We're going to see all these wonderful people and more! Parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins and more. I wish all our family could be there. Love and miss you all!
We'll be spending the whole weekend down in Columbus. My parents, and two sisters, Claire and Ashley will be there as well as much extended family!! We are so excited to get to see them!
I'm going to be taking a much needed break from the computer, email, blog, etc. And we get to go to the temple on Saturday. How I need to be in the temple!
John is going to be one popular toddler. He can't help it. He's just too cute :)
Look, here are our excited faces!
Have a great holiday weekend, everyone!
(Wow, I used a lot of exclamation points. Can you tell I'm looking forward to this weekend?)
PS, I hereby dub Seth Wagner, Sir MostWonderfulHusbandICouldEverAskFor. I couldn't hope for a more loving, supportive, kind and comforting husband, and I am so grateful.
I'm thankful for so many things. I am thankful for:
Jesus Christ, His love and Atonement
Seth - the best husband
John - the joy of my life
my family
my home
food that helps me feel good
yoga
beautiful music
John's laugh - that seems to chase all my pain away for that moment
my bed The Book of Mormon
great friends
hope
being able to walk
Christmas is almost here! Well, I kind of feel like it is. To me, the Christmas season starts the day after Halloween. Thanksgiving is part of the festivities! :) John and I have been rocking out to Christmas music for weeks now.
Oh, what a day! I'm so glad I'm not working tomorrow. I'm going to play with John all day! and read him books and sing him songs and make him laugh and smile and giggle and say "Buba?" for bubbles, and "Bubby?" for Gumbi, and "Awa" for Agua. (He even does the sign with it, and it's so cute!)
I worked yesterday and today. 8 hours is too long to try to concentrate on essays that all say the same thing (or should) and try to take care of my adorable son, but not pay attention to him. It makes my heart sad that when I hear him happily babbling away in his play room while I'm working, it's not a good idea to go in and play with him and babble with him. And by 2:00 each day, John is pulling on my legs, really sad that I'm not paying attention to him. I would be able to if I had 2 brains, and 4 eyes...4 real eyes.
Speaking of eyes, we've finally saved up enough for me to get Lasik surgery!! It's been a long wait, but I'm really excited! I'm sad about having to wean John, but 16 months is sufficient I suppose... Really, it's now or never. You can't do the surgery while you're nursing or pregnant, and we'd like to have a big family. And that money will get eaten up by other medical bills (which are rolling in) if we don't use it now. And my wonderful mother-in-law Jeena is even going to come stay with us in March and help out with John when I get Lasik. Hooray!
To see. To just open my eyes when I wake up and see. See the clock clearly. Do yoga and see (without my glasses). To see the computer, the road, my husband, my son, without glasses. What a privilege. It is a privilege to have glasses. People 400 years ago didn't have glasses to help them see. Many/most people in the world don't have glasses who need them. I do have glasses, multiple pairs!
and I can see this beautiful sight:
and it's a super privilege to get Lasik, and I am grateful. Very grateful.
John is obsessed with cell phones right now. We don't let him have our cellphones, to his great dismay. So he turns all sorts of things into cell phones, anything with buttons or a screen the remote, a little electronic scrabble game, and things that are nothing like a phone, toy cars, blocks, etc. He holds it up to his ear and says, "Oh!" or "Ah!" Those both mean "Hola!" Then he shoves the pretend phone into my face because he wants me to say hola too. And then we repeat, all day long. It never gets old!
"Oh, this is a really fun car to play with!"
"Maybe it even tastes good! No. Not really. Maybe it would be a better cellphone than a snack."
"Hola! Yes, I'd like to place an order for a real cellphone. Yes, a REAL cellphone. This is just a car, and it doesn't get good reception."
"Who cares if I'm 15 months old!!? I WANT A REAL CELL PHONE!"
"Well, I'm sorry I yelled at you. I guess this car phone isn't that bad after all."
