All packed to leave

Leah's all packed up and ready to leave tomorrow for our Christmas break. We leave for nine days to Texas and then fly to Utah for two weeks. We thought it might be easier to include her with our carry-on bag but then it might not fit in the overhead bin. It will be our first flight with Leah so we hope it goes well.

We can't wait to see both of our families and show off our cute little girl.

Gearing up for Christmas

Leah dug out Logan's Santa hat the other day and begged us to wear it. We had to agree to let her wear it since she looks so darn cute. Wouldn't she make a good model for a Christmas edition of the American Baby Magazine? Of course as parents you think your child is the cutest, most adorable little thing that ever lived. She just turned three months old on Monday and really feels like she got bigger since last week. She is officially wearing 3-6 month clothing which I thought would be too long for her. I'm a little sad that she's growing out of her smaller clothes and just growing in general. I just want to keep her in each little phase longer so I can remember exactly what it was like.

The other pictures show her after taking a bath in her flower towel and lounging in her diaper. Logan thinks she looks like Jabba the Hut sitting on a throne of pillows.

Babies don't need toys

All it took was a sock to get Leah's first giggle. We caught it on video for you. Sadly, we haven't been able to get her to giggle again, so maybe we need to perfect our technique.

Let the Holiday Festivities Begin

Monday night we invited some friends from church over to build graham cracker houses. Everyone brought their favorite candy to add to the decorations. The Parmas and the Seversons joined us at our apartment for some holiday fun. Sarah (right) has never made a graham cracker house before so she was both nervous and excited to make her first one. She and Ben (below) work together to make a replica of the Sears Tower as a nontraditional style of graham cracker building.

The Parmas decided to build a cozy cottage with Frosted Mini Wheats for the roof. Once they picked the design for the yard, Emily sprinkled powdered sugar for the snow effect. We all agreed that their cozy cottage would make a lovely Chicago home. Their adorable daughter Bria joined in the festivities with coos and grunts in approval to their parents' technique.

Logan and I knew from our experiences last year that it was best to make separate houses since we both wanted control for design and candy decoration. Logan spent most of his time on the structure including the chimney, the bay window, and the garage. He did create a nice icicle effect on the roof. We were all jealous we hadn't thought of it first. I went a little crazy with the candy decorations on each part of the house, but was proud of my attempt to make a snowman in the front yard.

To see up close pictures of our houses, please visit our photo page.

The problem with Chicago winter

The problem with Chicago winter is that it snows sideways. That and the snow is more like shaved ice than snowflakes. Today's forecast: Snow ... heavy at times ... Windy. Areas of blowing snow. Highs 30 to 35. Northwest winds 20 to 30 mph. Gusts up to 40 mph. Have someone crush some ice and then throw it at you from across the room, and you'll have an idea of what my walk to the El was like last Friday: 40 mph shaved ice. I've seen some nasty Utah blizzards, but I can't remember any with constant 30 mph winds.
The other problem with Chicago winter is that the shaved ice doesn't melt. It's Tuesday morning and I can't tell that any snow has melted since it fell four days ago. Makes it impossible to park on the side of the street (because we don't have a garage) when there's ice boulders in the way. Hillary says, "There really are ice boulders. I feel like I live in the arctic sometimes."

Thanksgiving Extravaganza

Since we didn't have our camera at Thanksgiving last week, I will try to show you what it was like without pictures. This year we drove to Rochester, Minnesota to stay with my brother, his wife and three boys. My sister-in-law's sister and family were also visiting from St. Paul. So counting Leah, there were five kids under the age of five. Anytime you bring kids together under one roof, there's gonna be craziness and not a lot of sleeping. But overall, we had a fun time playing with my nephews and hanging out with my brother and his wife. We colored, built forts, told spooky stories and played games with the little ones. They have lived far away from me for the past few years so I enjoyed our time with them.

