I Finished!!!

I took my last final exam today for the online English class I have been really dragging my feet finishing. It is such a relief to have it over with and it means that I have now finished all of my requirements for graduation! I will be awarded a Bachelor of Sciences Degree from Brigham Young University in Family Life Studies: Human Development.

I graduated from high school in 2003 and it has taken me almost 9 years to finally graduate from college. However, I haven't been going to school full-time or even part-time for those entire 9 years. What I did was attend three Universities: BYU-Idaho for 3 semesters, Utah State for 4 semesters (some part-time and this is where I earned my Associate's degree) and I started at BYU in Fall of 2009 but have been going part-time ever since Aaron was born in 2010.

In between semesters or years and sometimes while going to school I - interned at Disney World, was a nanny in Pennsylvania, Utah, Italy and Spain, worked for Head Start, Touchstone Therapy, Elmore County Family Resource Center, BYU-Idaho as a Resident Assistant, BYU in the International Services office, etc. I also got married in 2008 to my wonderful husband Jon, had Aaron in 2010 and I am due with baby Declan next month (April 2012). I am so grateful for the wonderful experiences I have had over the last 9 years of my life. I made so many wonderful friends in college and learned so many things through classes and life experiences that have blessed my life immensly! I know that my education will continue to bless me, my family and those I am able to serve. I am so grateful that I was able to finish.

I will say that it has been a difficult journey at times. It has been especially tough going to school since becoming a Mom. Even just going part-time took a lot of time and energy and I had to make sacrifices in other areas to keep up (ie. I usually didn't get to nap when Aaron did, my house has been sub-par, we often had simple meals, I didn't get to work on other talents/hobbies I may have wanted to and I haven't been able to visit friends and family as much as I might have liked to). I really wanted to quit a few times after Aaron was born because it just seemed too hard. Luckily for me I have a very amazing support network of family and friends who helped to motivate and encourage me. My husband has been my biggest supporter of all! He has never once complained about anything and has cheered me through every assignment, test and class. He is wonderful! My Mom and sisters in law (Katie P. and Jeannie) sacrificed their time to watch Aaron so that I could go to class, study or work on assignments. And the rest of my family and friends have been very encouraging all along.

The main idea that motivated me to finish, especially since coming to BYU (I have either been pregnant or had a small baby my entire time as a student here), was that I expect my kids to be able to do hard things so I shouldn't expect any less from myself. I remember hearing a talk a while back about how we need to be able to expect our kids to do hard things. They need to believe that they can accomplish hard things through relying on the Lord. Every time an assignment or a new class seemed like too much I just kept telling myself "I can do hard things." The scripture I always thought of is, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” –Philippians 4:13. Another thing that helped me to persist was to take things one bite at a time. I literally had to take things one class period (especially with morning sickness), one assignment, one test, at a time. I also had to be okay letting those other things I mentioned go because I wasn't willing to take away time or effort from my role as a Mom in order to achieve this goal.

Thank you to everyone who has helped me accomplish this important goal in my life! I wanted to record all of the classes I have taken for my records since I probably won't always have instant access to my transcript.

Major Courses (at BYU-Idaho it was Child Devlopment, at USU it was Family, Consumer and Human Development and at BYU it's Family Life Studies: Human Development. I also explored a couple other majors seriously, mainly music or spanish, but I kept coming back to this one.):

Intro to Child Studies
Honors Child Development
Essentials of Human Nutrition
Critical Issues in Family, Consumer and Human Development
Human Development Across the Lifespan
Marriage and Family Relationships
Parenting and Child Guidance
Family Finance
Infancy and Early Childhood
Family Crisis and Intervention
Children in the Middle Years
Preschool Methods and Curriculum
Strengthening Marriage and Family
Intro to Family Processes
Critical Inquiry and Research Methods
Cognitive Development
Moral Foundations of Family Life
Socialization Across Childhood
Adult Development and Aging
Language Development

General Education Classes:

Per Visit Art Lab
College Algebra
Intro to Music
Honors Book of Mormon, first half
Book of Mormon, second half
Intro to Chemistry
General Chemistry
Doctrine and Covenants
Student Leader
New Testament
Intro to Writing
American Civilization
Stratedies for Academic Success
Understanding Literature
Social Systems and Issues
Life Sciences
Intermediate Writing
Plants and Civilization
Perspecitives in Literature
Healthy Living
Weight Training
Modern Dance
Principles of Statistics
LDS Marriage and Family
LDS Temples
American Heritage
Expository Writing for Elementary Education Majors

Elective Courses:

Choral Society
Voice Techniques
Group Vocal Instruction
Classical Piano Instruction
Voice Lessons
Women's Choir (3 times)
Spanish 101, 102, 201

I will graduate with an A-/B+ GPA. I would have liked to graduate with a higher GPA, but that is another one of those things I had to let go when I decided to become a Mom and finish school at the same time :).

