Rob, Marisa, and Fara

Quinceañera

2012-01-10T23:08:00.000-08:00

Fara is 15 months old today! We celebrated by having a play date at the park with her friend Greta and my friend Ashley (Greta's mom). Aren't they cute little buddies? We had fun.

Fara's favorite food right now is the olive. Preferably straight from a can or jar, but she'll eat them cold too. She's got 9-10 teeth right now (there's always a new one about to poke through, right?) and she is as happy as ever. She's a girl who knows what she wants and gets it done. She puckers up and makes kissing noises and loves to tease and be silly. And as far as we know, she'll have FOUR new cousins this year (1 girl and twin question marks on Rob's side and 1 question mark on mine) and we are so excited for more playmates for her. Hooray!

Nice knowing you, 2011.

2012-01-09T09:26:00.000-08:00

Yeahhhh, that year flew by. It was a good one though. For anyone who still follows this blog and wants to know what we've been up to since our last post, you can see pictures here (because in my opinion, pictures are a lot better than my boring travelogue):

Halloween, Thanksgiving in Utah, Christmas in Europe, and just friends and family pictures in general.

New Year in DC.

Thanks for stopping by and welcome to 2012.

Cupcakes and Rainbows

2011-11-11T11:11:00.000-08:00

Happy 11-11-11/Veteran's Day. Today Fara is one year, one month, and one day old... kinda cool. So let's talk about her birthday party last month. Since she was a Care Bear for Halloween we decided to do a Care Bear-themed party at my parents' house in their fancy remodeled kitchen. The day was overcast and rainy... perfect Halloween weather, plus we got to spend the day with Alli and Violet at the pumpkin patch (thanks Alli for the pictures!). Fara loved all the attention and had a bit of a sugar high from her cupcake that resulted in her not going to bed until midnight or so. The child already doesn't sleep much so add a little sugar to the mix and she goes bonkers. But it was still a very enjoyable day! Here are some clips of her night strung together so you can feel like you were there:

And of course, some pictures:

Pumpkins!

Fara the bully kept stealing Violet's food, but she didn't seem to mind. Violet's good at sharing.

Fara's mini cake.

The big cake and Cheer Bear.

I also made this Rainbow cheesecake but failed to get a picture of it (and it did not look this good, but I was proud of myself for attempting... baby steps people).

Presents!

Her antique rocking chair passed down from her Great-great-great-great Grandma. Seriously.

Getting ready.

"Ooh! Fire!"

Frosting face.

"Mmmm, thanks guys!"

Halloween Build-a-bear from Alli, Violet, and Beth. Fara LOVES it.

The best gift of all! Happy birthday silly girl. We love you (that's obvious, right?).

Halloween Glory Days

2011-10-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

"Care a lot, we care a lot!" *clap*clap*clap*clap*

"My horn can pierce the sky..."

"He's our friend and a whole lot more!"

Who says having a child should stop you from being awesome?

We were fortunate to have 3 separate occasions to show off our costumes this year. Poor Rob was a good sport as I was determined to get some decent pictures of us. Those who know me well know I take Halloween costumes pretty seriously. To me they are like a piece of art... hey, it took time and planning to glue on all that unicorn hair!

And now, just for fun, here is some of my Halloween "portfolio" (obviously Rob didn't dress up when he was a missionary, although he did look pretty goofy every day of his mission... ha!):

2002: Teletubby

2003: Rainbow Brite (I still consider this my magnum opus of costumes; I did not know how to sew then so the costume was constructed completely with my trusty hot glue gun.)

2004: Mickey Mouse in London (with the best study abroad crew... we had to be creative with limited costume access. I still get angry when I think about my milk being stolen from the community fridge.)

2005: Wonder Woman (last Halloween as a single lady... fitting, right?)

2006: Treasure Trolls (because nude-colored one piece jumpsuits are so flattering)

2007: We were backpacking Europe so no costumes, but we did visit the Catacombs in Paris... spooky.

2008: Smurfs

2009: Care Bear and... Brown Bear

2010: I had planned for us all to be various woodland creatures, but it fell through when Fara's costume was GIANT on her tiny 3-week-old body... so we resorted to being bears again. I felt fine about that.

2012: ??? Ooh I just got excited thinking about dressing up in a new costume next year!

As evidenced, I love Halloween. I just wish I had an awesome Halloween dance party to go to right now. Halloween has the best dance music. Maybe next year I'll throw one. Would you like to come? I'll only let you in if you dress up.

365 days

2011-10-10T16:03:00.000-07:00

We have a one-year-old! And this year we get to celebrate her actual birthday for longer than 57 minutes!

We had a fabulous time this morning with my BFF Alli and Fara's BFF Violet at the Pumpkin Patch. Then we had a birthday lunch at The Habit. Tonight we are having a tiny Care Bear-themed party at my parents' house... keeping things simple around here. Maybe I'll blog about it someday.

I really don't know how to describe how Fara has changed my life this past year, but here are a few words that come to mind: happiness, patience, physical pain, fun, learning, growing, crying, snuggles, frustration, teaching, laughing, exhaustion, praying, singing, sickness, reading, playing, trusting, and love. We've faced so many incredibly hard things this year, but so many others that have made our lives infinitely better. I still go to bed at night giddy about my little girl and consider it a privilege to do all the things that come with being her mom. But enough blabber; I'll let my video-editing do the talking. Here are months six through twelve of Fara's life (see months 1-6 here):

(I love that David Archuleta song; that's exactly how I feel about Fara growing up... "Baby, hold on!")

Birthday Girl!

2011-09-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Marisa! While she won't admit it, she is beautiful, industrious, a great mother, creative in the kitchen, graceful on the dance floor (or roller rink), and the best wife in the world. I am grateful that she was born and decided to settle for a guy like me. Oh, and she makes a really good looking baby!

Happy Birthday Marisa!

Love,
Rob

She walks

2011-09-12T10:41:00.000-07:00

Fara has taken 4-5 steps here and there for a couple weeks, but last night she was going bonkers walking back and forth across the room to us. It was so much fun. We have a walker!

Thoughts on 9/11

2011-09-11T23:58:00.000-07:00

It was my senior year of high school; I was 2 days shy of turning 17. We had something called “adjusted Tuesdays,” which meant we went to school and seminary an hour later than the rest of the week. So that morning, my clock radio alarm flipped on at around 6 a.m. blaring news that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. I thought I was having a nightmare at first, but when I realized it was true I jumped out of bed and ran into my parents’ room to tell them. I was already crying and shaking at that point (I’ve never been very composed during the delivery of bad news). We hurried to the family room and were glued to the TV the whole day. I didn’t go to seminary or school. My dad was soon told to not come in to work (at the Bank of America building in SF, a rumored potential target). I thought this was the beginning of the end of the world.

The following day at school a few of my peers asked me where I was the day before, and I told them I stayed home to watch the news. I remember some of their reactions seemed a little bit confused—almost judgmental that I would miss school over it—and I remember thinking that wow, they had no idea what a big deal this was… they just didn’t seem to get it. But in the days following I think it really sunk in. For everyone.

Though my connection to New York City is relatively small (I lived there when I was 11 and have visited a few times since), it broke my heart to watch the events unfold. At the time, NYC had been the only other place I’d ever called home besides Danville. I’d been to the twin towers numerous times and had warily looked out the windows from the observatory at the top of tower two. These experiences made the attacks feel very real and—even from across the country—very close to home.

Today I’ve been thinking constantly about how fortunate I am to not have been as deeply affected by the tragedy of 9/11 as so many others have. They don’t have the luxury of thinking about it only a few times a year; they are reminded every day of their loss and sacrifice. I, on the other hand, can pretty much decide how heavily I want to engage my thoughts and analyze the events of that Tuesday morning, and when I don’t want to feel the dark emotions anymore I can easily distract myself with something lighthearted and carefree.

My heart goes out to those who have to endure the painful memories and effects of September 11, 2001. They inspire me to not take any blessing I have for granted.

9-10-11

2011-09-10T09:10:00.000-07:00

Someone in our family turned 11 months old today and it wasn't Rob or Marisa.

Fara, we love your silly little personality. When I brought you to visit your dad at work this week, his co-worker said that babies (like you) make the world a brighter place. We couldn't agree more. Another co-worker said that you're a happy baby because you have happy parents, but you are the reason we are that way.

So I guess it's just a big circle of happiness.

One more month until your big bear birthday! But today we will celebrate 11 months by going to...

THE CIRCUS!

(I've never been before; can you tell I'm excited?)

PS, we don't celebrate each month this elaborately... we got discount tickets months ago and it just happened to fall on this day!

5 years + 1 baby =

2011-08-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

My friend Carly took some pictures of our family a couple weeks ago on our 5th anniversary; thought I'd share a few more (see others previously posted here). Didn't she do a great job? I love them. I also love having talented friends. If you're in the Valencia area you should hire her.

See you in September

2011-08-27T00:20:00.000-07:00

We have had a crazy cool summer. And by cool, I mean totally sweet. (Name that quote.)

But now things are starting to wind down and tonight I finally felt like a had a tiny bit of time to do some blogging. There is so much to cover that I'm only going to post a couple pictures per event, but if you'd like to see more check out my Facebook photos. Are you ready? Here we go.

Let's first back up to April when we moved to San Ramon. Yep, our EIGHTH move in five years of marriage. We must have commitment issues or something. Not really, but it appears that way. We moved into a condo that needed (and frankly still needs) a lot of work, but being renters we weren't about to put a bunch of cash dollars into a place we don't own. But we decided (ahem, *I* decided) that $100 for paint and supplies to make the place "more livable" was worth the money out of our own pockets. Fortunately I have a husband who enjoys (to some extent) home improvement projects. Here's a taste of the transformation...

Before: (this picture is quite forgiving; the paint was in pretty bad shape)

After: (the hideous ceiling fan is out of my control)

Once we got our living quarters in order, we moved on to bigger and better things, like watching my brother's five children (in addition to Fara) for a week while he and his wife went to Italy (his old mission "stomping grounds"). It was such a fun and special time for Fara to get to know her cousins and for us to see the various sides of our nieces and nephews. We taxied them around to games, piano recitals, and dance class and assisted them with homework, campaigning posters, and general physical hygiene. They are sweet kids and as I was driving home after the week was over I missed them immediately and actually cried a little (and they only live like ten minutes from us!). We didn't take very many pictures that week but here's one of Parker and me at Austin's game:

For Memorial Day, we ventured up to Folsom Lake for a fun Lewis family gathering in my grandpa's honor. It was probably the coldest, cloudiest summer day I've ever spent at Folsom Lake, yet Fara still managed to get a tiny sunburn. Great mothering, Marisa.

A few days later we flew to Utah and saw many members of the extended Montierth family. Our trips to Pole Patch always come and go so quickly, but we were able to spend some quality time with lots of family and are looking forward to returning for Thanksgiving. Fara was spoiled with so much attention from cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and great-grandparents.

Not long after that came our long-awaited trek over to Yosemite where we camped with my brother Josh's family and the Stutznegger family (our friends from Folsom). The waterfalls were crazy awesome and we had some of the best campfire stories I have ever heard ("this story just got SO GOOD"--quote from my 7-year-old niece Makayla during the climax of one story). It was a blast.

