We Survived our First Move.

We are alive, I promise! Life has been so busy, I haven't had time to blog. Which is a shame, since this is pretty much my personal journal posted for the world to see.

Ok, so we arrived in Wisconsin late Weds night. And I mean LATE! Epic put us up in a hotel for a couple nights, which was wonderful. And they don't do anything halfway. We took a cab from the airport to the hotel and had a great cab driver who took on the role of tour guide as we drove through the city. It was late, so it was dark, but the city was gorgeous. Everything was lit, and there was so much snow! (As our plane was landing, I can't even express my horror as I realized the patches I had been looking at were not lakes, but was in fact: SNOW. I mean a LOT of snow.)

We unloaded into the hotel lobby. Like I said, Epic doesn't do anything halfway. In the lobby was a tray of huge freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, and a hospitality table with cocoa, cider, and ice water. Our room had a king bed, a pull out bed for Claire (which she was thrilled about), and a pack and play for Aoife. (I didn't think to ask for one the first night, but we had it the 2nd night and it was AWESOME.)

Thursday we got the keys to our new home and were able to check it out and run tons of errands. We had to pick our home just from what we could learn online. We weren't able to fly out and look at places, so we had to go with our gut. I'll admit, with my first look, I wasn't impressed. I guess I had a picture in my head and at first glance, it didn't match. Friday morning, our stuff arrived and that helped. It was just hard to picture this as home. Now we're mostly unpacked and I do think we're in the right spot.

It's a little bigger than where we were before, and we're in an actual building. So you go in the building and we're up a flight of stairs and on a floor with 4 other apartments. I wasn't so sure about the building part at first, but it's been really nice! Our carpets are going to be so much cleaner!

As we unpacked Claire's things, especially the toys, it was like Christmas all over again. I thought I didn't like packing, but I really don't like unpacking either. We're almost all unpacked, and I never want to do it again. We signed a year lease, but I'm hoping we really, REALLY like living here so we'll want to stay longer. We don't have a washer/dryer, but in the basement we have machines.

 So this morning I decided to make a video tour. Mind you, it's not high quality, doesn't do the size justice, we had JUST woken up, our house is full of empty boxes, and I really didn't feel like cleaning. I think that's all of my disclaimers. Oh, and I'm sick. Maybe when our house is all the way put together I'll take pictures.

Yesterday we had our first Sunday at church. It was totally different from our ward in Provo. I guess the ward boundaries go 50 miles in one direction. There's another ward that meets at that building, and I guess that ward has the younger couples that work at Epic. It seemed like our ward had a really good mix though, with tons of youth. (Babysitters, anyone?) I'm excited to get to know them better.

So we're moved in, alive, and well. Let's play a little game: If I say, Wisconsin, what's the first thing that comes to your mind? I'll bet you $20 you said cheese. Or cows. You probably didn't say "Lovelands!" We came out here leaving the little student world not knowing anyone. Which I guess was what we wanted: an adventure. Our first night in our apartment, I had a really hard time. Back in Provo, I had a BFF, Kami. Ok, we're still BFFs. Ross often talks about how we turn into 8th graders when we're together and I had to convince him the other night that Kami and I aren't dating. Our kids were pretty good friends, too. It took us a LONG time to find each other, and once we finally had each other, I moved. Being here in Wisconsin, I think my biggest worry is finding a friend.

I loved being able to call Kami just to show her something stupid, or get together to talk about nothing. I'm really grateful for church for that, and hopefully I'll make friends, but I also joined a few meet up groups from meetup.com. Before Kami and I really met, I had been praying for a great friend, and had unsuccessfully browsed that site for fun get together groups. Before we moved out here, I saw a few postings on craigslist about a couple of these groups. So Thursday I'm going to a gal's house to play Bunco with other gals that are new to the area. Hopefully it's not a big group of weirdos and I can find some gal friends. Next week, our ward's relief society is playing games with the young women, and the week after we're testing out another group I joined and I'll be taking the girls to a kids place for a play group.

Ross started work today. The girls were so blissfully asleep, I decided to give up the car and have Ross drive himself this morning. I'll have to get all of my unpacking and cleaning done so the girls and I can explore this week. We've located Sonic though we haven't been yet. I'm sure whoever works the drive thru and I will get to be great pals.

I know I'm rambling, so I'll end this. I haven't organized my thoughts yet, but we made it. And we're doing well. It's fun and exciting. And I want a Diet Coke.

Crazy Week.

I have six days to have the house packed up. Ross and the two girls leave a week from today, and I want it done before they leave so that I'll have a couple days to clean everything. Since every story has a bit of humor to it, here's how my week from Hell has been, climaxing with this morning.