So happy, grateful, relieved to be done!!!! I have my cap and gown but we will have to see if I am able to walk in the graduation ceremony on April 20th since Declan is due the 21st.

How to make 40 weeks feel like 4

****Really long and probably boring post, for my record keeping :).

I know I keep saying this, but it's hard for me to get over how quickly this little boy's pregnancy is flying by! I now have less than 7 weeks until his due date - that's less than two months until I am a mother of two! WOW! I was busy during Aaron's pregnancy but I am a whole different kind of busy this time around and it makes the weeks seem like days. It seems like I have been working on major projects, big trips and busy life events throughout the entire pregnancy and it has made time zoom. Here are some of the things that have happened since the day I found out we were expecting Declan:

-Traveled to Idaho, traveled to Arizona, traveled to Alabama

-Finished a very busy Fall semester of classes

-Major Holidays and family get-togethers such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Valentines

-Helping Jon study and read for his really intense classes

-Helping my parents get their house ready to put on the market

-Helping my little brother get settled back home from his mission: school, clothes, errands, etc.

-At the beginning of the year I started working as my Dad's Administrative Assistant and I work from home a few hours a week arranging all of his travel, hotels, calendar, etc.

-Finished my Certification to be an Independent Certified Instructor for Baby Signs.

-Am ALMOST done my last class!!! I am on the final lesson and just have to finish up writing my research paper and study for and take the final. I plan to have it done by March 14th.

-Applied for graduation, bought cap, gown, tassel

-I have been reading a LOT any time I get the chance about natural childbirth and going through the Hypnobabies Home Study Course which takes time every day

-Decorating my house, hanging pictures and other random projects I've been meaning to get around to

-I was really busy on Sundays with my calling as Ward Chorister and arranged the Christmas music program. I now have a much less busy calling.

-Playgroups: arranging, hosting, attending, etc.

-Oh, and the biggest one of all... I have a SUPER busy, awesome, energetic toddler to keep up with! Aaron keeps me on the go and we stay busy painting, blowing bubbles, playing cars, trains and legos, playing outside any chance we can, going to the library, visiting cousins, friends and family. He transitioned to one nap in the Fall which meant we have a lot more time to fill every day and we usually try to do something fun in the morning (even if it's just going for a walk), have lunch and nap time and then the later afternoon/evening we are mostly at home or running errands. So pretty much the only time I've had to do all of the above-mentioned projects/activities is during his nap or after he is in bed at night.

-AND the other major thing that keeps me busy is called "real life", ie. groceries, cooking, laundry, cleaning, budgeting, bills, doctor/dentist apts, car maintenance, etc.

-PLUS we are sooo blessed to live close to family on both sides and try to get together with them and our friends whenever we are able! We have also been trading babysitting every other weekend with our friends and like to attend the temple as a couple when it's our turn.

So, the question is if the end of my pregnancy will seem much slower than the start. I doubt it. I have 7 weeks until his due date and big things happening up until then.

34- Finishing up my research paper is my major goal this week. Additionally keeping up with my preparations for childbirth, hosting play group on Thursday, helping Jon study, etc.

35-This week I need to study for and take my final exam. Also this weekend (March 17th) is St. Patrick's Day and Declan's Baby Shower at Melissa's house :). I am so excited!

36-This week I can finally start getting ready for the baby. I have so much cleaning and organizing I want to do and I'd like to have a yard sale before he comes to get rid of some of our extra stuff. I also need to get out all of the infant clothing and wash and organize them! This is probably the thing I am most excited about and I have been wanting to get out all of the tiny clothes but made myself wait until I finish my class. The Hunger Games movie also comes out this week! (If I have time this week I may re-read the first book before seeing the movie :)

37-Keep getting all of the things prepared for the baby that I didn't get done last week (I have a lot to do, one week isn't going to cut it). At the end of the week is General Conference and I will also be full term.

