Peter and Jenne

Belle is born!

2009-05-31T13:55:00.000-07:00

Carolyn Belle Alderks was born at 9: 31 am on Friday May 29, 2009 at home. At birth, she weighed 7 lbs 6 oz and was 20 3/4 inches long.

Here's the story:
At 3:30 am I woke up feeling a mild contraction. At that point, they were seven minutes apart. Within a half hour, they were 3 minutes apart. I decided then that I wouldn't be sleeping anymore that night and got up to ready the house for the birth. I put towels in the washing machine, finished making my laborades (lavender lemonade and sweet rose tea) and started inflating the birth tub. At 4:45, the contractions were getting stronger but still at 3 minutes apart. I decided to wake Peter up and get him to take over inflating the pool. He was completely groggy and too was hoping that the contractions would stop and that we’d be going back to bed. While he pumped up the pool, I straightened and gathered supplies while pausing for contractions.

At 6:30, Willem woke up and “helped” me through contractions. I was on my hands and knees on the floor and he curled up underneath me. When the pool was filled with air, he was ready to get in. We started filling it with water and when it was the depth of a normal bath, Willem and I got in together. He was so excited to be in a “warm bath downstairs with Mama.” Peter started boiling water on the stove and periodically added more water.

Contractions, by then, were 2 minutes apart. Around this time, Peter admitted that this was truly labor and it wasn’t going to stop until the baby was born. Both he and I thought that we would have several more hours. I then remembered that we had been remiss throughout the pregnancy and hadn’t documented it with pregnancy pictures. I had been completely unclothed in the pool so on one trip upstairs to the bathroom, I pulled out the maternity bathing suit that my friend had lent me. On the way downstairs, I told Peter he should start getting some pictures before it was too late.

Between 8:30 and 9:00, Willem started getting antsy in the house so we started preparing him to go to a friends house. This was about the time that I moaned to Peter “I want to take a break. It’d be nice if I could have three minutes between the contractions again.” I don’t really remember his response but I remember it was sympathetic. I think I heard Willem one time say “Mama sad” and I moaned through contractions, and I tried to explain that I wasn’t sad. I was just working hard to get the baby to come out of my body.

Peter was busy getting Willem ready to go to our neighbor's house to play. As they were about to walk out the backdoor, I yelled "her head is crowning!" Peter picked Willem up and they watched as her head emerged, then her shoulders, chest and body. I picked up her out of the water and cradled her against my body. Willem was quiet and very serious as he saw this. Peter described what was happening and Willem said, "baby belle out mama body now." After she started crying and I got the cord unwrapped from her body (she was kind of tangled in it), I got out of the pool. Peter and Willem helped me tie the umbilical cord in two places and then they cut the cord together.

At that point, we realized that it was probably a good time to call the midwives (everything happened so quickly that we didn't before!) and that Willem could go outside and play like he had planned on. That gave Peter some time to attend to me and get me settled on the couch. The midwives arrives around 10:45 and we participated in the newborn exam. Peter guessed her weight exactly. I filled out the mother's and baby's information on the birth certificate and Peter filled out the father's. Willem came back and met his baby sister. Then the midwives helped me get settled in bed upstairs and left with many congratulations and a promise to come back Monday for a follow-up visit.

She has a round face and Peter's slanty eyes (we believe it has passed through his lineage from Mongols who invaded Germany centuries ago). She has a full head of dark hair now, a little lighter than mine and Willem's when he was born. We fully expect it to go blonde at some point too. She's got Peter's dimple in her right cheek, but Peter hasn't seen it yet. And she's got the same butt-chin that Willem has--that's from Peter's mom. So basically, I expect Carolyn Belle to look like a girl version of Willem; which means she's not going to look like me either. And I was hoping...

Maybe I'll be better about updating the blog and adding pictures, ha!

Next for us is to enjoy the next couple of weeks with Belle at home. Peter will go into campus a couple of days a week, but he will mainly be home too. Then in two or three weeks, we'll pack up everyone in the car and drive to Nana's house.

We haven't updated in forever...

2009-02-24T18:38:00.001-08:00

Since I defended my thesis, it got submitted and I graduated. Peter passed his general exams. Willem turned 2. We went to Hawaii for a vacation and graduation. And while we were there guess what was seen as I walked into the auditorium for the ceremony? A rainbow. (refer to my last post about its significance)

We also found out that we are having a little girl in mid-January, like I predicted. I'm now two for two on gender predictions. She'll be named after my mom but she will go by the middle name we've chosen for her: Belle.

