Frenzy

Finding out we were having a girl made me feel all this zealous energy to have to do stuff to my house to get ready.  As most home improvement projects, it starts out with one thing and spirals into several.  It started with me feeling like if we were going to have 3 girls, they needed the bigger room.  I am not yet willing to give up my guest room (its the only room I can always count on to be clean), and so I measured the two kids rooms and found Lyman's was bigger.  Okay, not a lot bigger but enough.  Problem one: his had boy colored walls and a car boarder.  So down came the boarder and we rushed to get the two rooms painted a neutral tan color.  The girls' room was a girly light green so it had to go too.  We worked hard and painted it.  But then I thought, we have gross carpet in the living room.  It was bad when we moved in and its the worst of the whole house.  It didn't match the rest of the house either because it was never changed when they did the other parts for some reason.  So then the carpet had to be changed (which was on our to do list for years).  We couldn't just change one room, so I thought we would change all the carpet on main floor.  But then I thought - it wont match the upstairs!  (Horror!)  In then end, after budgeting, and looking at our options it looked feasible to do the whole house and so we did.    This is the after results.

 The carpet is so cozy and soft.

 The master bedroom.  Seriously getting new carpet is like moving house.  Everything has to be broken down (beds) and moved.  It was hard work and not a process I want to do soon.  Good thing for nice warranties on carpets.

 Lyman's new room in the girls' old room complete with new wall color.

 The girls' room before we put up the crib on the empty wall across from their beds.  Corilynn loves sleeping in the top bunk and Ruby loves to do it too on her naps.

So Many Girls

A girl!  A girl!  We found out that we are expecting (another) a little girl.  At the risk of sounding like a horrible mother (and at the risk of actually being one) I will admit that when I found out that it was a girl, my whole world seemed deflated.  It was not because I hate girls, don't like the ones I have or anything equally absurd or terrible.  It is because for the longest time - for longer than even Ruby was around - I have felt and had experiences I cannot explain properly that led me to believe that I would have another little boy.  I have also felt pretty strongly that this pregnancy was our last - for a number of reasons.  Reason number one being my health.  Each pregnancy seems to kill a part of my spirit, take away a great deal of my strength (physically and emotionally) and put our whole family on hold and under stress.  Its not easy and we've done it 5 times (if you count the miscarriage - which of course we do).  So when I put those many experiences together - the obvious sum was last pregnancy and boy.  I have loved and waited for this little boy for so long and then to hear it was a girl sort of threw me off kilter.  I will be honest and admit that I cried at the doctor's office.  Cried a lot.  Not because I was unaware that a healthy baby girl is still a blessing, but because I didn't know how to reconcile the spiritual impressions and experiences I had had regarding this anticipated little boy.

Thankfully, Andy was with me at the appointment.  It gave me someone who I knew wouldn't judge me as I cried and blabbered to him my confusion.  Even though the nurses were all very nice and did not seem to place judgement on me - my little mother's mind felt like a putz for looking so ungrateful at the news of a healthy baby - even if the wrong gender to what I wanted/anticipated.

I suppose it is ridiculous to try to explain the complete bafflement I went through mentally either with it.  I mean it sounds pretty stupid but I couldn't get past the thought, "I can't name a little girl Abraham!" Silly thought I know - it was the name we had chosen for our little boy years ago.  I also had trouble thinking past how to explain the news to Lyman, who I knew had waited, wished for and prayed for a little brother for a longtime.

Whats the big deal?  I know, right.  It sounds like I made it into so much more than it really is.  But I would have to explain and share some deeply personal experiences that I had that led me to believe it was a boy we were going to have in order for you to get it.  Just think of it this way - imagine that something really special happened to you, and you treasured that moment.  Then imagine that you received clear proof of what seems like that special moment did not actually happen or that you perceived it wrongly.  It makes you feel like what was certain to you before is now not - which is pretty life shaking.

Anyway, although it took some weeks to reconcile and reformat my mind to the thought of another girl and the new dynamic this places our family in, I have come to terms with it.  The wonderful thing is that the real catalyst for that comfort and peace that I have found for it started that day I found out.  Andrew gave me a priesthood blessing.  It promised me that someday I would understand the impressions that I had and that until then I would have patience to wait for that understanding.  You see, it wasn't the gender so much that bothered me, it was my inability to reconcile the impressions I had had.  This little portion made all the difference in the world to me.  I can do anything with the aid and help of my Heavenly Father.  I can wait a hundred years for something if I know it will be given to me.  In this case - I can relax, let go of the confusion, and be content to not know or understand because I know He will keep his promise and if I have patience, I will someday understand.

There was more to the blessing (PS I love that my husband has the priesthood and can bless us when needed) but only one other part that I would like to share.  I had mentioned earlier that I have loved that little boy for many years.  Finding out it was a girl was hard also because it felt like being asked to transfer the love you have for a child to a stranger.  The blessing confirmed the ultrasound was accurate and that I would develop a new, profound love for this little girl.  I can testify that that portion of the blessing has come true.  Slowly over the course of the last several weeks I have had moments to reflect on this little spirit and feel a special love for this new little girl.  Feel proud of her for growing eyelashes and learning to use her legs (even if it is to kick me).  These little sentiments have made me anticipate with longing and excitement the moment when she will be born and I can hold her.

