Update on ME and RAIMO

Rose is a pretty big part of our lives-- I realize I haven't blogged about us very much. We have been in a transient stage for the last 5 months and I really didn't feel like talking about it. Raimo was looking for a job (starting last Februaryish) and was interviewing a bunch of different places. We couldn't seem to move on from our life in Provo after graduation. Raimo was really not happy in his work there for many reasons. We had a baby coming in July so we stuck out the summer (I said to him the other night that my memories of those 4 summer months in that apartment are some of the happiest I can think of, just before and just after Rose's birth. It was so wonderful.) Then we decided to do something crazy to get things going, and moved in with Raimo's parents until we figured out where we were going. 5 months later, we are still here. Raimo quit his job, studied his brains out for a month, rocked his insurance license test, and now he works for Guardian. The beginning has been stressful, yet it is working out great. Raimo is now working in something that has more meaning/is really important for people of all ages/has multiple facets. The more we learn, the more we realize how necessary and important it really is. He really likes his company--we can really count on the people there and on the company as a whole. And to top it off, he is meeting the obligations the company set for him so we are (finally) getting paid.

As for me, I cannot really summarize what I have done for 5 months (besides caring for our baby). It has varied from month to month. Showering/bathing baby/getting us ready each day is an accomplishment, but necessary or else I feel like I am just a stay-at-home-slob. I haven't had a lot of free time until recently, but I read a lot, I watched tv sometimes, I sometimes make dinner, I do a lot of laundry, clean the bathroom, try to keep up journals and blogging, pay all the bills and manage our accounts, buy groceries, dance... yes, we are crazy and have started practicing our routines again. It is good for both of us since we aren't getting much exercise. We go to the church or stake center on mutual nights and hope there is room for us. We paired up with Ryan and Ana Maria who also have a baby and we take the babes asleep in their car seats (after bed time). We are toying with the idea of competing, but I know it will be a totally different dynamic having a baby on the sidelines, not to mention we only practice an hour, maybe 2, per week. However, we enjoy it and if anything it makes us feel good. It is just hard to do it and not go into it 100% like before. One night I took some piano music and practiced--it felt amazing. I wish I had a piano at home because I know I would play a lot.

We have also been doing a lot more socially than we ever did during college. We just never seemed to have the time or the energy when we had so much going on, not to mention so little money before. It is wonderful for me--it is a little break to spend some time with adults! and to have friends to visit with. I have missed that a lot in the last year or two. Raimo is definitely my best friend--sometimes we joke we are each others only friend--and I am so glad to have him always. Every day I so look forward to him coming home.

My birthday came quickly, as it always does, after the holidays. It was a big one. I was excited that Ana Maria called and took me out! It was really nice of her and we had a fun time, and that night Raimo surprised me and took me to sushi at Tsunami, one of my favorites! I even got a dessert. It was so good. And it was a much-needed little break from my little one.

I think 25 sounds pretty old--not old as in wrinkle old, but old as in I am definitely in adult years, not young adult so much and getting farther and farther from high school. I guess it's not a phase of life that I dreamed about or thought much about (I was always looking forward to the early 20's, marriage, that fun stuff) but here I am a quarter of a century. And I'm very happy. I do love my life. I feel like I've had an amazing life so far. And... I feel kind of old. I imagine my siblings would think it is weird that their sister is 25. I am so grateful for the phase I'm in right now. I love being a mom, I love my baby so much, I still love being married... it is not feeling monotonous or boring to me, which I am so glad about. A little over a year ago, before we got pregnant, Raimo and I made some predictions about where we'd be in a year. We were a little off. But it is working out great. And I feel very positive about where we're headed--we have a lot of hard work to do and a lot of saving--things will probably never go the way we plan. Hopefully we will just continue to be blessed.