So that's the summary: I have the initials M.Ed. at the end of my name. Peter is officially a PhD candidate. Willem is going to be a big brother.

Other than that, its been daily life and preparing for new baby. I should update this blog more often. Now that I've found some real life friends also have blogs I should be more motivated to keep up.

And now its time to make dinner. Noodles and cheese per request of the young child.

Update: How the Defense Went

2008-10-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

It went very well today. My committee members described my study as well-thought out, interesting and creative. When using the adjective creative, they were referring to the mixed methodology that I used to describe and gather information regarding my topic. That's the first time I've heard someone's methodology describe as "creative" so I'm proud of that compliment.

I do have some, relatively minor, changes to make so I'll be doing those over the next few days. But I was basically told that my work has been approved and that I will be graduating with my cohort of classmates. Even though the thesis isn't totally finished yet, today pretty much marks the end of my graduate program. That was marked by an occurence I feel is special enough to share.

The background:
So my program is through the University of Hawaii and their "mascot" or symbol for a long time were the Rainbows. That's changed recently, so now they're the Warriors, but a lot of die hard fans and alumni still call them the Bo's, or they are called the Rainbow Warriors by some. Two years ago, in May of 2006, I opened up my acceptance letter to the University of Hawaii. My family took me out to dinner to celebrate and on the way to the restaurant, we saw a rainbow in the sky. We thought it was very fitting, especially as I had prayed before we left to know if I should attend UH. That seemed like a good indication to me (besides the fact that 5 years previously, I had had the impression that someday I would attend school in Hawaii).

And then today, I basically reached the end of my degree program. I was told I was going to graduate and become a Master in Education, that my journey is over and I was successful at my goal. And as my family and I were going out to celebrate, we saw a rainbow in the sky.

Both times I saw these rainbows in connection to the beginning and end of my program, they were remarkably vibrant rainbows, with each color very bold and blending beautifully into the color next to it. My mom, who is not religious or a member of the church, seems to believe more than I do that these were signs from God. I don't count them as coincidences and they do seem to be indications of God's love and approval of my actions and desires.

That's my feel good of the day.

Thesis Defense Today

2008-10-20T12:00:00.001-07:00

In a couple of minutes, my final thesis defense and presentation will start. Wish me luck!!

I'll post again about how it went later.

Pomp and Circumstance

2008-10-17T01:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a bit of an exciting day for me. I ordered my cap, gown and hood for my graduation ceremony.

And I ordered a kid sized cap and gown for Willem.

Since I started the program, I've said that I'm going to carry him across the stage with me when I'm hooded as a Master in Education and receive my diploma. I'm serious. I'm going to do it. And if anyone tries to stop me, too bad!! The kid deserves the recognition that he put up with many nights of having mama awake while he was asleep, and many days on the switch-shift with daddy and many hours on my lap or playing next to me.

And I am proud that I was a student-mama and that I was able to finish my program over the course of a pregnancy, a newborn and a toddler. I doubt I'll be showing by then, but I'll also being the proud mama of two when I walk across that stage!

A happy birthday to Jenne!

2008-10-15T14:51:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, it was my 24 birthday. That's not the remarkable part, its that I really enjoyed it!

Birthdays are just kind of days to me even though I appreciate it when others try to make it special. This year everyone succeeded very well. I think it was helped by being on a Saturday. Everyone's birthday should be on a Saturday.

I was expecially happy to receive the gifts I received. A number of them were books, you know the kind that can be read for enjoyment. Being pretty much finished with my degree program makes me very happy to see a stack of unread books to read.

The books on that list (no birth books, but that may be what I get with the money I was given):

Irish Crystal by Andrew Greeley (in the Nuala Anne McGrail series)
Feeding the Whole Family: Cooking with Whole Foods by Cynthia Lair
Brisingr by Christopher Paolini (book three in the Eragon triology)
Wise Woman's Herbal for the Childbearing Year by Susan Weed
World Without end by Ken Follet (the sequal to my favorite historical novel: Pillars of the Earth)

I was also given a super soft robe and blanket set that has replaced my favorite purple robe. I know I'll be enjoying the comfort of that set for the next few months. I also was given a hand carved nativity set from the Philipenes and a lovely ivory pendant from Alaska. The pendant reminds me of the full beauty of a pregnant belly complete with eternity knot at the top. I will treasure that during my pregnancy.

