Sick of Being Sick

Layla is finally over her cold, or croup, or whatever it was. Mitch and I have been battling colds for almost two weeks now. Lame. On Thursday morning I decided to take a Mucinex to alleviate some of my symptoms. Bad idea. Mind you, I only took one pill, but it seemed like I had overdosed. I think it made me high. I've never been high, so I don't really know for sure, but I read that some people OD on cold medicine to get high. I repeat, I only took one pill, I did not OD. But there was something wrong with me for sure. Long story short, Mitch came home from work, but had to go back so my brother, Jordan, came up to watch Layla. He took her home with him and she had a sleep over with Mammy and Bopa Miles. The medicine finally got out of my system and I was back to having just a cold.

Friday night Mitch had the opportunity to go scuba diving! His assistant scout master was kind enough to invite Mitch along, all expenses paid. He did a little training class, put on his gear, and away he went. Now, it was just in a swimming pool, but Mitch said it was really fun and he'd like to try it some more. I suggested we get certified before we go to Hawaii next year ...


While Mitch was scuba diving, I decided that he and I should run in the local 5K the next morning. I was sick of being sick and needed to get my butt of the couch. I made babysitting arrangements and fell asleep without remembering to mention this to Mitch. So this morning my alarm went off at seven, I rolled over and told Mitch that I found a sitter and we'd be running the race in two hours. Ha, ha. Good thing he's such a good sport!

The race was awesome. Not only did I place 3rd overall for all the females, but I won first place for the females in my age division (ages 18-29)! Wahoo! My time was 28:12. Now, I fully realize that there are many people much faster than me who would have blown my time out of the water, but they didn't show up. Ha, ha. I got some pretty sweet gift cards and a medal. I was sprinting at the end to make sure I beat the girl behind me, and I almost threw up after because my lungs are still so full of mucus from being sick. Ha, ha. It was worth it though. I never knew I was so competitive. Mitch got second place for his age group, he ran in 24:58. (The guy who won his age group ran it in just over 18 minutes. What?! Crazy fast!) It was fun; I'm really glad we did it. Plus, Layla had a blast with her sitter and cried when she left. 

Thriller

We had a little Mommy/Daughter date last weekend and went to see Thriller. I invited both of my sister-in-laws and their moms to join us as well; the more the merrier right? It was Katie and Kathy's first time to see Thriller and I'm pretty sure they liked it. We went to lunch before at The Pie, which was also great. After watching such amazing dancers, I decided I want to take a ballet class. If nothing else, it would be a great workout! The problem is, I can't find a beginner, adult ballet class that isn't too far of a drive ...



Layla had her 18 month check up. She is super healthy and smart. The doctor was impressed that she knows so many letters of the alphabet. (Those foam bath letters were a great investment!) He also said that she'll probably be a volleyball player when she grows up because she's so tall. He's said that before, but only time will tell. You'd never guess that right, seeing as how I'm only 5'5"? Yeah, well my mom is almost 5'11",  my brothers are both 6'2",  and my extended family members are tall as well. The tall gene skipped me, but maybe it was passed on to Layla ... I'd love for her to go to college on a volleyball or basketball scholarship. Anyways, most of all we're glad she's healthy!

Height     33.7 inches     95th percentile
Weight    24.2 pounds   50th percentile

Something I want to remember about Bug is how young her cleaning impulses started. She is already a neat freak. We can't decide if that's a genetic or environmental thing, as both Mitch and I are neat freaks. Today I took off Layla's shoes and just set them right where we were in the kitchen. She got upset and said, "Ado!" (clean up!) and put her shoes next to mine on the mat by the door. But that wasn't good enough. When she first set them down, her shoes weren't facing the same direction, so she had to turn them around until they both faced the same way. Wow. She picks up any scraps of paper, lint, string, or anything that she finds and knows doesn't belong and throws it away. She's actually quite handy. It's just embarrassing when we're at someone else's house and she's freaking out saying, "Ado! Ado!" and trying to clean everything up. Ha, ha.

Last but not least, the awaited day finally came and I was able to purchase the new Coldplay album, Mylo Xyloto, yesterday! I went to Target first thing in the morning and bought my shiny, new copy. I must say, it is my favorite Coldplay album out of the previous four. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll be touring in the States next year ... I will be there for sure!

I went running this morning, in the cold, pitch dark. I was able to listen to most of the album while I ran. I love these mornings, when the air is crisp, I'm running to my tunes, and it's so dark and quiet out. I find it exhilarating. Don't worry Mom, I wear a reflective vest and a blinking light. Maybe I'll bust out my head lamp too.

That's all.

Stuff

I never know what to title my posts, especially when I'm blogging about unrelated things. Like how Layla got me in trouble last night with Daddy; while Mitch was out of town this week, I may or may not have let Layla be totally crazy in the bath tub, which she now insists on incorporating into her normal bath time routine. It stresses Mitch out and I'm pretty sure he blames me. He even said, "See what you guys start while I'm away?!" Oops. Hey, we were just having fun! Mitch and I have very different parenting strategies: basically, he's over-protective and I'm too laid back. That's why we work well together; we balance each other out. This video doesn't quite capture how truly crazy she was being last night, but you get the idea. She thinks it's hilarious when she leans back and gets her hair wet. Pretty sure we'll be signing her up for Mommy and Me Swim Lessons real soon!