The night before last, Aoife threw up BIG TIME around 9:30. It continued every 15 minutes throughout the ENTIRE night. Needless to say, by morning, I was running on fumes. Neither of us had slept. She was miserable and STILL throwing up. I took her in to the doctor at 11. They decided to keep her to watch her for a little more than an hour. (We spent almost 2 1/2 hours at the office, people!) I was to feed her 1 teaspoon of Pedialyte every five to 8 minutes. Claire screamed the whole time out of boredom, and Aoife screamed the whole time due to hunger and feeling miserable. I can't count how many times nurses stuck their heads in the door to check on us. They probably thought I was breaking my children's fingers, one at a time. I wanted to scream and cry, too.

The doctor decided to let us go home for a little break. She said it was because we lived so close, but I'm thinking it's because we were giving her a headache. Aoife was so exhausted, I just put her down. Claire did her usual thing while I attempted to clean and pack a little more. And eat. Lately I've been so occupied, I forget to eat.

I was on a roll cleaning the girl's room. (See earlier posts about Claire protesting naps for pictures, and you'll understand what a project it really is.)  I checked the clock and realized Aoife had been sleeping for over three hours! It usually isn't like her, so I went to check on her. Sometimes when she takes long naps, I automatically assume she has died. Much to my heart's relief, she wasn't dead. But there were a couple different puddles of vomit. I hadn't fed her since we'd been in the office, so she hadn't kept those 6 teaspoons of fluid down.

I called the doctor again, and she immediately sent us to have her blood drawn. A sweet friend took Claire for me, and even picked up Ross from work. (Thank you Jenna! I was a frantic mess yesterday!) When I took Aoife in, the nurses had a REALLY hard time finding a vein. I mean, one arm was impossible, and the other they had to wrap the elastic around her little arm extra tight. I had to pin her down when they put the needle in, but they still couldn't find a vein! They dug around with the needle for a while until they finally hit one. Her blood came out so slowly, like molasses or jelly, I was surprised they got enough to test. I felt so bad for the poor girl.

We had to wait FOREVER for the results to come back. The nurses and doctor even called down to the lab multiple times to tell them to hurry up. Aoife couldn't stay awake at this point, and I thought for sure they'd admit her. We were the last people in the office, aside for a couple nurses, and her two doctors. When the results came, her two doctors debated for a while. Dr. Later was going to Mt. Timp hospital for a few hours. They would have admitted her at that hospital so that he in particular could watch over Aoife, but her insurance didn't cover that hospital. Instead, Sue-Ann, her other doctor, gave me her cell phone number. I was to watch Aoife for the next few hours. If she were to get sick again, I'd give her doctor a call, and Aoife would be admitted to Utah Valley.

Luckily last night went smoothly and Aoife slept soundly, without getting sick. This morning even went well, too. I was supposed to only feed her a tiny bit of Pedialyte, but I could tell Aoife was well past hungry. I gave her a full bottle of it instead, and she has kept it down so far!

This morning I drove Ross to work. Our gas gauge was low, but the light hadn't come on yet. I had planned on getting gas on the way home, after dropping Ross off. There's a gas station right on the way home, but it's usually more expensive than one down the street. I drove past that station, turned to go down the street to the other station, and... put put put. I managed to pull to the side of the road, before the car refused to go any further. Right in front of my beloved Sonic. (It was a sign. I wasn't going to get one today.) I pulled out the stroller, loaded the girls, and walked to the station I had passed just mere minutes before.

They didn't have a canister I could borrow, so we trudged to the store to buy one. Then back to the station to fill it. Then back to the car. I've never run out of gas before. Ever. I've never even had to fill a lawn mower with gas. And the canister I bought didn't have the spout on the end. It was one that you kind of had to build the spout. I spent forever on the side of the road trying to figure out the stupid thing.

A gentleman quickly pulled up behind me and asked if I needed him help. Gratefully, I handed the spout over. He couldn't figure it out either and left as quickly as he came. At least he unscrewed the thing before he drove off! I decided to just try to get SOMETHING in the tank, so I could drive the 100 yards to the station and fill up. I ended up soaked in gasoline on the side of the road, just PRAYING that no one would drive past and throw a lit cigarette out the window. Otherwise, I'd light up the block like the 4th of July!

I managed to get something in there, and was able to fill up. Then I pulled into Sonic claiming that I needed a LARGE Diet Coke.

How many idiots does it take to fill a gas tank? Well, just one. And the gentleman who tired quickly. But I have officially joined the 'Lovelands who run out of gas club".