Peter also was very good to me that day. He made me breakfast. It would have been in bed but I got up before he finishied making it. Then we took a walk as a family to the park and then napped when we got home. I really enjoyed cuddling with Willem and getting a birthday nap. I highly recommend it! After we woke up, we were greeted with dinner (coconut curry chicken) and a fresh baked cheesecake. Many thanks to Peter for making my birthday special and to the family members who sent thoughtful gifts that I enjoy.

Kernel news!

2008-10-08T13:05:00.000-07:00

I'm getting around to officially anouncing this news here!

At the end of May next year (2009), we'll be welcoming our second little one into our family. We have affectionately nicknamed this pregnancy Kernel (like a small kernel of corn) and for a little joke I've tacked on Mustard, which to me signifies having the faith of a mustard seed for a healthy pregnancy.

We found out that I am pregnant while we were in Texas visiting Peter's parents. I have been feeling great. I'm not nauseous, just needing to drink water and eat frequently and go to bed earlier at night.

I feel strongly that this is a girl, and if that is the case, her name is Carolyn Belle. Naming a daughter Carolyn is a tradition that will span 8 generations of my mother's family if we name a daughter of ours Carolyn. She will likely go by the name Belle because my mother really didn't like being called "Little Carolyn" her whole life.

We of course are very happy to be pregnant again and we are looking forward to this being an surprisingly easy (morning-sickness wise) pregnancy. We expect that we'll enjoy the journey and be thankful for the opportunity to welcome another of Heavenly Father's spirits into our family.

Jenne and Peter News

2008-10-08T13:00:00.002-07:00

Last I updated that I finished the writing on my thesis. Now the news is that I've submitted it!

Last Friday, I printed off 4 copies of all 125 pages and mailed them to my committee members.

It is such a relief to have that over with. My defense is on October 20 and I really hope that my committee's suggestions for changes will not be very major (especially after all the revisions that my advisor has already made!)

Peter is busying studying for his General Exams (the ones that advance him to PhD Candidacy and mark the end of his required coursework). They will take place the same week as my defense (Eeek!). The test is 4 hours a day for 4 days straight and a 1 hour oral examination with his committee. We are hoping and praying that he's studying enough of the information he needs to know so he can pass.

He and I will both be very relieved to have me be officially graduated and for him to be officially a PhD candidate. Its an imporant month for us!

Willem News

2008-10-08T13:00:00.001-07:00

There have been a few Willem anecdotes from the last few days that I've been particularly impressed with so I'm sharing them here:

The other night, Peter, Willem and I were getting ready for bed by sharing a bit of chocolate. We finished the chocolate bar and we had the resulting wrapper. I handed the wrapper to Willem and told him to go throw it in the trash can in the bathroom (one room away). He held onto it, climbed of the bed and walked out of the room. He came back into the room a short bit later without the wrapper. Both Peter and I knew it could be anywhere--the toilet, the other bedroom, the floor in the hallwa--and we knew that when we got up in the morning, we'd find out where it ended up. The next morning, I found the wrapper...guess where? The trash can! Way to go, Willem!

Yesterday, I was busy with something online and Willem was telling me he wanted to go outside. He brought me his shoes but he was only wearing a diaper and a shirt. I told him that he needed socks and pants. The next thing I knew he was gone from my knee and had gone off somewhere. Then I heard him coming down the stairs, he came over to me and handed me 3 socks. Two of them matched well enough and I put them on. I was impressed that he would follow such complex directions and bring me socks!

We have kind of started potty learning with Willem. He will let me when he needs a new diaper (if his diaper is off) or that he needs a diaper change after he's used the diaper he's wearing. He also will sometimes sit on the potty that we have for him. Today while I was making lunch, I looked up and saw him sitting on his potty in the living, reading a book. He had a diaper on but he was doing exactly what I've been trying to show him. Other times that he's sat on the potty, he's sat perfectly well without a diaper on, but he still hasn't actually relieved himself into it. That will come with time. I'm wondering if I should get some of those cloth training pants that he could pull down by himself (no pull-ups around here!).

