Chapter 15: Early New Year's Resolution

I will get the hang of this blogging thing.

For now, I will make my posts short and to the point because I have a hard time writing everything on my mind at once and I will forget to come back and finish it if I do bits at a time.

SO...

Update on Baby Mollie:

Claps. Crawling like a mad woman. Stands at the couch, chairs and bookshelves. Cries when she wants to sit down because she gets stuck in the standing position. 3 teeth on bottom. 4 teeth on top. Eats baby food, baby cereal "puffs" and anything smaller than her palm off of the floor. Recently discovered the outlets (YIKES!), wires from electronics and little springs on the legs of her crib. Waves "bye-bye". Blows raspberries which is cute but not so much when she has a mouthful of oatmeal. Learning to give kisses! An absolute joy to have in our lives and a hysterical little entertainer!

Update on Rodney:

Nearing the end of Fall Semester at BYU-Hawaii. (One more semester!!) Majoring in Information Technology. Works for the University as a Web Master. Plays touch rugby on the evenings. Fantastic Daddy. Plays with Baby Mollie and makes her giggle and snort. Amazing Husband. Washes the dishes because Mama hates dishes more than anything in the world. Strong Priesthood holder. Initiates FHE on a weekly basis and attends the temple. We love our Daddy and are so proud of him for being SO close to finishing school!

Update on Ariel:

Enjoying being Mama. Daydreams about having a house and land to make into a forever home. Missing her own Mama and chatty little siblings. Still working part time. Ecstatic for Christmas. Loves playing with her Baby Girl and laughing with her Hunky Husband!

Chapter 14: Another Much Needed Update

Well! Mollie Mae is turning 5 months old next week (!!!) and she is SO big! Ok, not SO big, but when we went to her Drs appointment on Monday the nurse at the front desk handed me the form to fill out (based on child's age, to basically assess if parents know what they're doing) and I get about halfway through it when the question "Does your child know how to cross the street?" came up.....Um....excuse me, I think you handed me the wrong form?? Haha! Turns out instead of the 4 MONTH form it was the 4 YEAR form. So apparently she looks MUCH more advanced than she is :) (Atleast I haven't seen her crossing any streets lately...?) Had to get a couple shots this time around :( I had a sneaking suspicion that she knew it was coming and maybe she recognized the Drs office from the last visit. She was clingy and NOT having the female doctor (with the much too low cut top for a FAMILY Drs office) checking her! She is, however, very healthy and above the 95th percentile in height AND weight! Must have tall parents! ;) She is a whopping 17.6 pounds and about 27 inches tall! Happy, healthy girl that is learning so many new things!

THINGS I (Mollie) HAVE DISCOVERED RECENTLY: ~Thumb; Sucking ~Toes; Touching AND Eating ~Ears; Pulling ~My and Mama's Hair; Pulling ~If I Throw My Toys On The Ground; Mama & Daddy Will Get Them For Me ~SINGING Ohh, this girl loves to sing. Doesn't matter what genre, song, or even if it's a bad attempt at an impromptu song by Mama; she will SING. Absolutely my most favorite thing! Her face is hilarious when she sings, too. Such conviction and passion being put out from her little face! (Note to self: Post video)

I am happy being Mama, working roughly 10-18 hours depending on the week, and watching our little girl grow TOO fast! Rodney is in the homestretch for his schooling (Hallelujah)! Just 2 more semesters and he is done done done! Better believe we are done done DONE with this school in Hawaii nonsense, too! Before I get attacked with the accusations of not enjoying paradise, let me just say this. {ahem} Hawaii is paradise when you're on A VACATION here, not trying to survive on a crap pay, with crap hours, in a crap apartment with cockroaches in every cupboard drawer and, yes, on the ceiling above your bed in the middle of the night.....ok, I'm done. :) So excited and SO ready to move on to another chapter of our eternal adventures together as a family! MoRodRiel :)

Chapter 13: Thank You & Updates

So sorry I haven't gotten to this until now!  Finally feel like we've gotten into somewhat of a routine with our baby girl, who is now 11 weeks old by the way!  This is the thank you blog to everyone who has given us gifts, money and love for our sweet Baby Mollie!  Unfortunately all of the pictures I took of everything we received were lost when our computer crashed! :( However, I am sending out thank you's to all of you this week who sent us gifts (if you dont receive one after a couple weeks PLEASE let me know so I can send you one! We got a lot of things so I don't want to forget anyone!)