This week has been hysterical. It's funny how all of the chaos decided to wait until the final days of moving prep. Bring it on world. I have a sonic across the street and a sense of humor the size of Texas.

Peter Pan.

I believe in Peter Pan. I love Peter Pan, and I'm fairly certain that book will forever be one of my favorites. I started reading it again a few days ago. And I think I'll cry every time I read the first paragraph.

"All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked a flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs. Darling put her hand to her heart and cried, 'Oh, why can't you remain like this for ever!' This was all that passed between them on the subject, but henceforth Wendy knew that she must grow up. You always know after you are two. Two is the beginning of the end."

Claire is two. And is growing up. Aoife only has 15 months before she, too, will know that she must grow up.

Before Aoife was born, I had a very real concern. I constantly worried and wondered whether I would love this new baby as much as I loved Claire. (It sounds silly, but it was a constant worry.) It's difficult to explain a mother's love if someone hasn't experienced it. The second she was born, that silly worry disappeared. As she's grown and become a deeper, more important part of her family, I've fallen more and more in love with her.

Lately my favorite parts of my day have been putting her down from naps, or whisking her away to change a diaper. Not that I enjoy changing diapers, but the few minutes that I get to hold her close are what make the soiled diapers worth it. I've been squeezing my babies a little tighter, and lingering a little longer after I've laid them in their beds. I've even taken to singing them old choir songs. One laughs and stares at me with a gummy grin, while the other laughs even louder and asks for more.

I know I'm usually pretty cynical and joke about wanting to put my children in the dumpster on tough days, but I really do love them. Time has gone by so quickly, and I do wish they could stay little and young forever. Which brings me back to Peter Pan. I love the story of Peter Pan so much, I've planned out the nursery for number 3. (Whenever that happens. No, I'm not pregnant. I'm running a marathon in April, remember?)

This will be the bed room light. A pirate ship chandelier.

The rug, which will be in the center of the nursery.

The toy box.

Framed wall art.

More Framed Wall Art

The Nightlight

The silhouettes, but in black.

Pirate Wallpaper Trim, but I'd want it at the top of the wall as a boarder, rather than down the middle.

And one of these beauts on the wall, too.

And a crib set this wooden tone.

The crib wouldn't be complete without the mobile.

While I'm sure there is Peter Pan bedding out there, I've made the bedding for both Claire and Aoife. I feel like it's something special I can do for them, and I've loved making their quilts. So I'd do the same, with browns, and greens. Obviously I'm planning on #3 to be a boy. Again, I'm not pregnant, but I really do need to find a hobby. There's got to be something more productive for me to do than planning out our nonexistant child's nursery.

Last Day Of Classes

Today is Ross' last day of classes in his undergraduate career. I am so excited for him! A couple of his classes are having a potluck. I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate! I am so proud of how hard he has worked these last few years. Since marrying me, he has taken on a job, always a large class load, two kiddos with diaper needs and mouths to feed, and all sort of challenges along the way. Earlier in the year, he had (I think 16 credits) was working 20 hours a week, and an internship which took up at least 20 hours of his week. Over the summer, he worked full time, and still had the internship, which was unpaid.

I know I couldn't have handled everything half as well as he has, and I am so proud of him and all that he has accomplished. He's done so well, he doesn't even have to take the final for a couple of his classes. Thank you, BYU, and Provo for a wonderful experience!

We were so grateful when he got the job offer from Epic, even before graduation. BYU has been such a blessing. I know many families are struggling to find jobs after graduating, and we feel so blessed to have this opportunity. I never thought I'd be sad to leave Provo, Utah, but shockingly, I am. I haven't finished my education, and I've come to realize what a blessing just the opportunity to get a higher education is. I'm so grateful Ross has had this opportunity to go to school and have a family. I couldn't be more proud of that man. I sure love you, Ross. Even when we play games together and I lose.

We are looking forward to a long wonderful Christmas vacation playing with our families and for the next chapter in our lives!

St. Nicholas Day 2012

I truly have the best family, ever. Today is St. Nicholas Day. Last night we left out our shoes, so St. Nicholas could come fill them with goodies. I knew Ross had been beyond busy with school, and I wanted to surprise him. I got to play St. Nicholas and pick out little presents and goodies for everyone, but I let Ross help me fill the shoes last night.

We went to bed pretty late, and right as we were falling asleep we heard a loud long sloshing sound. The first time it happened, I attributed it to the water softener going through its cleaning cycle, but when it happened again, I realized a child was throwing up.

