Our Growing Family

Hey, everyone. I thought I'd share some photos from our most recent family picture session. They were taken at the end of March, but we haven't ordered any prints yet, and we wanted you to see them. These were taken by Heather Peck, who's a good friend in our ward:

Also, for the sake or posting something official, although most of you already know, we ARE having a girl for sure. Our plan is to name her Monica Jayne. Monica is after my childhood cello teacher.

Whew!! What a Last Couple of Months!

Hey, Family! Here are a few pictures from the last couple of weekends. It would be easy for me to say I'm glad the concerts are all over, but as I look back on the last couple of months I am reminded of how blessed we've been with so many visitors and opportunities and things to keep us busy. Thanks for all of your support, everyone!!

Margaret at Phillip and Marissa Boice's wedding reception at the Irish Cultural Center in central Phoenix

Callahan and the Mags playing a little basketball
We discovered that "Maggie" is actually easier to say, and a lot less confusing when you have two grandmas visiting during consecutive weekends...

Jeff and me with my parents Claude and Cynthia, and sister Emily after the first performance

Me with my handsome hubby. Thanks for everything, Jeff! I love you a lot.

My brother Dale and his buddy Dustin also flew out for the weekend,
pictured here at the Mesa AZ Temple Visitor Center

So that's what we've been up to the last few weeks, along with a few other school-related performances. If you asked me what I was up to now, I'd say relaxing, painting my toenails (significant as a symbol of long-awaited free time), and packing up our things for the exciting summer ahead...

We're Thinking in Pink!!

Just wanted you to know that although it's too early to tell for sure, we got a sneak peek today and it's looking pretty girly in there!
You can't actually see the area in question in these pics, but we got a good angle at the appointment. These ultrasound shots are (in the top picture) of her head, looking at us, with her little body bending around to the right, and (in the bottom) a side view of her tummy with her little knee bent up. Anyway, whether you can make sense of them or not, the point is that Cal and I got to see her today and she's doing great...AND she is probably a she!

A Couple Nostalgic Videos

I happened upon these videos yesterday on youtube when I was doing some research for a puppet skit for our ward activity. Hope they make you feel like a kid again.

Talking!

The other day Cal was holding my hand while we went up the stairs. Half-way up he stopped and I couldn't get him to keep going. He was babbling something, but I didn't pay attention because I was in a hurry to get him to the top of the stairs. My other hand was full of stuff, so I couldn't pick him up. Finally I realized what he had said was, "Shoes.....shoes.....uh-oh..." I looked down at his sandals and his toes were sticking out of the straps. Once I fixed that, he was fine to keep going. It just took me aback how he had tried to put those words together to try to convey something that was wrong. I was pretty excited.

Lately, it seems Cal has had a huge boom of new words. He has started repeating (or trying to repeat) everything we say. I made a list of all the words he uses regularly, and it was longer than I expected:

Baby
Basketball
Again
Amen
Juice
Jesus
Daddy
Mommy
Dog
Birdie
Airplane
All Done
More
Mommy
Guitar
Phone
(which sounds more like "boam..."
but we know what he's talking about)
Draw
Straw
Truck
Stuck
Outside
Cheese
Please
Bubble
No
Yes
Bye-bye
Shoes
Uh-oh
Spoon
Blue
(as in, the cartoon character,
not the color)
Book

Anyway, this is a fun stage for us. It's fun to be able to hear his voice and some of the thoughts going on in his head. It's also nice to have him be able to tell me what he wants or what's wrong. He's just a great guy. Here are a couple more pictures of him being silly.

Angie vs. the Beast: Who Will Come Out On Top?

Some of you already know this, but I am in the middle of preparing a concerto, Concerto in e minor by Edward Elgar, to solo with the ProMusica Arizona Orchestra in May. It's kind of a big deal for me because I didn't get to solo in college and I'll probably never get to do it again, and I really love the piece, so I'm excited for the opportunity. But I've got to tell you, it's the hardest, longest, fastest, highest piece I've ever had to play by myself. Sometimes, this is how I feel about it. (That's me with the red cape and the sword, fighting against unbeatable odds...)

I question: Can I do it? Why does the director want me to play the whole thing? Wouldn't a part of it be just as nice?