 

I want to sincerely thank you all for your generosity towards our little family! It is no secret that Hawaii is an expensive place to live, even without having to buy diapers constantly for a baby!  So many darling outfits, soft cuddly blankets, very much needed essentials, and love sent to us! We appreciate every little sweet compliment about our little Baby Mollie and look forward to being able to pass her around to all of our family and friends who love her even from such a great distance.  She doesn't realize it yet, but someday she will see just how much love this world holds for her.

We are obviously still new at the whole "parent" thing, but I can say without a doubt that learning together with my sweet husband and taking every experience a day at a time has been the greatest adventure we've had so far in our relationship.  I can also assure you that we are very much parents, because we squealed with joy when she dirtied her diaper when she hadn't had the expected number of poopy diapers(according to the amount the doctor told us she should)! To prove it, I still have the voicemail saved on my phone of my sweet husband calling me at work to say (in the giddiest voice I've ever heard) "Babe! Baby Mollie pooped! I love you!" :) You'd really have to hear it to get the full effect...maybe someday I'll put the audio on here...We'll see if Rodney will let me hahaha!

Mollie is growing healthy and strong, with the greatest smile and cutest giggle when her neck gets tickled. She sleeps well, eats well and enjoys going outside to take in the beauty of Hawaii.  She may only be just under 3 months old, but this girl is very alert.  She has been alert since the moment she was born (the doctors and nurses even found it amazing that a brand new baby was so awake and aware of everything around her) and she makes for a very expressive conversation companion! I'll try and capture as many of her expressions as I can to post on here, because they are really quite hilarious at times.  A lot of the entertainment I find in her face has to be from the fact that she has eyebrows and my siblings never had eyebrows as noticeable at such a young age. We've been glared at, given the 'what-is-wrong-with-you?' look, smiled at, laughed at and, my favorite, an almost unexplainable look of trust and genuine love for her Mommy and Daddy.

Sweet Baby Mollie is starting to concentrate on getting her fists to her mouth, on her toys, REACHING for those toys, and even getting a pretty decent grasp on them at times!  It is utterly fascinating watching her focus all of her attention and strength on reaching for that little piece of plastic with a poorly shaped koala bear (?) and punching at it until she wears herself out.  

I always wonder how things look to her.  I know we see the same things, but how does she put my voice together with my face and know that I am mommy? What does she feel when she sees familiar things? So amazing to witness someone so tiny physically and mentally grow right before our eyes!

We are beyond thrilled with being this little angel's parents and look forward to every milestone and every single second we get to spend raising her in a Gospel, love and laughter filled home. Can't wait to share our stories!

P.S. If any readers of this blog aren't friends with either Rodney or I on Facebook to keep up with the pictures we've posted of her, I'll be sure to post the pictures on this blog as well. :)

Chapter 12: "Husband Bashing"

Don't get it.

I can honestly say that not once in my entire life have I ever heard my Mum or Dad speak ill of each other to their friends. Occasionally I'd hear a small complaint about something small that the other does that annoys them (dirty clothes in the bathroom, etc) but not ONCE were they ever cruel or did they exaggerate some small annoyance to their friends. I have too many times heard women rant and rave about things their husbands do/don't do as if they think that I want in on that conversation..? Or just because I am married that I'd like to b**ch and moan about EVERY little imperfection in my husband.

NEWSFLASH: I DON'T.

Because I wasn't exposed to that kind of treatment between my own mother and father, I don't really know how to react to it when people share it with me. Even couples arguing in public makes me uncomfortable and I still remember my parents making an effort to argue in the privacy of their room away from us kids.

I'm not saying that Rodney and I don't argue, because we have and will continue to do so on occasion for quite some time, I'm sure. That's a part of marriage and really any relationship. However, for people to make spectacles of themselves when they are arguing just doesn't make sense to me.