We rushed Aoife into the tub, threw her bedding in the wash, and Ross even set up a mini bed for her and I on our floor. She was throwing up so often, I wanted to sleep close to her, so I could help her when things started happening. We took our mattress topper and set it next to our bed, layered it with towels, sheets, and blankets, and Aoife snuggled up for the night.

She ended up getting sick every 15-30 minutes. The poor girl was so exhausted, she was almost falling asleep in the middle of throwing up. We didn't sleep much, and I spent much of the night cleaning vomit, and cuddling and consoling poor Aoife.

We forgot to shut the girls' room door all the way when we first got Aoife. A little after 6, Claire came in with a chocolate beard and a fist full of candy asking for help. I was a little disappointed that she had discovered that St. Nicholas had in fact come, and that we didn't get to experience that with her, but she was so funny, it didn't really matter. After too many failed attempts to have her lie down and sleep a little longer, we came out front to the aftermath of Claire's St. Nicholas discovery. Our shoes, presents, and treats were scattered throughout the room, with a few candy wrappers here and there. She really does crack me up.

While Claire can always cheer Aoife up, Aoife was still just as sick as before and I decided to go out for some pedialyte. I opened the door and found that St. Nicholas had left us even more presents on our doorstep! Not only that, but the car was FILLED with MORE treats.

It was a wonderful surprise! I'm really going to miss having family nearby, especially when fun traditions roll around.

The after hours pediatric nurse was so quick to get back to me. I've been giving Aoife 1/4 t of Pedialyte every 15 minutes and will continue to do so for the next 4-6 hours, and she'll be going to the Dr. in about an hour. They're worried her stomach is having spasms, if that is the case, they might keep her for treatments.

If someone knows of a cloning machine ready for human trials, I'll gladly volunteer. I need one of me to pack, another to clean, one to clean vomit, another to cuddle and console the miserable Aoife, one to entertain and care for Claire, and yet another to go to the doctor for me, as I am sick, too! Oh, and another to keep my Sonic cup refilled. That would be wonderful.

Happy St. Nicholas Day! We will be spending it making a dent in our candy stash and watching Disney movies.

One Week Sans Diet Coke.

I'm fairly certain that before Ross and I were married, Diet Coke was my boyfriend. My one true love.

Anyway, with this move and crazy schedules and my alter-ego "psycho woman" popping up more often than usual, my diet coke habit went from bad, to REALLY bad. I hate to admit it, but the caffeinated divine soda turned into my own personal nicotine. And I used it like one would a cigarette. It was a huge problem.

Mind you, I'm also attempting to train for a marathon. I say attempt because schedules have been crazy and I haven't been able to lace up my shoes as often as I'd like. Not only did my beverage and exercise habits go down the toilet, but my nutrition did, too. I needed serious help.

Thankfully one of my girl friends is a dietician. Or nutritionist. I'm not such which they prefer to be called. And more thankfully she's also my neighbor. We'll call her Shannon since she doesn't know I'm writing this, and she did me a HUgE favor.

I started asking her questions a while ago and she graciously offered to give me a free consult. About a week ago she came over with a ton of forms and information for me specifically. Formulas for me and my goals.

I usually read labels at the grocery store, but I had no idea I was looking for the wrong things in the labels. She spent a good couple hours at my house. She taught me a lot and gave me specific directions on what I need to be eating to achieve my goals. She even went through the food in my house. As embarrassing and humiliating as it was to open my habits up as honestly as possible to a friend, I'm glad I did.

She took the time to run through all of the information and forms, teaching me as much as she could, like she would with any one of her patients. I cant thank her enough for taking all of that time to talk to me and she'll probably know how much she helped me that night. At the end, I made some specific goals with her. Nixing the diet coke was one of them.

With that, it's been one week. Seven days. I got one today to see if I'd still feel the same way about it and if I still NEEDED it. It didn't taste as good as I remembered and I probably won't get another for a while. I was thinking of going until my birthday without any soda, but couldn't think of a reward for myself. It's a lot easier to stick to something that's difficult if you have something to work towards.

This week was HARD. It was full of inconsolable headaches, exhaustion, and unsatisfied cravings. I'm sure being sick didn't help either. I didn't even get a drink for my drive to or from Park City for Black Friday shopping. I was really impressed with myself.

I've decided to go ahead and continue sans diet coke until my birthday, but until I think of a reward, the reward will be myself. I once went a year without chocolate and noticed a change in my body. I'm curious what my body can do with a half of a year without my own personal nicotine. Maybe I can even line up a skinny shopping escapade and count it as my birthday present, too. I don't know what's more motivating than a shopping trip for a new body. Except maybe a pony. We live pretty much across the street from Sonic, and our new house will be 1.2 miles from a Sonic as well. Bring on the Powerade Slushies.

