welcome to my internet home. this blog used to be cool, with insights about mental health, social policy, pop culture and the like. now, it's a chaotic collection of my mis-spelled, scribbled-down notes on motherhood (who has time to proof read?). it's over-ran with goldfish cracker crumbles, slobery wet kisses, and un-edited pictures. and i would have it no other way. feel free to laugh and cry along side me while I balance a practice (mental heath) and motherhood, and their interconectedness

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Family Photos

This talented friend took some photos of our family when Lyla was 6 months old. They took forever to upload so I'm just now posting them. But isn't she talented? I would like to point out that Lyla's eyes are not photoshopped. Funny story, she enhanced them originally and I asked her to change them back because I just love her eyes the way they are. When I got the non-edited ones back, I thought they were still edited because Lyla's eyes are SO blue. Anyway, here's some of them.














Developmental Play


So one of my many flaws as a first-time mom, is that I don't always know how to play with Lyla. Is it lame that I worry about that?! I do. Some things come so naturally like singing songs, dancing around the living room, and reading books. Other things seem tried and I find myself on the phone or turning on the TV because I'm bored!
If I hadn't of read it before Lyla was born, I don't know if I would have know to talk to her in an educatory way when playing. I'm supposed to tell her what objects are, explain how toys work, define processes (open/close) and explain colors?! Really?! This play business is stressful. Okay, a moment of honesty, I make things stressful. I want to be good a play though! Most of the time I just do what comes natural, but other times I feel like I should try to maximize her learning potential. Soooo, I found some great books that site fun play options that match with her developmental stage. It even explains why certain types of play (even singing itsy bitsy spider) enhances her development at a given time. Pretty cool right?!



-Some of the suggestions are pretty basic, like let your child unload a drawer or laundry basket (I pulled the utensil drawer completely out, brought it in the living room, and she went to town!).
-Another suggestion was to use side walk chalk or big crayons and help your child start to draw (Lyla wanted more to eat these things)
-One suggestion I LOVED was to make an "indoor sandbox" where you fill a pan with sand and bury little toys or whatever. I decided to use oats so Lyla could eat them if she wanted. She loves it! It makes a giant mess though so beware!

Anyway, I'll post other fun ideas when I find them...in case anyone out there is a struggler like me :)

Friday, August 20, 2010

One year older

I turned 26 on the 26th.
Pretty much since age 21, I've loathed birthdays.
Now I'm not sure why
Maybe because I felt like I was being thrust into adulthood for which I wasn't prepared.
I guess because this year has been so big for us, what with bringing a life into this world and buying a house,
for the first time in many years, I'm okay with getting older.
It's okay that the worry-free life of no responsibilities is behind me. It's been replaced with a much deeper and meaningful life.
With work and responsibility comes meaning, purpose and joy like I never known before.
Cheers to another year
I had a great birthday. Todd was at out of town for work so my mom and sisters took me to dinner and we rented a movie. I was shown lots of love by friends as well. They took me to dinner a few days later. One of my cute primary kids even brought me cookies. As did a surprise gifter! I've been thoroughly enjoying my Kandle (like for my Kindle), my food processor (best gift I've ever asked for, even if my fam thought it was lame), and look forward to the blanket my mom is making me. I felt very special

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Moooooooooooo: Revisited

Lyla's doctor referred her to a GI specialist in St. George because her weight gain was pretty crappy this last month (2nd percentile). Of course, the only day this special doctor in St. George could see Lyla was the day that was supposed to be the last day of the family reunion. We left early and made the 8 hour drive in one day. Yay! Well, this doctor was ADAMANT that she would outgrow the daily allergy before she turned 1, citing statistics that virtually all babies do. To my great delight, he was not concerned about Lyla's weight. Somebody has to been the 2nd! He simply suggested that I reintroduce dairy NOW and quit being a pansy about it. The allergy is not life threatening, just uncomfortable enough to cause bloody stools. SOOO, we went straight to Brick Oven. YAY. Best pizza dinner I've ever had. I've since had dairy in regular doses (no, I didn't have my delicious planned meal but I have had the majority of the foods I missed) and we've had no problems. What a releif. It's been great eating like a normal person. More importantly, this bodes well for the likelihood of Lyla outgrowing the dairy allergy by the time she turns one!! I sure hope so. What kind of birthday treat will we have if she can't?! One month and counting.....

