Most Precious

I am grateful for the status update someone (I can't remember who) posted on Facebook a few days ago. She said something along the lines of, "There is nothing so precious as holding your baby."

It was such a commonplace comment that I only noticed it in passing; in fact, I doubt that I even took the time to "like" it. But it keeps coming into my mind, and the simple thought has helped me to more fully appreciate the sweet smiles, to take an extra moment to focus on my beautiful baby, or to simply be thankful for the moment while I'm standing, swaying back and forth as I watch a movie to sooth a bit of fussiness.

So many people tell us to enjoy this crazy, chaotic time while our kids are young because they grow up so fast. And a lot of times that's easy to forget; life is crazy and chaotic. But my friend's post has stuck with me and is helping me to live in the present and appreciate--now, while she's still a baby--my sweet, precious Tavlin.

Day 26: Friends

The actual topic for Day 26 is "What do you think about your friends?" Seriously, who thought that up? I mean, if someone thinks not nice things about her friends, she isn't likely to post it on a blog that anyone, including said friends, can read! And then, there's the other hand, which indicates that if someone has a friend, they like each other. That's the category I think I fall in. I think my friends are great...that's why they're my friends.

So to make this post a teensy bit more interesting, I thought I'd just list a few things that friends have done for me for which I am grateful.

~Providing hugs and shoulders to cry on

~Getting me out of the house

~Watching my kids

~Helping me identify weaknesses that I can then work to improve

~Calling me on the phone just to talk

~Being my role models

~Hanging out/Spending time with me

~Playing with my hair

~Laughing with me

~Throwing showers for me

~Helping me move

~Making gifts from the heart

~Opening my eyes to see the world in a different way

~Loving me

This is just a quick list that came to mind in a few minutes, in no particular order. I am grateful for the blessing of friends in my life.

Tavlin Emma

I like the way a friend of mine posted her birth story: the short version and the long version. I think I will offer the "sincerest form of flattery" by imitating her.

The short version - Two hours after I had my first contraction, Tavlin was born in the living room about 3 feet away from the open front door, outside of which Eldon was strapped in the carseat of the running car.

The long version - Shortly before 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 7, 2011 - Eldon climbed into bed with us and woke me up.

6:00 a.m. - I felt my first contraction. I continued to have them every five minutes or so and wondered if (and hoped) I was really going into labor.

6:30 a.m. - I got up and took a shower. I continued to have regular contractions. I started packing my bag to go to the birth center.

7:00 a.m. - I called Mom and told her I thought I was going into labor and that she should probably head down.

I think I ate a bowl of cereal. I read the checklist of things I was supposed to bring to the birth center and realized that I had forgotten to pack anything for the baby.

7:15 a.m. - I called my midwife and told her I'd been having contractions since 6:00. She asked how strong they were, and I told her that I didn't remember them being this strong with Eldon, but I've been saying that about all sorts of things through this whole pregnancy. (As a side note, I think that God gives us amnesia about pregnancy so that we'll have more than one baby.) She told me to keep track of them and to call her back in about 45 minutes.

7:20 a.m. - I tried contacting various people whom I had previously talked to about watching Eldon, but I was unsuccessful in arranging for anyone to take care of him.

My contractions increased in intensity, and I kept worrying about finishing packing the baby things that we needed for the birth center, as well as finding someone to take care of Eldon.

I was surprised by how hard the contractions were and was starting to think I didn't know how I was going to get through the labor...it was so much harder than I remembered!!

I gave up on trying to get anything done and lay on the couch and groaned through several contractions.

7:50 a.m. I felt like pushing and had Joseph call the midwife. He also managed to reach someone to take care of Eldon, pull the car around to the front door, and get Eldon in to the carseat.

My water broke as I was watching him do these things. He kept urging me to get up so we could go. I got up after one contraction and made it to the door, where I leaned on the door frame to deal with another contraction. As I leaned there, I felt the baby's head and said, "I think I'm crowning!"

Though dubious, Joseph helped me step into the living room and kneel at the ottoman to check, and sure enough, the baby's head was peeking out.

