  Please blog more.  You have such a great writing voice and joie de vivre.  You are proof that beauty brains AND comedy can coexist. 

Natalie WB, what’s up smarty pants?  I think it’s funny that you downplay your writing ability.  You’re a great writer and I love following your little family.  I’ve so appreciated all your thoughtful comments throughout the years.  Oh, and your recently family pictures are AMAZING.

Sarah Lucy has always been SHYYYYYYY.  You left all of your underclothes in Nathan’s bathroom, just FYI.  And for this we love you.

Mother Teresa is one of those people who have never spoken a mean word (that I’ve ever heard.)  She’s one of those guile-free individuals who make apostles wives look like harpies.  I want to be Teresa when I grow up.

Mandy Wats, next time I have a baby I expect you also to have a baby and for our nursing in the Mother’s room to reconvene.  Thanks for saving me therapy bills by talking me through some really hard times.  I am so glad I got to hear your story.

Jo, the yoga body, for serious.  It’s unbelievable.  In my fantasy world I have the patience and discipline to do yoga and not cry.  Please educate. 

Tamra W., we could be BFFs but the anti-coke propaganda you linked made me burst into tears.  You mean to tell me my special friend Coke is bad for me?  Never!  But, you do post a lot about chocolate, so maybe there’s hope for us yet.

Rebekah, seriously, I had NO IDEA I would come all the way to Utah and meet a multiple degree-holding, LA born and raised, funny smart UCLA grad who loves books and babies.  You’re a Godsend.  We have so many adventures in front of us! 

Mary N is one of those women who has it covered.  You know those types who are asked to do something and rather than just making something do they achieve whatever it is like a professional and wave it off like it was just something they did in their off time? She’s one of those.