Welcome to the Terrific Twos!

Before and after the haircut

Rachel turned 2 years old on Friday! Yay! The last day she was 1, I finally gave her a haircut, just trimming the bangs. It turned out pretty cute. I have to admit that on the side you can’t see in the picture, it’s not quite even. But since most of the time, her hair doesn’t lie straight (too much wave in it, just like mine, and she’s so active) you hardly notice it.

I don’t know how much Rachel understood about having a birthday. We kept repeating it, and telling her she was two, but she still can’t answer the question of “How old are you?” She did open the presents without much prompting though. She got lots of books and toys, and is enjoying them all.

We had a small family party on the Saturday, with my parents, Daniel’s brother Ben, his cousin Paul, and their families. Since Rachel woke up right as guests were arriving, she was a bit shy, especially with all the noise. But after about half an hour, she went and played too. They played with balloons, London Bridge, Ring Around the Rosie, and bubbles. For the cake, I made these cupcakes from OurBestBites. We also had ice-cream, chips and salsa, apples and dip, and pizza rolls. Quite yummy!

Rachel’s vocabulary is growing at a great pace. Her favorite word is “again.” She’s finally gotten the numbers between 1 and 10 straight, and enjoys counting fingers with us. She loves to point the colors out that she sees in the car (especially when the stoplight turns green). It’s so fun to watch her learn.

How Big Will I Get?

I didn’t start taking pictures of my belly when I was pregnant with Rachel until I was 5 months along. Now that I’m that far along with Joseph, I thought it would be fun to do a comparison of the two pregnancies. It’s interesting to see that though I’m getting bigger earlier, the rate of change seems to be slower with Joseph. I’m curious to see how big I will be by the end of this pregnancy, seeing at how large with child I was at 9 months with Rachel.

Daniel’s been able to feel Joseph move now (YAY!) and occasionally, I’ve been able to see my shirt jiggle with Joseph’s movements. I’m guessing I’m going to have another active baby. He found my ribs for the first time yesterday. It’s hard to believe that I’m going to have four more months of him kicking me there. He also makes it hard to sleep at night, because that’s his most active time. (The new mattress has softened up now, so at least it’s mostly comfortable to sleep) I won’t be surprised if he’s one of those babies that has their days and nights switched. Joy.

Other than that, things are going pretty well. After my next appointment, I’ll start seeing the doctor twice a month. In two or three visits, we’ll be discussing the VBAC in depth – covering all the risks it poses and such. Here’s hoping it all goes well!

Surprisingly Pleased With the Kindle

When e-readers first came out, I thought that I would never want one. Curling up with a paper book is so much more comforting than curling up with an electronic device. They seemed to be so expensive too. But then Daniel started calculating how much we could save by switching our newspaper subscription to the Kindle (I held out that I like to read during meal times, and it’s much less catastrophic to spill on a newspaper than the Kindle) and I learned that you can get electronic copies out-of-copyright books for free via the Gutenberg project. We also test-drove a Kindle 1 that Daniel borrowed from his co-worker and I was surprised at how easy it was to read the e-ink (as easy on my eyes as newspaper). I could see myself using it to critique my manuscripts, instead of printing it out to make it easier to read. So, when the price on the Kindle 2 recently dropped, I said “Ok, I want it for Christmas.”

It has arrived, and we decided to go ahead and open it early. I have been surprised with how much I enjoy and use it. Curling up with it is still comfortable, though the occasional reflection of the light on the screen is weird. I could read for over an hour without my eyes getting tired like it does on a laptop. Recently, I read the 700 page book The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins entirely on the Kindle, so I’ve definitely given it a test run with that.

To get through that many pages in time to discuss it with my book club, I resorted to Text-to-Speech so that I could get through it while I did laundry or other chores. I thought I wouldn’t like Text-to-Speech because I am such a visual person. However, I am now grateful for it, because that function is why I finished in time. When I was ready to fall asleep while reading, Text-to-Speech could get me through a few more pages before I headed off to bed. It’s definitely not my preferred method of reading. The voice is mechanical and occasionally mispronounced things (it would say “bow” like a hair bow instead of the man took a bow). It also wouldn’t take a breath at em-dashes (which the book had a lot of) which jumbled meaning sometimes. Still, I can see myself using this feature in the future.

I’ve found that referring back to annotations made in Kindle books can get clunky. At least I rarely make notes. The real test of this will be when I critique a novel on it. When I do that (probably The Maboon Defenders Rescue sometime after Joseph is born), I may come back and report how it went.

The Kindle has an experimental browser in it (without any download fees!), which Daniel has used mostly to read scriptures from lds.org. He’s currently working on reading the Book of Mormon in Italian, and since he lost his physical copy, this provides him with the easiest way to keep up with that project. We’re looking forward to taking the Kindle with us instead of our quads when we travel.