7:58 a.m. I pushed once, and the baby's head came out. I pushed twice more and Joseph, who hadn't even wanted to cut the cord, caught the baby as she was born.

Joseph called the midwife to have her come here instead of the birth center, and then he escorted me upstairs and into the bathtub, where I waited with the baby until the midwife arrived while he went and parked the car and got Eldon and dealt with little details like that.

My midwives arrived and checked the baby and me and actually cleaned up a lot of the mess that we'd created and were overall just pretty wonderful.

Tavlin was 8 lbs. 3 oz. and 20 1/4 inches long, and she is just perfect! We are happy to have her here.

Day 25: My Bag

A couple of months ago I went to a Relief Society dinner that had a purse theme. Among the things they did was give prizes for various characteristics of purses (i.e. who had the most items on a list of things like tissues, make-up, something borrowed; who had the largest purse; etc.). I made honorable mention for almost-smallest purse, because I don't carry a purse. (Actually, lately I have been sometimes; I have a pair of maternity pants that sag if I put my wallet in my pocket, but I still only carry what I normally carry in my pocket in my purse.) I carry a wallet, my cell phone, and my keys in my pockets. And in my wallet, I carry insurance cards, credit/debit cards, driver's license, library card (an essential), some cash and coins, a couple of hair ties, stamps, receipts, and a miniature For the Strength of Youth pamphlet. What more do you need? :)

Oops

This is what happened after I left a picture in Eldon's reach and then let him play with a wrench. And I was in the room, too. :)

Day 24: For Mom and Papa

Dear Mom and Papa,

I have such a great life. "I know who I am. I know God's plan. I'll follow Him in faith." And I know and do these things because of your teachings and examples. Thank you for teaching me the gospel. Thank you for the sacrifices you made and make for me. Thank you for supporting me in the decisions I make. Thank you for all the help you give my family. Thank you for always being there for me. If I were able to choose who my parents were, I would choose you every time. It's not possible to enumerate everything you've done for me, but I thank you for teaching me and helping me find and follow the path that leads back to Heavenly Father.

I love you.

Love, Melody

LDS Women's Book Review Contest

LDS Women's Book Review is doing a contest where they are giving away, among other things, a particular book I want . . . The List, by Melanie Jacobson. Besides being the sister of my favorite mission companion, (which is reason enough to want her book, eh?) she is clever, witty, and funny -- and I mean laugh-out-loud funny. I love reading her writing and I'm entering this contest in the hopes of winning it. Or the $50 Amazon gift card, with which I could purchase it and more. Or one of the other books, just because I love to read. :)

Day 23: Nine to Survive, Twelve to Thrive

I find that I don't crave them nearly as much as I used to because Joseph provides a limitless supply, but hugs are essential to me. I've had many times where I've simply asked a roommate, a friend, or even a stranger for a hug because I have just needed one. My grandfather's girlfriend, Jane, was a big hugger, too. She recently passed away, but a maxim of hers was that you needed nine hugs each day to survive and twelve to thrive. So in memory of Jane, may I suggest that you go share a dozen hugs and make the world a little bit better!

Day 22: I Am Unique

Here's a quick list of things about me that are more uncommon than common.

~ I was born at home.

~ I was homeschooled.

~ I served a mission both west of the Rocky Mountains (not just MTC) and east of the Mississippi River.

~ I lived in New York City for 6 months.

~ I can make fire out of sticks.

~ I am not going to give birth in a hospital this time around.

~ I have swum in both the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans.

~ I know that crwth is a word. I don't really know or care what it means, but it works for Scrabble. :)

Day 21: What Makes Me Happy

Oops. I missed a day. Oh, well. As for what makes me happy, well, words don't do him justice.

Neither do pictures, but you get the idea. :)

Day 20: The Love of My Life

♥ I'm gonna be with him forever. ♥

Day 19: Nicknames

I don't really have a lot of nicknames. My husband calls me "Love" and has since we were first dating. He also sometimes calls me "Beautiful." My family, particularly my sisters, call me "Mel," to which I used to object, but which doesn't bother me any more. And my mother occasionally calls me "Melly." That's about it.