I dropped my phone that I've had 9 months the other day. The screen barely cracked, and now that half of the screen doesn't work at all....so I had to get the old phone box out, and revert to my former phone that has a shattered screen on one side that surprisingly still works. But it's sure nice to be able to make calls and not feel so helpless and cut off from the world. And in the old phone box I found Seth's old blackberry and thought John might like to pretend with a real phone that's not hooked up to a network. He doesn't like it. He LOVES it! He's actually crazy about it and carries it everywhere. Now I'm wondering if this was a good decision....
Today was a very blustery winter day! We got all bundled up to go to church, and it is always warm there. The heater in our building does work well, a little too well in the chapel; but the warmth that I feel at church comes from the inside instead of the outside. Even the time when the furnace broke during church last winter and it was very chilly in the building, everyone stayed. It could be seen as shocking that everyone stayed, rubbing and blowing on their hands, and huddling together. But it isn't shocking to me. I know how they feel, they want to be there to feel the warmth and love, and to renew their covenants to God and receive added strength to face the challenges of the coming week.
Tonight we ventured out again to go to Tithing Settlement. It was a great experience to meet with our Bishop, Luke Harmer. John really loves him! He kept walking over to him wanting to be picked up, and smiling at him. He also loved exploring the Bishop's office and succeeded in getting into some mischief that the Bishop was kind enough not to mind. I remember going to tithing settlement with my parents and siblings when I was a kid, and it was and is important to me to know that it was important to my parents to pay a full tithe to the Lord. He's given us all we have, and He only asks a little back to help us show and grow our faith. I'm glad John could come with us, and soon enough he'll understand what it is about and gain his own testimony that the Lord always blesses us for paying tithing.
Seth's mom, Jeena was kind enough to send me these pictures of Seth's Papa, Robert. Robert passed away about a decade ago while Seth was serving his mission in Guam, and Seth and all of the Wagner family miss him so much. I wish I could have met Robert, but I know that someday I will. Our son is named John Robert for his grandpas, and I believe that John already knows his Grandpa Robert. They were buddies in Heaven. I'm going to put these pictures in John's play room so he will get to know Papa's face, and know that he's loving him from afar.
We're very excited that he has options, and we feel so grateful. They offered him a partial scholarship and a Graduate Assistant position, which is really wonderful. What a blessing! It will be a tough choice come decision time.
John is overjoyed to have his 'Dada' back. He walked all over the house laughing and laughing (yes, he can walk all over the house now!) and telling Dada all the new words he knows. "Bubby" (Gumbi) being his favorite. I'm also so glad to have Seth back. It was so nice to all have dinner together and to talk to Seth face to face. Hooray for being together!
PS, last night when I went to pick up Seth when he came home from Iowa, our car wouldn't start! Our 2010 Toyota Corolla wouldn't start! What's up with that? The battery was not the problem. It made plenty of noise when I turned the key. Seth tried it too, and it didn't work. Then this morning...it started. He took it to the shop. They said there's nothing wrong with it. I don't believe them. Seth does, but I don't. Cars are supposed to start when there's nothing wrong, ALL the time. Not just most of the time. But maybe this is just a blessing. The Lord fixed our car overnight....maybe.
So, as you may know I've been trying to speak as much Spanish as I can with John. I don't always speak Spanish when Seth is home or when we're with other people. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable. But I do what I can at home. I have a dictionary app on my phone that I consult frequently. There are so many words I don't know!
I always wanted to serve as a missionary for my church , but it turned out that the Lord had a different mission for me, and I decided to get married. I never regret my decision. After I married, I still wanted to learn a language and be able to help people of different backgrounds, so I studied Spanish at Brigham Young University Idaho, where we went to college. I studied my little heart out, and practiced as much as I could. I got to return missionary level and took advanced grammar and composition. But 5 years and lack of use really make the Spanish cogs get rusty in my brain, and I've forgotten a lot. Right now, I'm only speaking in present tenses with John, but soon he will understand and speak much more, and I want to be ready. So it's back to the books!
I remember that I liked this book when I took my second Spanish class, so I figure I'll start here. If you have any suggestions on brushing up on Spanish tenses, especially commands a requests, or want to share any experiences about trying to raise your children bilingually, I'm all ears! :)
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I'm picking up Seth tonight. He's coming back from his interview and preview at University of Iowa. Coming back to stay for a long time!! Hooray! W'e've sure missed him. John's teething (a big molar that is not friendly), and he's still struggling with day light savings, and weening is not fun, necessary, but not fun. John gets lonely (and so do I) just hanging out with Mama all day and night with no change in company. Yay for Dada coming home!
to The Ohio State University's Fisher MBA School!!!