Layla is still obsessed with Ernie, but every few days she switches which friend is her second favorite. Right now it's Kitty. Here's a pic of Layla sleeping in her crib with all of her friends. Silly girl. Sometimes I have to sneak some of them out because there are just too many. 

We've been sick around here. Pretty sure Layla had croup, but we didn't take her to the doctor to verify that because it's a virus and there's not really anything they can do. She slept with a humidifier, an open window, alternated Ibuprofen and Motrin, drank lots of fluids, and watched too much Sesame Street. She's pretty much better now; still coughs now and again. Another reason we didn't take her is because she has her 18 month check up today, so we figured we can check it out then. The home remedies seemed to work though. It was scary there one night; she was coughing so hard she stopped breathing, I was crying, and Mitch was so stressed. But we made it through and all is well. Mitch and I are both battling colds now, and Mitch will probably lose his voice, but at least he already gave his briefing at work. Oh, the joys of colder weather and sharing germs.

We had our Primary program last week. My Sunbeam class was pretty much hilarious. I went up to the podium with the kids to help them say their parts. I whispered the line into one child's ears, who then whispered the line into the microphone. Too funny. It was kind of a disaster, but it was alright because they're only three years old so no one seems to mind.

Mitch and I went laser tagging last weekend with some of his co-workers. Have you ever gone laser tagging with rocket scientists? It's totally unfair competition. They're way too strategic and quick-thinking for my wits. Ha, ha. I did have a lot of fun though.

This week I was able to help judge the Reflections contest again at our elementary school. I really enjoy doing that. Those kids are so creative! This year's theme was "Diversity," which seemed a little difficult for the kids, but I think they did a great job. I wish I had participated in that when I was younger.

Mitch made some yummy salsa with the peppers in our garden. It turned out great! Look at all the huge peppers he grew:

I am teaching our primary lesson on Sunday. The title of the lesson is "Music Makes Me Happy." Last night as I was preparing, I decided to bust out my clarinet and play a few tunes, thinking maybe I'd play for my class on Sunday. I haven't played that thing in years; I played clarinet in the school band for four years (grades 5 through 8) and I probably haven't picked it up since. Mitch came in the room while I was playing and said he was impressed that I could remember so much. Funny, I was upset that I could only remember how to play 10 notes. But, my primary class might just get a rendition of "Old McDonald" if they're reverent enough.

The Killers

I'm a huge fan of the band, The Killers, and I had no idea the lead singer is a member of my church. He even has a son named Ammon (after a missionary in the Book of Mormon). This video was just put on the LDS website; I think it's pretty rad. I like the tag lines in these videos; they usually go something like this, "My name is Lacey. I'm a wife, a mother, and I'm a Mormon."

Busy as a Bee

Busy, as usual. Layla was invited to her first Halloween party and it was super fun! Luckily, my mom had previously spotted this adorable bee costume, so we were ready to par-tay! Layla can even say the word "honey," which is so appropriate, don't you think? 

Showing off her costume ...

Our friends threw the party; they read Halloween books, pinned the tail on the black cat, showed off their costumes in a costume parade, tossed some bean bags into the witch's cauldron, and had some yummy treats.

Layla is still a little young for some of the games, but she had a fun time with her friends.

Layla and Parker

There were about two dozen kids there, ages 4 and under, and they were surprisingly very well behaved.


My favorite part of the party was when our neighbor walked in holding her son's Elmo costume and Layla freaked out saying, "Elmo! Elmo! Elmo!" over and over and over again. Lucky for Layla Brayden didn't want to wear his costume!

Chillin' with Elmo

Thanks again to the Pabsts family for the fun party!

Yesterday was Layla's first week in Nursery ... wahoo!!! But in actuality, she didn't end up in there alone because the regular teachers were gone so they asked Mitch to come help. I'm sure she'll do just fine next week; she loves nursery! Who wouldn't love snack time, bubble time, coloring time, and play time???

Speaking of church, yesterday in sacrament meeting some cute kids in the row behind us were coloring in an Elmo coloring book. Layla saw and preceded to yell, "Elmo!" repeatedly. We distracted her with something else, and a few minutes later those sweet kids each gave Layla a picture of Elmo that they had colored. So sweet! It made Layla so happy.

Lately, instead of just Elmo and Ernie, she also has to have Kitty, Naa (which means "lamb" in the language of Layla), and as of today, Teddy. The funniest thing is to watch her carry around all five of them at once. You can't even see her face and I don't know how she sees where she's going. Absolutely hilarious. I need to get it on video. Tonight she wanted her friends to be at the dinner table with her. We humored her.



Then she wanted everyone to go "ni-ni" (night, night), including Daddy!

Layla has a few made-up words:

• Grammy = grandma
• Bapuh = grandpa
• GG = great grandma/grandpa
• Naa = lamb
• Ado = clean up (no idea where this came from ...)
• Waa = dog (although she said "dog" perfectly today)

We need to work on differentiating between the grammys, bapuhs, and GGs.