And how is Lyman?  He was pretty crushed at first (I knew how he felt).  He cried with me and was sad with the news.  We did all we could to share with him the benefits of being an only boy in a family of girls.  Always having your own room seemed to heal his heart a little.  :)  He didn't believe us though, when we said that when he is a teenager and his sisters bring all their cute friends over to the house, he will appreciate it a lot more.  He is a really great brother to girls though, which is good.  He might purposely drive them insane sometimes, but he is also especially sensitive to their feelings.  The other morning I heard Ruby wake up crying.  She does that sometimes for no apparent reason and just has to come out of her grumpy funk.  When I went in to her after a few minutes, I found she had stopped crying because Lyman had come in and cuddled her.  She was so happy he came and told me "I was sad and Lyman cuddled me and now I am happy."  Another time, we were explaining that as their brother, it is his job to protect them.  He kind of got excited over this and came up with lots of far fetched (ninja like) scenarios where he would come to their aid and get the bad guy.  Then he asked me what if a bad boy "fell in love" with Corilynn?  I didn't realize it was rhetorical and started to come up with a few ideas for him.  He cut me off and said, "No, Ill just tell her to act gross and then he wont like her anymore."  Good idea, Lyman.  Act gross ( I did NOT ask for clarification for what constitutes gross to a BOY).  He'll do.

Fame

A short time ago I decided to look up a few book fairs in Ohio that I might be able to attend.  After seeing which ones were reasonable distances away I chose a few to plan on attending.  There is one that I decided I wanted to go because it is exclusive to Ohio authors only and for books published in 2012.  It was a pretty extensive application process.  I didn't think I would be approved since it seemed pretty exclusive.  It turns out that they accepted my application.  I was really excited to hear the news since I was told they wouldn't inform me until sometime in February.  The book fair is the Ohioana Book Festival in Columbus in May.

The really fun thing is that part of the festival includes a private invitation for the authors (plus one) to attend an exclusive reception at the Governer's Residence.  (insert freak out here!) Since this is the closest I'll ever be to real fame - I am pretty excited.  I asked Andy to be my date and he was thrilled to go with his "celebrity wife."  haha!  I think now we need to come up with a celebrity name together.  Andylynne?  Karadrew?  We will work on it.

Men In Kilts Are Hot!

I think I should have been born in Scotland.  Ive always thought men in kilts are attractive.  Its not a skirt thing - its hard to explain.  They just look so.... handsome.  Its a good thing then that I married a Scot.  When we had stake conference a few weeks ago, Andrew agreed to wear his kilt with Lyman since he would not have to be on the stand in front of everyone.  Lyman loves wearing the kilt that I made him because it is another way he can be just like Dad. They wore their dress shirts and suit coats with them, which I think made them look more formal than church suits are regularly.

This next year we are hoping to go to the Ohio Highland Festival. I think it will be fun for Lyman to see the competitions and I know Andrew is looking forward to hearing the bagpipes.

Election Day

 After enduring the zoo that is voting on election day in Ohio, we took the kids to the zoo with a friend of Lyman's tagging along.  In Ohio, the kids have no school on election day.  I don't know if this because a lot o the polling places are at schools or if its because the Ohio takes their elections seriously.  It is a swing state, after all.

 It was nice to spend the day together and to have the kids get to take a break from the stresses of kindergarten and first grade (what stresses?).

Corilynn World

Yesterday was Corilynn's parent-teacher conference for winter semester for kindergarten.  I was excited to hear how she was doing.  Corilynn is a totally different nut to Lyman and his conferences had tended to be heavy on the "he has a lot of energy" factor.  Corilynn is much more sedate (MUCH MORE).  Too much more sometimes.  Anyway it was really exciting.  They did a reading assessment on all the kids already.  By the end of the kindergarten each kid should be at a DRA reading score of 3.  Corilynn scored a 28!  She was the best in the entire school (which houses kindergarten only -15 classes approx) and that score equates to between a 2-3 grade level.  WOW!  We were pumped and really proud.  Then the teacher began to describe some of Corilynn's behavior at school - getting distracted - seemingly lost in thought etc.  Andrew told her teacher that Corilynn's preschool teachers called that "Corilynn world"  and Mrs Ellis laughed - saying it was a perfect description.  So some things do not change!  :)  Our sweet little girl who often is in her own little world where she prances around instead of walking or zones out instead of following instructions is still there.  So academically she is doing fantastic.  Her goals as set by her teacher though consist of getting through her "morning routine" without reminders or being distracted.  :)  I did like the teacher's positive spin on "Corilynn World" though - she said she must have an amazing imagination and that she has never seen any kid so self content before.  That is true.  Our Corilynn is very self content - now if we can work on her to find getting dressed, moving faster than a snail  and listening essential for that self content.  :)  We are thinking a reward system with new books might help.  haha I love that girl.

Halloween

 For Halloween, Lyman was TinTin from the book and movie.  It is a series that the kids have grown to love because Andy introduced them to the adventure books and then the movie came out.  Watson was courteous enough to play the role of Snowy.

 Corilynn was a leopard (thank you neighbors who clean out their dress up clothing and give them to us poor pregnant women with no motivation to do much for Halloween).  Ruby was a cupcake this year.  We were happy to see Corilynn's costume from last year fit her so well.

 Everyone gets to go trick or treating at their own house, which they thought was pretty awesome.

This is the first year Ruby really has appreciated the novelty of trick or treating.  I think she thought that the whole experience ought to be done everyday.