Literally the day after we got home, our super close friends Brandon, Ashley, and Bennett came to stay with us. They are seriously part of our family; we love them. We went to SF, an A's game, Six Flags, and more. SUPER fun. Brig, Cait, and Livi happened to be in town too. Love those guys. (And I love Rob's pose here so much.)

After a few baby showers, our car being broken into (nothing stolen), my sister's 30th birthday, 4th of July with the Bullocks, and several more trips to Six Flags, it was time for our big trip to the Pacific Northwest! We started the week by flying into Portland, renting a car and driving to Whidbey Island, WA, and touring Seattle with the Christensens and Millers. We are so lucky to have great friends who really make an effort to stay in touch and get together when someone "comes into town" (wherever the town may be).

Then we drove back down to Seaside, OR for the most gigantic Erickson reunion of all time. There were I think 140+ people present (I'm sure that number will get bigger as time passes; Ericksons are known exaggerators) and we were all staying in houses on the beach. Every day was jam packed with fun, including a 5K "fun run," in which about 50 of us participated. The highlight of the reunion for me was staying up until 3 a.m. with like ten of my girl cousins chatting and laughing about who-knows-what. I knew I would be so tired the next day but it was SO WORTH IT. For me, that alone would have been worth the trip. My cousins are all hilarious, dynamic people and I've always been so proud to be related to them. Here's a picture of my cousin Meghan and her little Bella with me and Fara. I realized recently that Meghan and I are basically on the same life track: we were born about a month apart, got married about a month apart, and had babies about two months apart. Kind of a fun coincidence.

Fara kind of looks like a boy here compared to cute little girly Bella with her super long hair. Still adorable though.

We finished the summer off with a trip to So. Cal. to see friends, help babysit our niece and nephews, and go to Magic Mountain THREE DAYS IN A ROW. We also visited Hollywood and the La Brea Tar Pits while celebrating Rob's 27th birthday and our 5th anniversary.

If you made it this far, congratulations. It has been such a fun summer, but I'm getting really excited thinking about fall! Fara's 1st birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas... life is really really good!

Sappy birthday

2011-08-20T23:19:00.000-07:00

Today Rob turned 27! We celebrated his special day visiting the La Brea tar pits, walking around Hollywood, and enjoying our third consecutive day at Magic Mountain. We've had a fun few days. Our 5-year anniversary was on Thursday (woot!), which also happened to be the day my beautiful friend Carly scheduled our family photo session (I'm so glad we set aside time to do this; it was so fun to see her adorable family and benefit from her photography skills). Here are a few of my favorites:

Fara is always grabbing at me... usually it's a toss up between my hair, earrings, or eyelashes.

Cuties.

Daddy's special trick. He probably does this at least 3 times a day with her in public places.

(All taken by Carly Bingham Photography)

Anyway, time to get totally sappy... it goes without saying that I married the best of the best. He is the perfect complement to me and I feel so fortunate that we get to raise Fara (and hopefully more children in the future) together. Let's hear it for the birthday boy!

Lucky TEN

2011-08-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

I have a feeling that if Fara ever gets to choose a number for a sports jersey, it will be ten. It just seems to be her lucky number. And what do you know, now she's ten months old! So maybe this will be her lucky month. Before we know it we'll be celebrating her birthday... weird. I have a lot to catch up on on this blog but it's always easiest to just post pictures of the tiny one, so here she is in all her ten-month splendor:

"Oh hey guys, I'm just making some funny noises with my mouth."

"This fence is great... what do you call this? Wood?"

"I'm tired. Maybe I'll have a seat and check out this gnome."

"Is it okay if I hold it, Dad?"

"Hey, why did you take my gnome from me?"

"That gnome was silly!"

Month #9

2011-07-10T19:10:00.000-07:00

I know I go overboard with posting about Fara, but she is changing so much month to month that I've got to photo-document it somewhere. Pictures are no good unless they are shared! Fara is now crawling, on the verge of walking unassisted (now that I've said that, she won't walk for another 3 months... watch), and has the special talents of reaching out to me, waving "bye-bye," giving kisses, and dancing when she hears a good hip-hop beat. Like mother, like daughter!

She is getting harder and harder to photograph as she's on the move as soon as I set her down.

One of my worst fears confirmed

2011-07-09T12:05:00.000-07:00

I backdated this so it won't be the first thing people see when they visit my blog.

Okay, so I hate snakes. Every morning I take Fara on a stroller jog and have slowly overcome the fear that a snake might slither out onto the sidewalk. Yesterday as we were on our way home from the park I see this little guy out in front of us:

I froze. And then I realized he (she?) wasn't moving either. I was pretty sure it was dead, but that only made me about 10% less afraid of it. So I moved the stroller from the sidewalk to the bike lane as I went around it. As I got a closer look and it still hadn't moved, I was certain that it must be dead, so I took this picture. If you look closely it appears that its neck was run over by a bike or something, killing it with its head up and mouth open. It was about 3 feet long. Gross. GROSS GROSS GROSS. Why do these creatures exist? Does anyone out there like snakes? And if so, why? I just gotta know. Talk about discouraging a girl from getting outdoors for some exercise... sheesh.

Nerdy 30

2011-07-02T21:46:00.000-07:00

Happy 30th birthday, Kambria!

(She's in Mexico right now so we celebrated a few days early in her new place with this Barbie cake I promised last year that I'd make.)

Here it is melting in the summer heat. Learning experience.

These guys were there, too.

We love you Kambria!

Living quarters

2011-06-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

I am just barely getting around to posting these pictures that I had totally forgotten about. A while back I blogged about being excited to paint Fara's room (or any room in a place we've lived, for that matter), so I thought I would show the before and after project. Don't expect high quality comparison photos; our camera was dead so we had to do a "before" video on the flip instead. But it's pretty fun seeing the contrast.

The color we painted it is called "Peacetime Blue" from OSH. And it really is peaceful. I love being in her room.

Day.

Night.

Because Fara was quite overdue, I ended up having a bunch of “extra” days to do whatever I wanted before she was born. It was awesome—I swam a lot, went on a ton of walks, and did a few projects that I had been procrastinating. I had her room all ready to go by her due date but within those last few days (being the fickle pregnant woman I was), I ended up changing everything back to how I had originally wanted to decorate her room, a.k.a. these “boy colors,” which quite a few people gave me a hard time for using. I can’t help it! I'm just a blue girl. And I loved the elephant print. Her crib skirt and all the fabric are just made from cut up receiving blankets. Anyway, since we now live in a place that we could paint, I decided to finally take some pictures of her room (her white furniture didn’t look so great with the white walls in our last apartment). I am by no means a decorator, but I had fun making and choosing what little things would go up in her room. And if you know me, you know it will probably change again soon because I have commitment issues when it comes to possessions. But for now, we can remember what Fara’s room looked like when she was a wee one, plus I have a chance to show off my DIY projects and Craigslist deals.

Also used as our "home office." Desk/hutch $99 from CL. Rob changed out the knobs and painted it for me. Rocker/recliner $30 from CL. Stretchy white slipcover $60 from Amazon. Great for peeling off and bleaching when needs be. Changing table/bookshelf $35 from CL (+ $10 Kohl's cash... funny story there).

Dresser ($80 from RC Willey outlet) and crib/mattress ($50 from CL), again both painted by Rob. And mirror closet. (Are mirror closets outdated? Because I love them and want one in every bedroom of my house someday--really opens up the room plus Fara loves to watch herself play in front of it.)

Homemade mobile.

I love her lamp. $20 at HomeGoods. I changed out the shade and added the polka dot fabric to match. Also covered the frames with matching fabric... I love matching.

Recognize these? I think I may have painted over them in different colors like 3 times. Like I said, commitment issues.

And that's all for now.

Tooth Fara

2011-06-26T22:57:00.000-07:00

Today was an important day for us because Fara's first tooth finally poked through! It was the bottom right one. I have been checking her mouth every day ever since she started being really drooly at oh, I don’t know, six weeks old? I don't know how many times we've told people "we think she's teething" to explain any extraordinary fussiness and then have nothing to show for it but more gummy (albeit cute) smiles. But today during her bath I noticed it and got so excited that I seriously wrapped her in a towel so fast and ran her into her room for further inspection. Later, a baby was blessed at church and it made me realize that dang, Fara is not a tiny newborn anymore (not that she ever was tiny, but still). It's nice, however, to know that I feel genuine happiness over each new development she has. It's really fun to witness so much change and growth.

Longer hair and a few more tricks...

2011-06-10T18:10:00.000-07:00

Fara is 8 months old now and better than ever. Well, kind of. This week she was sick with her first fever so we "celebrated" her 8 months of life with a trip to the doctor. Ironically by the time we got there she was doing much better and was cracking up while Dr. Buckley examined her. She still has no teeth but she is great at standing and walking with the assistance of an adult. Right now she is 19.5 lbs. and about 28 inches long (around 70th percentile for both). Cuteness is off the charts.

It's not even officially summer yet and we've already been quite busy with trips to Folsom, Utah, and tomorrow we are going to Yosemite for a couple of days. Needless to say, this little lady makes all these trips much more memorable and meaningful for us.

Cuddly bears

2011-05-21T18:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday during my morning stroller jog someone drove by with one of those giant Costco teddy bears in their front seat. Why does Costco sell the best stuff? Where else can you find a bear this enormous for less than $30? And how annoyed would our siblings be if we got one for every single one of their children?

April showers bring May allergies

2011-05-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

I love spring temperatures and colors (especially where we live), but I would seriously be fine if the only seasons we had here were fall and winter. I know, WHAT?! But it’s for good reason: my springtime allergies are miserable.

Welcome to my pity party and allow me to expound.

It’s obviously not enough that I’m allergic to pretty much all antibiotics, furry animals, insect stings, grass, etc.; Mother Nature had to punch me in the face with extreme seasonal allergies while it seems everyone else is out enjoying the sunshine and cool breezes. If you’re one of those people who claim that allergies are all in your head, then you deserve (as my friend Leighanna would say) a “swift kick to the groin.” My raw nose and dagger-like stomach cramps from sneezing five hundred times per day must be something I’m imagining. Oh, and my wheezing and bright red itchy eyes (also raw from rubbing and wiping)? I’m obviously faking those to get attention. Good thing I’m not allergic to Albuterol and that Opcon-A eye drops do a decent job of relieving SOME of the ridiculous itch pain. Also, I might jab you in the eyeballs if you suggest I try Zyrtec.

I recognize I’m throwing out a lot of aggressive expressions and I know I should be grateful that I do enjoy a generally healthy body (I am grateful, really), but allergies make me feel violent. WHAT’S THE POINT OF HAVING THEM? Is there some profound lesson on endurance I’m supposed to learn here?

Fortunately springtime does bring some positive things like my nephews’ and nieces’ baseball games. And the little girl pictured above is always an excellent attitude-lifter.

Easy to entertain

2011-05-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

This video is from a month or so ago. Fara laughs so hard that it almost seems like she's crying. Baby laughter is awesome. (Please excuse my cheesy face/laugh.)

Untitled from Marisa Montierth on Vimeo.