Sunday, August 15, 2010











July 16-19th was the Betty Gambles Annual Family Reunion. This year it , was held at a cabin in Ashton, ID, at the edge of Yellowstone Park. It's hard to talk about this reunion with out jumping straight to the day the entire family got the death flu...starting with Lyla. When we first got to the cabin Lyla puked in her car seat. First time she's ever actually puked but I thought it was maybe car sickness because she was fine for the entire next day. Then, Saturday night Todd woke in the middle of the night with a horrible stomach flu. We're talking projectile style. I followed him an hour later. Then Lyla was shortly thereafter. It was seriously the worst experience ever. I've never had a sick baby, not to mention one while I'm constantly running to the bathroom! It was so sad to watch her little body dry heave. She also had a fever. We literally holed up in our little 2x2 bedroom, single beds pushed together, for an entire day. I don't think Lyla's ever slept 1/3 as much as she did that trip. We felt so terrible. And then it spread to the rest of the family. By the end of the trip, almost everyone had it. They were dropping like flies even on the drive home. What a nasty bug.
It didn't completely ruin the reunion though! We had some great experiences. We were able to have THIS very talented lady come take family photos of us! Can you believe the last one take was 10 years ago! It was a surprise for Bet and she loved it. That made me happy. We also played Minute to Win It every night, which was really fun! Shauna and Jackie creatively put it together and it was hilarious! We even got to see a bear maybe 200 yards from our cabin!! The smell of hamburgers grilling must have lured him in. It was SO exciting. Who needs to go in to the park?! We had our own private Yellowstone experience from our balcony. It's always fun when the Gambles family gets together...flu or no flu.






4 Years

We had out 4 year anniversary in July, amongst all the other craziness. Not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing but it seems like we've been married forever! haha. Not like man this is dragging on, but I hardly remember my life before Todd. He is the yin to my yang in almost every way. We've had an amazing year...and I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather experience life's marvels with. So, I guess it's good :)
We celebrated in Mexico and ya'll know what Todd got me (Yay Kindy). Todd scored a shelf for his camp chef. We are lame huh?