And I just wanted to give props to my sister-in-law Kristin who made a wonderful Thanksgiving meal despite being nine months pregnant and running a household with three energy-charged boys. I even tasted her sweet potato soufflé (I usually don't eat sweet potatoes) and went back for seconds. Everything she made was delicious including the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes and pies. I tried to help out in the kitchen, but she had it covered along with her sister Valerie. We were so stuffed afterwards that we all took long naps and could only handle some pie for dinner. We were truly thankful for such generous family members.

We came back to the Chicago traffic on Saturday night just as the BYU game was winding down. So we had to get updates from Logan's dad. Logan listened to the final minutes on the radio via cell phone. The victory over the Utes was a great ending to a fun-filled Thanksgiving Extravaganza.

Good Batteries=Working Camera

We thought our camera wasn't working so we haven't been able to post any pictures of Leah lately. Well, Logan discovered that the batteries I bought from the Dollar store were the reason the camera was not functioning. I thought anything you buy at the Dollar store should work like any normal product, but I guess I was wrong. We tried new batteries and amazingly our camera does not need to be fixed.

So here's some more shots of adorable Leah. She is growing so much. Logan comes home from school some days and says "she looks older and feels heavier today." She melts our hearts each time she flashes that cute little smile.

Random Saturday Reflection

You'll notice there's no picture accompanying this post. That's because our digital camera decided to stop working today. Logan set out with it to take some pictures for a school project and he took five pictures before it stopped working. How are we supposed to show our friends and family how cute our daughter is when we don't have a working camera? Any suggestions?

For those of you watching college football these days probably watched the "game of the century": Michigan vs. Ohio State. We didn't have any personal affiliation for either team, but Logan had watched Michigan play several games this season and decided to root for them. He asked me which team I wanted to win and I said, "Ohio State, because I like their school colors better than Michigan." That's how much I cared about the match up. I did watch most of it, however, because it was the only way to spend time with Logan today on his day off. But I will admit that both teams were impressive to watch.

He promised me that we could go out for dinner since I had been home all day yesterday and today. We picked a place in Evanston called the Flat Top Grill. I had read several reviews online saying it was a great place to eat stir fry (it's a build-your-own-stir-fry-bowl place). We didn't realize going there would be such an ordeal. We ended up waiting 40 minutes in a cramped waiting area to get a table. Leah was asleep during the whole meal so at least we didn't have to worry about her being upset in her car seat. The food was pretty good and filling, but the restaurant was noisy and really not worth all the time and money. I hope we have better luck next time we splurge.

Editor's note: I really get to see Logan other times than watching football. He will usually go shopping with me on the weekends. I was just giving him a hard time because all he could talk about was watching football on Saturday.

Life in Babyland

As a mother for over two months now, I'm slowly learning the art of multitasking. I'm not quite the expert like my sister-in-law Kristin who has three rambunctious boys and one on the way. Leah's not too hard to handle yet but she doesn't always like being set down. So tonight before Logan came home from school, I decided to put Leah in the Baby Bjorn and cook dinner at the same time.

It worked out pretty well. Leah soon fell asleep, and I was just about to put the meal in the oven to bake when Logan came home. I don't know why I haven't tried this before. I'm learning new things about Leah and myself each day and loving this role as a mother. How can you not enjoy it with an adorable face like this?

This picture was taken right before we left to run errands today. She's my little trooper when it comes to her car seat and riding in the car...thank goodness.

Egg Nog Shakes

One of my favorite holiday treats is Egg Nog. So you better believe I bought a half gallon as soon as I saw it in the store. One thing led to another, and I ended up buying vanilla ice cream and a can of whipped cream. Egg Nog is good enough by itself, but it's simply supreme when made into a shake like the one at left. What's even better is that Hillary doesn't like Egg Nog at all, so I get it all to myself! Oh man, what a wonderful time of year.