At 7 months

2011-05-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

She's a pro at sitting up, standing up assisted, clapping, and making a scrunchy face with her gummy smile (still no teeth—fine by me). Also, her hands are really soft and she giggles if you pretend to eat the back of her neck. I really like spending time with her.

Without these women...

2011-05-07T23:08:00.000-07:00

...we would not be here to make this perfect little being

who makes me the giddiest mom in the universe.

A happy mother's day, indeed.

The marriage of Ragamuffin

2011-05-03T22:56:00.000-07:00

It's now been over a month since my lovely friend Robyn got married, so I thought I'd finally post about it. I've posted about Robyn before here. She is a great gal and I'm so happy she found the love of her life, who happens to also be the cousin of one of my favorite Danville ladies. Yes, it's a small world and all very exciting. We started out the weekend by meeting up with the talented and renowned Laura in Downtown Disney for a delightful bachelorette dinner with the bride-to-be.

Rob and I were privileged to attend the sealing ceremony in the Newport Beach temple. It was beautiful and sweet and I of course cried, like I usually do in that kind of situation. Robyn was absolutely GLOWING with beauty when she came in the room. It was so fun to be a part of that. Laura was a lifesaver and watched Fara while we were in the temple (a.k.a. checked her email on her iPhone while Fara slept the whole time... awesome!), but seriously it was really nice of Laura to volunteer for the job and the two of them really bonded over the course of the day. While we were waiting for the couple to emerge, we snapped a few of these, as Laura would say, "for funsies."

Hopefully someone got this picture with Robyn looking at the camera...

Beautiful vows/ring ceremony in Robyn's parents' enormous and gorgeous backyard. The weather and decor were exceptional.

Incredible dessert table with awesome blue dressers, one of which held the "cookies and milk" ... DREAM COME TRUE!

It was such a fun, whirlwind weekend, and the only downside of it all is that I was incredibly sick with a nasty cold that lasted for weeks afterward. I tried my best to not get anyone else sick, and I was shocked that Laura never was (that I know of), considering I pretty much coughed and sneezed all over the scarf she let me borrow for warmth. Thanks again, Filth! I owe you one (or many).

We are so happy for Robyn and John and feel super duper honored that we got to be a part of their big day! You guys are outstanding!

Hippity Hoppity, Easter's on its way

2011-04-19T23:32:00.000-07:00

Here comes Fara Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail.

Looks like she's following her father's footsteps.

6 months and one million pictures later...

2011-04-10T23:03:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are just now tuning in to our blog, we had a baby girl on 10-10-10 and named her Fara. We recently celebrated her being six months old by unpacking boxes in our new place and watching this long video montage I made for her*, which documents my pregnancy, delivery**, and first six months of this little girl’s life. It’s seriously really long, so no one’s forcing you to watch it. But two of my favorite parts are Rob’s face at 4:50 and his rockin’ moves at 20:49. Enjoy!

Untitled from Marisa Montierth on Vimeo.

*Yes, I am going to try to do something like this for all of my kids.

**Edited for general audiences, 'cause I'm classy like that.

It's April!

2011-04-01T22:02:00.000-07:00

Happy April Fool's Day. It was on this day one year ago that we announced to Rob's parents (and subsequently the world) that we were due to have a baby on 9-30-2010 (though said baby decided not to come until we forced her out 9-10 days later). Anyway, we weren't trying to confuse them; it just happened to be the day that they arrived in Folsom to visit us. It was a day of huge relief for us, as we'd been keeping the secret since January and I just couldn't take it anymore. And I'm a huge hypocrite because I hate when people announce stuff on April Fool's Day, because I refuse to be taken for a fool. This means you, Google! I didn't trust your gmail motion for a second.

Tomorrow is my brother Josh's birthday. I don't think he reads my blog (at least not regularly), but he is a great older brother and I wanted to show off this cute picture of us from the olden days. I like how I don't have a belly button, just a roll. Happy birthday, Joshua!

Vacuuming

2011-03-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

I usually vacuum during Fara's naps in an attempt to get her to "protect her sleep" better, so this video (taken about a month ago) was her first actual encounter with a vacuum. I thought it was pretty hilarious. I love how she gets all scrunchy-faced and looks like she is about to sneeze but never actually cries.

Paint

2011-03-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

We're moving to a new (well, new to us) condo in a couple weeks and we get to PAINT. That's right, for the very first time in my life I actually get to choose paint colors for the interior of my living quarters.

!!!

I know it will be a lot of work, but I am excited. And it helps that my husband is oh-so-wonderful and willing when it comes to this sort of thing. BUT since we have never done this before, we have no idea where to start or what to buy. The condo has two bedrooms, one living room, and one dining area that need to be painted (and maybe the bathrooms too? I can't remember). Currently, the colors on the walls are very dark maroon and gold. So my questions to you all are:

1. Do I get a primer or just get one of those paints that say you don't need primer? And how much primer do I need to buy?
2. What brand of paint and/or primer is the best and why?
3. What other accessories will I need (rollers, bins, smaller brushes, painter tape, etc.)?
4. How much paint should we start off buying? Do we need to buy it all initially or can we buy a little and go back to the store if we need more?
5. What color should I paint our bedroom? (Our furniture is black.)

I'll probably do the living/dining area in some shade of gray (I've always been a big fan of gray), and part of me wants to just do a lighter or darker shade of it for our bedroom, but I'm trying to break out of that. I have really plain taste because I get sick of things that are too "out there" really easily. And I prefer cool tones. I think Fara's room will either be a super pale sky blue or lavender. Ahhhh, I need help. Your suggestions are welcome.

Magically Delicious

2011-03-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a wee St. Patrick's Day photo shoot that I forgot to post on the appropriate day. I wanted to take these outside on the grass but it's been so rainy and wet here. Oh well... enjoy.

Houston

2011-03-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

Last night I returned home from a week-long trip to Houston to visit my brother's family and watch four of his children while he and his wife volunteered on their stake's pioneer trek. My husband was a champion for letting me take Fara away from him for an entire week and it was fun to see a bunch of my nieces and nephews, including Rob's sister and her three boys who also live in the area. We went to the rodeo three separate times, once for the Alan Jackson concert (awesome) and twice to see my nephew compete in the Mutton Bustin' championship! He was so adorable and excited that he got to be on TV and so proud of his huge belt buckle! Anyway, here are a few pictures from the week.

Grandma Dauna and Grandpa Bruce on the plane with Fara (yes, they came too, and it was wonderful).

Cousin Nathan and Fara... don't you love his little hand on her leg?

Minda and her boys visited us twice. It was St. Patrick's Day which is why we're all in green (Jacob had green shorts on).

Cute twin boys. Eternal Love.

Fara and cousin Alyssa having "girl time."

Fara and Porter hanging out.

Mutton Bustin' 2011 Champion!

His interview in front of 70,000 adoring fans. :)

It was a great trip, but we're happy to be home again home again jiggity jig.

5

2011-03-10T05:55:00.000-08:00

Kind of a fun little tidbit:

5 months ago today my baby was born.
5 years ago today Rob asked me to marry him.

I know it's not that big of a deal, but you know how I like numbers and coincidences. And now I present to you my 5-month-old baby:

Blue Steel.

Give me one reason why I shouldn't buy this...

2011-03-03T17:02:00.000-08:00

The "Jumbo Fun Ball" (I don't think a more clever or hilarious name could have been conjured up, by the way) is $29.99 at Costco. We almost bought it on the spot, but we're not quite so impulsive.

Googley bears

2011-02-23T23:20:00.000-08:00

Today I was driving to Costco and I saw the Google street view car! I was so excited that I waved at the driver in hopes my turn onto Alcosta was immortalized by his fancy camera. I've always been so jealous of the people who fortuitously show up in the street view; maybe this will be my lucky day.

More things on my mind

2011-02-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

1. Wow. The Bachelor just got waaaay trashy again! The photo shoot? So gross and uncomfortable. I really like Shawntel, the funeral director. She seems like the most fun, non-dramatic of the girls. I hope she’s the next bachelorette. Or Emily. Seriously, like Alli said, I could just stare at Emily—she is so perfect-looking. I don’t get why she’s into Brad; I just do not think he is that incredible—looks or personality. His conversations are robotic. ALSO, it's not pronounced "REE-pelling" ... it's just rappelling.

2. Last week I had a root canal. I’m so ashamed because I pride myself on thorough hygiene, but apparently my furthest-back molar wasn’t as taken care of as I’d hoped. Anyway, the night before I went in, I read Fara this book from my childhood and this picture from it totally freaked me out:

3. Fara already has like 4 swimsuits (we’ll be using them a lot—already are), but maybe I can buy this one for next summer when it goes on sale? Janie and Jack = super adorable.

4. For Valentine’s Day I made Rob take me to IHOP. I got a buy-one-entrée-get-one-free coupon so we had a nice cheap breakfast-for-dinner with our little babe. I love how most restaurants are crowded on V-day but IHOP had to give away coupons to entice people to come on that day. And I think I love pancake houses so much because my family never went to them growing up, and they feel like a special treat.

5. Does anyone else get the catalogs from DownEast in the mail? They make me laugh. Who wears a cardigan and pearls with their swimsuit bottoms? I’m just not sure what they’re going for there.

6. I found this picture of my birthday cake from last year and thought it would be fun to post on here. Rob made it—we obviously had babies on our minds!

7. American Idol: So that couple that made it to Hollywoood week, you know, the ones that are all lovey-dovey and stuff? All I have to say to the guy is WAY TO RUIN YOUR GIRLFRIEND’S CHANCES OF GETTING VERY FAR ON THE SHOW. Did you really think that singing in the aisle on your way out would make the judges change their minds about you? Seriously, embarrassing.

8. Ever notice how classy game shows like Wheel of Fortune never need to tell “sob stories” about their contestants? Why do American Idol producers think we need to hear about every random trial a person has gone through before auditioning for the show? Just sing and let me decide if you’re any good based on your voice and not because I feel bad for you. PS, I really want to go on Wheel of Fortune.

9. Does anyone know of a good fabric store in the Bay Area beside JoAnn? I don’t like ordering fabric online.

WOW. That is quite enough of my brain exposed to the internet.

Won't you be mine?

2011-02-14T15:37:00.000-08:00

I mean really, who could resist this face?

Happy Valentine's Day!

(I'm not even sorry for the picture overload; it is my blog, after all.)

Four-month-old Fara

2011-02-10T17:48:00.000-08:00

It's the tenth of the month again, and that little number ten is special because it marks yet another month of growth for our baby girl. How trite will I sound if I mention how fast time is flying or how huge she is getting? Well, it's true.

We didn't get her official stats because her doctor appointment was cancelled today, but she's somewhere around 15 pounds and 25 inches. She's my little mini-chubbles (my nickname as a baby was Chubbles... way to give me a complex, family!) and she's a very merry little girl. She loves to be sung to and read to, she's not very snuggly (shocking), and she loves to drool, blow saliva bubbles, roll around, put stuff in her mouth, and squeal. She's starting to get crazy, spiky hair... I love it. She is just delightful, and it's so fun to watch her personality develop.

