Christmas in Cowley-Just pictures(and not really in order)

Nativity from Grandpa Lee and Grandma Karen

Thank you to Grandpa Lee and Grandma Karen Mortensen for Ethan's Fisher Price Nativity set! This was definitely one of Ethan's favorite Christmas presents. On top of the stable is an angel that plays music when you press it. Once Ethan got that figured out he wouldn't stop pressing it! It was good to see Dad and Karen and we had a nice visit. They took us to Applebee's(My favorite!) and we really had a good time with them.

Sippy cup idiosyncrasies

One of Ethan's unusual habits is how he drinks from his sippy cup. He'll carry it around in his mouth as you can see in the photo, then when he wants a drink, he'll tip his head back and swallow. What a goofy guy!

Cutie in a Coat

Ethan got a coat from one of our neighbors who's little boy had grown out of it. It's a bit big on him but it's really warm. It's a really nice coat! We think he looks exceptionally cute in it. These were on a Sunday when we were about to leave for church.

Poor Zoey!

Zoey is going to the "cutter" tomorrow to be spayed. We waited way too long and have paid for it with losing sleep at night when she yowls. We really like Zoey. She can be pretty annoying and dumb, but she's really friendly and her fur is SO soft! She has been a good friend to Ethan and is usually pretty patient with him. She loves snuggling with him when he is asleep and licking his hair(gross!). Unfortunately that wakes him up and makes me mad at her. She is fun to hold and play with though. Between her power purrs and her rabbit soft fur she is a great cat to have when you want to cuddle.

I'm posting this(Thank you Nathan and Sheila!) because it is exactly why I don't have time to blog regularly. I think we go through this list a dozen times a day or so! I'm trying to "embrace" this stage for what it is; a time of learning, exploring, comedy and craziness. I feel like I'm in a marathon of energy demanding activities. Not only that, but I'm running the marathon in a tornado! As difficult as Ethan is sometimes, I can't count how many times a day I look at him and just think he is the cutest little guy ever. A good bit of those thoughts are when he's napping, of course. But when he grabs my hand and takes me on a walk around the house(he can't decide where our destination is), or when he gives me a great big hug or actually is "soft" to the cats; my heart hurts because I love him so much!

Here you go!

Anyone that has a kid or has had kids knows how true this is!

If it is on, I must turn it off.
If it is off, I must turn it on.

If it is folded, I must unfold it.

If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled.
If it is solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared.

If it is high, it must be reached.
If it is shelved, it must be removed.

If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed.

If it has leaves, they must be picked.

If it is plugged, it must be unplugged.

If it is not trash, it must be thrown away.
If it is in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and thrown on the floor.

If it is closed, it must be opened.
If it does not open, it must be screamed at.

If it has drawers, they must be rifled.

If it is a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator, monitor, or table.

If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied.
If it is empty, it will be more interesting full.

If it is a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon.

If it is a stroller, it must under no circumstances be ridden in without protest. It must be pushed by me instead.

If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.

If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone.
If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.

If it is paper, it must be torn.

If it has buttons they must be pushed.

If the volume is low, it must go high.

If it is toilet paper, it must be unrolled on the floor.

If it is a drawer, it must be pulled open.

If it is a tooth brush, it must be inserted into my mouth.

If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full force.

If it is a phone, I must talk to it.

If it is a but, it must be swallowed.

If it doesn't stay on my spoon, it must be dropped on the floor.

If it is not food, it must be tasted.
If it is food, it must not be tasted.

If it is dry, it must be made wet with drool, milk, or toilet water.

If it is a car seat, it must be protested with an arched back.

If it is Mommy, it must be hugged.

Yard pictures

Mom, when you get the chance could you show this to dad? If he has access to internet right now you could give him the blog address. It might also give him something to do in his down time out there.
Dad,
You have to click on it to see the full picture. The good news is that it is also a lot clearer that way. There is another tree to the left of the ones you can see, but it's an apple tree so we are keeping it. So... there are three apricot trees that are good size. Then there is that whole area with tons of plum trees that are each really small. All I'd like us to do when you are down here is cut all that out, then cut it up so Loren and I can burn it in a firepit this summer. Smores... nummy. :) So yeah. If you want to go crazy back there you can, but that is all I can't do myself.

Baby Tag

I'm going to try to get SOMETHING up here while Ethan is falling asleep. If you could see him lately you'd know why I've been slacking. He is most definitely a climber. He climbs onto the kitchen table, onto the back of the toilet, then into the bathroom sink, onto the piano, onto the computer table. Basically, I can't leave him alone for a second right now. And he really doesn't slow down for anything except sleep. He even fights that! I'm really going to try to get some pictures up later today, but I can't promise. It's a good thing Ethan is so cute because, wow, he is a handful and a half!

1- Where were you when you first found out you were pregnant?
In the bathroom.