Whoohooo!
I am so proud of him! He did it! Hooray!
He hasn't accepted yet because we need to wait to hear from/interview with and possibly get offers from the other schools, and that may take more than a month.
But we're so very excited and relieved that he got into one of his top school, and that means we are definitely headed to MBA school! (PS, MBA means Master's of Business Administration if you were wondering.) And it just makes me feel like all the months of hard work were worth it! All Seth's studying, all our writing, editing, rewriting, rewriting, rewriting, all the fees and travel costs etc. We've learned so much and worked together and grown together, and now, no matter what else happens, he has a spot! So no more worrying "if we get in or not."
He's in! He got in! :)
We are so grateful. We know that the Lord has guided and helped us all the way, and is still doing so.
Seth's on his way at this moment to Iowa City to interview with the University of Iowa Tippie MBA School tomorrow. Feel free to send some prayers his way, and thank you all so much for all of the prayers so far. I know that they've helped.
Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh. Sigh of relief and gratitude.
Sometimes it frightens me that in a few short years, Baby John will be using the internet. A place where a lot of bad things can be found. One problem is that those bad things are starting to come looking for us, and our innocent children.
Please sign this petition to make pornography an opt-in feature of the internet instead of a standard for everyone feature:
Today I made a little keychain for John (that doesn't have any keys, only nic-nacs). One of the nic-nacs is a little Gumbi toy. So I pointed to Gumbi a bunch of times and said his name a lot, and John has been going around saying, "Bumbi? Bumbi?" He's really into words that start with "B," and if they don't he just changes it :) It is so fun to watch him learn!
We haven't been able to swing much with the snow outside, but it's melted in the back yard, so John and I ventured out. He wore his new hat and coat and mittens. I found the coat and hat at thrift stores, and the whole deal was $8 :) Whoohoo! I had do do a bit of work on it, and then I crocheted anchors to the hat and mittens so they'll stay attached to the coat if John pulls them off, which he does a lot! It is really hard to get his thumbs in the mitten hole! He is wiggling his hand so much. But after I got them on, he clapped them together like it was great fun and like he wanted them on all along.
I thought about the time that I spent on this coat and hat and mittens, and how much they mean to me: a lot. They mean so much because of this little face I get to put inside of them. They will keep him warm, protect him from the cold outside of our home. That's one thing I want to do. A duty I feel that is mine, and that I want to keep as long as I can. So, in a way, this little coat, and this little hat, and these little gloves are like an extension of me and my love for this precious soul that is mine to care for.
John was thrilled to be outside. He giggled every time I pushed him. Each time, I hold the swing while John waits in avid anticipation, and I say, "Uno, Dos, Tres...Columpia!" I let go on "Columpia!" and he giggles and giggles. What a wonderful sound! It is such a privilege to be John's mother. I have the best job in the world. No amount of prestige, fame or money is better than this. My job is important, and I love being a mother.
When we came inside, John rapidly crawled around the kitchen corner looking for Seth, asking, "Dada? Dada?" This little boy sure misses his Dada, and so do I! Our home is so empty without him, even during the day. Just knowing that he's not going to walk in the door between 5:30 and 6:00 just makes the day seem like...not as much as it could be, like...not enough.
Seth did well in his interview today. Thanks everyone for your prayers!
We can't wait to have you home tomorrow night, Dada!
This morning, I drove Seth to the airport at 5:30. After 10 hours of smooth travelling, he's in Seattle visiting University of Washington's Foster Business School. One of my angel sisters, Hannah, and her husband Michael and son, James are hosting him for a few days, and it is so nice of them! Thanks Dimonds!!
