For More Information

How is my baby like an apple? See below.

Most of my pregnancy thoughts/updates will be happening over here.  So if you want to know what's going on, that's the place to be.  I also update that blog more frequently than this one, so if you're a compulsive reader  like me, that's the place to go.  

www.megansworksofgenuis.blogspot.com

Missed the announcement?  Shame on you for skipping my travelogue below.  ;)

Almost Heaven

We're back home after a quick but fun trip to see the family in West Virginia.  Why, you ask?  Because...

He’s back!  Those two years went by very, very quickly.  We’re glad to have Aaron home and in one piece (he survived the earthquake in Chile, the tower of Q-tips he made the day before did not).  And the best part?  He was an awesome missionary.  His homecoming talk made me all teary (but not as much as Dad Blood).  Welcome home, Aaronhead!

As always, we had a fabulous time with the Bloods.  Seth was in heaven--a 5 gallon bucket of cars + Uncle Jakey to play with (wherever Jacob was in the house, Seth was) + cousin Rebekah to run around with.  He really is the happiest little guy while we're there.  Except he has a hard time falling asleep because he's so excited about all the fun things to do. 

Seth, Rebekah (drinking Seth's milk) and James

Jon kept himself busy around the house: cleaning out the entire fridge and freezer (with the help of Dad, Joanna & James), replacing the mailbox that James tried to run over with the car, and setting up hotel rooms for the wedding next month.  Somehow he still found the time to pester his siblings and complain about losing while playing Mario Kart on the Wii.

I, on the other hand, kept myself busy trying to remember how to speak Spanish.  Claudia was a very patient listener--I read, listen and write much better than I speak.  But it was fun to get some practice!  We managed to figure out wedding cakes and hairstyles using our Spanglish!  Luckily I can understand her Spanish really well.  Apparently Peruvian Spanish is the easiest for non-native speakers to understand.  Thank heaven!

Scott was a very gracious teacher (as he should be, considering that was what he did for a living until Rebekah was born).  He brought me a Spanish reader and sat on the couch for a couple of hours correcting my pronunciation and answering my questions (and Jacob's, too).  Probably not how he would have preferred to spend vacation time, but I really, really appreciated the help.  Thanks, Scott!

By Sunday evening, I found myself translating everything I heard into Spanish.  I could even understand 90% of the conversations between Stephen, Claudia, Aaron & Scott.  I told Claudia I'm going to have to call her up on Skype--then she can practice her English and I can practice my Spanish. 

I didn't get as many pictures as I meant to.  I forgot the camera when we went to the wave pool, brought the camera but forgot to use it at the ward BBQ, and forgot to get a picture of Seth and Claudia.  He LOVES her.  If he wasn't with Jacob, he was with Claudia.  If he got hurt, he went to Claudia.  She's fantastic with him.  And I forgot to get a picture...

But I did get the boys to pose for pictures for our 'family pictures' wall (we're putting pictures up along our basement stairwell so Seth can see all his relatives and learn their names).

James and Rebekah

James & Aaron

Timmy & Rebekah

(Seth wouldn't cooperate for pictures, so we got lots of pictures of Rebekah)

Mom & Dad Blood--thank you SO much for letting us crash at your house (again).  Thank you for finding me pictures of you and your parents for our family picture wall, and for trusting me to take them home because we couldn't find a working scanner.  Dad, thank you for the tour of the garden and for the amazing tomatoes and corn.  Maybe next year we can visit in June when everything is starting to peak.  We appreciate everything you do for us!

Oh, and I ran another 5K.  My second in two months.  Sure, I was the last of the runners to finish (they had a walking group, too) but I was still proud of myself.  I ran 2/3 of the distance, so about 2 miles.  And I haven't ran since my last race.  Not bad for a pregnant asthmatic lady, huh?

PS--February 11th, 2011.  Jon thinks it's a girl.

How to Hide a Pregnancy for 15 Weeks (plus belly pictures!)

Because it's finally not a sauna outside...

...I bought myself a bike!  

"Oooh!  Big Mommy bike!" (Yes, that is exactly what he said).

It's nothing special--just for riding around our neighborhood.  And nowhere else.  Because, unlike the fabulousness that is Tucson, Arizona, there are NO bike lines around here.  And no shoulders.  Which means if I try to leave my neighborhood on a bike, I will die.  No joke.