Just some things on my mind

2011-02-04T12:16:00.000-08:00

This past week we Netflixed "Alvin and the Chipmunks," as well as "The Squeakquel," and they did not disappoint. I’m somewhat depressed Fara won’t grow up with the same awesome cartoons as Rob and I did. I mean, Denver the Last Dinosaur? David the Gnome? You just can’t top those.
My American Idol judge dream team would be Simon Cowell, Stephen Tyler, and Jennifer Lopez. Even though I can’t stand Randy, I’m surprised to actually be enjoying this season. J-Lo is beautiful and talented and I’ve always loved Aerosmith.
My husband is surprisingly picky when it comes to treats. This is good because he usually only loves what I bake for him (or what his mom bakes for him), and that feels nice. Especially since his mom is pretty much a gourmet cook--tough act to follow. Basically what I’m saying is this: I make really good chocolate chip cookies and RKTs. ;)
I seriously kiss Fara’s chubby cheeks a million times a day. Her laugh is out of this world, and she laughs ALL the time now. She is such a happy girl. I love how easy it is to make her smile! Will there ever be a time I don’t think she is the most perfect, beautiful being to ever exist? Probably not.
I found out this week that one of my best friends ever is having a baby! I’m so excited; she will be such a cool, funny mom. I think she’ll be the type of mom that other kids (and moms) are jealous of.
2 of the prettiest girls on The Bachelor weren’t given a rose this week. Good for them, because Brad Womack is SO BORING and they could do much better. I know that show is all fake, but still. At least it’s not as trashy as it used to be… or have I just become desensitized? Maybe it’s because they haven’t gotten to the fantasy suite part yet. By the way, that Emilie girl looks EXACTLY like Barbie. They keep acting like she’s going to be kicked off but I think it’s obvious she’ll make it to the finale, I think with Shawntel.
Nursing is a great time to do things like check my email and blog. That’s all for now!

Sugar Plum Fara

2011-01-13T01:45:00.000-08:00

The Fara puns are endless around here. We're pretty cheesy; we know.

We spent Christmas 2010 at Rob's parents' home in Pleasant View, Utah. They live on the mountain so we always have a blast there with all the snow and fun outdoor activities. We arrived on Christmas Eve and left on New Year's Eve, which meant Fara had her first two flights on an airplane! She was pretty much a gem for both of them. Our usually alert, flailing-arms baby stayed mostly very calm and/or asleep both times. Fortunately it's a short flight, but like any new mom I was still worried!

Last Christmas Eve was secretly depressing because I found out I was not pregnant that day. Fortunately, the following month I found out I was! And that was the best New Year gift ever, as well as the hardest secret to keep for the next 10 or so weeks. I was pregnant for almost all of 2010, and in October we were blessed with this awesome baby. I seriously didn't need or want anything else for Christmas; I already feel like I have it all (see, told you I'm cheesy!). Rob was actually relieved my computer broke so he had something to give me on Christmas morning. Anyway, here are some pictures from our best Christmas ever.

Fara's fawn on Christmas Eve.

Christmas morning.

Meeting 2 of her great-grandmas, Great Grandma Fisher (above) and Great Grandma Montierth (below). Fara looks like she has a mohawk in the top picture.

Family pictures on Christmas day.

Playing in the snow. I thought this looked like a giant snow heart.

Goodbye 2010; you were good to us—definitely the year of change for our family.
We're excited to see what 2011 has in store for us.

My Fara Lady

2011-01-10T19:06:00.000-08:00

Fara is 3 months old today! Yesterday she was given a name and a sweet blessing by her father. It was a special day with our wonderful family and friends who were able to come. Here are a few pictures we took of her in her dress (the same dress I was blessed in 26 years ago) and lying on her daddy's baby blanket.

Showing off the birthmark on her left arm. Her name definitely matches her skin tone; naturally fair like her mama!

Christmas cards

2011-01-05T13:15:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is receiving Christmas cards in the mail. I didn't send any out this year because I felt like we just sent out Fara's birth announcements and it might be repetitive, and frankly, I just ran out of time finishing all the other projects I had before Christmas. (Side note: if you did not get an announcement it's probably because I don't have your address. If you want one I will send it to you; just let me know!) Anyway, I like to put all my Christmas cards on our fridge so I can see them all the time. It's fun. This is kind of a random post, but I wanted those who sent me a card this year to know that I did not forget you, and I will send them out next year (hopefully).

Happy Christmas to all!

2010-12-24T22:28:00.000-08:00

Rob quickly put this little video together on our flight to Utah today... If nothing else, at least watch the first few seconds; it's pretty cute!

Festivities

2010-12-12T19:20:00.000-08:00

Last week we attended a Creche exhibit in Palo Alto which featured a bunch of artwork done by my sister-in-law Cathy's sister, Wendy. Wendy is an incredibly talented artist, so we were flattered when she asked if Fara could pose as baby Jesus a few days after she was born for this beautiful oil painting she created (Wendy, not Fara). It was so fun to see it and all of the other art and nativity scenery there.

Speaking of people named Mary, this past week I took Fara on her first overnight trip out of town—to meet her Great Grandma Lewis. Fara warmed right up to her and we had a nice few days in Folsom.

We got to see lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins, including these lovely ladies and their adorable boys who were also born this year.

Raquel and Rawson, me and Fara, Kaisa and Otto.

We had a great time and are excited for our next trip to Folsom this coming weekend! We miss it a lot.

Bye Buddy!

2010-12-10T14:56:00.000-08:00

Fara is two months old today, so I thought I'd post some pictures of her in the little Mr. Narwhal onesie I made. Will my kids have complexes because I dress them in homemade clothes?

Merry Christmas!

Happy December!

2010-12-01T12:49:00.000-08:00

Grocery Outlet: you totally redeemed yourself

2010-11-30T23:16:00.000-08:00

If you know us well, you know we're always on the hunt for the cheapest groceries... or cheapest anything for that matter. We had a Grocery Outlet in Folsom that we went to once, but we were disappointed in its produce selection so we defaulted to WinCo, which is always a winner. Unfortunately there is no WinCo close to us now, so when this new Grocery Outlet opened up last weekend I decided to try it out. I was so impressed with their prices, selection, organization, friendly service, and copious compliments on my baby. It was a delightful outing with my sleepy little buddy.

Best purchase of the trip: a brand new pair of Gap jeans for $8. Random but true.

And just for good measure, here's Fara at 7 weeks:

They've only just begun

2010-11-21T16:50:00.000-08:00

Today my parents celebrate forty years of marriage to each other. FORTY YEARS. That's pretty incredible.

Happy 40th anniversary, Mom and Dad! Five children and fifteen grandchildren later and you still have that newlywed glow. We hope you are enjoying your time in Australia and New Zealand. We love you.

Skillz

2010-11-17T16:56:00.000-08:00

Fara has been perfecting a few tricks in the past couple weeks...
Roll-over (3 weeks):

Body roll (4 weeks):

Balancing act (5 weeks):

Fara Bear-a

2010-11-10T20:02:00.000-08:00

This tiny one is a whole month old today! There’s no question that this has been the best month ever for us, and we still don’t know what we did to deserve such an awesome baby. I already don’t remember what life was like before her. I think sleep was involved.
Fara is already quite popular with the gentlemen and had two “dates” this week. The first was with Liam, the son of our friends Matt and Megan. Matt’s sister Michelle held Fara almost the entire time, and Fara gave her lots of smiles!Fara also got to hang out with Bennett, my friend Ashley’s little boy. It’s funny how their age difference seems so drastic right now but will seem like nothing when they are older.Thanks for visiting, guys! And happy month-iversary to our little baby bear.

Stop it right now

2010-11-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

We are quickly moving out of the phase of counting Fara’s age in days, but in weeks and months instead. I hate how fast time is going! At 17 days she actually rolled over from tummy to back. She did it like four times. WHAT THE HECK. Sunday marked three weeks since her birth, and it’s been an incredible three weeks. I just can’t get enough of her; I actually miss her when she’s been asleep for a long time even though she's usually right there in front of me. Some nights are better than others, but no matter what I will not let myself wish any time away, even when she’s awake for three hours straight in the middle of the night. I love to just stare at her and remind myself that she’s mine… I just cannot get over that! Seriously, when will it start to feel real that she’s my baby? She’s the best and I love her.Mid-rollover. “The Surrender."

"Don't judge me"

2010-10-28T19:56:00.000-07:00

My fellow London friends will appreciate that title, am I right?

I normally don't like talking about TV shows or movies on my blog because nowadays it seems there are raunchy parts even in the more conservative shows and I don't like being held responsible for jokes that are a bit "off-color." BUT I really enjoy this show; Rob and I have rented the first 5 seasons on dvd from the library and we think it's hilarious. Sorry if you don't.

A birth story

2010-10-21T17:53:00.000-07:00

We arrived at the hospital at 5:25 pm on Saturday, October 9th very excited to get the induction process underway after having waiting for what felt like nine years instead of nine days past our baby’s due date. We were admitted to our birthing suite and dressed (well, more like undressed), and then we sat around until they finally checked me at around 7 or 7:30. I was only dilated to about 1 cm so they decided they would put me on the Misoprostil pill like we had discussed with the doctor a few days before. He told me the pill would chemically “ripen” my cervix and maybe even put me into labor. At this point I didn’t think I was allowed to eat (Rob and I are pretty sure one of the nurses said I couldn’t), so Rob walked over to the glamorous Hick’ry Pit and had a meal. They even gave him free pie because he mentioned that his wife was in labor.

While Rob was out, the nurse midwife told me I was allowed to eat still, and in fact, should eat because I was going to need the energy for the long labor ahead of me. So I called Rob, who had already finished up, and he brought me back a salad from CPK. I was feeling great at this point (about 10 pm), but not long after the meal I had my first contraction, which really just felt like a minor cramp, and I was still able to fall asleep.

At 1 am I was given a second dosage of Misoprostil, and the nurse midwife who checked on me informed me that I had been having “oodles of contractions.” It got harder to sleep after that. By the time I had my third dosage at 5 am, I was having strong and frequent contractions that were impossible to rest through. Labor had definitely begun. The contractions were SO much more painful than I expected them to be, and they got to the point where they were practically on top of each other, giving me no time to rest or recuperate in between. For the next six hours I endured the miserable contractions until the nurse checked on me at 11 am and gave me Fentanyl for the pain. At this point I was only dilated to 2 cm. So frustrating! The Fentanyl helped temporarily, but eventually the contractions were so strong and so close together that the nurses were all recommending the epidural. I was given the epidural at about 1:30 pm (twice, because the first time it was given somehow my blood got into the tube). The needle didn’t bother me (though it sure bothered Rob); the hardest part was sitting through like eight rounds of contractions and trying to hold still while she did it. But it was totally worth it, because within about ten minutes I was feeling AMAZING. At this point I was dilated between 2 and 3 cm.