We've sure been missing Seth today. Anytime there is a sound near the kitchen door, like the neighbor coming in, John looks over with a smile and asks, "Dada?" Tonight he's been asking for him a lot. He knows there's something different when the day doesn't end with a fun time with Seth. Seth's Foster interview is tomorrow morning, so if you want to send some prayers his way, that would be great! Whatever the outcome of this MBA thing is, all I ask is that Seth's career doesn't require constant travel. We would miss him too much.
Go get em' Dada! We love you! You're going to do great!!
This young girl's faith and resilient selflessness lifted me up tonight and helped me see the joy that comes from serving others instead of wallowing in my own problems or pain. Life is good, oh so good, especially if we use it to bless others. I'm thankfulto have the opportunity to try to dmy part to help no matter what challenges come my way. Christ didn't shrink from the task Heavenly Father gave Him, and He lived and served everyone. I want to be like Him.
I looked out my bedroom window today at the pretty leaves falling to the ground and felt nostalgic. Although we have a big electric pole on our front lawn, we really have a beautiful peaceful view. This will be our last Autumn in Cleveland. And it is fading away, fast. We've spent 5 wonderful Autumns here. We have loved it here, the people, the seasons, our home(s), our neighbors. It's a bit sad to think that from here on out, we're starting our list of "last times in Cleveland." But I'm determined to make it good, a good last Thanksgiving, last Christmas, last anniversary, last Easter, last spring in Cleveland. We'll take advantage of the rest of the time we have here. I think I'll start a bucket list. Anyone have any suggestions for Cleveland bucket list items?
I've been looking this week for the tender mercies of the Lord in my life. And I find, although there may be a lot of things to sort through, if we look, the Lord will spell them out for us, and we will be able to understand that He knows us, and He loves us.
I don't usually have a car during the day, and I'm so exhausted that I probably wouldn't venture out to the store or garage sales even if I did have a car. But lately I've been thinking that I'd really like some different clothes, some clothes that fit, that aren't 4 sizes too big. I've also been thinking that I'd like to get some letter fridge magnets for John to play with. I've only been thinking about it. I hadn't told someone or prayed about it. But I have been praying that the Lord would help me see His tender mercies in my life, and I have been reminded yet again that He answers heartfelt prayers.
We don't have family living in our area, but we do have a wonderful church or "ward" family who have helped us to feel that we are home here. Our neighbors, the Winder's are part of that ward family, and they are our dear friends. They just came over the other night, trekking across the vast 3 feet that separate our dwellings, just to chat for a bit, let us borrow their drill, and return some of our dishes. They sometimes call us "the Waggies" which I think is a fun pet name. They are dear friends.
Today John and Stella had a play date, and Beth and I were visiting. Beth happened to ask me if I'd like to have the clothes she didn't need anymore, and then she gave me an extra bag of fridge letter magnets that she had bought a garage sale that I couldn't go to. Coincidence? No, I'm sure it's not. Beth didn't know she was answering one of my prayers, but the Lord knew she would.
I know that my Heavenly Father was reminding me that He knows not only my every need, but my wants as well, and that He'll take care of me. Will He send everything I want basically on a silver platter like that? No, but He will bless me with what I need as I do my best, and He will even grace those needs with the silver lining of wants sometimes. He really does send His tender mercies to all those who will have faith in Him.
What tender mercies has the Lord sent you this week?
Today I'm thinking about the tender mercies of the Lord. I read this passage in The Book of Mormon this morning: "behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance." I am learning that the Lord chooses us if we have faith in Him and try to keep His commandments. And He often doesn't remove our trials, but He makes usmightier than we could ever be alone, and He helps us to improve our own circumstances, or cheerfully persevere through challenges we can't control. And then I listened to this wonderful talk by Elder David A. Bednar. I got pretty choked up at one point while listening. Although I can't understand why so many very difficult things happen to people who are trying so hard to do good, I do know that God watches over us, and He blesses us.
Elder Bednar mentions tender mercy that the Lord is blessing me with now: "the persistence and the fortitude that enable us to press forward with cheerfulness through physical limitations and spiritual difficulties are examples of the tender mercies of the Lord."
At 15 months, John's weighing in at 23 lbs. He's getting so much taller! He's 32 inches. It's pretty crazy he's almost grown a foot in a year. And his head is 47.5 cm if that means anything to you. If it doesn't, rest assured, John has a pretty good sized noggin'! I always remember that when it comes crashing into my face!
