Christmas Letter

This is for those of you who I forgot to send a Christmas card to, or who just didn't get a letter in your card. =)

Merry Christmas!

You will notice I combined our baby announcement with our Christmas card this year…please don’t judge. It was my goal to have a delightful picture of all four of us looking happy, rested, and attractive, but that shot is still a few months out. We’ve been a wee bit busy…

2010 was typical for our family, in that we decided to have multiple life altering events happen at once. What is wrong with us?

After many lengthy discussions, we decided that Ammon needed to go back to school to finish his PhD in physics, and he started in September. It’s been a little rough so far, but he has been happy to have intelligent conversations during his work day again. In addition to taking classes, he also teaches an undergraduate lab and is TA for another class. I help Ammon out where I can – recording grades and even grading essays (I weep for our youth’s English skills). No, I don’t help him with his homework. Every assignment looks to me like aliens wrote it.

Obviously our biggest event has been adding Emmett James to our family a mere 2 weeks after Ammon started school. Our timing is impeccable. Oh he is so yummy! No surprise to anyone, pregnancy was sheer torture for me. Luckily, things went a little better this time around and Emmett was only born 6 weeks early (as opposed to Addy’s 8.5). He spent one week in the NICU, which was also a nice change from Addy’s 5 week stay.

It’s hard to tell much about his personality so far – babies at this age pretty much just lie there – but he does seem to be pretty mellow and easy going. For the most part, he’s a really good sleeper. He’s smiling now and just started laughing a few days ago. So far his most endearing trait is that he snorts like an angry piglet when he’s mad. I know I shouldn’t laugh when my child is upset, but it is beyond adorable.

Addy is our verbal girl, and at 4, she is sounding like a mini adult. Some gems from this year include: “I had a double blast-off toot!”, and “Mom, I’m growing hair in my armpits!” (not actually true). Yesterday’s went like this: Addy: “I’m a genius!” Mom: “You are?” Addy: “Of course I am! Why would I be dumb?” Why indeed. She has been loving preschool again this year and has also started taking dance. It looks a little spastic sometimes, but it’s still cute. Other than preschool and dance, her favorite pastimes are pretending to be a puppy, a lion, a kitty, a jaguar, and…pretty much any kind of animal, complete with soundtrack.

She is such a sweet big sister. She loves to sing to Emmett to calm him, and frequently prays “that Emmett will stop crying soon and get big so he can play with me”. She is slowing recovering from the only-child worldview that life revolves around her. It’s been a slightly painful adjustment.

As for me, I didn’t accomplish a whole lot this year, other than…oh yes, I had a child. I suppose 8 months of gestating is enough work for anyone? I am ridiculously thrilled to feel healthy again! I’m slowly adjusting to my new life as mother of two and wife to a student. I’m finding that as long as I have book club and plenty of excuses for girls’ night out, I do pretty well. And if I get a nap.

It’s been kind of a grueling year, but it has also given us the chance to witness countless miracles in our lives. We have been enormously blessed each step of the way. We are so grateful for a kind Father in Heaven who knows and loves us, and for His Son, Jesus Christ.

With love,

Micaela and family

So it begins...

You know I must have something momentous to share if I'm actually taking the time to blog, and I do.......I'M PREGNANT!! I'm 9 weeks along right now, and the little nugget is due Oct 20.
As you can imagine, all possible emotions have made an appearance in the last few weeks since I found out, and most within the first 15 seconds: elation, joy, TERROR, excitement, HORRIFICATION (is this a word?), instant desire to be sick and to go baby shopping all at once.
If any of you have read back to the begininning annals of this blog (or have had had a conversation with me lasting more than 48 seconds), you already know that Pregnancy #1; aka The HORROR did not go so super smooth. In any possible way.
According to experts (so far anyway), chances are pretty darn good that Pregnancy #2 will be muuuuuuch better. So, say a little prayer for meeeeeeeeeeeeeee! (I'm hearing Kris and Meggan on backup there).

Anywho. Hear are my preliminary thoughts on Pregnance #2, aka PII:

Cons:
1. The obvious. I promise not to give you a detailed list of every gross thing that has or will happen to my body. Suffice it to say: constant state of carsickness/I must have just had the bad shrimp x 24/7 = not such a perky girl.
2. Interesting twist here...I REALLY am trying to avoid being annoying pregnant girl that whines and moans incessantly, because frankly, I knew what I was getting myself into and that's just not fun for anyone to listen to. Except your husband. That's his job. The problemo lies in the bitter irony that if I Put On My Happy Face TOO much, then no one will feel sorry for me and offer to watch my kid/do my calling/bring me cottage cheese. Must persevere and find the balance!
3. The elusive hunt for the exact perfect right thing to eat at the exact right moment. I explained it this way to Ammon: it's sort of like believing that you can find the end of the rainbow...you know it's there, you can see where it ends! But every time you think you've found it...Poof! It was never there. It's as though all pregnant women (well, OK, me) believe that when you're feeling sick, there really IS that certain miracle food out there if you could just THINK OF IT!!!!! And if you think of, how quickly can you get there??????!!!!!!!!!!!!! The saddest part is that even if you think of it and manage to order it and get it in front of you, chances of it making all your dreams come true are nano-slim. I made this very mistake on Thurs night - I had a light shine down from heaven saying QDOBA!!!! So I hauled the fam over there, ordered the chicken taco salad (you women that have been pregnant already see my fatal error), took a bite.......and nothing. Worse than nothing. Blech. Note to self!!!!! DO NOT ORDER CHICKEN WHEN PREGNANT. IT ONLY SOUNDS GOOD IN THEORY.

Pros:
1. If Addy is any indication (and I am praying my little heart out that she is) of how cute my next child could be, then we have obvious Pro #1.
2. I think that PI aka The HORROR did a real number on Ammon's psyche because the man has done a complete 180 since round 1. Seriously, he has done EVERYthing the last few weeks while I moan on the couch (I'm allowed at home, just not in public). He has been a superstar, a rockstar and all of the above.
3. The deliciously rare moment in the first trimester when you actually find the pot of gold - the perfect food at the perfect moment. Mine was several weeks ago in the form of a roast beef sandwich from Panera with horseradish. LLLLlllaaaaaaaa angels singing I just ate something divine!!!!! Ironically, I went back the next day to try and recreate the moment, and blech. It's go to be at the RIGHT TIME.

I'm sure more to come later. In the meantime, wish me luck!!!