I did not feel in the mood for resolutions this year. The last couple of years I made some financial goals, then resolved to just have more joy in my life. And I liked that a lot. This year I feel like being easy on myself--in high school I would write up these really ambitious lists: practice piano more, get straight A's, be in a play, learn such and such language, read scriptures every day, learn the violin (that one was on it every year--someday I'll get there), be healthier, work out, etc. etc. It reminds me of an experience I had as a teenager: I bore my testimony and talked about how I had realized I could be/needed to be doing so much more spiritually and being so much more for the Lord. The woman who got up right after me bore her testimony about how she knew that she was doing enough, that she didn't need to beat herself up about not doing more. I remember for some reason it was really embarrassing to me that we had just made completely opposite points. Looking back we were both right because we were both in different phases of life and in different circumstances. Am I in the "I'm doing enough" phase?? I don't really want to be, but maybe I am... I think I just am a lot more tired with less sleep. The parenting phase is just different and I am living a little more day-to-day and a little less week to week or month to month. Though I still feel in my heart that I would like to write that itemized list of things to do better, I'm just not doing it. I think I just need to chill out--"find joy" as I wrote last year. Maybe in a few months I will feel like picking a few goals to work on. I feel like I have this big to-do list (scrapbook Rose's life thus far, journal more, take more photos, print the photos, de-clutter, clean more, take care of switching files from our old computer, find an apartment, keep in touch with so and so, write a letter to that friend, work, blah blah blah) and that list is just in the way of setting any lofty goals. I'll be lucky if I get around to the to-do's!

Wow. So that's it for now.

6 Months Already??

Little Rose is 6 months tomorrow. It is such a fun fun time! She has the biggest open-mouth smiles for us. We can make her laugh very easily. She plays!!! I don't have to be holding and entertaining quite as much. She really reaches for toys and can move around quite a bit. She is so curious about everything around her. She can really crane her neck around when she hears a sound. Her little arms are really strong and she can push her upper body really high from the floor.

What else?

She is wearing 3 month and 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers. I don't know her weight and height--I'll find out at the appointment this month. I still get stopped everywhere over how beautiful she is--today in the grocery store, at an apartment complex. At Panda Express this worker totally freaked out, saying she had thought she was a doll, then realized she was real. She is a little dolly baby--yes, this is my blog and I can say how beautiful my baby girl is! My mom said her eyes are like blue marbles in the light--so true. She is getting a little bit of hair (little!) Her cheeks and nose are always pink because she rubs her face down against the mattress at night. She has this funny thing where she kicks her right leg over and over. She also brings her hands together under her chin and brings them up and down (Raimo considers it her show of victory). She also slaps her hands down toward her legs over and over when she is excited, like lots of babies do I guess--but it is just so so cute!

She enjoys getting undressed!! Pajama time is a fun part of the day--we give her belly lots of kisses and she laughs and laughs. She is very ticklish. She now associates getting undressed with laughing--it is so funny. I love her!!!

Also, ever since she was born I have kissed her feet when I change her diapers. I still love pulling those feet out of her jammies and putting them up to my face and she curls her toes against it and smiles.

I started letting her "cry it out" this week. If you think about it, that phrase is stupid because there is nothing to "get out" of her. She is really just learning how to fall asleep unassisted. This is going to help me tremendously--for the record, I have been spending large amounts of time in our bathroom (the only really dark room in the house) with the fan on for some white noise, rocking, singing... whatever I have to do. Whatever--it worked for us for a few months. But so far the sleep training seems to be working and I feel great about it. She doesn't have to cry for hours--it lasts maybe 30 minutes. I go in and rub her face and make sure she's ok, but she stays in the crib. And then she sleeps!! Now if we can get her to take naps longer than 30 minutes at a time, this will be awesome. It will also be awesome for whenever she happens to wake up too early from a nap or when she wakes up over and over at night--hopefully she'll be able to figure out that going back to sleep is the thing to do!

I bought some rice cereal, but I just don't want to do it! Maybe I will wait a little longer. I'm totally good with the milk-only thing. So simple and so convenient and so free! I have enjoyed breast feeding a lot (not that it's over). The beginning was very rough. Rose has not been the best at it--even now she still fights me on one side, and now she is getting so strong that it is getting harder to hold her! But I love the closeness and the fact that I am the one that gets to do it. Rose sure loves her milk.

One fun thing: she now reacts to music! She stares at the cd player and seems to really respond to what she's hearing.

I feel like this milestone is a big one. It is really a big difference from the other months, and I think that if the sleeping improves it will be even more of a milestone!

This post is old!

( I typed this a few weeks ago and never posted). Rose is 5 months now, and absolutely darling. Month 4 was filled with a fast-growing baby. She gained 2 pounds between her 4-month check-up and her 5-month dr appointment. What? She jumped from 11 to 13 pounds. She is soo smart (we like to think so ;)). She can make a taco with her tongue if we do it too--we have yet to catch it on tape. So cuuuuute. She rolls to the right (from back to tummy) and rarely stays on her back. You can tell she really wants to be moving.