A Close Call

Last Sunday we were ready in enough time for church to dress Leah in her cute blessing dress. The last few weeks she has been going in her pajamas.

And as soon as we sat down for sacrament meeting, ironically, she blew out her diaper again. At the beginning of the Primary program Logan leaned over to me and said, "Leah just messed her diaper and I think a little got on my pants." After stressing about what we should do, we decided he would take her to the men's bathroom for some diaper duty.

A friend told us later that day that as soon as he saw Logan get up in the middle of the meeting with Leah, he knew it must have been an emergency.

It was a good thing she was wearing tights or it would have made a huge mess on her pretty dress and Logan's pants. It was a close call, but I'm sure it won't be the last time it happens.

She's one tough cookie

Today we took Leah in for her two-month check up. We had to wake her up to weigh and measure her (with her clothes off). She didn't like it much but didn't cry. She now weighs 13 pounds, 11 ounces and measures at 23 inches long. She is in the 97 percentile for weight and 76 percentile for height. She must be eatin' good! (This picture was taken earlier today before the appointment when I was changing her into her outfit for the day.)

As a part of her checkup, she took five vaccines. She took the first two vaccines by mouth like a pro, sucking it through the nipple of a bottle. Then came the moment I had been dreading all week -- her shots. I elected to hold her arms while both nurses stuck each leg with a needle. Boy, did she cry. But soon she calmed down until her third shot. After another painful cry, I was able to pick her up and soothe her by nursing her. We gave her some drops of Tylenol and she was calm as a clam. She fell asleep on the way home and took a nap when we arrived home. Now if only we could help her not kick her legs and make it hurt worse.

We are very blessed to have such a wonderful, happy daughter. She even wore her BYU socks on game day since the Cougars are playing Wyoming tonight. We couldn't be more proud.

Two months old

I think she was making this face on accident, but it makes for a really cute picture. This one and more have been added to our photo page. She was two months old last Saturday and seems to be growing (chubbier) each week. We just love to pinch her firm, round cheeks and can't wait to find out how much she weighs on Thursday at her appointment.

Funny sleepy noises

Leah was asleep in Logan's arms and started making some really funny noises. So we thought it would make a good video. She was sleeping pretty heavy and we wanted to laugh without waking her up. Make sure you have your volume turned up.

More pics of Leah

As requested from many family members, we have taken more pictures of Leah so everyone can gush over how cute she is. But this time we have included ourselves so that you all won't forget what we look like either. I also wanted to show off Leah's new adorable shirt that says "daddy's lil sparkler." Logan picked it out for her to wear tonight after her bath.

(And I wanted to make sure that everyone didn't think I really looked like a tired mom all the time.)

Nerdy Dad and Tired Mom

Logan and I walked over to Salvation Army yesterday to pick up some clothing for our Halloween costumes this year. We wanted to dress up for a Halloween party at some friends' house. Most of the adults there were not in costume, only their kids. So we both stood out, but had a lot of fun with it. I'm voting Logan for the funniest costume. (When I looked at this picture for the first time, I couldn't stop laughing).

This look for me is a little exaggerated because I used some makeup around my eyes to look more tired, although there are days when I actually feel like that.

We had a lot of fun dressing up tonight, but we'll probably take these clothes back to Salvation Army tomorrow. (However, I think Logan wants to keep the cardigan).

Leah's first Halloween

Leah couldn't wait to celebrate Halloween this morning that she had me put on her outfit so she could wear it all day. A friend from church gave us this Hungry Caterpillar outfit that says at the bottom, "but (s)he was still hungry," which definitely describes Leah. She will be a sturdy two-month old this week, and we can't believe how fast the time has flown by.

She discovered her hand recently so she has been sucking on it all afternoon. I'm sure this is the beginning of her wanting to put everything in her mouth. And the last picture was taken when she was giving me a bunch of smiles after I changed her diaper, though I have to be pretty quick if I want to capture them on film.