He's also learned where Grandpa and Grandma live. The other night, Peter and I were talking and I mentioned a town in Texas. Willem heard the reference and immediately said (and signed) Baba (his way of saying Grandpa). He hasn't said Texas yet, but he knows that's where his grandparents are! He'll also point to airplanes that fly over head and say Baba and Nana. I'm pretty sure that means he wants to get on the airplane and fly to Texas to see them.

He is also starting to show empathy. On Saturday, I came home from an Irish dance performance with sock glue residue on my leg. The fuzz and lint from my pants stuck to the glue and I had these furry rings on my calves. Willem say them, touched it gently and said "Uh-oh! Oww..." He also gives kisses to ouches, like when Peter had some road rash from a bike accident. Willem would gently kiss Peter's elbow. Willem also kisses his knees when they have scrapes on them. One time, something fell on my toe and he kissed it for me.

He also is starting to think symbolically. He "pretends" that blocks are cars or that his finger is an airplane.

He's also learning to pray. Last night, I told him it was time to pray and he folded his arms across his chest. I started the prayer and then asked him who he wanted to pray for. I started with Grandpa, and he said Baba and then Nana and then Daddy and then Mama. I finished the prayer and at the end when I said Amen. He said May-may (which is what he calls our neighbor Eamon).

I am happy that Willem is learning skills that are needed to be successful in life. Following directions, empathy, praying, dressing oneself and toileting are important milestones that he needs to learn and I'm impressed that he is working on some many of those skills at his age.

His language (as seen from above) is coming along and he is learning new words frequently, including the signs for many of those words. His favorite newest sign is seal--clapping your hands together like a seal clapping its flippers.

Where have we been?

2008-09-04T00:25:00.000-07:00

Its been pretty silent on our blog for the last few months. It has been very much neglected as I spent the last month intently working on my thesis, before that it was Hawaii, California, and Oregon. Today I'm posting to say that I just finished my Discussion section!!!!

Yay!!

Now its time to hear my advisor's thoughts and suggestions for changes that will take place, because of course there will be those. I just am hoping that they won't be too major. Little tweaks I can handle and still graduate on time. Big revisions and bye-bye graduation ceremony and 2 week vacation to Hawaii....

After my family and I got back from California in August, we spent a week at a conference in Oregon (on acoustic communication, for my husband's research). There we celebrated our 4 year anniversary. We ate dinner at an awesome bakery in Corvallis Oregon called New Morning Bakery. Then after dinner, we were strolling around the streets downtown and we found The Pottery Place where the three of us painted a platter commemorating the occasion. Since we forgot to pick up when we left town, we are waiting for it to be mailed to us. Maybe I'll post pictures when we get it.

When we finally got back home (oh how excited we were to sleep in our bed!), I turned to thesis writing. Our schedule basically consisted of waking up and then I would get to work while Peter and Willem went around to whereever they could find to play. I got between 3 and 4 hours a day to work. I pounded out the results section, updated my literature review, formatted according to the APA and UH style guides and then wrote the discussion of my results. Maybe later I'll post a summary of the findings.

I really cannot wait to go back to normal life. When school starts for Peter again, it'll just be me and Chunka doing our thing. I hope to introduce Signing Time to the kid and get back to working with the Birth Survey and Solace for Mothers.

In January, I'll also be applying to the University of Washington's PhD program in health services with an emphasis in maternal and child health . I'm considering registering for some of the webinars offered through Conscious Woman on the topic.

Other planned adventures are a trip to Texas so Willem can see his grandparents and see where his daddy grew up, a trip to Washington DC for a conference where Peter will present some of his research and we will also visit Peter's aunt and grandparents, a trip to the Cal-Stanfurd Big Game (because no one puts the FU in Stanfurd like Cal does) and a trip to Hawaii for GRADUATION!!!!!

It will be the first time I'll have a vacation in Hawaii. Every other time I've gone has been for "work" either performing with my dance company or taking classes for school. On this trip, we'll be there two weeks and hope to fly to the neighbor islands of Kauai and Hawai'i, we'll hike Diamond Head, Peter will scuba dive, Willem will play in the ocean again. We haven't figured out everything we want to do, but it will definitely be a good trip. My mom and best friend will fly out for the graduation ceremony and we'll party at the Waikiki Aquarium afterwards.

All in all, there are good times behind us and good times before us. I am blessed.