Thanksgiving.

We were really looking forward to Ross' break from school and work. His last class was on Tuesday, which he finished around 6, and then he'd have the rest of the week and weekend off. We had it all planned out, filled with tons of family activities that we could do together. To top it off, Ross' birthday was on Saturday.

We weren't able to go to Oregon for Thanksgiving, so we thought of fun things we could do around here. It was supposed to be a great Thanksgiving break. I was especially excited because last year, I was pregnant and really sick for Thanksgiving and Ross' birthday. I didn't get to eat anything, and Ross ended up catering to me on HIS birthday. I felt awful.

The funny thing about making plans is, I feel like this little Loveland family is famous for making wonderful plans, but always having those plans fall through.

So the break officially started on Wednesday. We had a pretty laid back day. I had a doctor's appointment in the morning. After, we all went to Hobby Lobby so the girls could pick out ornaments for this year. (Yes, they'll just be going into a box anyway, but it's a fun tradition we wanted to do this year anyway.) Claire picked a shiny pink pig ballerina, and Aoife kept attacking a blue, green, purple dinosaur. (Not cutesy for a 1st ornament as I'd hoped, but that was definitely the one she wanted.)

Then we headed for lunch at Tucanos for Ross' birthday lunch. Tucanos is an amazing Brazilian grill with an incredible salad bar. They bring by meat until you split the seam of your pants. It was like a Brazilian Thanksgiving. The girls hadn't napped yet, which actually worked out really well. We all came home and took a family nap.

Thursday. Where the fun all started. I was all prepped to get all of our Thanksgiving cooking done. Ross was sick. I'm grateful I had done quite a bit of the cooking the day before, as I spent Thursday chasing, refereeing, and herding the girls as well as finishing the cooking. Ross didn't eat much besides some fizzy water. We ate really early and took the girls to the park afterwards to play. We didn't stay long as Ross was sick, and I felt it coming on.

Friday. It gets worse. Thursday night, the outlets in Park City were opening at 10 PM for Black Friday shopping. I've never been Black Friday shopping. I didn't even know what Black Friday was until after I was married. I've always wanted to go, but have never had a friend to go with. Since both of our families are doing family pictures while we visit this Christmas, I jumped on the opportunity to get some deals. It was well worth the drive and the crazy. Actually, it wasn't crazy at all until about midnight. I had a really good time, and rolled into bed around 2:00 in the morning. And then the sickness struck.

Turns out, both girls were sick too. We were still determined to have a fun break, so we loaded up a bunch of fizzy waters and took the girls to Jungle Jim's to play. I love that it's never very busy and Claire can do most of the rides herself. We decided to take Aoife on the rides this time, too. We went with the girls on each ride until we felt sick and dizzy, and then had Claire go by herself for the rest of the time. I think they had fun. At least I hope they did!

Saturday. Ross' birthday. Sicker than a dog. I feel like I completely blew Ross' birthday this year. Again. Poor guy. Ross was a champ and was finally better, but the girls and I were even more sick. Claire especially. She cried and whined a lot, simply because she didn't feel well. We spent the day on the couch watching movies, and sometimes playing games. Ross had wanted a low-key birthday, but I'm pretty sure that was TOO low-key. I'll have to make it up this week.

While we were engaged and for probably the first year or so that we were married, one or both of us were ALWAYS sick on a Holiday, the Holidays where we wouldn't have work or school, and occasionally the obscure Holiday. Not even kidding. It started before we were married, and continued for a while. I'm not sure how we broke the curse, but it's back! At least we can put a good spin on it and think it's cute that we're acting like when we were newlyweds?

Sunday was the same and by then, Ross was more than ready to take on school and work. It's crazy to think that after today, Ross will only have 6 actual class days. And after that, he's finished! I've been busy cleaning the weird things, like pulling out the washer and dryer and cleaning everything in sight behind them. I'm trying to decide if I should pull out the oven, too. Later this week I'm planning on boxing up the rest of the plates and cups and sticking with paper for the last 2 weeks. I still don't think Claire has any idea what's going on, but I'm worried about her. She loves seeing her aunts and uncles. She Skypes with them regularly, and we're lucky enough that a couple of Ross' siblings are going to BYU, too. She gets to see them once or twice a week and she loves it. She's always talking about them, saying that they're cute, and asking if they're coming over. We'll have to see how she adjusts to the distance. Thank goodness for Skype!