At 3 pm they put in a catheter since I was now pretty much numb down there. My mom arrived at about 3:15 and my dad at 3:45 to see how I was doing. At 4:05 pm I was dilated to a 4 and the midwife decided to break my bag of waters to get my labor moving along. Rob thought it was the coolest thing he’d ever seen. It felt really weird having like a pound of water just gush out of me without my control. To keep things moving, they started me on Pitocin at 4:45 pm and checked me about an hour later. I was at 5 cm and my favorite nurse Lydia said the baby’s head was very low, and she predicted that the baby would be delivered by 9 pm. That sounded great to me! At 6 pm they increased the Pitocin to level 6 and I was having contractions every 2-3 minutes. Lydia began setting up all of the baby reception supplies and Rob and I started getting very excited. At 7 pm I was still at a “generous 5 cm” and at 8:10 pm I was given an oxygen mask to correct the baby’s dipping heartbeat. The contractions were getting stronger and I could feel the baby so low that I wanted to push. At 8:30 a new midwife arrived, Esme, and she said she would return at around 9 to check me. Lydia tried to persuade her to check me now since the baby was so low, but Esme had two other patients already in the pushing phase and had to check them first.

Esme returned at 9:05 pm and reported that I was dilated to 9.5 cm and ready to push. At this point I was shaking with chills like crazy and my teeth would not stop chattering. It was a strange phenomenon. I pushed for the hardest two hours of my life, complete with screaming and fever and trying every possible delivery position, and our baby emerged at 11:03 pm. After the first hour of pushing, I thought she would never come. They had a mirror set up for me to watch the delivery, and it felt and looked like there was no progress whatsoever. Every time Rob or the nurses tried to encourage me by saying things like, “You’re so close!” or, “She really moved that time!” I wanted to shout, “BS! I can see her and nothing changed!” Rob must have counted to ten for each push at least a thousand different times. But in the last fifteen minutes, when I could see her head actually moving out while I pushed, it gave me a rush of strength like I’d never felt. Once her head was out I just squeezed so hard and there she was! Unfortunately, somewhere between her head coming out and the rest of her little body I tore badly. They immediately plopped my little girl on my chest and I had no idea what to do! It was all so surreal to me that I was actually holding my baby. She was so slippery that I just held her as well as I could so she could breathe. She was perfect! It was the most incredible moment of my life.

While she was lying there on me in those first few moments, she urinated all over my stomach and we all laughed. Rob cut the umbilical cord with two snips. I asked the nurses if I had torn and I think I heard one of them laugh because I had torn so badly and didn’t even realize it. The surgeon came in to stitch me up while I held my baby and tried to nurse for the first time. She latched on immediately! I could tell my girl was already super awesome.

After her stats were taken and she was cleaned up a bit, Rob and I were finally left alone with our baby to decide on her name. I cried as I held my new daughter and softly called her by name. Rob claims that she gave an approving yawn. Shortly after, I was given some food to eat since I hadn’t all day, and then it was time for bed (around 3 am). Fara woke up at 5 am and I held her for about an hour. At 6 am she had her first bowel movement and I fed her again. And thus began our parenting journey!

We spent Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in the hospital so I could heal a bit. We were fortunate that Fara seemed to have no complications whatsoever. On Thursday Rob had to take the Series 7 test and he passed with flying colors! I was very proud of him. I have felt more blessed in the past eleven days than I ever have in my entire life. Other than my recovery ailments, each day has been bliss. And I would do it all over again for the delight that little Fara brings to me all day long. I would gladly suffer through any pain if it means she is healthy! I’ve cried pretty much every night, sometimes multiple times, just thinking about Heavenly Father trusting me with such a perfect, beautiful spirit. I am so grateful to have her.

She's a perfect ten!

2010-10-20T21:27:00.000-07:00

When you arrive ten days late on 10-10-10, the ten jokes are seemingly endless. And now that she's ten days old, I figured it was high time I actually posted something on my blog about my new little love. Awww... how tender.

Several have asked about the origins of Fara’s name, and since I love all things concerning words and meaning I thought it would be appropriate to share it here. Fara was the name of a childhood friend of mine, and I always thought it was really pretty and unique. In Arabic, the word “farah” means joy or happiness (we opted for a more concise spelling) and in Middle English it means beauty. We thought these were all acceptable words to describe our baby, and when we finally got a look at her we knew it would fit her well (yes, I did just indirectly call my baby beautiful!).

Her middle name, Whitney, is a family surname from Rob’s side. One night we were scouring both of our pedigree charts for name ideas, and we came upon a female ancestor whose name was—no joke—“Thankful Whitney.” Rob and I had discussed Whitney as a name we liked previously, so when we learned about this ancestor and her amusing first name it boosted it up a few notches. Whitney is an Old English name meaning “white island.” And apparently my dad also has some Whitney relatives. So there you have it.

If you'd like to see more pictures of our little buddy, click here. I'll post her birth story soon for those who want to know details (but not too many details).

My grandpa

2010-10-16T14:32:00.000-07:00

Before I embark on a barrage of posts and pictures of little Fara, I wanted to take a moment to honor someone very important to me. On the morning that we went to the hospital to have our baby, my Grandpa Lewis passed away. Though he was 87 years old and his health has been declining for the last few weeks, it was definitely an emotional and ironic time for him to go. I don’t know how things work in heaven, but we’ve all been comforted in thinking he must have wanted to get a sneak peek of our baby before she came to earth.During the past two years that Rob and I lived in Folsom we grew especially close with my grandparents who lived pretty much just down the street from us. The day we found out we were having a girl, my grandpa accompanied my mom and me on a celebratory shopping trip. Grandpa was so cute as he shuffled along slowly, picking out little girl clothes and displaying them for me with the most adorable grin on his face. I will never forget that day and how much love he had for our little girl whom he hadn’t even met.Grandpa always made everyone feel like they were his favorite, and I will miss how his face lit up whenever Rob and I would visit. I miss how he would praise us with each puzzle piece we put together on my grandparents’ dining room table, and how he would rehash our waterskiing successes on Folsom Lake at the end of the day as if we had just won gold medals in the Olympics. We shared so many special moments with him and my grandma and will cherish those memories forever.Rob and I were heartbroken that we couldn’t attend the funeral services on Monday, but I’m so impressed by the many family members and friends who made it a priority to be there. My mom has amazingly held it together for the last few weeks as she drove back and forth to be there for both her dying father and pregnant daughter. My sister took some beautiful pictures of the family gathering here for those who’d like to see. I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful family. We love you Grandpa; God be with you ‘til we meet again.

An end—or rather, a beginning—in sight

2010-10-07T20:32:00.000-07:00

Taken today, 41 weeks.

So we had our 41-week appointment this afternoon (not everyone gets one of those!) and it looks like I have progressed a little. Basically, if our baby has not come on her own by Saturday at 5 pm, about 44 hours from now, our doctor encouraged us to start the induction process at that time. Which means that we should be holding our sweet baby girl by Monday or Tuesday at the latest! It is so nice to have something kind of set in stone, but obviously I will be delighted if she decides to come even sooner. Like tonight would be great. Poor Rob has to take the Series 7 (an 8-hour test he's been studying for for the last 7 weeks) a week from today, so it's going to be a little crazy for him. If you feel like including him in your prayers, we'd be appreciative.

When I look back on how a few weeks ago we were saying our baby could be here "any day now," I want to point and laugh at our past selves and shout, "You fools!" The anticipation of her arrival has been intense to say the least. We're so grateful for this little girl who is about to change our lives, and for all the encouragement we've had from family and friends. We'll try to keep everyone, or at least those who want to be, informed.

See you soon, baby!

The year of boys

2010-10-05T11:12:00.001-07:00

I've had a lot of extra time in the past few days and last night I started thinking about all the babies I know who have been born this year. And then I wrote down this list, because I love making lists, and I realized that an overwhelming majority of them were boys. I'm sure I'm probably forgetting someone; this was just off the top of my head. I guess this really was the year for boys!

***I just added in a few more that I had forgotten... sorry! I still love you guys; it's just a lot of babies to remember.***

Photo shoot

2010-10-03T21:21:00.000-07:00

My sister Kambria took a few maternity pictures of Rob and me last Sunday evening around our apartment complex. I figured we should probably hurry and document my being 39.5 weeks pregnant because the baby could come at any time... and now it's a week later and still no baby! It's all good though; I kind of figured she'd have to be late to balance out all the early arrivals my friends have had this year (seriously like 10 of my friends—some 3 or 4 weeks early!). And I don't mind feeling her flip around inside of me for a little longer. We've had a good run, right baby?

Warning: lots of cheesy kissing pictures.

Paintings for Leighanna

2010-10-02T08:06:00.001-07:00

Leighanna is another BFF I've mentioned on my blog a few times, and forever ago she asked me to create some rather large artwork for a huge wall in her Idaho home. I finally got around to finishing them this week, as I had some spare time on my hands. Leigh's furniture and decor is really modern and awesome, so she wanted something kind of abstract and simple, in cool tones. In no way do I consider myself an abstract artist, but I told her I was willing to experiment. She sent me a few "inspiration pieces" to give me an idea of what she was looking for, and this is how it all turned out. These babies are large and in charge; each panel is 4 feet by 2 feet, making a combined total of 4x6 feet. All in all, a very fun project.

Joint baby shower in Danville

2010-09-30T22:52:00.000-07:00

No baby yet. Why not blog some more?

I've mentioned Alli, my BFF since age 3, on here before. Well, she happens to also be pregnant right now with her first, a little girl, which is a pretty amazing coincidence seeing as she has been married for 6 years and I have for 4, and we are both finally having our first babies within 3 months of each other (Alli is due on Christmas day). Some might say that such a coincidental event would warrant a super luxurious joint baby shower, which is exactly what happened just two weeks ago at the Darrington home in Danville. I honestly would have been embarrassed about all the extravagance had I not been able to share it with Alli; it was out of this world! Danville was certainly good to us. Here are some pictures...

Family baby shower in Folsom

2010-09-28T11:10:00.000-07:00

Two more days until the due date and no signs of baby's debut. Rob and I have been hoping for a punctual baby, but I'm just assuming she'll be fashionably late so I won't be disappointed. Every night is like Christmas Eve around here... will I start having contractions tonight? A lot can happen in 8 hours! We have been sleeping as much as we can so we can remember and treasure the feeling of being rested for as long as possible; rumor has it that parenting is exhausting.

We've done a lot of fun things in the month since we've been here, including a couple of UNBELIEVABLE baby showers. First my cousins, Lucinda and Becky, and aunts, Terri and Linda, threw me one in Folsom. It was so much fun! The food was delicious and I just love hanging out with all my cousins. It was so easy and natural just being around family; they are hilarious! Here are a few pictures from that day: Lucinda organizing the gifts. My pretty cousins Rocia, Raquel, and their sister Kaisa's baby, Otto. Hillary and Kaisa. Love it Kaisa! My cousin Becky made this unreal 3D bear cake. It was tasty. Cousins, Raquel's baby Rawson, and my sister-in-law Rachel. I'm so mad the other one with everyone there didn't turn out on my camera! Raquel and me. Kaisa and I were trying to get a decent picture together but we couldn't stop laughing at something. I can't even remember what it was, but I almost wet myself and had to run to the bathroom so this was the best I got. Uncle Terry and Aunt Colleen from Rob's side were able to stop by afterward too! They are so sweet.