That's about it, that is, unless you also want to include trail names. I was given the Anasazi trail name of "Whistling Star Meadowlark" by my most awesome trainer. She encouraged me to make values and ideals that seemed so close to me shine for the youngwalkers like whistling stars, and she said that like a meadowlark I was quiet, but that I would fight to defend and protect those I had charge over when there was a need. Later I was given the opportunity to receive an honor name. When I received that opportunity, I was able to choose someone to give me the honor name, and I chose Joseph, who gave me the honor trail name of "Beautiful Sunrise." I don't remember the specific reasons he gave for choosing it, and I don't want to go look for the paper on which he wrote those reasons, so I'll leave it to your imagination as to why he gave me that name. :)

Day 18: Plans, Dreams, Goals

My musings about my dreams last July still apply, so I think I'll stick with plans and goals for today.

I plan:

~ to make a new casserole for dinner tonight.

~ to home school my children.

~ to have an out-of-hospital birth for Tavlin.

~ to start packing for our upcoming move by boxing up my books.

~ to do Eldon's laundry soon.

~ to finish transferring stuffing from my old bean bag cover to the new one I just made.

~ to make a denim quilt someday. (I've been saving old jeans for that purpose for years.)

~ to go to the temple in the next few weeks.

The above list is in no particular order and is only a few of my random plans that came to mind in just a couple of minutes.

As for goals . . . well, last weekend I went to Idaho with my mom. We had plenty of time to talk during the drive, and our conversation led to some introspection on my part. The question of the order of priorities, particularly of God, husband, and family, came up. I think that perhaps I don't have God at the top of the list as I should have, so I have a goal to work on my relationship with my Heavenly Father and Savior and to make sure that they are my number one priority. I have been working on studying my scriptures rather than just reading them and praying more sincerely. And I believe that as I draw closer to God, my relationships with my husband and family will be blessed, too.

Day 17: Can I Be Me?

Okay, okay, I've been home for quite some time now. . . in fact, I've been home so long that I've been out of town a couple of times since I've been back. And a lot has happened:

~ We found out our baby is a girl! Her name will be Tavlin. Like it?
~ My first baby turned one and learned to walk! There's a video here.
~ We bought a car--the first car that we've bought together, and one that has a badly-needed four doors. It's a 1998 Subaru Legacy, and it has manual everything. But it fit our budget and had the aforementioned four doors.
~ We sold a car--the Honda that I've had since 2006.
~ My parents accepted an offer on their house, which means we need to move.

Anyway, I'm back on my blogging challenge. Day 17 was, "Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why."

When I thought about this topic, a story I'd heard came to my mind. It was about a man who thought his cross was too heavy and begged the Lord to let him trade it for another cross. The Lord let him into a room that was filled with crosses. Some were ornate and some were plain, but they all looked very big and heavy. Finally, the man saw a small cross hanging from a chain to be worn about the neck. He chose that cross and took it back to the Lord, who told him that the cross he had chosen was the cross he'd started with. (You can read another version of the story here.)

This story helps me remember that I have challenges that God knows I can handle. Besides that, when I look at others and see the challenges they have, I'm glad I don't have to deal with their challenges! In addition, I am grateful for my blessings. I love my family dearly and would not want to give them up, even for a day. So my answer is that I would not want to switch lives with anyone; I just want to be me.

On the other hand, if I twist the topic a little bit, I can give a more fitting response. If I could stay myself, I wouldn't mind spending a day with access to unlimited funds. I'd pay off our student loans, buy a few toys, get a massage, go out to eat at a fancy-schmancy restaurant, etc. Or, maybe I'd like to morph into a bird for a day. I think I'd like to experience flying like an eagle. But once the day was over, I'd still be happy to be me.