2- Who was with you?
Sage, our cat. I think he knew something was up.

3- How did you find out that you were pregnant?
Home pregnancy test.

4- What was your first reaction to finding out you were pregnant?
I had butterflies in my stomach and it felt surreal.

5- Your Husbands reaction?
I was going to try to surprise him later in the day after I got off work and he got home from school, but he figured it out before I could do anything. He was excited. I didn't think he was excited "enough" but he just wasn't being vocal about it.

6- Who was the first person you told?
Aisling! I didn't mean to though! I was talking to her during the day and I honestly didn't say anything, but she guessed!

7-Did you plan to get pregnant?
Yes

8-Was everybody happy for you?
Mostly everyone. I think some people were worried we weren't ready.

9- Did you go out and celebrate?
We went window shopping at Borders and looked at pregnancy and baby books. I think we got ice cream too.

10- Did you want to find out the sex?
Lol, it wasn't an option not to! I'm such a "planner" that it would have really driven me crazy not to know.

11- What was the sex?
Boy

12-Did anyone throw you a baby shower?
No.

13- If yes, who?


14- Did you get any outfits at the baby shower that you just knew you weren't going to put on your baby?


15- How much weight did you gain?
I actually went into labor weighing about five pounds less than when I first got pregnant. I was so sick!

16- Did you lose all of the weight that you gained?
I was doing pretty good until this last Christmas. I still weigh a lot less than I did before I got pregnant, but not by as much as I did before Christmas. :(

17- Did you get a lot of stretch marks?
*sob* yeah. It looks like a rabid tiger attacked my stomach. I only had once little stretch mark until about two weeks before Ethan was born. Then suddenly my stomach went crazy.

18- What did you crave the most?
Anything I could keep down. And fruit. Oh, and really strong lemonade.

19- Did you crave anything crazy?
Not craving to eat. Once when I was getting an IV for fluids I smelled the alcohol wipe the nurse was using and I impulsively grabbed her hand to smell it closer. I just wanted to smell it though. I didn't want to eat/drink it.

20- Who or what got on your nerves the most?
Throwing up EVERYTHING. I had to have a bowl in every room. I couldn't have anything touch my tongue/mouth because I would start dry heaving. I couldn't take my vitamins, couldn't brush my teeth, couldn't drink anything, and I definitely couldn't eat anything.

21- Were you married at the time?
Yes

22- Did you have any complications during your pregnancy?
Pregnancy? Oh yeah. Labor? Nope, that went pretty well.

23- Where were you when you went into labor?
I woke up early to go to the bathroom and when I stood up my water broke. I didn't have contractions until we had been at the hospital for a while though.

24- Did your water break?
Yep.

No 25? Ok, I'll make one up. Rather, just give a random fact. When I was in the hospital one of the movies we watched was Maverick. Then I slept a lot too after I got the epidural.

26- Did you go early or late?
11 days early. But I don't think it was "actually" early.

27- Who was in the room with you when you gave birth?
Loren, the nurses, and Dr. Gammet. He wasn't my normal doctor, but my doctor was out of town.

28- Was it video taped?
No. I wouldn't have gone for that. Neither would Loren have.

29- Did you have any drugs for the pain?
I was going to try to go natural... but then they put me on pitocin and my water had broken. So yeah, after about an hour and a half of "kill me now" contractions I got an epidural. I had Ethan 8 hours later so I don't regret it at all. :) I was talking to my mom and watching the computer show my contractions. She was amazed that I was talking normally through them.

30-Did you go vaginal or have a c-section?
Vaginal

31- What was your first reaction after giving birth?
I'm not entirely sure which of these came out in words and which were just thoughts- "Oh wow! That's him! I really just had a baby! I have a son! I'm a mom! Look at him! Whoa, the umbilical cord looks really weird. I love you Loren! Look at our baby! Wow, I feel shaky. Look at MY baby! Ok... give me my baby. Come on. How long does it take to hand him to me? Wow, look at him, he's so healthy looking! K, give me my baby!"

32- How big was the baby(s)?
8 lbs 2 oz

33- Did your Husband cry?
No. I've actually never seen him cry at all. He says he has twice since we got married. I'm not sure I believe it though. ;)

34- What did you name the baby(s)?
Ethan Riley Mortensen

35-Did the name have any significance to you?
Yes and no. Not in the way this question implies though.

36-Does the baby's name fit?
Yeah. Definitely

37- Did the baby(s) have any complications?
Jaundice and some sleep apnea. Then later, insane colic and GERD(reflux)

38- How old is your baby today?
8 days short of 15 months.

39- When is the next one(s) coming?
Who knows! I'm so scared to do that again, but at the same time, I don't want to wait way too long.

40- If you could would you do it all over again?
For Ethan, of course. I would like it to be different though. In perspective it was a short time, but in the moment it sure didn't feel that way.