Editor's note: The first picture makes her look bigger than she really is. The camera adds a couple of pounds.

Fourth Outfit of the Day

Disclaimer: If you think poop stories are gross and inappropriate to share, then you better not read the following story and all its messy details.

This morning I changed Leah's pajamas (outfit #1) into a regular outfit for the day (outfit #2) because she spit up right down the front of them. Well, you'll never guess what happened this afternoon.

I thought Leah was having some pretty stinky gas, but it wasn't going away. She was still stinky a couple hours later so I decided to get to the bottom of things. She was smiling up at me on the changing table as usual, and I thought it would be a routine change. And to my dismay, it wasn't just gas.

The poop in her diaper had oozed out down her leg and all over her clothes (probably worse than the last time this happened). So I took off her diaper to clean things up so I could bathe her. After I removed the diaper, of course, she poops some more on the changing table and again on her clothes. So I frantically tried to remove her clothes and get the least amount of poop everywhere.

Then at precisely the moment I finally get her in the sink to bathe her, our landlord comes upstairs to say that they are working on our kitchen pipes and to not use the kitchen sink. So she's sitting there wet and cold from the water I had just poured on her. And at the same time, I thought any second she was going to poop again on everything. Luckily, she didn't and I managed to finish wiping her bum. I put on a new diaper and then some clean clothes (outfit #3 in the picture). And she slept through the entire clean-up process.

After I came home from a baby shower and it was time for bed, Logan discovered another messy diaper that had oozed out on her clothes again. He cleaned her up this time and put outfit #4 on her.

I just thought, "someday I'm going to look back and laugh at this." Needless to say, it's been an eventful day. This is the life of a mom.

First outing in the Bjorn

As part of a school project, Logan needed to take some pictures of Halloween decorations in the nearby neighborhood. So we decided to bust out the Baby Bjorn and go for a walk. Since Logan knows how it works the best, he put Leah right in it. We weren't sure how she would react to it but it turns out, she was so comfy and warm that she fell right to sleep. We weren't sure how it could be comforable sleeping straight up, but babies have the amazing ability to sleep in awkward positions.

So I just had to take a picture of my cute husband and adorable daughter on our walk.

After a diaper change


Here is Leah smiling after a diaper change. We can usually get a smile or two at the changing table. We couldn't decide if she was smiling about BYU beating UNLV 52-7 on Saturday or if it was the diaper change. It was probably about the game. Go Cougs!

Leah working on her smile

Leah has been smiling more and more the past week so we have been keeping the camera out so we could catch it on video. It usually happens after we change her diaper, when we pick her up out of the car seat or after she has just unloaded in her diaper. We get such a kick out her smiles.

Leah's new outfit

This Monday Logan and I drove about an hour north to the Gurnee Mills Mall. It's bigger than a normal mall with several outlet stores in it. We barely had enough time to make it through half the mall before we had to get back in time for Logan's night class in Evanston. We stopped at the Carter's baby clothes outlet store, and I had so much fun looking for clothes for Leah. I have been wanting to get her some long sleeved shirts and pants to wear for the winter. I found this little sweatsuit and just had to show it off.

After shopping we found a Red Robin on the way back and had to stop. We have been missing it. And of course I had to order the Chicken Teriyaki burger (A juicy chicken breast with sweet teriyaki sauce, grilled pineapple, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomatoes & mayo) with a strawberry lemonade. It was muy delicioso!

Missing the wide open spaces

On Saturday Logan and I drove southeast across the border to Valparaiso, Indiana to visit Logan's cousin Michelle, her husband Matt and darling son James. They recently moved there so Matt could attend law school at Valparaiso University. As we hit the Indiana border just outside of the Chicago area, we noticed all the wide open space along the highway. We also noticed the changing colors of the trees and laid-back feel of the towns. The roads were wide, the traffic was bearable, and you could actually drive more than 40 mph. The area made us both miss our homes in Texas and Utah, and we longed to be living somewhere away from the overcrowded hustle and bustle of Evanston and Chicago.