I'm thinking about getting John a harmonica for Christmas. His hands are so often in the perfect position for it! If he just got to work on his breathing into a little metal box, he could be a child prodigy in no time!
John is such an explorer! Some say he'll be an engineer. I don't know about that, but he sure explores every option, and exhausts all the possibilities before giving up at anything.
He still puts anything and everything in his mouth no matter how hard I try to stop him, so I've mostly given up.
John's strengthening his thighs with a lot more squats lately.
He had a lot of fun dressing up this month as Monster John, and John the Monkey.
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John is eating really well. Although he's still not eating all table food because it's to difficult to chew it all, John eats mostly whatever we eat. In the morning he drinks the juice Daddy makes for us (carrot, celery, apple, lemon and spinach/kale) then eats cereal and fruit with me, then I've just started making a milk shake for him during the day. (I'm starting to ween him...it makes me sad... but we've got to replace it with something). I put milk, berries, flaxseed, sunflower seeds, and nuts (pecans, walnuts or almonds) into almond milk, and he likes it quite a bit. I am glad because he needs those healthy fats.
He also loves avocados, tomatoes, hummus, marinara sauce, whole wheat pasta, rice, potatoes, cooked onions, broccoli, asparagus, spinach, kale, chickpeas, well all sorts of beans, any kind of fruit. He drinks green smoothies all the time. His iron was low at his 12 month appt, but thankfully, since we've tried to up his intake of iron rich foods, his levels are normal now! And we didn't have to give him a supplement :)
John vocabulary is increasing.
He can say: Hi, yeah, woof woof, quack quack, moo, mama, dada,
As for signing, he waves when we say "Hola!" He does: Mas/More, Comer/Comida/Eat/Food, Leche/Milk, Terminado/Finished
He also loves to say: Eeee-gah! Weego weego. Biggle Biggle Biggle
As it is with all language learners, he understands much more than he can say. I love to see the dawning comprehension on his face when he learns something new.
John took his first step on Oct. 24th! (without holding on to anything) And we got it on camera! Well, you can't see his feet, but you can tell it is an attempt! And the next two days, he's taken a step on each day, and he's starting to walk holding just one of my hands, and he's really zooming with his musical push toy. We are just so proud! We are so thankful to be able to watch him grow, learn and develop. Although I'm thrilled for him, there is a little pang of sadness that my baby isn't really a baby any more. He's a little boy. He's growing up.... But we are sure enjoying each moment and milestone with our precious son.
He's just our happy little guy. One of Seth's and my missions in life is to make this little monkey laugh as much as possible. It's the best sound I've ever heard!
John got some battle wounds this month which scared me more than they did him. He's recovered quickly, and is off like a bullet to find some more trouble!
Just look at him! It's amazing how it's possible for him to keep getting cuter!
John is getting a little of the "Mama attachment syndrome," and just a bit of stranger anxiety. I'm hoping he's acting so attached to me right now because of teething and recent vaccinations. We'll see I guess. Sometimes it's frustrating, and other times it makes me feel special and loved :) Usually John can be won over by strangers who smile at him, and most people do because he's so stinkin' cute!
Maybe I think this about whatever stage John's at, but I really think this one is the most fun. Seth, John and I just have a blast together! John is so expressive now. He babbles all day long, but it really seems like he is trying to put meaning into what he's saying. I am so interested to find out what that meaning it.
John likes to imitate us now. It's easiest to get him to brush his teeth if I'm doing it to. He likes to have the bottom teeth brushed but not the top.
We think he's getting more teeth on the bottom. They haven't surfaced yet, but the drooling, crankiness and teeth grinding have.
John likes yelling a bit more than I want him to. I think he's testing out his vocal chords, and he's frustrated that he can't tell us exactly what he wants.
John really started walking the last weekend in October. We were visiting my Aunts, Candi and Laura, and their house has carpet, and he seemed to gain a little confidence because it didn't hurt as much to fall (as it does on our wood floors). He took 10 steps in a row a number of times!