Willem Swims

2008-07-10T12:21:00.000-07:00

In early June, I was busy packing and getting ready for our summer of learning. I then spent three weeks in Hawaii taking the last two classes for my M.Ed. program. The topics covered were policy making, advocacy and collaboration within the field of early childhood education. While in Hawaii, I was in class 8 hours a day. Willem stayed with my best friend since fourth grade and they went to the beach often and bussed around Honolulu with each other. After class, I would go join them wherever they were so I was lucky to go to the beach at least 3 or 4 times a week.

When we first got there, Willem was afraid of the waves and the ocean. I can understand that fear. Being short like he is and rushing water that has the power to knock him over, he clung to me like the little koala I frequently call. That fear lasted all of 2 days. The next time he went to the beach, the waves were a little calmer and he discovered how good the water felt. It was soon after that he discovered that he could run into the ocean, kick the waves and splash. Within a couple of days, he started walking out as far as he could go, up to his chin. He also noticed the older children playing around them as they floated on inflatable rafts, body boarded and swam with boogie boards. He wanted to be like them. One day he noticed a three year old with the inflatable arm rings and tried to swim like her. It was then I decided to invest the $0.89 for the floaties. That's when he took off. He was an independent kid with those. He would only get out of the water when it started getting dark, or he was hungry or tired. He took a few naps on the beach. Needless to say my little beach baby got tanner and blonder through his play.

As for me, I still have plenty of work to do to finish my degree. To complete my classes, I need to write two research papers. I also need to finish writing up my thesis. I'm on track for graduation. I plan to defend my thesis in time for my birthday and then return to Hawaii in December to walk with my class and be hooded.

When I have the chance, I will post the pictures that my friend took while we were in Hawaii to document our fun in the sun. Anyone have a USB cable we can borrow?

Our Mother's Day Herb Garden

2008-05-14T16:05:00.001-07:00

This Mother's Day was a special one for me. Not only have I felt liberated from the PTSD that plagued my transition to motherhood, but I had my mother in town for the weekend, an adorable, active toddler who loves his mama and a loving husband, I got to plant an herb garden in the disgustingly overgrown, weed filled flowerbed at the entrance of my apartment.

I didn't take a before picture, but this is what it looks like now:

In the conceptual stages of our garden, I hadn't planned on it being mostly an herb garden, but found that dual functionality of herbs to be appealing to me. Many of the herbs we chose to plant also have beautiful, colorful flowers that will cover the ground in a rich blanket of fragrant, beautiful, medicinal, and culinary useful flora.

Planted in the garden is:

Lavendar
Rosemary
Echinacea
Spearmint
California Poppy
Thyme
Anice
Calendula
Nasturium
Lemon Balm
Tulips

Many of them can be used in cooking, herbal baths, teas and tinctures for a variety of remedies and immune supportive purposes.

I'm happy to have a little spot of earth to call my own garden. For added effect, I placed rocks at the edge of the garden along the concrete border.

The seeds that were planted should be sprouting early June, so I will be pleasantly surprised to see how they grow and if my attempts at following the planting instructions actually yield plants. That's the really challenge!!

Hopefully, I'll be able to post after pictures as things grow up. And then I'll be able to boast of all the relaxing herbal baths, and fresh herbs used in my cooking, and the pretty garden that will bring a smile to my face as I walk in my front door.

Update on Willem

2008-04-04T19:40:00.001-07:00

He learned to run last month, and to climb on everything. He's danced on tables a few times because he discovered he could climb on top of them. He'll dance whenever he hears music, sees me dancing (especially when I practice my Irish dance steps), and he'll even dance if you say the word "Dance." He also waves whenever we leave anywhere or see cars or people go by. I started calling him my little beauty queen because its like he's on parade as he alternates waving hands and then waves with both hands at the same time. This last week he starting saying "Hi" when he waves to people or if someone says hi to him. Today I heard him talk to me in English for the first time when he said Hi in response to me. He also says Yeah (or uh-huh), Hey, in addition to mama and dada. He uses sign language to tell me he wants milk, and I'm hoping that he'll start saying milk sometime soon. He loves to play on the playground and he's trying to figure out how to ride a tricycle, use a skateboard and how to play with the big kids in our neighborhood. I'd say with all that going on, he's a really busy 14 month old! And its a ton of fun.

Research Updates and Willem too!