We also passed a long stretch of restaurants, shopping centers, and stores including a Red Robin restaurant (my favorite) and Abuelo's Mexican Food Embassy (the one place we have to eat every time we're in Texas). The only Red Robin we had seen so far in the Chicago area was in Naperville and an hour away from us. We were surprised to see Abuelo's too, because we thought it was only in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. We wanted to move to Indiana just so we could go to both restaurants.

Michelle and Matt were generous enough to share pizza and a homemade cake with us. James provided us with entertainment the whole time as he was playing with their cell phones and trying to poke and pat Leah. He also tried to unlock the bookshelf with Michelle's keys. We walked the two blocks to the school and then up the street to see the huge Lutheran church affliated with the school. The sun was setting by the time we reached the church, and the temperature was dropping as we realized it was six o'clock and we should probably head back to their home. We had so much fun chatting with them that we forgot to check the time. We headed back to our humble abode just in time for Logan to watch the end of the Auburn-Florida game.

Logan's note: We'll be driving there again soon to eat at Abuelo's.

I wish I was still pregnant...

I thought I'd never say this, but I wish I was still pregnant. I know you're asking yourselves, why on earth would she wish that? She was so uncomfortable and complained about it constantly. Well, I wish I was still pregnant for the mere fact that having a baby roasting in your stomach makes you extremely warm. And during the Chicago winters having an internal furnace would really come in handy, especially today. We saw our first Chicago snow flurries today and it's only October 12. The temperature is a record low for Chicago at this time of year - 40 degrees being the high and 33 being the low. Does that mean that it's going to be an extra cold and dreary winter? I hope not. I can't wait to visit Texas for our Christmas break.

Bath time

Leah has so much fun at bath time that we have to show off how cute she is. She just sits quietly and looks at us wondering why we are rubbing soap all over. And I'm sure she enjoys not wearing a diaper (I would really look forward to getting it off if I had to wear one every day). This was last night before bed. She was so snuggly afterwards that both daddy and daughter fell asleep together.

The Apple Festival

Last weekend we decided to be adventurous once again and headed up to Long Grove for the Apple Festival. At a recommendation from Logan's aunt Helen, we had previously driven there to see the rows of antique houses made into shops selling crafts, baked goods, candy, popcorn, ice cream, antiques, fine furniture and a bunch of other random household items. The Apple Festival was just another reason for us to hop into our lovely Elantra and experience the scenic suburbs of Chicago. Along the way, we saw trees turning the beautiful autumn colors and smelled the wonderfully fresh aroma of fall.

The Apple Festival brought many vendors to Long Grove selling apples, of course, in all variations: bags of apples, apple cider, apple pie, caramel and other dipped apples, apple cider donuts and many more. Logan and I knew we had to bring some home with us - it was just a matter of deciding what looked the most delicious. I walked past the booths of shish-kabobs, ribs, grilled chicken, corn on the cob, and turkey legs and almost forgot about the apple delights we had come to see. I soon snapped out of it and we narrowed down our favorites to apple cider, a small caramel apple pie, apple cider donuts and a variety bag of apples.

Leah had so much fun at the Apple Festival that she snoozed all the way back home.

I used a loofah

Using a loofah is the least manly way to wash off in the shower. I usually lather my skin with a chunk of soap and my bare hands. But when my wife came home with a new body wash she said would make your skin elastic, I had to see if she was right. The stuff has "elastin" in it, and I woke up with visions of becoming Elasti-Girl or Stretch Armstrong. But don't believe it. Caveat emptor. Elastin does NOT turn your skin into elastic. And now I have to admit to having used a loofah.

Up close with Leah

Leah has been staying awake for longer periods at a time now, so I had to catch her in the moment. I have been putting her in a bouncer chair during the day so I can get ready or do the dishes and she seems to like it. Her eyes still look dark blue, so we're not sure if they are going to take after her mom's or her dad's eyes.

