Big Weekend

This weekend we celebrated Joe's dad's birthday. Also, Miriam is officially five months old.

We spent a fun Saturday pretending to be tourists in downtown Fort Worth; We visited the Omni Hotel and the Water Gardens and we took lots of pictures (which I'll have to post ASAP). I'm kicking myself that I didn't know about the Water Gardens when my family were visiting last October/November. Hopefully I'll have another opportunity to show them. We all had a good time although I think I enjoyed it more than anyone. I also found the Water Gardens to be among the most challenging navigation experiences I've had in a while with so many stairs and drop-offs with water running everywhere. Still, my record for most challenging is the Spit to Manly hike around Sydney Harbour when I last visited in 2006. That was challenging in a different way though, with so many rippled and uneven sandstone steps and rocky terrain. The Water Gardens on the other hand was just a matter of navigating over straight-edged steps, but there were gaps between each tall step with water gushing through, so although it was reasonably predictable, the stakes were higher if I made a mis-step.

On Saturday evening we donned our BYU gear and went to the BYU versus TCU basketball game. I thought the blues would be in the minority among the crowd, but boy was I surprised--we dominated. One TCU fan said we were "like cockroaches"--blue cockroaches that came up out of nowhere and took over the place! *laughs* Despite a crummy start, BYU won by thirty points.

We celebrated the birthday win with a barbecue dinner. While eating, we looked over at Miriam in her carseat to find that she had managed to pick up her little half bottle of milk left over from the car ride and was swigging away. We've never seen her do anything like this before. She changes so fast and never ceases to amaze. I suppose lingering hunger brought out her resourcefulness.

I regret to say that Miriam had her first accident on Sunday at church involving a split second, a countertop, and a hard floor. It was awful and I was sure in that moment that I was the worst mother in the world, but luckily for us all her diaper absorbed most of the impact and she has recovered a hundred times faster than me. That was the one event that marred the weekend, but thankfully no harm done and I learned a few valuable lessons, not the least of which is how precious that little firl is to me. I also think I need to learn to be more calm and constructive and less panicky and shame-filled just in case I ever have to deal with a real emergency.

I can hardly go on with this post, but the day did improve with a birthday dinner and a Sunday drive. It was in the end an enjoyable weekend and we all lived to tell the tale

Miriam at 4.5 Months

Poor Miriam has a cold. Until the last few days she was beginning to make a breakthrough with her sleeping habits; A few times last weeks he almost slept all the way through the night from 10pm to 6am. I say"almost" because on each of those nights she woke up once but wentright back to sleep when I put a binky in her mouth. On those nights she went the whole night without eating though, so that constitutes a breakthrough considering that she most nights still eats twice.

As for my sleeping habits, I'm much more a night owl than I used to be. For example, Joe's dad has been staying with us for a while now and the other night he got home really late after a super long day of renovating houses. He walked in the door right after Joe and I had gone to bed. Joe had already fallen asleep and I decided to get up and say hi, mostly because I hate the thought of a man coming home to zero greeting. So, we chatted for fifteen minutes or so while he made himself some dinner. (Just as a side note, Dave has been a fairly easyhouse guest for the past two months. He's no trouble, buys a few groceries here and there, and loves baby Miriam. He keeps saying he'll be moving into his own place soon, but in any case, we all seem to be getting along rather well and time has flown.)

I sleep in until around 7:30 or 8 most days. Well, I mostly cat napafter Miriam eats at 4 or 5 and Joe gets up at 6. Miriam usually wakes up again somewhere in there too.

Cowtown Half Marithon 2010

Here we all are: Joe, Louise, Miriam, and Michelle after the Cowtown Half Marithon in Fort Worth last Saturday. Joe ran the half while Michelle ran the 5k and Miriam and I were the cheer squad along with our friend Tiffany Anderson, whose husband, Adam, was also running. It was a beautiful sunny but brisk morning. Congratulations to our runners! Joe's time was 1hr 49mins; He's quite satisfied. Also, his medal is pretty nifty--it is designed so that if you earn five medals over successive years, the wedges will fit together to make a texas star.

Let the Fun Begin!

Miriam is becoming an active baby. Joe had to wrestle her in church last Sunday while I was up on the stand leading the music. She's also developing an obsession with practicing standing up on my lap. I've now started putting her into her Jolly Jumper--some people call it a Johnny Jump Up--the contraption that hangs in a doorway and the baby jumps up and down in it. Well, Miriam isn't quite jumping yet, but she seems to like to wiggle in it or shuffle herself around to face one direction or the other.

All this exercise must be developing her gluteus maximus *smiles* because she has also moved up in diaper sizes. Speaking of which... I left her on the floor for a few minutes after changing her diaper yesterday, and when I came back, she had rolled over onto her tummy and was doing a pretty decent-looking baby push-up! She's never rolled over on a flat surface before, so this was a first.

4 Month Check Up

Just as her two month doctor appointment, Miriam is still in the 75th percentile for weight, height, and head circumference. She now weighs 14lbs 10oz. She's still healthy and happy, and her binky is her best friend.

Slushed In

If we were snowed in yesterday, then today we are definitely slushed in! Fort Worth received a record twelve inches of snow yesterday—it snowed and it snowed all day long end we wound up with more snow than this area has ever seen. I know it’s not quite like the six feet or so that’s been piling up in the DC area, but for DFW it’s pretty wild and white! Now it’s raining and all that fluffy stuff is turning to slush, but I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did.

Precious Moments

Family Home Evening was the highlight of my day yesterday. The three of us sat on the bed while Joe read an article from the Ensign magazine. Miriam was her best self. She was cuddled up under a pink blanky with a binky in her mouth and staring up at us with her big blue eyes. I should have taken a picture but didn’t want to spoil the moment.