I feel the same about people who drag anyone and everyone into their personal affairs by telling them every argument they have with their spouse and complain to their friends to try and get someone to back them up. So much of marriage is sacred, and in MY marriage, I keep our trials sacred, too. It's none of anyone else's business what we argue about and frankly, if someone comes to me "bashing" their spouse for a mistake or a flaw they have, I feel bad for them. Not because the mistake their husband/wife made was SO ANNOYING, but because they feel the need to come to someone else and speak with such distaste about their one and only...

I also wonder if their husband/wife knows how many people they go to talking that way about them. I know that MY feelings would be hurt if I heard through some random person that my own husband was telling them about something we had argued about, so why wouldn't someone else feel somewhat betrayed by that?

I may be too sensitive on the issue, but then again, my husband and I do not flaunt things of our personal life to anyone who will listen and that's just the way we are. Some marriages are different from ours in varying ways, but RESPECT should be a part of EVERY marriage.

Love your husband, wife, boyfriend or girlfriend.

You don't need to share every annoyance with everyone you know. It makes you look unkind and immature.

Treat them with respect and if something they have said or done REALLY makes you feel as horrible as you make it sound, work it out in KINDNESS between the two of you. I'm sure you'd both appreciate that more than if you share your disgust with the world.

Just needed to get that out there. This isn't about any one person in particular so I hope no one takes offense to it! <3

Chapter 11: Catch Up!

Yes, yes...I know I stink at updating. :]

As of tomorrow, January 18th, I will be 30 weeks pregnant! Nearly done with the pregnancy and although I will miss feeling our little girl moving around inside me, I am DEFINITELY looking forward to being done with all the discomforts of pregnancy! :]

For anyone who does not know, we are having a little girl, due March 28th, and her name is Mollie Lata 'I Fangatapu Sopu. :]

The first trimester, for those of you that read that post several back, was a NIGHTMARE. The second trimester, however, was amazing! So much energy, so much productivity and no sickness whatsoever! Now that I am a good way into the third trimester, I am feeling more sluggish and less motivated to get up and clean a little or go to work, but I still manage to do it!

Even though my energy is slowly fading, I can't help from cleaning SOMETHING on my days off (Drives Rodney crazy haha!)... Occasionally I'll have a crazy burst of energy and clean everything in sight, but for the most part I just clean a room a day, laundry or maybe just take out the trash. If I get something done, no matter how strenuous, I feel accomplished.

For instance, today I realized all our whites were dirty. In our apartment we don't have our own washer and/or dryer so we have to use the Married Housing laundromat. In order to use the machines in there however you use a refillable credit card type thing, and the machine that refills the card only takes $5, $10, or $20s. We didn't have any of those, and we currently have $1.93 in our account so...Laundry in our tub it is! :] I didn't realize how much I needed to wash until it was already soaking in the tub and too late to just throw in the hamper (mildew stink=sick mama)! So I spent the better half of my day off scrubbing, soaking, rinsing, and hanging laundry on homemade laundry lines in our bedroom near the window and fan! :] (Ohhh our bedroom smells so good!)

I should add here that I don't do any cleaning until Rodney leaves for school/work because he won't let me do anything and practically has to force me to relax. :] For me during this pregnancy cleaning is relaxing and almost therapeutic. It could just be that the smells of all the cleaners are absolute heaven to my weirdo pregnant senses! :D

I'm still working, and plan to until my Mama arrives in Hawaii the day before my due date haha, so I have an extra distraction to make time fly a little faster. I still work at the Polynesian Cultural Center in the snack bar scene, and I am impulsively cleaning all the time there as well! :] It's gratifying because it's the one thing I can do that doesn't involve much walking (or WADDLING) and it keeps me off my butt. :]

So much of my motivation comes from my sweet Rodney. He helps keep me positive and helps me remember that I need to keep healthy and happy for our sweet Baby Girl. :] I love him for taking such good care of me; washing the stinky dishes (I love cleaning everything else, just NOT the dishes haha!), massaging my poor aching back, making sure I'm eating plenty, etc. I never thought that pregnancy could involve so many perks! ;] Hahaha, kidding, he does all those things even when I'm not pregnant :]

I have had plenty of people ask me about any weird or crazy cravings that I have had during this pregnancy. I really haven't had any 'pickles-and-ice cream' combinations but I have been loving sugary foods but then a lot of fruit as well. (Balances out, right? ;]) The one weird craving, WHICH I HAVE NOT GIVEN INTO, is that I constantly want to eat our laundry detergent. Haha! It's a powder detergent that we get from Sam's Club so it's this giant tub of delicious smelling powder...Mmmm...Hahaha, but I SWEAR I have not put a single grain of it in my mouth, just a whole lot of smelling! :] Clean smells good to me!