I made Layla a quiet book. Yesterday was the first time she's sat through all of sacrament meeting in months! Wahoo!

Shapes ... they velcro on and can be stored in the pouch.

Her favorite .. buckles. My favorite ... ice cream. Ha, ha.
Actually, it's a way to teach colors.

Numbers and counting.

In case you can't tell, it's a tent. It has a zipper and there's a dog inside.

I decorated for Halloween ... sadly, this is as crafty as I got due to my laziness and lack of creativity.

Mitch is still busy, busy, busy! But we're having fun and manage to squeeze in some family time.

Layla will randomly yell, "Happy!!!" throughout the day and it makes me happy. She is such a happy little girl.  I haven't done anything with potty training yet; I think I'll try and find some sort of plastic pants like the swimming panties to put over her underwear (I've heard they exist). Hopefully that will avoid getting too much pee on the carpet? Any ideas are welcome. But while we're on the topic, I have two funny stories about "pee pee." First, Layla's potty doesn't really flush, but it makes a sound when you move the handle, which is down really low so kids can reach it while they're sitting on the potty. So, tonight Layla was sitting on her potty (not using it, just sitting on it), and says, "pee pee," and then "flushed" the toilet with ... her foot. How creative. Totally made me think of a man who is too lazy to pick up his underwear so he flicks them up with his foot. Lazy, but funny, right?

Second, like most parents of toddlers, I leave the door open while I go to the bathroom, you know, to keep an eye on the little one, who usually wanders in at some point. Well, she's put two and two together and now she tells me "pee pee" when I go potty. Obviously, she's caught on to some other things as well because the other day she pulled a tampon out of my purse, said, "Ado, " (clean up) and then put the tampon in the toilet. What?!? Apparently I need to start shutting the door; she's way too young for that!

Anyways, on to another subject. My running tights are awesome and I am looking forward to winter running. Also, my favorite shows, Glee and Biggest Loser, are back on. Wahoo! Oh, and the NBA has cancelled the first two weeks of the season ... Ahhh! What does that mean for us season ticket holders?!?

Not Ready

A few weeks ago, I bought Layla a princess potty. It was on sale, I thought it was cute, and she seemed intrigued. I figured we could set it in the bathroom and talk to her about it; you know, get her ready for potty training. I've been telling her things like, "Pee pee in the potty!" and when I change her diaper I will point out if she has gone pee pee or poo poo, though almost every time she says "doo doo!" and refuses to admit when she only went pee pee. It's kind of funny, actually.

Yesterday I was doing my hair in the bathroom when I turned around and saw Layla sitting on her princess potty. She looked at me and said "pee pee!" I was so proud, and even more so when I immediately changed her diaper and realized that she really had gone pee pee!

Today we were playing when Layla squatted down and said, "pee pee!" She has told me before when she goes doo doo, but now pee pee too?!

But I must admit, all the excitement and pride has turned into fear on my part. I am so not ready to start potty training her ... I have no idea what to do, I really don't want to wipe up pee from our brand new carpet, and it's too cold out to be outside all day. I kept telling Mitch that we were going to potty train her over Christmas break, since he won't have school or work so he can help me. But I don't want to delay her if she's getting interested now, and no more stinky diapers is so appealing ... any suggestions???

Words

Let me just start by saying that I love General Conference. I look forward to it every six months. It amazes me that I can hear the words of a prophet of God and learn what God would have me know to help me be happy. How wonderful is that?! I especially loved a talk given by Elder Neil L. Andersen who spoke on the blessings of parenthood.  And of course, President Monson is such an uplifting speaker.

Speaking of listening to others' words, Layla has became quite the parrot lately! I wrote down six new words that she learned in one day! They were animal (amal), knee (me), shadow (dadow), cereal (ceweal), tiger, and happy. Of course, she can't say them all perfectly, but she does a pretty good job. And I'm mostly impressed that she understands what they mean—especially words like "shadow" and "heavy."  Other words she has learned lately are Oakley (Oaky), Natalie (Nanany), honey, no, yay, grandpa (bapa), and heavy. She always yells "Yay!!!" when she is excited and it makes me laugh every time.

It's been raining all morning. It was over 80 degrees yesterday, Monday, and it's predicted to only be 46 degrees on Thursday. What?! That's a huge change in only three days! The good news is that I bought some running tights so I can run outside in the cold weather; I'm pretty excited! Hopefully the inversion won't be too bad this year.

Mitch is still super busy. His work is really busy right now and school keeps him busy, not to mention Scouts, taking care of the lawn, oh, and spending time with his doting wife and daughter. I don't know how he does it, but he does it well and I am so proud of him! He is one of the most motivated people I know.

I keep thinking I should get out the Halloween decorations; I bet Layla would love them. But, they're under the stairs and a pain the the you-know-what to get to, so I haven't done it yet. Is that lazy or what? Actually, it's not really laziness, I'm just busy with other things. Maybe I'll do it this weekend.