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

9 months

Dear Lyla, 9 whole months have come and past. The above picture captures the very essence of you. Beautiful. Good natured. Kinda playful. Precious. The theme of this month has to active!!! You are such an expert crawler. You're working on standing. Being held is now for the birds and you much perfer playing.
I think if you weren't so absolutely perfect, this last month would be my least favorite. You've discovered the power of you cries. You can go EVERYWHERE but you're just awkward enough that you hurt yourself a lot. And you have to endure childbirth for babies (teething). Still, you find a way to make even these struggles so absolutely amazing. You have the most adorable and determined crawl. I love when you race towards me and follow me around the house. I love to my new partner while I pee. I love seeing you peek around a wall as if you've just made the world's biggest discovery by finding me. With all this new knowledge about crying, also comes knowledge about interacting. I swear you talk to me. You are so expressive. You are my little confidant. Partner in crime. I feel much less lonely while dad travels with you around. There are so many other things I love about you....your unruly bed head after a good night's sleep...the way you become chatty at night and can hardly refrain from hearing yourself speak....the way your belly hangs over your diaper. I am grateful for momentary glipses I get of the woman you will become. Smart. Good natured. Fun. Determined. Loveable. I treasure tiny hugs and embraces. spooning. and when you get your little death grip on my clothing.
Here's some other things about you this month....
You are a tiger's blood snow cone addict/DIVA. From your first try you were hooked and would wine for more. NOW, you won't even let me have a bite in between your bites. You actually cry. Whenever we order a drink now at a fast food place you sit up and start whining..thinking it's a snow cone.
You've learned how to take off your bow. Woe is me! But you normally still allow it to grace your beautiful head
You ate your first full container of baby food this month. For dad, not me. You've pretty much mastered baby food and eat it more a meal now, than just a snack.
You LOVE to crawl away while getting changed. I've learned to wipe you in all sorts of positions and practice restraints. Your strength and determination is AMAZING!
You raise your arms up to me now when I reach for you....love this.
Your hair has gotten sooo curly! It has stayed lighter than light as well.
You got you bottom 2 teeth this month
You have this lovely new grunt you make. Kinda like uhhn. So lady like
You have regained your love for books! Hooray. Okay, mostly you just turn the pages rapidly (better than eating them though!)
You pull your socks off the instant you notice them intruding on your need for free toe-dom
You give kisses! Ahhh. You open your lips when I move in.
You are quite the piggy breast feeder. In no way will you wait for me to latch you on. You root and dig til you get what you want. You still get a drunk face after eating.
When playing, you like to be independent but still want the option to crawl in and out of my lap.
You have this lovely habit of scratching when you eat or when you're tired. It hurts SOOO bad. You just literally scratch bare skin, or dig around for bare skin til you find it.
You're kinda getting thunder thighs! They look like jowls. I could kiss each roll all day long. They are now too chubby for the bumbo!
You can pull yourself up to the standing position! You rock the stand and play toys these days. You also enjoy walking along the couch.
You try to suck on Dad and I's toes. EEEEWWW!!
Sometimes with all the activity, I miss cuddling and beg you for more. I don't want to put you down so you arch your back til I relent. Sorry about that.
When you take a decent nap (pretty much never), I find myself missing you! Then I look at the clock to find its only been an hour!
A cup for of water is you total Nemesis. You get so determined and won't rest until you've knocked it over.
In Mexico you learned solids aren't such a bad thing--thanks to the help of cookies. You also became SOOO active. You want to move constantly
You can work a crowd! Smiling and carrying on. It's pathetic
You can still wear 6-9 month clothing easily
You've discovered outlets and opening and closing drawers. Needless to say, we've had to baby proof! And I cried.
You laugh when the little piggy goes wee wee wee all the way home
You can for from standing to sitting and sitting to standing.
You are just one of the girls! You love to play all the time and just want to be part of it all!
You giggle like crazy when I sneak upon you and then start crawling away. What a playful little thing you are.
When you get hurt or scared, you look to me for comfort. Please always do this.
With all the activity you have gotten a few bumps along the way. Thankfully nothing bad like a bruise but little bumps here and there. It's tough learning to be big
You know that blocks of towers are meant to be knocked over
You follow Ty now all over the house! When he goes outside we can find you at the sliding glass window looking for him. You two are little buddies. You get so excited when you hear his collar jingle.
You sleep like crazy person. Thrashing about and every which way. Still have yet to pass to 7 hour mark on sleep. Still not loving naps. You fight sleep every time I try to lure you there. You simply SUCK at sleeping love.
You had your first experience falling off our big bed. I had my first heart attack. You were napping and woke. I didn't get there fast enough so you just crawled right off. And then screamed. It was so scary. But you were fine and haven't done it since
You understand complex play with toys. You try to stack things and feel things out. It's so amazing watching you learn
Your first act of a destructo baby was to smash my scentsy candle on the counter. Sending wax everywhere and cracking the burner.
I say this all the time but you are so admired. A rough and tough biker said to us at Brads the other day, "some guy's gonna get lost in those blue eyes someday and never find his way out". I hope he's good to you and rich. Another younger guy at church said to us "I've noticed all the babies in the ward and yours is by far the cutest".
We think you might get allergies. You get so congested and itch your eyes but it's only at night and early morning and at certain places.
Likes
Limes
Mexican cookies
tomatoes
potatoes
goldfish
cracker
bananas
apples (but not applesauce)
strawberry bananas
cherrios
snow cones
coke
Dislikes
craisins
most vegetables
all baby food meat
strawberries
Stats
15 lbs (2nd percentile)
26.5 inches long (14 percentile)
17inches head circumference (23rd percentile)