Stop 'n' Go

So. . . I've adopted mothering duties for three additional kids for the next two weeks. (My sister and her husband own an H&R Block and I'm watching her kids while she works during the busy season.) Besides the three additional kids, which really are sweet kids, I'm also dealing with an ultra-fussy, ultra-clingy baby of my own. I think that being around the other kids overwhelms him, but whatever the cause, today the only time I could get more than a foot away from him without him screaming was when he was napping. Anyway, I may work on my blog challenge during my two weeks in Missouri, but I doubt it will be consistent. And I may not touch it at all. :)

Day 16: Another Picture of Me

Day 15: 10 Random Songs

So when I got married, I added Joseph's music to my iPod. I have a playlist that has my music on it, and I did the shuffle on my playlist to eliminate not only Joseph's music (most of which I don't know at all), but also to eliminate the scriptures, which account for over 35% of the tracks on the iPod.

10 Random Songs

1. "Money" by Pink Floyd on Dark Side of the Moon

Papa used to play "Time" off of this album to wake us up, and I thought for the longest time that I didn't like it. Then one time I heard the music without knowing what it was and liked it so much that I went and bought my own album.

2. "Wistful Waltz" - Instrumental - on Slow Dance

I went through a stage when I was a teenager where I really liked saxophone music. This was a cd I found that had sax without lyrics.

3. "Wedding Bell Blues" by The 5th Dimension on the My Girl soundtrack

I just like the music from this era. This is my least favorite song on the soundtrack, though.

4. "Bridge over Troubled Waters" by Simon & Garfunkel on Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits

Much of my music is Papa's music. I don't really have anything special I like about Simon & Garfunkel besides that.

5. "O Home Beloved, for chorus" by Mormon Tabernacle Choir on America's Choir

I used to stand outside the Tabernacle as a missionary on Thursday nights while the choir was practicing and invite people who came to hear them practice to learn more about The Church. It was amazing how quickly the Spirit touched people as they listened to the choir.

6. "The Wedding Song" by Kenny G on Breathless

I refer to my aforementioned saxophone stage.

7. "Twilight" by Vanessa Carlton on Be Not Nobody

I love the song "A Thousand Miles." I bought this cd (before the advent of being able to download a single mp3) solely for that song. I still am not very familiar with the rest of the album.

8. "My Baby Don't Love Me" by Everything But the Girl on The Language of Life

Now, much of my music is Papa's music, but Everything But the Girl plays music I like because of my mom. It's just easy to listen to.

9. "Hymn to the Sea" by Celine Dion & James Horner on the Titanic soundtrack

My friend Garrett loaned me the soundtrack to Titanic before I saw the movie. (My first date was actually with Garrett to go see Titanic.) I loved it. I bought my own soundtrack and then proceeded to listen to it for the next four months straight (though I did program the cd player to play the songs at the beginning and the end and skip the ship-sinking songs; I didn't like those as much). I have friends who bring that up any time the music plays. :)

10. "Never an Absolution" by James Horner on the Titanic soundtrack

See above.

Day 14: My Family

Aren't I lucky?

Day 13: Dear Son

Dear Eldon,

When we share a pillow, I would appreciate it if you would not raise your head and then suddenly plunk it down on my head. In fact, I think that you might appreciate it, too.

Also, while you are nursing, I would very much like it if you would stop pinching me. I find it very unpleasant.

Finally, could you please hurry up and comprehend what it means to be gentle? My face is looking forward to that.

I love you.
~Mama

Day 12: Blogging

I think that I first learned about blogging when my sister began her blog, but I first began a blog as an assignment for a photography class; we were to post photographs on our blogs for display during class. That pretty much summed up my blogging for several years.

But I always enjoy reading my sister's blog. She's so witty and I'm able to feel connected to her family through reading about their latest exploits. And so, after I had my own baby and was no longer working, I revamped my blogging skills so that, hopefully, friends and family can feel connected to what's going on in my life.

Day 11: More Friends

What can I say? I was lucky enough to have my sister as my best friend as we were growing up, and after I grew up I matured enough to develop great friendships with my other siblings. I love you guys!!

Day 10: My Music

So I'm supposed to list "songs [I] listen to when [I'm] bored, happy, sad, mad, etc." But I don't really listen to songs in those moods, at least not specifically. I think of my music in other categories.