Last week I was starting to feel pregnant and was struggling with an intense lack of motivation. "Well, it's time for me to go practice. Hmmm.... I really don't want to practice. Okay. I'm going to go to bed instead." That day I got a practice session in 2 out of 6 days, and they were both short and half-hearted. So I'm writing this post in reconciliation. Now you all know that I really am supposed to be practicing every day (whether you wanted to or not). This week I've done 3 out of 4 days...day 5 isn't over yet. Who will come out on top today? Me? Or Elgar? I may have lost a couple...well, several battles, but I'm determined to win the war.

Bathtime Fun

You Will Not Believe What Happened...

Two days ago I was sitting on the couch watching a little Baby Einstein with Cal, when all of a sudden I became aware that I had been hearing a consistent little crackling noise for the last few minutes. I turned around and my eyes were drawn towards a little cluster of bright color on the kitchen floor. I didn't have my contacts in, so at first I assumed it was the dying mylar helium balloon I had gotten Jeff for his birthday. "I guess it got a hole in it and it's eeking out the last of its juice..." Then I looked more closely and realized it was what you see in the pictures below:

I was a little spooked because I had closed the door about fifteen or twenty minutes before and I wasn't sure how long the bird had been there, but I tiptoed into the bedroom to get the camera. I would never have been able to get such good shots if the bird hadn't been such a brave, stubborn sucker. In fact, I had a hard time convincing him to leave. He seemed pretty happy.

The funny thing is that we have a couple of wild birds that like to sit outside our door and walk in while we're not looking to eat the crumbs out of the carpet (especially below where Cal sits...that tells you what a sad state our carpet is in a lot of the time). But those are little black and brown birds. This one caught me completely off guard because, well, look how colorful! It looked like it had escaped from a pet shop or a zoo and found its way to us. Anyway, Cal and I both got a kick out of it.

The Doorbell Song

Portrait of a Great-Grandmother

A week from last Thursday, I was busy stressing out about my orchestra class. I felt like I had a lot of things to get ready, copies and phone calls to make, planning to do, parents to inform...you get the idea. It probably didn't have to be as hectic as I made it that day, but so it was. (I don't have a better coping mechanism for when lots of things need to be done, except to get a little stressed out.) I spent all of Cal's nap time and a lot of his wake time (sadly) getting ready for the 4:15 rehearsal. Finally, at about 1:30 in the afternoon, I reached the point when I felt like I had done everything I could do before the actual class. I was as ready as I could be and whatever would happen now would happen. It was a nice feeling, and I was glad it came early enough before the rehearsal to still enjoy a piece of the day with Cal.

The rehearsal went fine, and I rushed home in time to zip to Grandma's house for dinner. I always love visiting her because we have so many common interests. Also, my last surviving grandparent--the only one I ever knew--died when I was in eighth grade (when I was just starting to not be a little kid) so visiting Helen makes it seem like I have a grandma. As usual, we had a nice time. We helped her take care of a few things around her place, served up dinner, and watched Cal toddle around her apartment and chase her cat.

Listening to her talk always makes me think. What would it be like to be in the sunset of my life? She has such an independent personality that I imagine, and she's mentioned to me, that it's hard to have to depend on people. To not be able to trust your body to do everything you need it to, to not be able to see well enough to thread the needles you've been threading your whole life, to not be able to remember previous conversations you've had...and yet she's so admirable because she just copes with everything. For example, she's been having huge difficulty moving her right arm (because she was folding some heavy sheet and injured something) and she just finds new ways to feed herself, or write a letter, or do whatever.

The impression I get when I talk to her is that she's doing her best to stay occupied while, sort of at the same time, waiting for the inevitable to happen. I don't mean to sound morose, but she's mentioned several times in a "joking-but-not" way how "I'm not sure I'll be here that long" or "I better not be here that long" or "Why the h*** did I have to live so d*** long?" And on this particular Thursday evening it occurred to me that maybe she feels about her life like I felt about my orchestra class. She's taken care of all the important things she needs to do, and now she's just waiting for whatever is going to happen to happen. I thought about how relieved I was when I'd reached that point earlier that day, and what a relief it would be when I get that old to be able to say the same thing about my whole life. I'm not sure she would say the same, but for my sake I hope she'll be with us for another long while.

Caption: These pictures are of the amaryllis from the bulb garden Mickey gave her for Christmas. She wanted us to take a picture and share them with you.

Our Halloween

Here are some pictures of our little Oreo. These pictures are from a party one of my students invited us to, which I opted to go to because Jeff was working really late that night and I didn't want to take Cal trick-or-treating by myself.

These pics (below) are from our ward Trunk-or-Treat last Friday. Cal liked all of the commotion, but mostly he just wanted to crawl around on the floor. Crawling and climbing. Those too activities are far more interesting than any party!


