5/21/2013 Update

Life has kept us busy, and it seems to be moving so quickly. Here are a few updates on the changes in our lives:

• I started my job with Burr Pilger Mayer, Inc. as an auditor. I just reached the 6-month mark earlier this month. It has been difficult to adjust to being away from home for so long everyday (compared to school and studying for the CPA exam at home), and sometimes I travel a little farther than I would prefer, but overall the job has been a good experience (and source of income), and I’m enjoying it more and more.
• I passed the CPA exam! This is a big deal for me, especially since I watch some of my coworkers struggle to find time to study before or after work. I scored in the 90’s on each exam, and if I had earned just 1 more point I would have earned a national award given to just 30-40 people out of 90,000+ exam takers. Darn point!
• Dani and I purchased a home in Santa Rosa! It’s a 4-bedroom, 2-bath house just a few minutes from my parents’ house, and in their ward. We love having our own place and realizing that it is our own. We have already done so much to it, including removing the popcorn ceiling, retexturing and painting the walls and ceiling, adding ceiling fans to the bedrooms, living room, and dining room, remodeling the kitchen, half-remodeling the master bathroom (I’m taking a couple days off this week to finish it so we can get our bathroom back) and installing a new washer and dryer. Many people have told us that owning a house is a never-ending project, and so far they’re right. I hope to prove them wrong someday (at least for a few weeks).
• Brylie started serious walking at 9 months. She is now 16 months and seems so big. She loves talking (she finally said “I love you, Daddy” to me a couple days ago) and reading books. She is so fun to play with.
• A few weeks ago, Brylie found a toy bucket and started squatting (diaperless) over it and pretending to go to the bathroom (even peeing a couple times). We ordered a new potty, and she has already peed in it a few times. So far it’s slow going (and we’re not pushing her to really learn yet), but hopefully she learns easily and quickly when the time is right.

Pictures of the Brylie and the house will be posted soon (another project to add to my time-off list).

November Update

Here are some updates since the last post in March:

• Dani and I graduated! Dani got a BS in Dietetics, and I got a Master of Accountancy and BS in Accounting. We are so excited to be done with school, although it doesn't quite feel like I'm done with school because...
• I've been studying for the CPA exam. The exam has 4 parts (Financial Accounting and Reporting, Business Environment and Concepts, Regulation, and Audit). I finished the fourth part on Friday (95 on FAR, 96 on BEC, no score yet on REG or AUD).
• We spent about two weeks staying with Cindy and Chad after we graduated so I could continue to work at my on-campus job (they kicked me out two weeks after graduation). We had so much fun hanging out with their family! Logan and I became good buddies, and I was glad because we helped watch him in Santa Rosa a few weeks later, and he only seemed to want to hang out with me. Brylie had so much fun playing with real toys for the first time in her life.
• We moved from Eagle Mountain to live with Dani's family in Pismo Beach, CA for a few months. I began studying for the CPA exam there, and Dani was very busy watching Brylie, planning and preparing meals to pay our "rent," painting, and looking for homes online in Santa Rosa. We took a couple trips to Santa Rosa, one to babysit Cami for a week (what an adventure) and one time so I could take my first exam and we could spend time with the visiting Stoddards.
• Side note on babysitting Cami: First of all, I have so much more respect for Mom and Dad for taking care of Cami all the time (but mostly more respect for Mom, since Cami does almost anything Dad asks of her without fighting much). Second, I was amazed at how much Dani loved and helped Cami. I assumed I would do most of the work and Dani would take care of Brylie, but Dani did a lot to take care of Cami, and she was so patient. I'm lucky to have such a wonderful wife.
• Pismo note: We loved spending so much time with Dani's family, including her mom and dad, James, Gran and Pop, cousins and their families, and finally Devin when he got home from his mission.
• We moved to Santa Rosa about a month ago. Dani is sad to be away from her family, but she distracts herself with house-hunting (she's really good at it).
• I start my new job at Burr Pilger Mayer, Inc (BPM) tomorrow! I’m really excited, but for the next week it means a return to commuting (two days riding the bus into San Francisco, three days driving to Walnut Creek). After next week I should be in the Santa Rosa office.