Quilt, quilt, and more quilt

2010-09-20T23:50:00.000-07:00

Wow, my blog is SO BORING. I'm hoping that soon I'll have some more exciting posts. In the mean time, here are some pictures of 3 quilts I finished for the baby (with a little help from Rob, my mom, Rachel, and some of the attendants of my baby shower).Precious Moments bear quilt: my mom has been saving this fabric since I was about 12 I think. Apparently I picked it out, but I seriously don't remember!Elephant/polka dot quilt: I made this out of 2 Carter's receiving blankets that were $2 each. I just really loved the fabric, even though I think the set was supposed to be for boys. I thought I would make it girly with some eyelet and small satin ribbon ties.My mom taught me to embroider when were were living in New York 15 years ago, but I hadn't done it since. It's surprisingly easy and quick when you do everything in the same color and just do outlines. Piecing it together was a joint effort among Rachel, Rob, and me. I seriously have so much more respect for people who do fancy quilts; even this simple one took a lot of time to put together! But the good thing is that I'm not afraid of my sewing machine anymore.

The baby's due date is in NINE DAYS! I actually know a couple people with due dates after mine who have already had their babies; WEIRD! I am so jealous. Rob asks me every 5 seconds if my water has broken, or if I'm feeling any contractions. Oh yeah Rob, silly me, I just forgot to tell you. So funny.

Oh, you know, baby stuff

2010-09-09T23:15:00.000-07:00

This picture from babiesrus.com freaks me out; every time I go there, in my head I'm like, "Holy cow! How small is that baby??" and then I realize it's not to scale.

In other baby news, I think it's funny when I'm at a store and my stomach bumps things off the racks. Not so funny when I have to squat carrying an extra 25 pounds to pick them up, though. Fortunately it seems that strangers are often very gracious to pregnant women.

My sister-in-law Rachel helped me make my crib skirt. I am so lucky to have her close to help me with all these sewing projects! I would probably never get them done if it weren't for her. Thanks Rachel!

Reverse buyer's remorse

2010-08-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

A while ago I found these simple, perfect black shoes on Target.com. They were exactly what I wanted: peep toe, non-patent, with a mid-height wedge heel (I don't like my heels to be higher than 3 inches or lower than 2—I'm really picky because it's not fun to feel like the BFG). The problem is, I'm really cheap when it comes to spending money on clothes for myself, and $25 for Target shoes seemed like a lot at the time. So I didn't buy them. Maybe I thought they would go on sale, like all Target things do. Now I am mad at myself because they are COMPLETELY sold out in every size, and they were only available online. And I can't stop thinking about them! I keep hoping that someone will return a pair to a Target store near me (preferably in size 9). If anyone finds them somewhere, I will pay you to ship them to me. I guess that's what I get for being so dang cheap!

In other news, one thing I did purchase recently is this cute little lamp for baby girl's room. TJMaxx for $12, and it matches her turquoise decor perfectly. I am such a Maxxinista.

Oh, and I forgot to post this before but I sewed this little seahorse stuffed animal a while ago to match the paintings. And then outlined it in sparkly puff paint. Not too bad for making it up as I went along!Finally, here's one last cute picture of Rob and my nephew (the birthday boys) from Sunday evening:

Just some things on my mind

2010-08-23T20:14:00.000-07:00

1. We recently moved to the Bay Area (more specifically the Dublin/San Ramon area). If anyone wants or needs our new address, leave a comment. I know there are tons of you out there wanting to send us presents!! Just kidding.

2. I never got to see the finale of SYTYCD because we were moving, but I heard Lauren won. That chick was a SPAZ, but she was also an awesome dancer so whatever. It was fun to watch Allison and Neil throughout the season; they were my favorites from their past seasons. Also, Twitch was magnificent in the "My Chick Bad" dance.

3. Rob's birthday always "breaks me in" to the thought of getting another year older. Time is flying! It was a fun day. Isn't he a babe with his dino RKT? Um, yes.
4. I fashioned this little mobile for baby girl's room (no we don't have a name yet. Really. And if/when we do we probably won't tell anyone until she's born anyway, so... sorry!). I bought the main electronic swirling part for $10 at Walmart and instead of using their tacky, cheap-o hangy toys I sewed this little rainbow, hearts, and stars combo using the same colors as the animal pictures I painted. I hope baby girl likes neon colors as much as I do! I tied ribbons to the toys and attached buttons at the top to hold them in place. The mobile spins and plays Brahms's Lullaby.
5. The people in my life are way too generous. Before we left Folsom, the girls at work threw me a SURPRISE baby shower on my last day in the office. It was so fun and so thoughtful, but unfortunately I didn't get any pictures because I was SO surprised! I am going to miss my job so much but hopefully I can do a little bit on the side after the baby comes.

6. My friends and co-primary presidency members Jennica and Emily also put on a fantastic shower that we got a few shots of. I loved our Folsom ward so much! I love candid shots. Especially of people eating. This is my other friend Emily who lived 3 doors down from us before we moved. She and her husband just had a baby girl in March. Seriously one of my very best friends in Folsom. She made me a couple of SWEET onesies—one of a deer and one of California. Hopefully we can live close to them again someday!And I think that's enough blogging for one night.

26

2010-08-19T23:56:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to my husband, the guy who always makes me smile, who loves his family, who puts up with my sass, who values education, who is a loyal friend, who takes care of his body, who appreciates nature, who enjoys a challenge, who cuddles with baby animals, and so much more! I'm glad I get to be with you forever and have your babies. I have a feeling 26 is going to be a good age for us. You're the best!

4 years

2010-08-18T22:59:00.000-07:00

There was no Melting Pot near us this year, so we celebrated our 4 year anniversary at Bridges in Danville tonight. It's pretty weird to think that we'll have had a child by the time we celebrate our next one! Here's a photo of my mid-section at 34 weeks; we took it just as we were leaving for dinner:And here's a picture of Rob with some flowers his boss sent us:I love you, Ro-bear. Happy anniversary.

A Song For Mama

2010-08-10T14:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a little video I put together for my mom's birthday, for those who like watching that sort of thing.

8-9-10

2010-08-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today is my mom's 60th birthday!We'll be partying in Danville this evening, and I can't wait.
Happy Birthday, Mom!
We love you.

"A little place called Asssssspen" Grove

2010-07-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had a really fun Montierth family reunion at Aspen Grove Family Camp in Utah near Sundance. We stayed in rustic cabins, ate BYU-approved food, and participated in a variety of outdoorsy activities. Here are some pictures of our trip!Rob and I got some sweet dinosaur shirts screen-printed for the whole family so everyone would know how cool we are.Rob on Big Bear (we have a thing for bears).

Me and Little Bear (and Baby Bear, of course).Rob up on the ropes course.

Rob and 2 of his brothers, Richard and Bryce.Some of the gang about to play paintball.

Rob looking intense.

Brady participating in the family frolics portion.

Rob(in Hood).

Me shooting a gun.Rob and his mom in the dining facility.

Riding the train.

Rob and Richard about to duel it out.

The stick and bucket game.Rob's parents on the bridge.Riding off into the sunset.Cascade Springs: probably my favorite place we went. I just wanted to paint everything I saw.Rob and I on a bridge at Cascade Springs (I'm noticing lots of bridge pictures).Rob at the top of the rock wall.Not sure what my face was about here, but I was pretty proud of myself for climbing the wall 6 months pregnant!Another bridge shot on the last day.Bryce and Maile's family had a quick little photo shoot.

Though we've been back to Utah many times in the last few years, this was my first time actually stepping foot on BYU campus since my graduation in '06.
We were also fortunate to dine with a few of our favorite friends whom we miss very much.
At the end of the week we celebrated the 4th of July and reunited with many Montierth cousins for Grandma's 80th birthday. Here is Rob at Grandma's birthday party at the aquatic center, modeling his favorite towel.It was a great trip!

Happy 25th, Lagina!

2010-07-18T23:49:00.000-07:00

The little lady pictured with me here is celebrating 25 years of life today.Leighanna is definitely one of the most entertaining people I know. She is a genius and always understands me perfectly. We were roommates for many moons, and I have a ton of excellent memories with her. We, as friends, love many of the same things: cream cheese brownies, unique words, Seinfeld, Julie de Azevedo songs, Panda Express drive throughs, hiking the Y at 3am at the end of each semester (see below), backpacking Europe, John Stamos, and not finding hair in the shower are just a few of them. She is awesome. Cleveland doth not rock, but she certainly does. Leigh, I hope your birthday is out of this world! Please come visit us again soon, okay? Great, thanks.

30 weeks

2010-07-18T15:23:00.000-07:00

Last week I painted these for baby girl's room. Since her furniture is all white I decided to go with some really vibrant colors for the remaining decor (turquoise, lemon yellow, and a fuchsia/purpley color that I just don't know what to call, but I like it). They are each 12" x 12".The deer is my favorite. In Rob's family it's kind of a tradition to pick a "special" animal for each grandchild, and then his mom buys them a plush version of that animal. So we picked a baby deer. Rob has named it Fonzarelli (like "fawn," get it? So clever). Here is a picture of Fonzarelli admiring his future owner's painting:Also, the baby is now 30 weeks along, so I thought it would be nice to post a belly shot:
Just kidding! Here it is for realsies:
And to compare, here's one of me at 18 weeks, wearing the same shirt (that's actually how I remembered to take a picture; these are the only "belly shots" I've taken this entire pregnancy):The end (for now).

Cute cousins

2010-07-16T10:54:00.000-07:00

Last week I got to hang out with a few of my adorable cousins. The time always goes by way too fast when I'm with them and I always laugh really hard because they are hilarious. I promised I would post these pictures (not our most flattering since it was the end of the day and we'd all been swimming/sweaty), so here you go girls!I love how colorful we are together.Cia was in the other room taking care of Rockwell, but we love her too!

Fiesta Fiesta

2010-07-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

In May we took a delightful trip to Punta Mita (just outside of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico) with our dear friends the Russons and Haycocks. It was probably the most luxurious and delicious trip I've ever taken. We stayed in a beautiful home situated on a golf course on the beach, and our room even had two showers (one indoor and one outdoor, you know, just for fun). We swam in the infinity pool, read, relaxed, played games, went to the beach, and ATE. The house comes complete with a lovable live-in cook/concierge/driver named Francisco, and wonderful sweet Reina the maid (see? Fancy). In addition, we had Silvia and her friend Esther (also a professional chef) there to make us a variety of delectable salsas, guacamole, and other treats. We had a wonderful time and were so lucky to have such hilarious hosts/company. So here are some pictures:

The view outside of our room.The Russons and Montierths.Emsybear and me in Sayulita.Me with Francisco. Esther, Silvia, Jason, Em, me, and Rob at the beach.The happy couples on our last day there.Baby at 21 weeks. I don't know why this picture was taken but it's interesting!Friendz 4-ever.

Thanks Jason and Emily for inviting us!

Easter

2010-07-11T20:12:00.000-07:00

This past Easter we were excited to have Rob's parents come stay with us for a few days. This was a big weekend for us as we announced to them and the rest of the world that we were having a baby. They also got a chance to see Rob in action as the Easter Bunny at our primary activity, as well as Folsom Prison, Coloma, and Historic downtown Folsom. Here are a few pictures of our fun weekend:Thanks Brad and Cathy for coming all the way to visit us!

Little Birthday Lady

2010-07-02T14:35:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday to my big sister Kambria!