I also like the fact that this allows me to stop needing to buy so many shelves for books that I only read once. That’s why when I was selecting which version of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society to buy so I could read it for book club – when both paperback and Kindle version were the same price, I went with the Kindle version. I’m looking forward to reading it next.

As you can see, I’m quite pleased with my early Christmas present – much more than I thought I would be. It’s worth checking out.

Disclosure – I am married to an Amazon employee (which is why the Kindle was the only e-reader we’ve considered). I also receive a referral fee for any orders you make from Amazon through a link on my page. Still, I do try to give my honest opinion here on my blog.

October 2009 Writing Challenge Wrap-Up

This month I was able to get in 11,584 words. It’s less than I had hoped. I got busy/tired this last week, and missed a couple days. Even though I didn’t break my record of 12,130 words in a month, I’m still pleased with the amount of progress I made.

As for the novel itself, I’m starting to gear up for the final mission. I really have no idea how long it will be in all. Probably between 35K and 45K words. That’s still really short for a novel, but I already see lots of things that need fleshing out.  I should be able to finish it before March, but I’m going to take a break from writing every day until January. I have some things I’ve been neglecting that I need to do, including reading and sewing projects.

Rachel’s Favorite Things

Wow, my little girl turns two next month. It’s gone by fast. I’m hoping that her terrible twos aren’t that terrible. Overall, she’s good natured. When I tell her to come here, or to stop doing something, she’ll give me a mischievous grin and keep going. Then when I physically stop her, she’ll do a dance of frustration for a minute before I find her something else to do. She’s shy among people she doesn’t know, so she doesn’t get in fights with other kids very often. :) 

I tried potty training again this month. I can only handle doing it for a week before I get too stressed out to continue. She’s having more successes on the potty, but I think she’ll understand better once she gets older. I’m thinking about trying one more time before this baby comes, but if that fails I’m going to wait until early next summer to try again. By then I’ll be used to having two kids, and Rachel can run around in just a shirt and underwear.

Before Rachel’s 2 year birthday party, I plan on giving her her very first haircut! Her bangs definitely need it – they hang in her eyes if they’re not swept to the side. I’ll probably leave the curls at the back, unless she’s being exceptionally good. Then I might try to even things a little. I won’t hold my breath though. (See below about Rachel’s least favorite activities)

Well, that’s mostly all I have for now, though I thought I’d list some of Rachel’s favorite things/things she’s learned.

• Favorite Activities: Watching DVDs, reading, coloring, building blocks, make lots of noise
• Least Favorite Activities: Getting hair done, brushing teeth
• Favorite Movies: The Little Mermaid, Blues Clues
• Favorite Game: Egg Counting Elmo
• Favorite Book: I Hope You Dance by Tia Sillers, Good Night Seattle by Jay Steere, various “My First Words” books.
• Favorite Clothes: Dora the Explorer pajamas
• Colors She Knows: “Onge” (orange), “boo” (blue)
• Shapes She Knows: “Tar” (star), “art” (heart), “oh-ol” (oval)
• Favorite Numbers: Two, Five, Eight, Ten
• Favorite Animals: Cat, horse
• Favorite Foods: yogurt, oranges, milk, noodles, chocolate, rice, ice, grapes, peanut butter, apple juice

Halfway There!

This week, I’ll be 20 weeks into the pregnancy!  Joseph’s moving around a lot more now, though Daniel hasn’t been able to feel it yet. Maybe by next month. The most predictable time for movement is in the evening, and the next most predictable is after lunch.

We got a new bed to hopefully eliminate the tossing and turning that comes with being pregnant. We’ve only had it a few days, but all it’s done is make it even more uncomfortable to sleep. I’m hoping that before long, the mattress will soften up and it will be easier to sleep. Things are only going to get more uncomfortable as the baby and belly get bigger. Almost all my regular pants are now put away, and I’m going to have to get out my maternity tops before too long.

Rachel’s still pretty oblivious to the fact that she’s going to be a big sister. She doesn’t react when we say “Your baby brother Joseph is in Mommy’s tummy,” but lately, she’s been lifting my shirt at random times to look at my tummy – perhaps she’s looking for him. Either that, or she’s fascinated by my flattening belly button.

Review: The Maze Runner ****()

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Why I Read This: I’ve enjoyed other books by Dashner
Short Summary: A group of teenagers wake up in a maze (complete with monsters) with no memories of how they got there
Website: http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/mazerunner/home.html

Buy The Maze Runner on Amazon

I read James Dashner’s blog and was excited to read his latest book, with all the hype he was giving about it. I’ve enjoyed other distopian books (Uglies, The Hunger Games) so I thought I would enjoy this one as well. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

It was a page turner. I kept reading, even though I had laundry and dishes that needed doing. There were surprises that added to the suspense. However, I felt like there wasn’t as much suspense as there could be, because I figured out the general things they needed to do to solve the maze before the boys did. When I finished the book, I was also confused about some things. I’ll probably get some answers in the other two books of the trilogy, but I felt that some details could have been shared in this book.