When Cal and I went shopping for candy for the Trunk-or-treat, I saw some little bite-size granola bars. At first I thought, "Now that's a good idea,...something a little healthier." Then I said to myself, "Angie, are you CRAZY??? Where's your sense of party, your Halloween spirit? You don't give out healthy stuff for Halloween..." (Not that it's bad if you're reading this and you decided to go with the granola bars this year.) I'm a firm believer that Halloween is truly a kids' holiday--not that it's only for kids, but it turns all of us into kids. It's great to be able to remember what it was like and to act like a kid every once in awhile...at least once a year! I hope your Halloween was great.

More Marital Musings

I wanted to say a few words about a book Jeff and I started reading together over the summer: Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus by Dr. John Gray. Though we're not finished reading it, I would highly recommend it to any couple. We were reluctant to read it at first...I'm not sure why, but maybe it was because we were afraid of it telling us what to do or that it would be so generalizing that we'd immediately see how it didn't apply to us. Finally we started it just for the heck of it, during the long car-rides we took over the summer. The result was hugely educational.

I was surprised at how many times after reading a passage, I'd turn to Jeff and say "Is that what it seems like to you?" He'd say "yes" and I'd realize I had been unintentionally demeaning him in some way. With how differently men and women hear the same conversation, it's no wonder there are so many miscommunications! Also, since we've been reading it a chapter at time, it seems like we always read a chapter right after we've had some incident that's described in the chapter. Ironic.

Anyway, I would recommend it to anyone that's married. You may not agree with everything Dr. Gray says, but even if you feel like you have a happy marriage, you ought to read it some time. It will make you a better spouse and help your spouse understand why you are the way you are, and that goes for him and her.

That's not to say that Jeff and I are the perfect couple now...we're still learning. But I know that Jeff is so great--I love him and I'm so happy that I can call him my best friend. I'm glad he's patient with me, and I know that if we're both willing, we can work through misunderstandings that come up and that it's worth it to work through them.

Have any of you bloggers read it, or any other marriage/family strengthening material? I would love to hear about what anyone else thinks about this--if you've read or heard about something, or disagree with something, that's just fine. (Yes Mickey, it's your copy of Men are from Mars,...but we're really just borrowing it, you know, instead of "borrowing" it. That is to say, you'll get it back...someday.) :)

Ain't It Funny How Time Slips Away

Well hello there
My, it's been a long, long time
How you doin'? How am I doing?
Well, I guess that I'm doing fine
It's been so long now, but it seems like it was only yesterday
Gee, ain't it funny, how time slips away

I realize that none of the Phoenix Fosters have blogged in quite some time, but we're still alive and kickin', so here's what's been going on with us:

After we left all of you fine folks in Denver, Jeff did his surgery rotation in Tucson, at the Tucson Medical Center. He's not too keen on surgery, but we enjoyed spending more time with the Rustands. We also went to Iron Springs that month. Here are a couple pics:

This is Cal at the Rustand's guest house. More and more of our pictures are looking like this. Once Cal realizes someone is taking a picture of him he tries to obtain possession of the camera. Anyway, one cute dude. Below is Cal playing with Grandma at the cabin in Iron Springs.
Poor Jeff...All those mornings of waking up at 4:30 AM caught up with him. Oh well--what better place to relax than Iron Springs? Below is Connor and Cal.


Now we're back home. It's been nice to be functioning out of our apartment again. Jeff's rotating with a pediatrician right now, and I'm back in my old string-teaching groove.

And Cal? He has a whopping four teeth, and he signs "more" AND "milk." That's his latest. He's still not real interested in walking, but he climbs up on furniture now, so we have to keep him from falling off. Watch out, Mom and Dad!

Pleasant Associations

Do any of you find yourselves always associating a song, movie, smell, or anything else with a specific memory? I'm sure I'm just overly sentimental, but it happens to me ALL the time!!

For example, the other night, Mark and Jeff were talking about their common taste for Norah Jones' music, and specifically her newest album, "Feels Like Home." I thought about how that album always reminds me (and probably always will) of my third trimester of pregnancy, before Cal was born. That's when the album had just come out, and Jeff bought it because he was given a gift certificate to Best Buy as a tip while he was tying balloons.