I'm sorry I can't be there to make you this sweet Barbie cake (next year!) ...... but I hope you know that I'm still your biggest fan!I'm sorry this post isn't longer (I have limited internet access today),
but I hope you have a spectacular day!
I love you and will always.

*RisaRoo*

Es una muchacha! C'est une fille! C'e una ragazza! It's a GIRL!

2010-05-04T22:47:00.001-07:00

Happy Cinco de Mayo (belated) to everybody from us, and congratulations to…

Kristen M.
Kelli S.
Katie R.
Lenore S.
Richard & Courtney M.
Emily R.
Mindy P.
Laura O.
Maile M.
Brad & Cathy M.

and all others who guessed "girl" on Facebook or in person for getting it right!

And thanks to EVERYONE for all the congratulations and love. It is overwhelmingly felt and appreciated. I am always so paranoid and emotional before every doctor appointment (listening to Boyz II Men's "A Song For Mama" on the way to the hospital just a few days before Mother's Day probably wasn't the best idea), so when we found out she was healthy I was sincerely grateful. And from the looks of this picture, she's already pretty smart too.
Either that, or she's one of Charlie's Angels. The ultrasound tech said she's currently the size of a can of soda.

And no, we have no names picked out yet.

Predictions

2010-05-02T15:35:00.000-07:00

We (hopefully) will find out on Tuesday if we are having a boy or girl baby. If you would like to guess, feel free to leave a comment. If you are correct I don't have anything to give you, but maybe I'll mention your name on my blog. So come on, what do you have to lose?

Memory lane

2010-04-29T22:17:00.000-07:00

Remember Mr. Winkle, the "world's cutest dog"?
Just thought it would be fun to reminisce.

"Nesting"

2010-04-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

"Nesting" is another one of those uncomfortable pregnancy words, but I can definitely see why it's used—there really aren't a lot of options with the same meaning. In the past few weeks I have definitely kicked into "nesting" mode, especially since the nausea has subsided substantially. We have sold a bunch of furniture on Craigslist to clear out our 2nd room, purchased a few items (also from Craigslist—love it), and fixed them up with new coats of paint and hardware. I thought I would share a few of my finds with before and after shots for some.

Baby dresser. Rob and I bought this right after we got married from the RC Willey scratch & dent center (heavily discounted furniture—I think it was about $100). It was originally dark brown and supposed to be a kid's dresser, which is pretty funny considering we were sharing it. It was the first piece of furniture we ever purchased together. We decided it would be a good baby dresser, so Rob painted it white and I love it.
We upgraded to 2 matching dressers that I found for $50 each, filled in the extra handle holes with wood putty, painted them black, and voila! They are solid oak and really good quality. Before:
After:Desk/hutch. Since I basically can't function in life without a desk for all of my projects, I wanted something that utilized vertical space and wouldn't take up too much of the baby's room (we used to have a huge beast of a desk). I found this sturdy oak desk/hutch/chair combo for $99 (unfortunately the bird was not included, but the car poster was, and now hangs proudly in our garage). Before:After:I found this baby crib on CL for $50 and it even included the mattress! Yes, that is Rob's Mr. Bear swaddled in a blanket inside. Just testing it out, you know.Black console table. I'd been searching for the perfect, inexpensive black entry table to replace the thing we used to have, and I finally found this guy for $65 (we sold our old one for $70... sweet!).Some pointers I have for those wanting to venture into the Craigslist/DIY world:

Budget out what you plan on spending beforehand, including costs for paint, finish, knobs, etc. That way the price doesn't get out of control and you'll be pleasantly surprised when you spend much less. I kind of have a rule for myself that whenever I want to buy something, I have to sell enough of something else to cover the cost. After all of the selling and buying this round, we are actually at a net positive by a couple hundred dollars. Not bad!
Have an idea of exactly what you want so you know what to look for and don't waste your time looking at listings that aren't relevant. It takes a lot of time, but in my opinion it's fun, and so worth it when you find the perfect whatever.
Buy furniture that is older and has potential. Older furniture tends to be better quality (like being made out of real wood and not laminate or particle board) AND people often price it much cheaper because it looks dated. You can always change out knobs and handles (we just buy the huge pack of cheap round ones at Home Depot because I like their simplicity... and cheapness, and then everything matches!).
Don't be afraid to barter. You can always knock $5-25 off Craigslist prices, especially if the listing has been up for a few days and/or the seller seems frantic to get rid of the item.
Take someone with you to be safe and possibly help move items. Shoutout to my homegirl Emily who accompanied me to sketchy El Dorado Hills (kidding, but really thanks Em). Craigslist meet-ups are hilarious. I think my favorite was the enormous Ukrainian family running a daycare in their mansion that sold us the desk. It's all part of the experience!

We find out in about 10 days if we are having a boy or girl (my ultrasound got moved up!) and I can't wait to start DECORATING. I don't even like decorating the rest of our place really, but I can't wait to paint and sew some sweet baby stuff! And by the way, yes I do know that I use parentheses and exclamation points WAY too much.

Balloon woman

2010-04-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

I told my sister she was going to be an aunt again at Luna Loca a few days before Easter. Evidently that night was "balloon man night" and the balloon man made me this extraordinary balloon woman in honor of my big announcement:She is apparently naked but wearing shoes and has a little balloon ball baby inside of her clear stomach. Pretty impressive. This is a picture I took of her yesterday, more than 2 weeks later (I'm amazed she's lasted so long):

Baby FAQs

2010-04-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

How are you feeling? Have you had morning/other sickness? The thought of almost every food made me want to hurl during the 1^st trimester. Except Mexican food—that has been my constant. (“Desmond is my constant.” Sorry.) As mentioned before on this blog, I had perpetual migraine headaches that caused me to vomit, and I had a nasty cold that lasted about 2 months. I am feeling MUCH better now, especially with the sun coming out, which is giving me a lot more energy to get things done.

How far along are you? 15 weeks today. And no, I am not showing yet. I mean, my stomach feels bigger, but no one can tell.

When will you find out what you’re having? May 18. That was the earliest they had available and I’ll be 21 weeks along, but oh well. We are happy nonetheless.

Do you have a preference for boy or girl? Neither of us really care, but I kind of think it’s a girl (probably because of all the old wives’ tales I’ve heard). I won’t be disappointed if it’s not though. Boys are awesome too. But if I’m right, I’m not going to be all like, “Oh, I totally knew it,” because I think that’s a little annoying to say, especially for the first baby you ever have. Rob says he thinks it’s a boy just to be opposite and also so one of us will be right when we find out.

Do you have names picked out? Nope! I am totally overwhelmed by the idea of naming another human being, even if I am birthing it myself. If you have ideas, please share. I mean, there are definitely names I like and don’t like, but we haven’t narrowed it down yet. Rob and I have agreed that we won’t really discuss names until we know if it’s a boy or girl, and that we won’t decide on a for-sure name until it is born. So in the mean time, we’ve defaulted to “baby bear” and “little buddy.” Cheesy, but fitting for us, right?

Where will the baby be born? Kaiser in Roseville, CA.

How did you find out? I took a pregnancy test while Rob was almost home from work. I was not expecting a positive result, especially since I felt exactly the same as I did when I took tests in the months before. So I had to quickly come up with a way to surprise him with the news before he got home (texting it to him would have been lame), and I came up with this little surprise party:

What is your least favorite thing about being “with child”: Probably all the gross words that go along with it—like preggers, prego, etc.

Do you really think people who brag about their kids on their blogs are boring? Only some of them. A lot of my blogger friends are pretty hilarious moms.

That’s all for now.

The most beautiful baby in the womb, depending on the womb

2010-04-05T15:13:00.001-07:00

'Tis no April folly; this baby has taken residence in my mid-section and is nearly 15 weeks developed:We are dang excited about this little one's arrival sometime around 9/30/10 and we find out next month what "flavor" it is. I hope no one is offended they are finding out this way (or by Facebook); with Rob's parents staying with us we didn't call anyone besides our families. Really. I love you all and want to say thanks for all the compliments and excitement on our behalf. Soon I'll post the answers to some baby FAQs we've gotten, but I promise that I'll try not to let this turn into one of those boring "brag-about-my-kid" blogs... meh, my blog was pretty boring already—who am I kidding?

Can't wait to meet you little buddy!
And you might be the luckiest baby in the world, you know, with your dad being a celebrity and all:

Baby bunnies!!

2010-03-19T23:19:00.000-07:00

Rob and I were just googling "cute baby bunnies" and these were our favorites.I mean seriously, if the sight of these does not make you squeal with delight, there is something wrong with you.

The definition of a good deal

2010-03-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

Remember this post? Well, this past weekend Rob and I (mostly Rob) finished the chair portion of the project. Hey, only 6 months later... not bad! The chairs were pretty dated, as you can see (we inherited them from my parents who purchased them in the 80s and they originally had pale blue velvet seats), but we will take what we can get for free:
After a sand-down, a few cans of spray paint, and some new fabric upholstered with a staple gun, I think they look pretty good. My exceptional husband did most of the work. I love him.
The fabric is a heavyweight black and gray herringbone pattern, which I found for $2 per yard in the Walmart clearance section. Each chair needed half of a yard, so I was pretty delighted that the fabric was only $6 for the whole project.There are actually 6 chairs in all (2 arm chairs not pictured), so it was a ton of work (mostly for Rob), but I love how they turned out, and that they actually match the table and hutch now. So if you're in the area, come dine with us and see how you like it.

Since I'm already bragging about my deals, I thought it would be appropriate to post my feelings on the matter. I rarely ever trust people when they say they got a “good deal” on something. This is probably because I don’t think most people understand how cheap I am, and what I consider a good deal. I know it’s very trendy these days to refurbish old furniture (which—don’t get me wrong—I think is awesome, and a great way to save money), but it kind of defeats the purpose when you don’t actually save any money. I am always interested to see what kind of deals people get, or how affordable their project actually is. I love when people share that info, because I think we all benefit from keeping prices in perspective. Occasionally I’m impressed (usually it’s by people I’m related to who are actually as cheap as I am), but most of the time I just want to shake people and scream, “You’re crazy! Why are you wasting so much money (and time) on FURNITURE?” When you’re spending a fortune on designer fabrics, custom paint colors, specialty hardware, fancy sandpaper, finishes, etc., I’m sorry, but it is no longer a “good deal,” even if you got the piece of furniture off Craigslist for $5. It may even look beautiful after you're done, and I can appreciate beauty in the home for sure, but stop proclaiming your bargains when they aren't just that.

I loved this post the other day from Seriously So Blessed, especially this part:

“I had to buy a ton of sanding stuff then some oober pricey paint and then added a bunch of Anthro knobs that cost a small fortune each plus I needed a cute new work apron and sassy hairclip, soooo my bargain project cost a grand but SOMEHOW IT'S STILL A BARGAIN SO IT'S CUTE OF ME!!!”

Like I said, I think it's nice for people to live in a home that feels beautiful to them. I don't judge those who make that more of a priority than I do. I love projects and pretty things for sure (see above). I'm just tired of hearing about girls who don't live within their means or know the value of a dollar and then brag about their expensive projects and purchases everywhere! I feel sorry for their husbands who have to keep up with their unrealistic standard of living. Anyway, that's it I guess. Rant over.