An update on my sweetheart:

Ney has just started the Winter Semester here at BYU, and is on track to graduate either December 2012 or April 2013! He is working as a webmaster (Changing, fixing, updating websites for different departments of the school) as well as working as a student secretary in the English Department. It has it's good and bad days, but he is a trooper and works hard to support our little family. :] He got GREAT grades for this past Fall Semester and I am SO proud of him! He worked pretty dang hard and it definitely paid off. :] He constantly finds new ways to surprise me and bring so much light and love into our little apartment. I love him <3

We just celebrated our 1 year anniversary this past December and we both couldn't believe how fast that year flew by. It has been an amazing year and we have experienced so much and found SO much joy in our lives and in the exciting news of our first baby! :]

I will update again soon, when I get a moment to sit and write out everything! We love you all and are so grateful to everyone who has helped us get to this point in our lives together! <3

Chapter 10: Sunday Mornings

Growing up I always knew it was Sunday morning when I woke up to hymns being played on the piano right above my room, or if church music was being played at full volume on the stereo, but I rarely knew the peace it brought to a Sabbath morning. Not due to anyone else's fault but because of my grumpy-morning-hating attitude; especially with being woken up by anything other than a new text message on my phone.

Lately, however, I've realized that the more I play Hymns, EFY music, etc, the better it feels in our home, too. This feeling could be a mixture of a cleaned house, folded laundry, and a great smelling candle; but I know that there is something about listening to uplifting music in the home. I'll have a song or two stuck in my head as I leave for work, humming the tune throughout the day and I find that some situations are easier to handle because of the song I listened to that morning. Even if I am just playing around on my Facebook, or here on my blog, and I have some church music playing, I always just feel better. I understand why my Mom always played the church music now, and I'm so glad that she did (even if I didn't realize it at the time).

I am so grateful to have been born into a musically talented and music loving family. I miss hearing my Mom, Aunt, Gram and Papa practicing around our piano for an upcoming Sacrament meeting number. I miss being able to hear my mom singing next to me in Sacrament meeting and to this day I still sing the parts the way I remember her singing them; Even with the little added notes or her personality. I miss being able to hear my Papa singing his part all the way across the chapel.

Then I miss singing like I'm tone deaf to get an elbow to the ribs and a poorly hidden laugh from my Mom. Trying to get my Gram, the chorister, to smile or laugh at my brother and I while she was on the stand. Making eye contact with my Dad no matter where he was for our favorite "Day by Day" inside joke. *Nauvoo Shoes*

I miss my Papa's singing and his Barbershop performances. I keep telling Rodney about how fun it is to listen and to watch them, wishing we could go to the competitions and things that my Papa always goes to.

Chapter 9: "Please" & "Thank YOU:" Not Optional

I have this mentality about please and thank you's that I owe entirely to my Mother. Ever since forever I've had to say please to get something (Didn't work if I asked for cash for some reason :]) and thank you when I received something. Not just in public. Not just at home. Not just when Mom is standing behind you to make sure you say it. Always.

Rodney is great about saying please and thank you; this post isn't about him not saying it. :]

It's about people in general. Well, more specifically, the tourists that I see and talk to everyday at work. Some people are just RUDE! I understand that they pay a lot to fly here, for their hotel, for their food and entertainment, and for their tacky convertible Mustang rental but...If my 2 year old brother has the capability of using his manners, so does a 50-odd year old woman. You know that trick that parents use with their younger kids where they hold whatever it is the child wants until they say please? Then say "What do you say?" afterwards to get them to say thank you? I can't tell you how many times I've had to restrain myself from doing that to tourists. Makes. Me. CRAZY. Of course I can't actually say or do anything to that effect if I want to keep my job, but ohhh so many tempting times. Just common courtesy and common sense to me.

Thanks Mom. :]