The album has pleasant associations for me because I would listen to it while I would drive to and from different stores to get things for the nursery, and to and from my orchestra class (which seemed so ridiculous for me to be doing when my tummy was so big). The music reminds me of being big, but still active and capable--happy in my anticipation. I think we were even listening to it the night before my water broke and we rushed to the hospital. It was the perfect album for that time in my life, I think especially because the sound and feeling of the album seem so warm and cozy, ...so homey, which makes the title of the album very fitting. It was the perfect music to be enjoying while Jeff and I prepared to welcome a new little person into our home.

In contrast, we bought Coldplay's latest album, "X&Y," right before we left for a huge road trip earlier that summer. The road trip included a two-week stay with my parents in Orem, Utah, then a drive to Breckenridge, CO for the Foster Family Reunion, then a week's stay in Denver. We listened to the album many times in the car. During that time, I was on and off trying to fight morning sickness! That's what "X&Y" reminds me of sometimes! Isn't that sad? It has no reflection on the quality of the music--I still love to listen to it. It just reminds me of being kind of sick...

As I mentioned before, I find that this phenomenon of having strongly associated memories happens to me all the time. It's especially true of music, smells,...and restaurants, oddly enough (I must not go out to eat enough...) Does this happen to anyone else? Is there a scientific reason for it?

CRAWLING!...and Other Things

I tell you, it doesn't get any better than watching the little body of your little boy, reaching his arms out and moving his legs forward, coordinating the whole forward-propelling mechanics of crawling. He's been getting better and better at it for two weeks now, and I think it makes him a happier kid because he can go almost anywhere he wants now.

It makes long car rides a little harder, as we experienced first-hand last Friday on the drive from Phoenix to Denver...It's just a long time to be buckled in for a squirmy, curious little man. We did stop at the Grand Canyon in the middle of the day. That was awesome, and it was a good break from being in the car. And, after a long day, we finally made it. We've had a fun weekend with Joy and Grant, Grandma, Grandpa and Megan. Also, Jeff had his first day of his first rotation today, which you will have to ask him about if you want to know the details. We love being here and anxiously await the time when all of the rest of you will arrive.

Sorry about the lack of pictures on this post...more to come, I promise.

Phoenix Foster Update

It seems I've been remiss in my posting duties. Between the family reunion, Jeff's boards, our trip to D.C., and getting ready to come out to Denver, I got a little sidetracked. This post is going to be all about catching up.

First--the Carson Reunion. All I can say is, thank goodness for family reunions and anything else that gives any of you guys an excuse to fly down to our neck of the woods. We had a great time seeing everyone that was there, and of course we missed all of you that couldn't make it.
I'm sure Margaret will have a large stack of photos from Carson that will be fun to look at when we all get together, but here are a few pictures from our own camera.



The Wednesday after we got back, Jeff took the COMLEX, the osteopathic board exam. Cal and I tried to celebrate and congratulate him, but what can you say after an 8-hour test? It's difficult to find the words, plus Jeff came home feeling pretty sick. The picture below is of our attempt. The week after that, Jeff took the USMLE, the alleopathic board exam. It's also eight hours long, but he said going in that it almost felt like an after-thought; he just wanted it to be over. What can I say? He's a genius. Or maybe he said that because we were leaving at 6 AM the next morning for Maryland...


Here are a few pics from that trip--the Maryland/D.C. trip. It was awesome. Just the break we needed--Jeff from school and me from not seeing any of my family. We stayed with my sister and her husband for 10 days, helping her with her new little baby, and sightseeing up the wazoo. (See below...) My brother also drove up from Virginia during one of the weekends we were there.
You probably won't need a whole lot of explanation for most of these pictures, but this is us in front of the White House. We tried to arrange a tour, but this is as close as we could get.

Above are Jeff at the WW II Memorial, and the Vietnam Memorial. Both are very cool, but this was the first time I'd seen the WWII Memorial. I was taken aback by how big it is and what a special feeling it has. It's so impressive to me how these types of memorials really do inspire such feelings of gratitude and respect--you really can't help but think about all of the servicemen who have died protecting our freedom. It made me realize how naive I am about it and how much I take it for granted.

Above is my brothah, Dale, and my hubby and me on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, looking out to the Washington Memorial. Below, Cal and I are in Gettysburg, at a small memorial for the 20th Maine regiment.

Above, Jeff is trying to crack the Da Vinci code, and Cal's giving that look that says, "What's going on here, people? All we do is walk around a look at stuff all day. This has got to be some kind of a joke..."
This is Jeff in the back of Mt. Vernon, and then again in front of the Jefferson Memorial. He's one good-lookin' guy...that's why I took so many pictures of him.
This is a cool picture of Cal and mom wading in the Chesapeake Bay. He wasn't quite sure what to think about how cold it was, but he got used to it after awhile.