Follow up

2010-03-15T15:03:00.001-07:00

Oh my gosh, THANK YOU to everyone who cared enough about my problem to comment and try to help! There were tons of great suggestions and I really appreciate it, especially because I know there are many out there dealing with things much worse than migraines. Still, I didn't realize how many of my friends (you guys) dealt with them, and it is actually really comforting to know I'm not alone. I swear people always look at me like I'm crazy when I describe what's going on with my head and vision. The aura is truly awful and always happens at the most inconvenient times (has it ever happened to you while you were driving? Scary!).

I also loved that a few of you commented how much you hate when people will say they have a migraine when they really just have a headache. They are both no fun to get, for sure, but we can all agree that a migraine is definitely worse with very distinct symptoms. I really can't stand when people are overly dramatic about illness in general, because come on, we're all dealing with stuff. Stop being a baby and stop exaggerating your ailments (that's what I want to say to those people).

So... I cut caffeine and aspartame out of my diet a while ago, but I could definitely be better about how much MSG I consume. I've tried to cut it out as much as possible, but there are certain things I've been unwilling to give up (like homemade ranch dressing mix) that I am going to buckle down and avoid. Also, the fluorescent lights thing makes a lot of sense; I've noticed they really agitate my migraines but didn't consider them being a trigger. And finally, I am definitely excited about the idea of having an excuse to see a chiropractor more. I always tell Rob he should become one, because I like to have my body popped and cracked more than anything in the world, and then he would know the right way to do it and I could bug him all the time.

Rocia, you win for giving the most random advice. I am totally trying it next time. And Randi, I think vanilla-scented anything is the sickest ever and I've never understood why anyone likes it! So that made me laugh. At least I'm doing something right.

Anyway, THANKS AGAIN to each and every one of you for your thoughts. I really feel a lot better about all this. Thanks for being my friends.

Migraine discussion

2010-03-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

Warning: a kind of boring medical issue post below.

I've blogged about this before, but I just felt like venting/discussing this again because it is so frustrating. I feel like every time I try to describe my migraine symptoms to people (friends, coworkers, what have you), they are always so baffled by what I'm talking about and have never experienced these things so I always feel like such a weirdo/crazy person. I know a few of you who read my blog commented before how you've had the same things happen, so I just kind of wanted to see what you people do about life when you get a migraine "attack" (yes, that's what my doctor calls it and the term is so fitting). It is so embarrassing, scary, and awkward when it happens! I'd love to hear what symptoms you share, what patterns or triggers you've recognized during them, and what has worked for you in dealing with them. Sometimes I will go 2 months without getting one, but I have gotten them for the last 3 consecutive weekends and I am so tired of it! So here are my symptoms in the order they usually occur, if you're interested:

Seeing spots, blacking out easily
Blurred vision/inability to focus, almost like seeing a mirage everywhere I try to look
Sensitivity to even the tiniest amount of light and sound (even when I close my eyes, I have to put something over them to completely black it out)
Head pain, especially directly behind eyes
Numbness usually starting in right hand (usually in my pinky and then moving to my thumb), spreading into right side of face and lips.
Mixing up word order, spelling order, inability to read or comprehend writing even when read repeatedly, saying gibberish words, not understanding normal/everyday words
Severe head pain
Nausea, vomiting

What do you all do? Please feel free to share.

Festivities

2010-03-09T21:02:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful evening with family members celebrating my grandpa's would-be 100th birthday. We ate at "Wonderful Chinese Restaurant," which was my grandparents' favorite restaurant back in the day (and seriously, how delightful is that name?). My aunt Julia made this gorgeous cake and yes, we lit up all 100 candles.
My cute cousins Raquel and Rocia donned these super deluxe bowling shirts in honor of my grandpa (I think we need to make one for everyone in the family!). They are cute.
Julia was sporting my grandpa's original bowling shirt, but she let my dad try it on for the picture. I don't know if I mentioned it before, but Brownie was a champion bowler in his day.
After dinner we went bowling at Fireside Lanes (where g-pa used to bowl) and my dad, not to be outdone by his sister, bought this fancy bowling jacket.
I love my family.

Brownie's 100th

2010-03-03T14:04:00.001-08:00

Today is my grandpa's 100th birthday. Though he's no longer with us here on earth, I'm pretty sure all of his posterity will be celebrating in his honor tonight. I might have mentioned before how legendary of a couple he and my grandma (also known as "Brownie and Dot") were. They had a true, sincere love for one another, and have been a remarkable example to their many descendants. I feel lucky to be associated with such exceptional people.Dot and Brownie on their wedding day (they eloped!).Such a cool picture from 1989. This is Grandpa in my parents' kitchen holding up tickets to game 1 of the 1989 World Series between the A's and the Giants at the Oakland Coliseum. My dad wrote about this picture, "The A's swept the Giants in 4 games (that was the famous Bay Bridge Series that included the Earthquake). While I was delighted at the outcome, the biggest thrill for me was sharing Dad's first (and only) World Series game. He was a lifelong Athletics fan and we had customized the T-shirt he is wearing. On the back it said, "Oldest A's Fan." This World Series was exactly 60 years after his beloved A's (of Philadelphia then) won the World Series when he was a 19-year old fan."I guess this is where I inherited my love for acrobatics in the swimming pool.Grandpa, Grandma, and me at my oldest brother's mission farewell party.

Grandma was the best to snuggle with.... obviously Grandpa agrees. :)

I love and miss you, Grandpa, and I hope you are having a wonderful birthday with your sweetheart!

Are you watching American Idol?

2010-02-25T20:51:00.000-08:00

Rob and I have a thing for figuring out who people look like or remind us of. Rob wins tonight with this one:

Lilly Scott from A.I. and The Albino from The Princess Bride

After his discovery, he googled to see if anyone else had said anything about this match, and he came across this delightful website: http://totallylookslike.com

We also really enjoy the Hagrid/Hurley comparison.

Homemade Fashion

2010-01-26T13:23:00.000-08:00

Last month I made a few more shirts for my nieces and nephews for their birthdays. Want to see?

For Afton

For Carter

For Benjamin

Happy birthdays!

So You Think You Can PRANCE

2010-01-24T20:03:00.000-08:00

We spent this past Christmas with the Erickson family in Danville. A few months before, some members of my family decided that instead of giving gifts to our nieces and nephews for Christmas, we would each think of a fun activity for them all to participate in to create fun memories of our time together. Rob and I decided to put together a variety show where our nieces and nephews could showcase their many talents on Christmas Eve. Since my parents had recently taken us to see "So You Think You Can Dance," we thought it would be cool to stay with that theme. Rob cleverly came up with our more Christmas-geared theme and made these awesome logos for...
First the kids were "introduced" one by one to the theme song (just like the show), which basically consisted of each of them dancing across my parents' hallway. They got so into it! For their opening number, they were all dressed as different reindeer to reenact a version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Following that, there were piano numbers, vocal solos and duets, dance ensembles, and even a song played on the recorder. After each routine, we used original (self-edited) judges' clips from Nigel, Mary, and Adam to compliment their performances. The kids were so excited to see what the judges had to say about each of their routines. Here is one of the clips we put together:

We also made programs for the audience (all of the adults) complete with "head shots" and mini bios of each of the kids. Here is one of the pages (there are 14 Erickson kids total):

It was so much work to put it all together, but the kids loved being "on stage" and hanging out together so it was all worth it! Here are a few more pictures from the show:The Nutcracker Wind-up Doll dance

The "Candy Cane" dance

"Christmas Don't Be Late" by the Chipmunks

Intermittent logos created by Rob

Closing Song

Kambria had planned her own activity for the kids (a San Francisco scavenger hunt the day before), but she was still a major help putting routines together for the kids to perform. Thanks sis!
The remainder of our Christmas Eve was spent engaging in family handstand contests, caroling to neighbors who weren't home, and portraying the nativity story with our nephew Ryan starring as baby Jesus.

And just for funsies, here is a picture of Rob and me looking super tired on Christmas morning.Hope your holidays were spectacular!

I DID IT

2010-01-11T22:17:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time coming, and it's finally done.
I am now a girl with short hair.

Before:The big cut (thanks, Amber!):

After (my apologies for the blurry-ness):

2010

2010-01-10T22:34:00.000-08:00

Thanks, Baby New Year.

Baby New Year

2009-12-31T23:57:00.000-08:00

I hope the New Year's Baby visits your house tonight!
Have a wonderful 2010.

Merry Christmas from the Montierths

2009-12-23T09:32:00.000-08:00

A ragamuffin is born

2009-12-13T22:53:00.000-08:00

When I lived in London (and I do think 4 months qualifies as living there) I met a girl named Robyn Lisa Holland. I was really intimidated by her at first because right off the bat I could tell she was beautiful, confident, fun, witty, and real (which I believe is hard to find among BYU co-eds). We exchanged a few niceties and took a stroll around Kensington Gardens that first day with a few of our other peers. We were completely jet-lagged and delirious that afternoon, but I didn't need to spend much time with her before I recognized she would be one of my best friends during and beyond my stay at Palace Court. In the five years since, this has proven to be correct.
It's hard for me to even begin listing Robyn's good qualities because there are so many and it's difficult to stop the list once I've started really thinking about it. But here are some things you may or may not know about her:

She has a voice like you wouldn't believe. Her laugh is super contagious. She really listens. She thinks and cares about other people, but doesn't really care what other people think of her. She chooses the right. She works hard. She's honest. She has an excellent "big picture" perspective of everything. She bakes like whoa. She's a natural beauty. Her smile is award-winning. She builds others up. She's positive but practical. She is the ideal oldest sibling. She expects greatness from herself and in my opinion, always follows through. See what I mean? It's hard to stop saying good things about her. She's my little ragamuffin and I hope she has a wonderful 25th birthday today. I don't even care if anyone who reads this is tired of all the birthday posting I've done this year; these things need to be said, and why not on my blog? Anyway, Robyn/Rob-dog/mBoBm, thank you for so many incredible memories and for being an integral part of my life. I love you and will always.

I didn't know Rufio was on SYTYCD!

2009-12-03T22:22:00.000-08:00

It's a good thing IMDB exists so that I can know the movie Hook came out in 1991.

Even more Disney shirts

2009-11-30T23:18:00.000-08:00

I did these for my friend Carly's two daughters and two nieces so I thought I would share. I never get sick of home-making shirts. Nemo is my favorite of the bunch.

Craigslist treasures

2009-11-23T19:04:00.000-08:00

We recently sold a couple things on Craigslist (including our futon, woohoo!) and decided to use the money to purchase a sectional and ottoman from a nice couple here in Folsom. We weren't intending to buy anything at first (we even had a "signal" in case it was a total bust); we just wanted to check it out. But it was such a slammin' deal on a clean, hardly-used-at-all piece of furniture that we decided to go for it. It pretty much takes up our entire family room (especially with the ottoman—we put it in the other room), but we love it. I'm a big fan of gray and black, and I like that our apartment doesn't look as much like a college dorm anymore.(These are the same color in real life and the fabric doesn't look nearly as crazy as it does in the picture.)