Brylie Updates:

• Brylie learned to crawl at six months. It wasn't long until she was getting into everything, chasing the cats and dog, pulling herself up on furniture, and crawling up the stairs (I probably shouldn't have taught her that one).
• At 7 1/2 months she took her first steps, and we got it on video! For the next two months she didn't shown much desire to walk without us prompting her, but on Halloween she finally decided it was time. She has been walking all over this week. I love seeing her toddle around the house with a toy or two.
• She loves to crawl around and then sit up and start clapping. It is so funny to watch.
• Brylie has started playing her first real game with me. When she starts crawling away from me, I get on my hands and knees, say "I'm gonna get you," and start crawling loudly after her. The first few times we played she would shriek and crawl away from me. Lately she just sits up, waits for me to reach her (grinning the whole time), and finally starts crawling away after I've tickled her.
• She loves eating food, especially what we're eating. Some of her favorites are tangerines, strawberries, and tomatoes (she grabbed a big tomato at the McOmber's last month and gnawed a hole through it before we really noticed). She loves eating with her hands, and not so much with a spoon. She also loves getting a drink of water, but sometimes she just spits the water back out and then asks for another drink (or just dumping the water onto her tray and playing in it).
• Even though it’s still 2 ½ months away, we’re excited that we get to have Michelle and Cindy and their families come to Brylie’s birthday party!

Pictures/videos will be posted soon…

Eight Weeks

Sorry we haven't posted anything lately... Brylie keeps us busy (and school doesn't help much, either). Here's an update:

• Brylie loves to be held (in fact, I'm holding here right now); she doesn't let us put her down for long. In fact, she seems to sleep better in our arms than she does in her bed or anywhere else.
• She's outgrown her newborn clothes and diapers!
• We were sad to hear that most of her hair would fall out, but it seems pretty determined to stick around on her head. We love it.
• She's much more attentive now. She's started following our faces with her eyes and she'll stop crying when we distract her with toys, songs, dances, and new diapers (sometimes).
• She's quite the jogger. She's "run" with mom for probably 30 miles, and probably walked for another 20.
• She has invented many new cries. It's kinda cute the first couple times we hear them.
• She can hold her head up pretty well and has gotten quite a few compliments on it.
• She said "mom" last night (ok, she was just crying and happened to start and end the scream from a closed-lip position, but it sounded like "mom" to me).
• She started smiling a few weeks ago. She gave her first really big smile to Mor Mor, and she smiles fairly often now (my favorites are when she wakes up in the morning, stares at stuff for awhile, and then smiles while I talk to her).
• We've been inviting a lot of friends over for dinner. We realized that we're leaving Utah in less than 2 months and won't see many of our friends after we move (we're also semi-secretly trying to get our married friends baby-hungry).
• Danielle now enjoys pink (although she assures me that she only likes light pink).

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks:

We love giving Brylie a mohawk after bathtime

Brylie loves Daddy! She was so nice to give kisses

Smiling during tummy time

Brylie Pictures

Danielle gets ready for pitocin (funny story: Danielle asked if drinking pitocin has any effect, and the nurse told a story about a lady who wanted to get induced so bad that when she came in for a monitoring visit and the nurse left the room the lady went to the cupboard and drank IV bags of the stuff. The nurses came back and saw the bags all over the bed. Too bad for the lady, though, because pitocin has no effect unless injected).

Danielle and her sister Erica

 Sadly, Dani had to wear an oxygen mask almost the whole time. For the last 30 minutes before it was time to push (8-10cm), she was lying on the bed, thrashing back and forth and almost smashing her face into the rail on the side of the bed (her nose was saved only by the oxygen mask, until we got smart and put a pillow there).

Finally, the pictures you've all been waiting for:

While Dani was getting stitched up, I kept Brylie company in the heating bed. She kept trying to open her eyes and look at me. She just listened to my voice and didn't fuss (until the nurse started poking at her).

Chubby face?

Three generations: Lisa (Grandma), Dani, and Brylie.

What are you doing to her face, Grandma? (Just kidding, you've been a great help).

Dani's sister Natalie meets Brylie.

Neil's sister Cindy meets Brylie

Brylie meets her oldest cousin, Alli Stoddard (she has yet to meet any other cousins).

On the way home!

(No more nurses waking us up every hour... but then again, we don't quite know what to do).

Brylie in her own bed after being fed.