Maybe we should invest in one of those bike racks for our car...

I finally got to enjoy my Mother's Day gift.  Three months later.  And Seth enjoyed it, too.  I thought he'd have a fit when I put his helmet on, but he was excited about his 'hat'.  Thank heaven for Lightning McQueen helmets that were on sale!

(He really does like to 'ride a bike'.  I swear.)

It felt good to bike again.  I was pretty proud of myself.  My legs weren't even sore the next day (okay, so we only biked about 2 miles).  But then we went out riding the next day.  My legs were still fine, but let's just say that I could have really gone for a gelled bike seat.  Or one made of ice.  Thank heaven I didn't have to play the organ on Sunday...

We're trying to get as much riding in as we can now that it's cooled off.  I figure we're good until at least December, right?





 Me llamo Megan: How I used to be fluent

Life is Good Today

Today my little sister Marah gets home after spending the summer teaching English in Puebla, Mexico.  Which means I can stop my nightly prayers that her crazy police stalkers will leave her alone.  Welcome back to the U. S. of A., Marah Fish!

(Not a gang sign.  It's just our last name.  I swear.)

Next week Aaronhead gets back from his mission to Vina del Mar, Chile.  Which means he'll get to meet Seth for the first time.  I know they'll be great buddies, even if Jon refused to let me name Seth 'Aaron' like I wanted to. 

And next month, Jon's brother Stephen will marry his fiancée, Claudia, in the D.C. Temple.  Which means we will have the entire Blood clan staying at or near our house.  It will be the first time we've all been together in four years.

As for us, we're doing fine.  Jon's keeping busy at work (which hasn't always been the case in the past), I'm preparing for the return of the piano students the first week in September, and Seth is working on his two-year-old molars. 

A couple of Sethisms before we go:

Mom!  You caught me!

• The repetition phase has started, and I love it.  When I went to get Seth out of his crib this morning, the first thing he said to me was "Oh, goodness!"  Makes me laugh every time.  So does his exclamation of "Darn it!" when he falls down.  I'd say the most frequent new addition is "Daddy burps."  Those who know Jon well will understand why.

• Apparently Seth doesn't like cold Matchbox cars.  A few days ago he brought me a car and said, "cold."  I cupped my hands and blew on the hunk of metal until it warmed up.  Little did I know I was starting a tradition.  This morning I have warmed up (so far) approximately 25 cars, several of which didn't actually need it since he slept with them in his crib.  I'm staring to get light-headed...

• He has started intentionally putting his toys in places where he can't get them out.  Under the fridge.  Under the couch.  Under the stove.  Then he whines until we come to get it out.  Apparently we're not giving him enough attention.

Life is good today.

Wait, I can actually say that?

Not Much to Say...

It's been a long time.  We're still here, still having a good time.  Here's what we've been up to:

Jon's work party was a blast.  For Seth.  But hey, that's really all we need, right?

Jumping in the castle

Pure happiness

 When it's not too stinking hot and humid outside, we spend our mornings on our deck.  

Seth loves playing in his water table and decorating the garden pots with his birthday chalk from Grandma Cathy.

Last week Seth and I braved the insanity that is Chuck E. Cheese to visit with some friends. 

I forgot how loud that place is.  And the food prices...yikes...

Seth loved the bowling game and anything that involved cars or balls.  By the end I had pushed him too close to nap time and we used the last 8 of our tokens riding the tiny carousel around and around and around.
He melted down every time it stopped.

Seth, Sierra and Victoria

Last weekend Jon made me ditch a YW Presidency meeting for a family trip to Kilgore Falls.  While I love Kilgore Falls (and ditching meetings) I wish he would have informed me of his apparently set-in-stone plans before I told them I could be at the meeting...

Seth had a ball, of course.  Water and rocks.  Doesn't get any better than that!

And that's what we've been up to!  Nothing huge, but we sure seem to keep busy.  Just a few more weeks until we go back to West Virginia because Aaronhead is coming home from his mission!  Those two years went by very quickly....

Also, FYI, I've started another blog for myself.  For the things that I want to blog about but not post on the family blog.  It's listed under "Our Blogs" as "Megan's Thoughts."  Or you can just click here.