38-This is Easter week and I'm sure Aaron and I will do some fun things and that we will get together with family! My goal is to have everything ready for the baby by April 7th so that I am not stressing about it the last two weeks of my pregnancy.

39-Jon's last week of classes for the semester. I'm sure at this point I will just be trying to pass the time doing fun things with Aaron and visiting family and friends. The last couple weeks of pregnancy can be particularly exhausting so I don't want to plan to many "to-dos" during this time.

40- This is Finals week for Jon, my graduation is on April 20th and Declan is due the 21st! Jon is hoping the baby doesn't come during finals so I guess we will see when he decides to make his debut. If he hasn't come by Friday I will most certainly be attending my graduation ceremony at BYU!

Also before the baby comes I need to fit in all of my OB checks, get the door fixed on my van, get the oil changed on both cars, have my van cleaned out, go to the dentist, go to the eye doctor, keep up with my childbirth preparations (I have CD's I listen to every day, books I am reading, exercises I need to do daily, etc.), re-read The Baby Whisperer and The Happiest Baby on the Block, plan Aaron's birthday since he turns 2 very shortly after Declan is due, keep up with my job as Administrative Assistant... you get the idea, being busy makes time fly!

***Lest you get the impression that I am complaining in any way, I am most certainly not. In fact, I am so grateful for such a beautiful, full, rewarding and happily busy life. I am so grateful that this pregnancy is moving along so quickly and we can't wait to meet our newest addition! I am grateful to be busy raising a family, building a life with my wonderful husband, spending time with family and friends and serving the Lord. I am so blessed.

Just Imagine

I love seeing Aaron use his imagination. He has started making things with legos and telling us what he made (usually a vehicle like a car or airplane). He has also started pretending like his apple slices are different objects. Yesterday they were a fish, a boat and a train.

Aaronisms

I love watching Aaron's language development and it is so funny how he already has his own little catch phrases. We often quote him around our house. Here are some of the things he has said recently that I want to remember.

-He is really obsessed with the word and concept "hot." This is due to an instance from last week when he touched the glass on my parent's gas fireplace and hurt his little hand. The next day he would not go near it and would stand across the room staring at it saying, "It's hot? It's hot!" Now he is really concerned if anything seems hot. Earlier this week I washed his blanket and handed it to him toasty warm out of the dryer. He knew something felt different about it and asked, "Mommy, it's hot?", with a hint of concern in his voice. I said, "No, it's nice and warm." He then wrapped it around his shoulders with a big smile and said, "Oh, it's nice!"

-The other day Jon got Aaron out of bed in the morning. I heard Aaron talking to Jon on the way into my room saying, "Where's Mommy? Where'd she go? Where are you Mommy? There she is! Hello Mommy! Oh no, Mommy. (because he doesn't like when I lay down and I was still in bed), Here you go Mommy (pulling down the covers for me), Up, up!" And that is how my day started, with my sweet little boy and his darling voice :).

-We ate at Sweet Tomatoes which is a buffet style Soup and Salad place. Any time I would go get something for us Aaron would watch for me to come back and as soon as he saw me say, "There she is! Hello Mommy!" and wave his tiny hand. It's great to be so loved.

-Aaron really likes nursery rhymes. His new favorite is The Itsy Bitsy Spider. He does all of the actions and sings "Pider, pider, wash, out, pider."

-If Aaron wants us to follow him somewhere or to show us something he comes over, takes one of us by the hand and sweetly says, "Walk."

-Aaron says a number of words that are his own version of the word and need translation if we are around other people. Here are a few examples: Mater from Cars = Beater, McQueen from Cars = Misu, Balloon = Boofa, Stars = Upa's (he can say the word star but he prefers to call them "upas" like in the song, "Up above the world so high."), To infinity and beyond = ewweetoowetoowetoowe!

-If Aaron sees is name written on anything he spells it like this, "Aaaaa." Hey, 2 out of 5 isn't bad when you are 1!