Scoop's latest work

At this link you can read the article I wrote on my first day of back-breaking work at the downtown Northwestern newsroom. I got the assignment at 9 a.m. yesterday and here's what I turned out at 4 p.m. I get to do this kind of thing (with different stories, of course) Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week this quarter, and I have other classes on Mondays and Fridays. You probably won't be interested by the story so much as to know what I've been up to. Today's (about a British school in Chicago) and other future stories will be available at www.medillnewsservice.com.

First Bath with Mom and Dad

This was right after we gave Leah her first bath. She didn't cry at all, but it was a 20-minute operation that took the both of us to keep her happy and clean her up. She smelled so fresh when we wrapped her in a towel and put lotion all over her.







Here's Daddy-daughter snuggle time when Logan gets home from school and holds Leah for a while. This a good time for me to clean up around the house or do the dishes. They are so cute together!

It's tiring to be this cute. Sometimes you just have to spread out like you own the place.

Leah with attitude

... she says with a wink. Leah is already choosing her wardrobe to reflect her individuality. Papa Wallace found this onesie at the Evanston Hospital gift shop and she just had to model it for him. This next outfit was motivated by one of her favorite hobbies -- sleeping -- and was given to us by our favorite friends from Parowan, Utah, Cody and Toni Kirkham .

No, she does not have a television in her room and she doesn't know how to use the clicker. But she certainly knows how to lounge around. I suggested to her that she buy a onesie that said "Lunchtime," which is perpetually the case, but of course she didn't think her old Dad's idea was any good. "Christmas," I said with a wink.

One week behind us

Here's our little angel almost a week after being born. She has filled out a little more and is starting to open her eyes, although she spends the majority of her time sleeping. She prefers to take long naps in the late afternoon which means Hillary is getting up every few hours at night to feed her and change her diapers. Hopefully we will get this schedule reversed so her parents can get some sleep. But mostly we are enjoying her sweet personality and watching her make funny faces right after she's fed. We are both lucky parents to have such a beautiful, healthy little girl.

We have added a few more pictures to our photo page so make sure you view it here.

She's a Saint

Wouldn't you know, my daughter already knows how to pray. So far all she does is eat, sleep and poop (repeat). We were prepared for lots of screaming and fussing but she hardly makes a sound. Toinght she gave about two screams and squirmed a bit when she was hungry, and that's the extent of her crying. She's had a number of dirty diapers so we think the nursing must be going well. It's a trip being a parent. More pictures on our photo site.

Logan Lollipop

Isn't she adorable? That's my extra-long finger she's sucking on like a popsicle. She was more awake this afternoon and started to get a little fussy, so I offered her a yummy finger and she grabbed it and started sucking away. She seems to suck pretty hard and nursed really well for the first time today. Hillary had some good help from a lactation consultant at the hospital, so things are going really well. We get to bring her home tomorrow. For more pictures, click here or check our photo page link on the right-hand side.

Leah is here!

What an experience! Our first child was born Monday, September 4, 2006 at 9:54 a.m. She weighed 8 lbs. 6.5 oz and measured 20.5 in. long. She's a beautiful, healthy baby. Hillary's water broke at home Sunday night so we rushed to the hospital just after midnight. Hillary started pushing around 7 a.m., and the baby squeezed out a few hours later. Both mom and baby are now doing fine, but they're both really tired. And I'm beat too. Neither one of us is accepting calls right now while we try to get some shut-eye, but we'd love to hear from you all in a couple of days. For now, enjoy the pictures and send us some prayers for a quick adjustment to parenthood!This is the first time she (kind of) opened her eyes. She's been sound asleep since then.


This is the beautiful woman who did all the work, holding the fruits of her labor.

This is the only picture with me in it. The blurriness accurately depicts how I perceived the whole event.