And there you have it. If you're still reading this, you are completely caught up on the Phoenix Fosters. We love you guys and we'll see you soon.

New Stages

See this kid? He's so delightfully cute and happy--I feel like the luckiest mom in the world (well, at least one of them...) It's so fun to watch him figure out that he can move himself around. He's been able to roll for awhile, but now he's so fast at it. He can also scoot, he can swivel on his belly, and he can hold his body up off the floor on his hands and knees (for a few seconds anyway). When he puts it all together, I have this feeling that there will be no stopping him. Right now, one of the most interesting things to play with is the handle to the drawer in our TV cabinet. He can pull it out several inches. As I sit and watch him, I get excited about this new beginning of exploration. Of course, I also know it's the end... of life as we know it (for Jeff and me...)

Geoffy-Geoff

Check out these cool pics of one hot guy (the guy in the blue...)

Speaking of the Jeffster, he's coming up on some pretty heavy board examinations...just seven more study days lie between him and the first one. Maybe, if you're taking the time to read this, you could keep him in your prayers so he doesn't get too burned out this week. We love you guys and can't wait to see you all this summer!

On Motherhood

So, the bathtub is filthy again and the laundry is piling up...I don't seem to be able to check things off my "to do" list quite as quickly as I used to. After Cal was born and the post partum period ended, I had to figure out how to put some kind of routine back into my life. It became very obvious that my time is no longer my own--Cal needs it even more than I do. It's tricky trying to balance giving enough attention to him and doing enough around our home to keep it from falling apart. I think I figured out a system that works...for the time being.
It was inspired by the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation to make sure your baby has enough "Tummy Time" every day. Though his "Tummy Time" has now evolved into "Rolling Around the Floor Time," we still try to do it each day along with five other "times": Toy Time, Outside Time, Music Time, Story Time, and Silly Time. The idea is that none of these things needs to take very long, but I need to try to do each one every day. On some days, they work well with other things I need to get done. For example, on some days, "Outside Time" consists of going on a walk or going to the park, but going to the grocery store or to do the laundry (since it takes several trips back and forth to the laundry room) also counts. Sometimes "Music Time" finds Cal on my lap at the piano while I play primary songs for him. Other times, he sits or rolls on the floor during my cello lessons (silmultaneously taking care of Floor Time...and Toy Time).
The one exception is Silly Time, which is the most important and the most fun. That consists of trying to make him laugh, by whatever means possible. (Today he fell for the ole' Nozgul voice/peek-a-boo combination.)
The point of this system is to make sure that his needs are being met first, forcing me to prioritize whatever's left. I'm not perfect at it by any means, but it feels better knowing that it's possible to get some things done while still trying to create a stimulating, well-rounded day for him. It's true that your time is no longer your own after you have a baby, but it's not a bad thing. It's a welcome challenge that forces you to be less selfish...about your time, and, well...everything else. As a wise man once said, "Love those babies. In all eternity, they're only babies once!"

John Mayer and My Marriage

I was listening to John Mayer driving home from orchestra rehearsal the other night. I listened to most of the songs on his first album, but as usual, the other songs were interspersed with multiple listenings of track 8, "Not Myself." I haven't read into what made ole' Johnny Boy write the words he did, but in my own interpretation, this song speaks to me about being married...about one of the most beautiful and profound aspects of a functional and happy marriage, the feeling of being wanted and needed when you are less than perfect...or when you're being downright dispecable. It makes me think of the many times my own sweet husband has had to wait through my silly fears and insecurities, when it's hard for me to imagine that anyone would want to be married to me. Somehow, miracle of miracles, he must know that "I, in time, will come around; I always do..." I think he is so much more patient "waiting it out while I am someone else" than I am for him. I'm sure grateful for a great husband.

Suppose I said
I am on my best behavior
there are times
I lose my worried mind

Would you want me when I'm not myself?
Wait it out while I am someone else?

Suppose I said
Colors change for no good reason
words will go
From poetry to prose

Would you want me when I'm not myself?
Wait it out while I am someone else?

And I, in time, will come around
I always do for you

Suppose I said
You're my saving grace?

Would you want me when I'm not myself?
Wait it out while I am someone else?

Would you want me when I'm not myself?
Wait it out while I am someone else?