For instance, if I'm trying to use music to put me to sleep, my first choice is usually Joyspring (both the first and second albums) by Kurt Bestor. And The Moody Blues provide perfect music for Saturday mornings. On Sundays I prefer to listen to religious-themed music. For driving, especially when I'm trying to stay awake, I like Disney songs and others I can really sing along with.

The rest of the time I guess it just depends on what I feel like listening to, but I have to say that Fleetwood Mac (any of their albums, but Tusk especially) and Messenger by Edwin McCain are some of my favorites and, therefore, music I listen to most often.

Day 9...A Day Late: Kudos to Me

iTunes is funky. Have you ever noticed that? Sometimes it'll up and lose some of your files. At least, it lost many of mine. A couple of years ago. So I haven't updated my iPod for that length of time because I didn't want to lose the music I had on the iPod that was no longer on iTunes.

I actually have been working on this over the last couple of weeks; I deleted all the files from iTunes so I could start over ripping music from my cds. But I have this challenge, in anticipation of Day 15, to thank for making me actually do it so I could update my iPod.

It's not a big thing, I know (though it did take me a few days), but I've been procrastinating it for it so long that I am happy to say that I have updated my iTunes and iPod, and now I have all my music available to me in not one, but two places. :)

Day 8: A Goal

I realize the challenge is supposed to be a short-term goal for this month, but the goal I came up with is more long-term than that.

My midwife says I need more protein. She says eggs are a really good source of the protein I need for my baby. Now, I've never really been a big egg eater. Over the last couple of years my appreciation of eggs has grown, but when I was a kid, the only kind of eggs I liked were eggs baked into something like cookies, scrambled with (lots of) cheese in them, or in egg salad sandwiches (which is ironic because I also don't like mayonnaise).

I'd like to shoot for 2 eggs a day, but I think that's a little high. My next thought was 12 eggs a week, but I feel like that still might be a little too high. So my goal is to eat 10 eggs a week, which is still pretty high for someone who is part of a family for which a dozen eggs can easily last a couple of weeks. I had an egg sandwich for breakfast, and I made it with two eggs in it instead of the one that I would have preferred, so I'm off to a good start. :)

Day 7: Why I Am Who I Am

So, my first inclination was to post a picture of Joseph, but he'll get his time on Day 20, so I thought more about it and realized that ANASAZI is quite appropriate for this post. Not even serving a mission impacted who I am more than working as a trailwalker.



We weren't allowed to take cameras on the trail for confidentiality reasons, so I have very few photos of me as a trailwalker. This one is from my training week.

Anasazi was such a huge influence on me for two reasons. The first was just the basic philosophy of the program. The second was the people who actually endeavored to live that philosophy. (Hmmm. After writing that, I realize that the Gospel fits that description as well. But I've had the Gospel my whole life, and the influence it has had over who I've become has been gradual. And that description would fit my family. But the point is that I changed drastically during the short time I worked at Anasazi.)

I loved Anasazi and miss it. The reason I quit was to marry Joseph; if I hadn't met him, I'd probably still be working there. :)

Day 6: Superhero

I guess I'd have to say that my favorite superhero is Superman. I have never actually seen the Superman movies with Christopher Reeve, and I didn't like the new one that came out a few years ago, but when I was a teenager, we kids would watch Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman every week, and I had a crush on Dean Cain. :)

I also like other movies that have superheros in them...Spiderman, Batman, X-men, etc, but even so, you've got to consider that Superman can fly.

Day 5: New York

When I was 16, my family took a 5-week cross-country road trip. One of the places we stopped was New York City. I loved it. A few years later I started telling my mother I was going to go live in New York for a year. It was more of a whimsical wish than something I really planned to do. But in 2006 I sort of fell into an opportunity to intern at PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York City. My internship lasted 6 months, not a year, but I decided that 6 months was enough, and while I enjoyed living there as a young single adult, I wouldn't want to raise a family there. Below are some of my favorte pictures from my time there.