2008-03-11T01:18:00.000-07:00

Our life pretty much revolves around three things: fish, birth and Willem. Peter has been busy in the lab. It felt like pulling teeth getting the juvenile fish experiments done. After two months of hard, lab intensive work, Peter completed that data set of 40 baby fish. At the end of the day, he'd come home and tell me about the fish. Then I'd tell him about the silly cute things that Willem did that day. And then I'd tell him about what I did when Willem was napping. Since I'm waiting for my survey to get participants, I haven't had much to do on my thesis research.

So instead I've been busy researching my new interest: birth practices. I recently started a blog that chronicles my findings, feelings and opinions. The link to that is descentintomotherhood.blogspot.com I'm even on my way to a book of poetry! Before last month, the last time I wrote a poem was in high school. I guess that emotional hardship and suffering brings out the poet in me. Most of the poems have been an expression of the difficulty I've had with post traumatic stress after Willem's birth. Not that giving birth was so traumatic, but fighting with hospital staff over my bodily integrity and autonomy was. I also recently became a volunteer for the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) on their project "The Birth Survey". So Peter has heard alot about birth, too much if you ask him. Hence the blog.

But back to Peter. Last week, he went to California and collected more fish for his research. In one day, they hauled in over 100 hundred of the fish they needed, and then packed them into coolers and shipped them FedEX overnight. Lucky him, he got a one week break from experiments and is now back trying to complete two more data sets by the end of the school year. And then its off to Bodega Bay again for summer research. Hopefully, he'll get those data sets done later this month or early April and then have the remainder of next quarter to study for generals that will be coming up this fall. And then when he passes those, he'll be a PhD candidate!

As for my thesis research, its going well. I started collecting responses last week and I've already got 169 participants! That's more than enough to start my analysis. There's a distinct possibility that I'll be able to have my thesis written up before classes this summer, and then I'll defend it while I'm in Hawaii! Please pray that does happen.

As for Willem (I know that's the real reason why anyone reads this blog, and I've been slacking in photos and video of him), he is doing great! He learned to run a couple of weeks ago, and then climb on furniture this last week, and today he was working on running backwards. He's realized that he loves playgrounds, especially sliding down slides headfirst. Every week, we will alternate playing on the playground behind our apartment with the playground in the shopping center behind our complex, and the zoo, or Woodland Park playground. On sunny days, he plays in the fountains at U Village. And almost everyday (sometimes twice daily!), he takes me on walks to U village too. He knows the way and takes me there frequently. He loves to watch the cars, and especially the trucks go by. I promise I'll post pictures soon.

Tagged to do the Marriage Meme

2008-03-11T00:45:00.000-07:00

What is his name? Peter Willem.

How long have you been married? It will be 4 years in August.

How long did you date? We met at the end of January in 2004. DTR'd in early March. Decided to marry each other in early April (at General Conference on Temple Square) and then got engaged end of May. Married Aug. It depends how you want to count that, but we say we dated for eight months.

Who eats more sweets? Cross out sweets and say chocolate. And that's Peter, by far.

Who said "I Love You" first? FUNNY STORY! At BYU we were in the same stake and we planned on going to stake conference together (this was March-ish). I called him to coordinate our plans and left message on his phone. At the end of the message, out of habit and familiarity, I said, "Okay love you, bye." And then I gasped. Mortified, I called my mom and then my best friend and told them in shock and embarrassment that I told him I loved him, and I didn't mean to! I thought for sure he was going to be scared off. I of course, worried about it through out the whole conference session and then afterwards, talking in the car, I sheepishly asked if he had heard anything weird in my message I left him. He told me no and then I asked more directly. He said he figured I said it like I say it to all of my friends and that he didn't mind. I think that's when we then decided that it was safe to say I love you to each other.

Who is taller? Peter, but not by much.

Who can sing better? Me. Definitely.

Who is smarter? Depends. He's got science and math covered. I've got sociology, language and humanities.

Who does the laundry? We both do. I love it when he folds my laundry for me.

Who pays the bills? I do. I'm better at staying on top of it.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does. I used to but then we switched once we started sharing the bed with Willem and I spend most of everynight side sleeping.

Who mows the lawn? UW landscaping.

Who cooks dinner? Recently, its been Peter more often.

Who drives? I drive more often because Peter is usually riding his bike places, but when we drive together, I let him drive because he really enjoys it and loves our car (whom we call Beau).

Who is more stubborn? Um. That's a tough one.

Who kissed who first? It was mutual. I guess we both knew thats what we wanted and it was the time to get it over with. We'd been resisting for a few days at that point. Well, more accurately, I waited for him to make the move because I didn't want to come on too strong and I really had this intention to not get there in the relationship early on.