Praise Heaven

Rose slept 8 hours straight last night.


If I had known she was going to do that, I would have gone to bed earlier. She has been waking every 2 or 3 hours to eat or just to cry. She has also been doing slightly better today and yesterday with naps--I mean sleeping 30 mins or even 1 hour instead of 10 minutes and then screaming like nobody's business for 20 while being held by me.

Hopefully I don't jinx this, but she seems to be feeling better. She has had either a cold or stomach issues back-to-back for 6 or 7 weeks and I am TIRED. I loved her still, but it was trying. So far so good tonight. I put her in bed and she woke up (!) but went back to sleep on her own. I have not been able to put her in bed awake since 2 months.

I kiss this face a million times a day.

So I missed the 4 month update. Rose turned 4 months on November 6th. The previous month was full of changes and new developments! She is very responsive--she imitates what we say to her, vowels in particular. She also blows bubbles in response to us. The last week of her 3rd month, she rolled over to the tummy. Now she is a rolling fiend. But she gets stuck on her stomach and gets frustrated because she wants to be mobile. She also loves to stand. She is now much better about playing with toys--she can pretty much hold and handle them without help. This makes life much easier! She is so much fun. It was also a hard month (and month 4 is continuing to be so). She has had a recurring cold/flu--she is not always her usual cheerful self. Also, we have been struggling to get her to take some longer naps, otherwise she is sooo unhappy. But such is life! At least she does pretty well at night. She had her first Halloween and was tinkerbell. She was adorable. We really partied--wore our costumes to 3 different events that weekend.

As for me, I have been reading more than usual. It's fun to get back into it and to find myself immersed in a book. I enjoyed The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. I also liked Princess Academy by Shannon Hale. I also read 3 Weeks with my Brother by Nicolas Sparks. I loved it--so full of great childhood stories and it really makes you think about your loved ones. I also read Mrs. Mike--I loved it! There may have been one other I can't remember.

Someone wrote on her blog that 3 o'clock is the worst time of day for a mom. I totally agree. It is the longest time of day, baby starts to fuss in the evening, and I feel like I have been waiting forever already for Raimo to get home. I am always excited to see him. However, it is not such a long wait now that he isn't commuting from Provo! Yay!

We had a great Thanksgiving week. My photos aren't uploaded yet--I will write about it later. My mom said she looks totally different from 2 months ago. She really is changing every day!

P.S. I forgot to mention Rose had checkups again. She was 11 pounds 6 ounces. She is 24.5 inches and head was 15.3. She is still in 0-3 months and 3 months clothes. She is too tall for the 0-3 pajamas though! Her face has really rounded out, but she is still long and skinny--just the teeniest belly!
P.P.S. I MADE those Halloween costumes for Raimo and me. This was a big deal because I have never made anything without a pattern or without having someone walk me through every step! They looked homemade, but I was proud. My dress began as a Victoria's Secret negligee and robe from the DI!

3 Days Old!

We were watching videos of Rose when she was a newborn. She is definitely grown up now, 3 and a half months and so much bigger! It is a little sad that she is not so new and little anymore, but I have to remind myself of all the fun things about this phase. Right now she is soo smiley and happy and so much easier a lot of the time. But here is a video we took right before leaving the hospital. Love that her eyes go in all different directions and that her binky is as big as her head!

cute!!!!!!!!!!!!

A full week

This has been one of the busiest weeks for me. Raimo's last day at Veracity was Tuesday, which means I get the car!!!!

On Wed. I went to Provo and got together with Kylie. We went to Kneader's and then walked around the mall. I got Rose a few new headbands/flowers. On Thurs. Monica came to Sandy and we hung out, made kabobs, watched a movie, and got pedicures. It was much needed! Friday we went to Provo to visit Ryan and Ana Maria and their new baby, Beckham. We went out for some delicious food and hung out at their place. Today we went to Mikko's hockey game, out to lunch, and walked around Fashion Place where we ran into Dave and Anna. Fun day. Tonight I'm not sure what we'll do. Maybe just hang out.

So here are some more photos from last month.