Day 4: Habits That I Shouldn't Have

I have a number of things I wish I did differently. I put off cleaning until I can't stand how dirty things are. I put laundry in a laundry basket and let it sit for a couple of days before I get around to folding it. I spend more time than I ought to reading. I really detest cleaning the car...with the result that I never do and it's always awful. I have a sweet tooth and when I feel like snacking I usually look for something with sugar in it. These and many more things are habits I wish I didn't have. I'm slowly working on them. Wish me luck.:)

Day 3: Friends and Me

Kim (left) and Alisha (right) were at a playgroup I went to this week. Kim's husband works at the same bank Joseph does (different branch), and they have a little girl who is about a year and a half. We get our families together to hang out every now and then. Alisha's youngest is about a year old, and we keep each other company in the mother's room at church. :)

Day 2: What's "The Best Part"?

I like the question "What was the best part...?" because there can always be a best part. Even if your day, week, trip, or anything else has been lousy, it's never uniformly lousy, and this question helps you try to find the bright side. I explained where I got the idea in this post.

As for the address, if you take Melody Rose and spell it backwards, you get esorydolem, and if you lop off the "dolem" (because I like it better that way) you're left with esory. I like the sound of esory. If I ever start a business, I might consider using it for part of the name. :)

Day 1: A Photo and 15 Random Facts About Me

1. I read Anne of Green Gables (the whole series) on average once a year.
2. I can build a fire out of sticks. See a video here.
3. I have, on multiple occasions, cried because of a fear of raw meat. Both my mother and my husband can attest to this.
4. I carry fingernail clippers on my key chain. So does Joseph. We each did this before we knew each other.
5. I have never mown a lawn.
6. I like brewer's yeast on my popcorn, which I make on the stove.
7. I have memorized The Declaration of Independence, The Family: A Proclamation to the World, and The Living Christ. I can't necessarily recite them on demand any more, but I used to be able to. :)
8. I had laser eye surgery.
9. I was home schooled.
10. I designed my engagement/wedding ring.
11. I do appreciate other flavors, but vanilla is my favorite kind of ice cream.
12. I knew I was going to marry my husband the day after we officially started dating. I wrote it in my journal.
13. I've had over 50 roommates, counting mission companions. If you also count mission roommates, I've had over 70.
14. My sisters and I were all married in the same dress.
15. I have never been outside of the United States, but I have been to 25 states, nine of which I've lived in.
BONUS: I'm pregnant again!

30 Day Challenge

One of my friends is doing this 30 day blogging challenge. I think I'll follow her. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?

30 Day Challenge
Getting to know me.

Each day of the month [well, each day starting tomorrow for the following 30 days], write a blog post according to these guidelines below:

Day 1 - Recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
Day 2 - The meaning behind your Blog name
Day 3 - A picture of you and your friends
Day 4 - A habit that you wish you didn't have
Day 5 - A picture of somewhere you've been
Day 6 - Favorite superhero and why
Day 7 - A picture of someone/something that has had the biggest impact on you
Day 8 - Short term goals for this month and when you'll accomplish them
Day 9 - Something you're proud of in the past few days
Day 10 - Songs you listen to when you're bored, happy, sad, mad, etc.
Day 11 - Another picture of you and your friends
Day 12 - How you found out about blogging and why you have a blog
Day 13 - A letter to someone who has hurt you recently
Day 14 - A picture of you and your family
Day 15 - Put your ipod or shuffle on-first 10 songs that play
Day 16 - Another picture of yourself
Day 17 - Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
Day 18 - List some plans, dreams, and goals that you have
Day 19 - Nicknames you have and why you have them
Day 20 - Someone you see yourself marrying or being with in the future
Day 21 - A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 22 - What makes you different from everyone else?
Day 23 - Something you crave often
Day 24 - A letter to your parents
Day 25 - What I would find in your bag
Day 26 - What do you think about your friends?
Day 27 - Why you are doing this 30 day challenge
Day 28 - A picture of you from last year and now - How have you changed?
Day 29 - In this past month, what have you learned?
Day 30 - Your favorite song