Who asked who out first? He did. He wrote me the song, "Will You Go Out With Me? and recorded it with his friends and put it on a CD.

Who proposed? He did, but it was a technicality, by the time he actually put the ring on my finger, we already had the date scheduled with the temple and were in the middle of wedding preparations.

Who has more siblings? Peter. Not hard to do since I'm an only child.

Who wears the pants? We'll say it this way: When mama ain't happy, ain't no one happy.

Who do I tag? Everyone I would tag has already done it, so no one!

How do you play?

2008-02-23T14:40:00.001-08:00

Excellent news! Jenne got permission to start collecting responses to her survey for her thesis.

If you are a married parent with at least one child under the age of 8 in your home, you are invited to participate.

The link to the survey is here: Parent Child Play and Couple Play in Married Families

Thank you for your participation!

Shutterfly Photo Books

2008-02-05T16:27:00.000-08:00

For our family's Christmas presents this year, we put together a book of Willem's first year. We used www.shutterfly.com to print and design the book. We waited until Willem's birthday party to finish the book. That way everyone could get a book with the full first year, not just his birth to November. Its finished now and we've gotten the first copies of the book. We really like it.

We also got an extra that will be Willem's. We plan on doing a first year book like this for each of our children. Peter and I will keep a copy but then each child will have a copy of their own.

I'm also working on designing a wedding book with pictures of our wedding and the story of how we met. That will be our Valentine's present to each other this year.

Using shutterfly.com for these books is really easy and they look so good when printed.

I'm awake!

2008-02-05T16:25:00.000-08:00

Today, I was downstairs while Willem was napping. He had been asleep for about 2 hours so I knew he'd be waking up soon. Above my head, I heard a thump. But no crying, no baby coos could be heard over the monitor. Then I heard footsteps. I walked to the stairs and looked up. And there was a very excied baby standing at the top of the stairs!

That's a pretty cool trick if you ask me.

So far this year

2008-01-26T02:00:00.000-08:00

Updates from us:

We moved. Our new apartment is much bigger, so we are more comfortable where we are. The neighborhood is much nicer as well: a play ground right out side our back door, friends as neighbors, closer to campus and the walking trail and not on a busy street. However, we are looking forward to moving as soon as we can. For two reasons: to get Indie back (he's living in Las Vegas with my sister in law) and because we want to buy a house or condo soon.

Willem is almost 1 year old! Last weekend, we had his first birthday party. Both grandmas flew in for the party and spent some time with us. So sad, Willem was sick for the week before his party, so we partied without him. He did join us at the end for cake and a couple of pictures. The party was a luau in good Hawaiian style. And I have officially earned the designation of Haole Hawaiian because I make mean Kahlua pork in a crock pot!

In the last week, my thesis proposal was approved so I have the go-ahead to conduct my study. The next step is to get approval from Human Subjects (a technicality to conducting research with human participants) With a little bit of luck, the thesis will be done in time to graduate with my classmates in December.

That's what's been going on with us. Peter is working away at getting some publications out (hopefully he'll get two this year). I'm getting ready to go back to Hawaii for my last summer of classes and my good friend, Dominique, is going to play nanny to Willem while I'm in class. I'm excited for that time spent in paradise with my Chunka and Dom.

And the move is on

2007-11-06T15:18:00.000-08:00

Ahead of schedule, we are moving into family housing ASAP. Thankfully, we have the whole month of November to get everything moved, a washer and dryer and kitchen table and chairs purchased. And for Thanksgiving, Jenne's mom and grandpa are coming to visit. And (this makes my day) this weekend is a three day weekend, sweet!

And in other moving news, Willem is a mover and a shaker. He officially walked (4 steps to Jenne and six steps from Jenne to the sofa) the day before his 9 month birthday. He primarily crawls for his transportation but he toddles around frrquently.

First Steps and Other News

2007-10-16T20:01:00.000-07:00

Today is the announcement that Willem has officially taken his first steps. Shawnette saw his first successful step without falling down and today, Erka watched Willem take his first two steps, one foot and then the other. He seems to like showing off for friends instead of his Muti and Vati. So he has stepped and he's working on walking. Its funny to us that we have an 8 month old toddler.