I felt that the characters were fairly bland. There were a lot of them, and they tended to blend together in my mind. I did like the protagonist – Thomas and the way he trying to come up with ideas even though they were mostly shot down with “we already tried that.” I also liked Minho, and the way he stood up for Thomas after they spend their first night together.

Dashner’s other series – The 13th Reality – had a lot of humor, and I was hoping this book would have some too. Unfortunately, the tone of The Maze Runner, is really dark, and didn’t allow for much humor, which left me disappointed.

This book reminds me a lot of Lord of the Flies and Ender’s Game, in that you put a bunch of boys together, and see what happens. Dashner’s take is a lot more hopeful than the previously mentioned books. In Maze Runner, the boys have set up a system of order, and everybody works to survive. There are disagreements, and punishments have to be paid to rule breakers, but the society is quite good compared to Ender’s Game and especially Lord of the Flies.

The boys also developed their own slang and swear words in the maze, which I thought was interesting. I thought it was realistic that the boys would use one of their made-up swear words very often, because boys put together like that can be quite crude. However, it got on my nerves to hear it every other line of dialog.

There is a fair amount of violence as the boys fight the monsters in the maze. However, there isn’t much detail beyond the blood. When a girl appears in the glade, the boys call “dibs” on her, but after the leader forbids anyone from touching her, there’s no reference to sex. There is no swearing beyond the madeup swearing already mentioned.

I probably won’t buy the other books because the crassness of the swearing (even if it was made-up) bugged me so much, but I will probably read them from the library. Overall, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

I had an ultrasound today, and this one cooperated much better than Rachel did. We had a nice clear shot, and even before the technician said anything, I was suspecting what the gender was. If you can’t see the picture – it’s a boy!  100% confidence.

Now I’m going to have to go through all the things I saved from Rachel and see what new things we have to get. I already know I need to get new bedding.  We’ve already picked a name – Joseph Kyle.

Everything else about the ultrasound looked good. I’d post a picture of Joseph’s face, but it’s scary looking. Looked much better live. The timing of the shot made the eye sockets stand out dark, like a skull. It was cute to watch him wiggle around. He liked having his arms up by his head.

Being able to put a name to this baby has made it seem so real now. I’m excited. March, hurry up and come!

October Writing Challenge

If you’ve noticed on the sidebar, I had a monthly goal for writing in September. It wasn’t part of any writing challenge – just a personal one. My goal started at 14,000 words in the month, but now I’m just hoping to beat 12,063 words in the month – which will beat my record of most words written in a month since having Rachel. To make it, I’ll have to write 900 words today and tomorrow.

Anyway, Tristi is hosting her quarterly writing challenge, so I’m signing up. It’ll be interesting to see how I do after 2 months of hard writing (especially since Rachel is trying to give up her naps. I’m also going to try potty training again.). My goal is 700 words a day, for a total of 14,000 words in the month. But if I beat my record for most words in a month again, I’ll be happy.

As for my work in progress – The Maboon Defenders Rescue is coming along pretty well. I can really feel these characters coming to life in a way they never have before. There will definitely be details that need to be fleshed out before I start asking for critiques, but I’m feeling really good about this one.

If anyone’s interested, here’s the monthly stats I’ve kept since Rachel was born.

• Jan – Mar 2008 : 5,425 words
• Jul 2008 : 10,234 words
• Oct 2008 : 12,063 words
• Jan 2009 : 9,809 words
• Apr 2009 : 9,615 words
• Sep 2009 : 10,235 words

Fall Into Reading 2009

Katrina from Callapidder Days is hosting another of her semi-annual reading challenges. It is very low pressure where you can read as many or as few books as you desire of any genre between September 22nd and December 20th. You can share reviews on Callapidder Days and enter a weekly prize drawing. So if you want to join me, I’d love to have you!

Here’s my reading list. I may add to it as I go along, and if I don’t get to some of these, oh well. They’ve been sitting on my shelf for so long, I feel a bit bad.

• Rebecca by Daphne duMaurier
  Old Ward Bookclub September
  Read Sep 23
• The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
  Old Ward Bookclub October
  Read Oct 14
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
  Old Ward Bookclub November, New Ward Bookclub December
  Read Nov 10
• (TBD) Old Ward Bookclub December
• Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
  New Ward Bookclub October
  Read Sep 26
• The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins 
  New Ward Bookclub November
  Read Nov 5
• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
  Read Sep 28
• Decider by Dick Francis
• A New Song by Jan Karon
• The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
• High Country by Jennie Hansen
  Read Nov 12
• The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale
  Read Oct 3
• The Maze Runner by James Dashner
  Read Oct 9 Read my review

I’m also going to try to read at least once a day to Rachel when it’s not part of the bed/naptime routine.

Wow, that’s a lot. I better start reading!