Love that mouth









Mewideth holding Wose

3 Months

This is another post about Rose, for all you Rose fans. She is three months today, and I feel like it has just flown by. Raimo thinks it has been a very slow 3 months. She has continued to grow little by little. This month she grew out of some of the newborn stuff--so sad to pack it away!!! The newborn shoes are too big still, but she is wearing 0-3 and some 3 month clothes. She has finally settled into a routine, sleeping from 8 or 9 pm till 8 or 9 am, with feedings at 4 and 6:30, and general fussiness/sleep between 6:30 and 8 am. She is awake a lot of the time in the day. She takes a few 20 or 30 minute cat-naps, but I usually have to really try to make her take naps at all. Not good!!! The other day I laid her on the changing pad for a second and when I turned around she was asleep! That was really cute. Her belly is getting a little chubbers and her little thighs have new rolls :)



This is one of my favorite outfits!

She sleeps on her right side with arms over her face. She does this with her arms when she eats too.
and sometimes on her back with arms up. She is good about going to sleep at night. I usually have to put the binky back in a couple of times, but she doesn't get upset about having to go to bed.

One of those catnaps. So cute

And let's get real--lots of the time she looks like this. Her cry has gotten stronger- more gusto.
Cute booties and matching headband!
Big toe sticks out!!!!
During priesthood this weekend Nicole and I went to Nordstrom with this:
5 kids under age 4. It was like a parade-- we got lots of stares.

Rose finally met Lilia. She is 24 days younger than Lilia.

We are still living in Sandy. We pass the time riding turtles
watching hGTV
being cute

and having princess parties.



Princess Rose fell asleep in the doll buggy.


Snuggles with dad
Rose had a minor cold this week, but she is doing ok.
I finally bought Goodnight Moon ( and Corduroy and an A Zeal of Zebras). Rose enjoys books--at least the sound of our voice and the pictures. She is so attentive for such a small thing! She always locks eyes with strangers at church and the mall and the store, and they just fall in love and can;t help stopping and talking to her and asking me how old she is. It catches people off guard. She isn't showing much interest in reaching for things or rolling for them. The only rolling has happened on the bed and couch but that was with some slant. She does love to stand (with support). She seems to prefer it to sitting. She still loves to talk--she is so social and wants attention. She loves when you sing to her. She hates to be put on the floor or be left alone. She is very spoiled and gets to be held a lot. I have really soaked up these first months with her, but I'm trying to get her to be interested in playing so I can get some things done. She still cries in the car seat, but it has improved and I try not to let that stop me from going out.
No matter what, when we go out to eat she decides to cry through the meal. It's like she knows. Raimo and I get a date night on the weekend and Rose stays with Mimi.
This month she started drooling. Fun.

A couple of weeks ago I was feeling so exhausted. There was one night where I didn't go to sleep till 4 am. And it wasn't Rose- she was asleep. I was just having some insomnia. And then it kept happening--I would be up till 1 and have to wake up a few hours later with the baby. I had my first breakdown since having a baby, one night when I couldn't sleep. Elder Uchtdorf's talk to the Relief Society came at the right time. I went to the doctor because my ears were bothering me, but it wasn't an ear infection. The doctor was really great and wanting to help. It was so nice to take care of me for once, as my focus has been on baby and Raimo. She gave me all these referrals-- for a TMJ specialist (since that can cause ear pain), her dentist since I don't have one, a physical therapist, a prescription for a pain med that will also help me sleep. She was so nice. I started by going to the dentist. I was really glad--he was really nice and we hadn't been in a while. He also confirmed that TMJ flares up with stress... so that solves it. I feel immense stress when I can't sleep. I used to leave slumber parties because I couldn't sleep and it gave me anxiety. Not to mention the stress of caring for a baby. He said a specialist will give me exercises and stretches that might help.

I've been sleeping better and I think it helps that it has cooled off this week.

Today this surprised us:

Yes, that's snow. Strangely I'm ok with it, though I am ready for some lovely autumn. I'm glad it's cooling down. It rained yesterday and last night and this morning and for part of today it turned to snow. I feel happier when it rains--I'm tired of being hot. It's not fun when there's no pool or beach or summer activities to go with it. This is the first summer of my life that I did not get any tan whatsoever. Hopefully next year. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the rain.



I typed most of this one-handed.

Percentiles at 2 Months

Since my pediatrician didn't tell me where Rose falls in percentiles, I looked it up online. She is very little!

Based on the data you submitted, your child falls into the following percentiles:

Length = between percentile 10 and 25
Weight = below percentile 5
Head Circumference = below percentile 5

And here's what they were when she was born:

Based on the data you submitted, your child falls into the following percentiles:

Length = in percentile 50
Weight = between percentile 25 and 50
Head Circumference = below percentile 5

She really does have a tiny head! haha