Random Mom Thoughts/Journaling

I found a link to THIS article on pinterest today. It had a lot of great activity ideas, many of them are Aaron's favorites, and it also had a few wonderful reminders. I think the ones I appreciated most were numbers 11, 24 and 25. I know that all children are different, but when Aaron is acting upset it is pretty much always due to one of those items. He either needs some attention, needs a need met (this is the biggest one, he mainly "acts out" when he is hungry, tired, overstimulated or in pain/sick) or if I am stressed or in a bad mood he reacts accordingly. It is so important to try to see the world through the eyes of our little ones and attempt to figure out what is going on in their head. Toddlers are trying to figure out this great big world and there is so much that is wonderful and exciting to them, but there is also a lot that is frustrating and confusing. Aaron had a rough day today because his 2-year molars are coming through accompanied by a low grade fever, clear runny nose and lack of interest in food. He had a few "monster" moments this morning where he would get so frustrated and throw a toy across the room, try to hit, throw himself on the floor, etc. These moments are always sad and shocking for me as his Mom since it is so unlike him, but then I started to think how upsetting it must be for him to feel that way! It must be hard to all of a sudden feel so upset that you are out of control. This is when he needs me to step in and set boundaries or help him calm down. Aaron is also getting to the stage where he wants to do a lot of things himself but doesn't yet have the skill set (ie. putting on his own shoes, walking in the parking lot without holding someone's hand, etc.). This must also be very frustrating to want to do something so bad and not be able to! I know I am not a perfect Mom but I am trying to be the best Mom I can for Aaron and his specific needs. I also realize that Declan will have different needs, different frustrations and I may have to modify my strategies. Some ways I try to help Aaron cope with frustration and teach him appropriate behavior are:

1. Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding. Introducing activities that present some challenge without being too difficult. In human development there is a term referred to as "the zone of proximal development." This is the zone of development in which a child learns best. It would include a task that stretches the child and allows them to grow or practice a new skill (not too easy) without being so frustrating that the child gives up (not too hard). Puzzles are a great example of an activity that helps toddlers learn to deal with frustration. Wooden puzzles with pegs and large pieces or shape sorters are great stepping stones to more complex puzzles. When I introduce a new toy like this I often need to provide a little scaffolding. For example, when I see him trying to jam a circle into a square opening I might show him the shape, trace his finger around it and say "this is a circle", then point to the circle on the box and say, "see, this is a circle." Or if he keeps trying to fit a puzzle piece in upside down I might gently guide his hand to flip it around. The important thing is that he is still the one doing it but that he is learning new skills so that he can eventually do it on his own.

2. Choose your battles. This item goes along with the first. I try to provide activities that present some challenge and allow for a little healthy frustration at times, but I also try to limit activities that provide too much frustration. There are a few things that are triggers for meltdowns and for me it is better to just avoid them. For example, Aaron really likes Mater from the movie Cars. However, he does not understand WHY Mater can not actually tow other cars. Some days he plays fine with Mater and drives him around with his other cars. Other days he absolutely loses it because he just doesn't understand why Mater's tow cable won't hook to the other cars. On those days, I just have to hide Mater. It just isn't worth the constant meltdowns and trauma it causes when he is having a hard time coping. Choose your battles.

3. Being firm. Aaron doesn't appear to like it one bit when I speak firmly to him about things like hitting, throwing cars or putting a toy back at the store. However, it doesn't really matter if he appears to like it, I know he needs it. He is such a tender hearted little boy and usually apologizes if he even accidentally bumps into someone. Yet he still has moments when he gets so mad that he tries to hit (usually Jon or I) and he has to know it's not okay. Today he hit me and I told him firmly, on his eye level "No hitting, hitting hurts. Be soft." He did not like this and tried to hit me again. This time I held both of his hands and repeated the direction again. Now he was really mad and threw himself on the floor still trying to hit. I just picked him up, said the phrase again, set him in his crib and let him cry for a few seconds in a safe space. Then I asked him if he wanted to rock and he said "Yes" so I picked him up and rocked him until he calmed down. He needed the boundaries of understanding it wasn't okay to hit, but he also needed a little help calming down because he was having such a rough morning. After he calmed down he asked to go back in his bed and played in there for about 15 minutes to recharge his batteries.

