Valentines, smiles, and a baby blessing

This baby used to be an Olympic-level pooper, insofar that she could poop like 17 times a day. I'm not even joking. She has recently graduated to an Olympic level pooper insofar as she poops only once a day and ruins her clothing every single time.

For Valentines Day, we had A LOT going on. The Monday before Valentines day, we went to the Springville Library's Family Valentine's dance. They had activities for kids, music and a photo booth with pretty much the worst lighting I've ever seen.

Steve and Mira really cut a rug.

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent frantically making a Unikitty-head Valentines box for Emilia (the other two made bags in their school class, thank heavens), designing Glitter Force and Voltron Valentines when then had to be printed, cut out, signed, and the fingerlights we bought as the treats had to be taped onto the backs.

Then on Valentines Day, both Jules and I got sick with a cold. Mine stuck around for about 3 or 4 days. She's still recovering, poor thing.

One of my writing friends said Jules looked like me in this picture. I was flattered. She's pretty cute.

She holds her head up pretty well for a 2-month old.

She also has her pathetic face down.

Friday evening, we decided last minute to take a trip to St. George because all the kids and Steve had President's Day off. Cecily fell asleep like this on the way down.

It was really a lovely, relaxing weekend. We went on a short hike. We had tasty sandwiches at Jimmy Johns. We played games, colored pictures, went to church, and made waffles for breakfast. I got to go shopping at DI without any kids. Before we came home, Grandpa and Grandma took us to the Dinosaur Crossing.

Mira held the baby for me while I helped with dinner one night. When I came to take her back, this is what I found. Jules was totally asleep.

This photo was taken at the Dinosaur Crossing. That's Mira in the background finding items on her scavenger hunt sheet.

Jules has learned to smile in the last couple weeks. She will smile at anyone who makes eye contact, but usually only within about 5 minutes of eating. The rest of the time she is a very serious child.

Cecily built a zoo the other day. I was impressed with her creativity.

Today, we held Jules' baby blessing. She had a nice blessing, but I felt even more blessed! We had so many people we loved come to support us. Joe and Haley and Flo and Sebastian drove up from St George (Cindy was sick). So did Nick and Wilda. My parents and James and Ben and his kids came. Camber and Candace and Cassie Childress came. Steve's friend Matt from work joined us. Michaela and Parker Burr came. And my friend Gina came and put the baby to sleep like a pro.

Grandpa Watts held her for a while and put her to sleep too. I didn't take this picture, or I would have included his face, but that's his hand. Jules has her usual troubled face on here.

This is her smiling at Steve while we were in St George. Not sure why it came at the end, but there you go.

Doing great

Our weeks have been good. I do a lot of baby feeding. And holding. I do a lot of reading to Cecily and playing games one-handed while feeding the baby with Cecily because she feels like she's lost a lot of mommy time.

I took Jules to the doctor this week because she has a rash that's not going away and I thought she might have acid reflux. He said the rash was a normal, we-don't-know-what-this-is baby rash and told me it should go away in a couple of weeks. He gave me medication for acid reflux and she seems to be a lot more comfortable taking it, though I only give her about 1/4 of what was prescribed.

The older two girls got to go to a BYU women's basketball game during school on Thursday. Emilia says she enjoyed it, but mostly because she got to wander around talking to her friends a lot of the time. Also, we gave her money to get something from the concession stand and she LOVED the frozen lemonade she picked. Mira says it wasn't bad, but she would have preferred to be in school. Lol. So not that great. Probably because her teacher made her sit in her seat for the entire game--she couldn't even get up to get concessions. Her teacher is kind of a nazi--a nice nazi, but a nazi all the same. I'm glad Mira seems to like her anyway.

Mira had her second grade program about civil rights on Feb 1. She got a speaking part and she did a great job. She remembered her lines and spoke them clearly and slowly. I was proud of her. Emilia was given a Stand Strong award that week as well. She was recognized for her excellent example in student behavior. I was proud of her, too.

I had my six-week check-up on the 28th and was given a clean bill of health. I can exercise my heart out if only I can figure out when.

Mira had a date with Nana that day and had a ton of fun. She played a make-over game (because Mira is super into dressing up and making her own "clothing"--pinning fabric and tying ribbon around it and such), made glittery paper cut-outs, played a look-and-find computer game and got a Happy Meal.

One day that week, my ministering sister brought us dinner because she's been out of town with work since the baby was born, but she still wanted to do it. Steve had game night that night and so he was having pizza for dinner with the guys. I figured I would just put whatever dinner she brought in the fridge and make it the next day when all of us would eat and just make pancakes or something for the girls. But when the sister showed up, she'd brought broccoli chicken casserole--the only food on the planet that Steve outright refuses to eat. Haha! So the girls and I ate it that night and I had it for leftovers for an entire week. That was just fine with me! I thought it was delicious.

I got to go to writing group on the 24th, and Cecily had a birthday party to go to the 23rd. For Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we all had the day off and made an outing of heading to a new Lego store in Orem that has minifigures and tubs of bricks and used sets that you can buy. They each got to pick out a $7-$10 item and then we went home and played with our purchases. After that, I started puttiing together some sets with Cecily that we'll likely sell to that store because the kids never play with them and we'd rather get them random pieces that they can "master build" with.

One month old photos:

Aren't sleeping babies the best?

She just looked so doll-like in those PJs.

At Mira's program. She's in the very bottom left.

Mira REALLY wanted her to wear this hat last Sunday. She obliged, though she looked worried the whole time. (That happens without the hat most of the time, too. :D)

I can't get enough of those chubby legs and cute toes.

Her eyes are still a dark blue. Will they change? Any bets?

She's gotten a lot chubbier, even in the last week.

My nails and hair stopped growing while I was pregnant, but they're definitely making a comeback now that she's not stealing all of my nutrients.

I needed to feed her, so I unswaddled her, but she didn't wake up right away, so of course I took some pictures.

Cecily likes talking to her and she likes listening.

Button nose and squishy legs and toes.