First, let me say that after talking about it and dreading it for over two years, I finally had my tonsils taken out. I had the surgery yesterday morning and I must say, I am feeling drastically better than I thought I would. Of course, they say days 4 through 6 are the worst (adult tonsillectomies are supposed to be harder to recover from than a child's tonsillectomy), but for now I'm doing better than I thought. After the surgery, the doctor told Mitch that "my tonsils were nasty and 5 or 6 tonsil stones fell out of my right tonsil and I shouldn't ever wonder if it was the right thing to do to get them out, because it definitely was!" Unfortunately I got sick the weekend before surgery, so I went in not knowing for sure whether they'd operate. I had a cough, but it was unproductive and no fever, so they went ahead. I think the hardest part so far has been lack of good sleep. I wake up every 20 to 40 minutes either gagging or coughing, but mostly coughing. It doesn't hurt to cough, but it sounds awful. But you know what? I am SO excited to be fully recovered an no longer have to live with the chronic sore throat and illnesses!The doctor said since my tonsils were so enlarged, I might even find I sleep better. I sure hope so!
Marcus is learning to feed himself with a spoon, which is usually followed with a bath.
Thank heavens Mitch was able to take plenty of time off work for my recovery so he can watch the kids. Our families, neighbors, and friends have all been so kind to help with the kids and bring meals. We have the best support system. Layla has been so sweet to me. She insisted that I wear her princess crown and necklace, colored me pictures, read me books, etc. I can only talk a little, and only very softly, so if I have a lot to say I write it on the "magnet noodle" (what Layla calls the magna doodle). Yesterday Layla and I wrote notes to each other on it and I am so amazed at her reading and writing skills. I am so glad I still feel well enough to snuggle my baby boy! He's the yummiest. I learned real quick to take my pain meds exactly on schedule (Loratab every 4 hours), because one minute I feel fine and instantly my throat feels like it is ON FIRE and it brings me to tears while I gag down the medicine. I only made that mistake once! Anyways, in two weeks from now I should be feeling like myself again. Here's to a speedy recovery!
So, guess who learned to walk?!? My little stud! He cracks me up because for several weeks we would try to bribe him or encourage him to walk on his own, but it would only make him angry. And he yells at us when he's angry (it's actually hilarious)! Then, on Sunday, August 17th, the four of us were hanging out on the living room floor when Marcus stood up in the middle of the room and took 3 steps all by himself! I have never seen him so proud of himself! He was gloating. I quickly grabbed the video camera and caught a gem of a video of my gloating boy and his adoring fan club. He has been walking around ever since. He still prefers to crawl if he needs to get somewhere fast, but he is getting better every day at walking longer distances. I love his guts.
Layla had two weeks of swim lessons this summer and she totally rocked it! We were worried because she kept telling us she didn't want to go because she didn't want to put her face under the water. Somehow I talked her into going the first day and of course once she met her teacher, Hannah, she instantly turned into teacher's pet and had so much fun! She learned to love putting her face under, and by the end would even glide under the water while kicking her legs! Most improved swimmer on the team! She truly enjoyed it and wants to go again. We decided that once we're in a good routine with preschool that starts in two weeks, she can pick between soccer and swim. I'm really interested to see which she picks; I think it will be a really tough choice for her. I also want to find a piano teacher for her that follows the Suzuki method (where they learn to play by ear before learning to read music; it has lots of benefits), but so far no luck. Maybe we'll wait another year on that.
I can't believe summer is coming to an end! At the beginning of the summer I made a little jar with slips of paper that say fun things we can do this summer. We haven't even done half of them! At least the rest we can do this fall or winter since we left most of the indoor ones for last. I guess we were too busy just having fun at home this summer, which is probably best anyways. :) We did make it to the new Living Planet Aquarium though. It was awesome! They have the neatest penguin exhibit I've ever seen and so many different animals I've never seen before. Even Marcus loved watching the fish swim in the tank and he just laughed and squealed when they swam right in front of him! My only complaint is that even though we waited 5 months after it opened to go see it, it was still ridiculously crowded. Of course you have to exit through the gift shop (I'm sure I'm not the only parent who is angered by this strategy), and as we were leaving we thought we lost Layla. It was so scary! One minute she was there, the next she was gone. We searched and called her name for what felt like 5 whole minutes, but in reality I'm sure it was only a couple of minutes. Eventually she came walking back, crying, with an employee. At least she had the sense to find someone who worked there! I'm sure her tears gave her away. Poor girl, she was scared. But even after all that, Mitch still had to carry her out, literally kicking and screaming, because we wouldn't buy her a toy. Stupid gift shop exit! At least the rest of it was amazing!
Mitch started a new semester of school; after this class he will only have ONE class left and then he just has to write his dissertation. I use the phrase "just has to" very lightly, of course. Good news though, he was rewarded a $10K scholarship! It was one that his professor encouraged him to apply for, but Mitch didn't think he would have a chance at winning, and of course he did! I am very proud of him. I am also really looking forward to him finally being done with school. We took the following pic of him in his new suit to send the scholarship committee. We got the new suit for Katie's upcoming wedding. I think Mitch looks so sexy in it.
We attended the Ogden Temple open house. The Church decided to renovate the old Ogden temple a couple of years ago and the difference is astounding. They basically stripped the old temple down to the metal beams and left just the bare foundation before building the new temple around the old foundation. It looks nothing like the old one. They moved the entrance from the west side to the east side, and redid the parking structure. Like everything the Church does, it is gorgeous and magnificent. I am thankful for the peace that I feel each time I enter a temple. It helps me center my life. Mitch, Marcus, and I went with Kevin and Kathy one weekend when Layla was sleeping over at my parents' house.
Unfortunately, the only song Mitch knows how to play on the piano is "Chopsticks" (hello, annoying!). He taught Layla how to play it and I fear Marcus may be next ....
Marcus is frightened of stuffed animals (and all real animals that can come within touching distance of him (except Harvey)). He seriously freaks out if you put a stuffed animal in his face. So, we decided to make a tower of stuffed animals in front of the entertainment center, hoping we could deter him from turning the TV on and off repeatedly throughout the day. It worked! He didn't push the button once! Ha, ha! A little mean, but effective!
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