4. Assessing his needs. Aaron is a very good-natured boy. When he acts-out I can almost always trace it to either him feeling hungry, tired, sick, overstimulated or in pain (like teething). The main way I try to avoid these problems is by keeping him on a routine so he doesn't get too hungry or tired, letting him have alone time when he has been around too many people and trying to treat the symptoms of whatever might be ailing him. Of course this is often a guessing game as a Mom but signing has been a MAJOR help in this area. I can't count the potential meltdowns we have avoided because Aaron has been able to tell us through using signs that he was hungry, thirsty, wanted to go to bed, wanted to read a book and so on. The interesting thing to me is that he still uses signs for "bed" and "eat." He says a lot of words, but I just think when he is feeling tired or hungry it is easier for him to simply gesture since he is still so young and it takes a lot less effort.

Just doing my best to raise a happy, healthy, kind boy who has good self-control. I am learning every day!

Arizona in August

Aaron and I flew to Arizona to visit Matthew, Shan and Austin on August 18th, 2011. I am so glad that we were able to visit and we had lots of fun. However, it was REALLY hot and my morning sickness got the best of me for the first time that week. Poor Matthew had surgery while we were down there, but we were able to enjoy his company anyway. It was so much fun watching Austin and Aaron interact. I am glad that they are only 10 months apart and hope they will be great friends. We still had a blast despite the heat and me being sick and made some wonderful memories. Here is a link to Shanna's post on our visit with even better pictures than I have. Some of the fun things we did were:

-Swim at their very nice pool a few times when it wasn't too hot.
-Visit Chuck-E-Cheese's with the boys.
-Visit Sonic during happy hour a couple of times to beat the heat.
-Walk around their really fun mall.
-Play games and watch movies when the boys were in bed.
-Watch the boys play together, they were so cute!
-Visit the Children's Museum in Phoenix*.
*Aaron and I got a flat tire driving back by ourselves from the museum and it was pretty traumatic being stuck on the side of the freeway during the hottest part of the day, with a screaming toddler in the backseat and me fighting my intense nausea. However, this was one of those times when literal angels in human form stopped to help us. A husband and wife stopped and offered to change our tire. The husband happend to be an auto mechanic and he even had a special electric pump in the back of his car to fill up the spare. Remembering their kindness brings tears to my eyes even now!
-Aaron and I also traveled to Mesa one afternoon to visit Carol Nixon (Melissa's Mom). We had so much fun playing at their house. I was able to swim in their pool while Aaron napped and then we went out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. It was so fun visiting with Carol and being in the Nixon's home. I have so many fun memories from visiting there when Melissa and I were younger.

Aaron playing in the kids area at the SLC airport. All airports should have these!

Austin in the grocery story at the children's museum. He wasn't too happy about me taking his picture.

I love Austin's silly face in this picture and how you can tell that Aaron is smiling at him from his raised cheeks :).

The boys really liked the remote control helicopter store in the mall.

Aaron at Chuck E' Cheese's.

I think this picture of Shanna and Austin watching the train drive away is so cute. Shanna was about 16 weeks pregnant during our visit and I was about 4 weeks pregnant. (We are anticipating the arrival of Matthew and Shan's little girl any day now!)

Running around in diapers :)

Drinking Jamba Juice to cool down.

Sister Nixon took us out to eat at one of our favorite Mesa restaurants, Tia Rosa's. I love Aaron's face in this picture. I was also happy to see Melissa's grandma. She has such a sharp memory and was telling me things she remembers about Melissa and I from when we were 12 and 15 years old!

Aaron playing in the grocery store area of the children's museum.

Aaron really enjoyed playing with all of the fun toys at the Nixon's house.

I think Aaron and Austin look a little bit alike in the picture above (Aaron on the airplane) and the picture below (Austin on the train).

The phones were the big hit at Sonic.

Austin placing an order at Sonic :).

Happy Day!

We found out we were pregnant with Baby Declan on August 10th, 2011. I was still less than 4 weeks pregnant but I had begun feeling sick already (still can't believe that's possible) and we decided to go ahead and take a test. I took one of the line tests while Jon was at his morning job and was shocked to see a VERY faint line. Thinking it was a fluke I took another one and saw another faint line. At this point I called Jon to see if he wanted to pick up a digital test on his way home, before he went to his second job. He did so and hurried home. This time we waited in the bathroom together to see the results, just like we did the day we found out we were pregnant with Aaron! Sure enough, the digital test said "PREGNANT" and we shouted for joy!

If you look REALLY closely, you can see a VERY faint pink line :)

This one is much more obvious :)