Other news is that we will be moving to UW Family Housing next month (on Thanksgiving no less!). That is really good news for us because we will have a bigger apartment, be closer to school and pay less in rent each month, as well as being closer to friends who already live in the UW Housing community.

The thesis for Jenne's M.Ed. is coming along. The hope is that she will defend her proposal next month and start data collection at the beginning of the year.

Willem Toddles and other Tricks

2007-09-05T13:26:00.000-07:00

We're scared, that's the best way to express our feelings about Willem starting to cruise along furniture, walking with support, scooting (on his back and stomach), pulling himself to standing, rolling across the floor and army crawling. Oddly missing from that list is crawling. He appears to want to skip that step entirely. There exists a myth that children have developmental delays and learning disabilities if they do not crawl, but I researched it and found nothing of the sort.

Willem's new tricks are adorable and alot of fun. We love walking around the house with him holding on to our fingers or watching him toddle between me and Peter. He'll hold on to our fingers until he can pass to the other's. Today, I turned around and saw him standing in his basinet/co-sleeper. Great...to the crib you go, kid.

We also really love his shrieking and screaching. Its high-pitched but lots of fun to listen to. He also started blowing air through his lips and making them vibrate, and its hilarious to hear.

But we are scared. What happens if he walks before 9 months? That means we'll have a toddler under the age of one. We already feel like we have a toddler. He's even starting to try to run as he holds onto our fingers. (Eeek!) Peter says that he's trying to be like me...hurry through life to get onto the next step, skipping as many steps as possible. Quite possibly. It just means we'll have a busy child on our hands. But a very fun one, at that.

A busy Willem at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. Aug. 12

We're Back

2007-08-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

Well, after a few months spent in the warmer reaches down south, we returned to needle city and our little pad. Jenne divided her time between Hawaii, her mom's place in the central valley, and with me on the beach! It is hard letting that salty sea air go, not to mention the beach just a short jaunt from the "dorm" I was staying in, but it is nice to be back in our own place and it is nice to play daddy full time for a little while. Since we've been back we have even had a chance to run down to the aquarium and see the newly renovated exhibits. It made for a solid day of fun complete with my favorite "Texas" sized apple fritter to go with my ten pound chocolate bar. Now all I have to do is keep enough juvy fish alive until I can use them in my experiments. Is it bad to wish school wasn't going to start up again?

A Big Aloha!!

2007-06-07T16:31:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow marks the beginning of what I am calling the summer of research. Tonight we are packing and tomorrow we drive off. We'll stop in Coos Bay to say hello to the BYU Marine Biology Interns and Dr. Braithwaite. Peter will give a short presentation on how that internship helped to get him into graduate school. He'll share some tips for applying and his current research.

From there, we are driving straight on to good old Stockton, California. There we will leave Indie behind. :-( And then onto Camp Meeker where Peter and I will get stay in my family's cabin. I haven't been there in a few years so I'm happy to get a few days there.

And then....next Friday, Willem, my mom and I are hopping on a jet plane and taking the red-eye to Honolulu. Sounds like buckets of fun... We'll spend the next couple of days getting ready for me to start school: my second year of grad school! My mom will be there helping me with Willem for a week and a half and then she has to go back to work and my MIL will take over for the next week and a half.

I'll head back to California July 7 and Willem and I will stay with my mom until August. Peter will be in Bodega Bay the whole time working on his PhD research. I guess they are collecting the specie of fish they work on and doing experiments. Fun! I'll only get to see Peter a couple of times a week for that month. :-( We are planning on making visits when we can, but it'll still be long distance because Stockon is almost 2 hours away from where Peter will be in Bodega.

Sounds like a lot of fun, right? I'm not so sure. It'll be difficult being away from my home for so long and being so transitory... The upside is that I'm going to Hawaii and taking my mom and MIL along. And I'll get to spend a lot of time with my mom, visit with my grandpas (and introduce Willem to his great grandpas) visit with my aunt and cousins and friends. All of whom I miss! So give me a call, let's get together. I've missed you guys!

Willem Rolled

2007-05-27T14:57:00.000-07:00

Friday brought the end of a long week and a long day for both Peter and Willem. And if it was hard to them, it wasn't the easiest for me either. After Peter got home, the boys did this:

Of course, I couldn't resist taking a picture!

When Willem woke up a couple of hours later, I went in to get him and I found him on his back! But I didn't get a picture of that. :-( He has officially rolled from his stomach to back though!